My Darling, darling lovelies! I am SOOOOOO sorry it's been so long! School, life, ugh, you know... But here I have for you a very... VERY fluffy, godparent revealing (bum bum BAH!) chapter! I hope it was worth the wait! Hopefully I won't go this long again!
(Happy Thanksgiving to all the fellow Americans out there :) )
Warning: Extreem Fluff... Proceed with caution...
Disclaimer: Yea... I don't think old Vic'd been this fluffly...
Chapter 22: No Better Place
"Can you guys stay for just a sec?"
The ones singled out stayed behind until the entire group had filed out, leaving five behind. One practically bubbled, dancing back and forth in their shoes. The other four shared knowing smiles as they watched the proud parents look to each other, then to their children, and once again to the five in front of them.
"Well, I guess you've figured why we asked you guys to hold back." Combeferre began, Éponine nodded along.
"You're right," One, ever the joker, bud in. "I hid your philosophy books junior year, R was my accomplice," –"Thanks man."- "and we laughed diabolically as you searched endlessly and finally gave up by searching ebay to no end until you finally found another book…which was yours all along." Courfeyac finished, a wicked smile playing on his lips. Combeferre gapped for a few moments, clearly not expecting such a confession in the current situation. The rest were silent for a moment before Éponine burst into laughter.
"Oh Courf, that's rich! He nearly lost it that semester! And it turns he bought back his own book! Oh thank goodness we choose you and R among the ranks for our children." Had she use of her arms (or at least a hand, but the one closest to her beloved was being used as a pillow by Gavroche.) she would've slapped Combeferre's arm playfully, before wiping the tears from her eyes in quite the historic fashion.
After he finished gaping like a fish, and the rest had finished laughing, he cleared his throat.
"Where that is useful information, four years ago Courf, that isn't why we wanted to talk to you." He took in a breath, massaging the bridge of his nose, an action he found himself doing often when around his friends.
"What Ferre and I were trying to say is that we were wondering if your five would be the godparents to our babies?"
There was a beat of silence before Enjolras, tears in his eyes (he'd probably cried more in the last 8 months than in his twenty-two years of schooling all together.), nodded slowly.
"We would be honored." He whispered.
"But the question at hand, my dear Ponine," Grantaire added, bringing his arm around his boyfriend's waist and pulls him in for a quick kiss to the temple.
"Are we to be given a child or are we sharing the duties for two between five?"
"Grant, have you been reading my anthologies?" Jehan teased, surprised he had yet to begin sobbing.
"Well, we were getting to that. You see, this is how we'll do it." Éponine began, commanding the room's attention.
"Chetta, since I met you in middle school, you've been my confidant, companion, and sister, I love you so much Chetta, and I'd be honored if you'd be the godmother for both my babies."
Musichetta, unable to put words together, nodded through her tears.
"Nothing would make me happier sweetie." She finally managed, pushing through the boys to wrap her arms around her best friend's neck.
Combeferre picked up from there.
"Enj, R, Courf, Jehan. You four have been with me, really since the beginning. I don't know where I'd be without my leader and center, my philosopher and poet. I couldn't imagine better people to trust my children's well being with, well," he added, slightly embarrassed. "Besides the rest of the band of children we call family downstairs." The five boys broke into a tearful laugh causing Éponine and Musichetta to shake their heads slightly.
"Oh Boys." Chetta sighed
"What are we to do with them? They're more weepy than we are!" Éponine added, smiling at Musichetta's action of bringing her finger to her lips in a mock whisper.
"Don't let them know."
Noticing the girls' banter behind him he quickly continued.
"Anyway, all that being said, I would like to ask if you, Courfeyac and Jehan, would be the godfathers to our Benjamin."
Jehan, who was finally lost in sobs nodded as he hurled himself at Combeferre, pulling the older man into a tight hug. Courfeyac, unable to resist a hug, joined in.
"We'd be honored to be Ben's godfathers." Courfeyac answered.
"May I?" Jehan whispered, reaching for his godson. Éponine carefully handed one of her sleeping bundles to the poet and smiled as he curled her baby boy close to his chest.
Courfeyac absorbed the two into his arms and smiled happily down at Ben as he hung his head lazily over Jehan's shoulder.
Tearing his eyes away from the sight of his son and his godfathers, Combeferre turned back to Enjolras and Grantaire.
"Guys, would you be the godfathers to my little girl?" Combeferre asked, meeting his best friends faces. Enjolras nodded slowly, unable to process the question and the tears. Grantaire, though fighting his own tears, answered for his boyfriend.
"Mon ami, it'd be our pleasure." He smiled. "I don't know where I'd be today if it weren't for you two, I probably wouldn't be here, the man I am, today."
More tears were shed as Enjolras took little Sarah into his arms, Grantaire fawning over them much as Courfeyac had with Jehan. The seven friends laughed and cried as the little babies were passed around from godparent to uncle to parent. (At one point, Musichetta managed to get both babies at once, but she didn't mind one bit, she loved the chance to hold her godchildren.) It was nearly an hour later that Gavroche, who'd been sleeping throughout this entire scene, let out a loud yawn, burrowing himself deeper into Éponine's side.
Grantaire, noticing his brother's actions, checked his watch.
"Jeeze! No wonder Gav's been out for the last two hours, it's nearly 2am!"
Musichetta stared at Grantaire for a moment. "2am? The hospital's let us stay this long?"
"Who really wants to argue with us anymore." Jehan sighed, reluctantly handing Sarah back to her proud Papa.
"But we'd best be letting you guys get some well deserved sleep, you can't hide every yawn from me Ép," Enjolras chastised as he carefully placed Ben back into her arms. "I've learned to notice things more carefully."
Éponine playfully stuck his tongue out at him and let a giant yawn consume half her face.
"Alright, we're leaving, no need to shove us out." Musichetta laughed, moving towards the door. The rest of them followed, but Courfeyac stayed at the doorway a moment.
"You guys want me to take Gav home?" He asked the question, even though he already knew the answer.
"It's alright Courf, he can stay with us the night." Éponine whispered, playing with her brother's mop of blonde hair.
He smiled at the little family; Combeferre perched on the bed, Sarah in his arms sleeping soundly, his other arm draped around Éponine's shoulder. Her arm closet to Combeferre cradled Ben, who was contentedly sucking his thumb. On her other side, Gav has curled himself into a ball, snoring soundly, gently holding the sheet that covered his sister, trying to hold on to her as best he could.
"Alright, we'll see you tomorrow?"
"Probably." Combeferre replied.
"Courf?" He paused, the center stayed in the doorway.
"Thank you."
"Any time mon frère." He gave one last signature Courf smile before going after Jehan.
When everyone was gone and it was just them and their children, Éponine sighed.
"Think the other'll be mad?"
Combeferre thought for a moment.
"Na, knowing them knowing us, they've probably made bets for who gets our future children."
Éponine shoved him slightly. "Slow down partner, you didn't just give birth to two human beings." He chuckled slightly, pressing a kiss to her brow.
"Did you hear Gav say he was Ben's big brother?" Éponine whispered, playing with Gav's hair some more.
"Mm-mm"
"I'm really glad he said that. I'm glad he feels like a sibling to them, I'm glad he can grow up not only with the Amis as guides, but with you as a father figure."
Combeferre teared up a bit. "Ponine, I'm honored to consider and call him my son."
"I'm glad I found you." She smiled. "But," She paused, looking up into his beautiful ocean eyes.
"You never did tell me how you knew what to do."
He smiled, her memory never failed her…
"It's not really an earth shattering secret, but it's something I'm going to pass down to Gav and Ben and Sarah when they're older." He started.
"I was, what was I? Twelve? Maybe ten? Anyway, my father brought me aside and told me that his father was supposed to have an older sister, but she came out with the chord around her neck. She also had a slew of other medical problems they couldn't deal with, but that's besides the point. My father told me his grandfather told his father what to do if something like that happens. My father only told me because well, I came out with the umbilical chord wrapped around my neck. According to my Dad's family legend, if he hadn't've known what to do, I wouldn't be here today." He finished, watching her carefully.
"Remind to thank your father a thousand times over." She breathed, carefully extracting her hand from behind Gav to cup her finacé's cheek.
"You saved Sarah, just like you saved me all those years ago."
"I won't let anyone harm my girls." He smiled, but then corrected himself. "I won't let anyone harm my family ever again. You, Gav, Sarah, and Ben, you're my family and I'm going to protect you no matter what." He wiped away her stray tear with the pad of his thumb as she brought him down for a long awaited kiss.
They stayed like that for a while, holding their children close to them. Eventually, Combeferre shimmied down under the covers (the hospital even knew to find them the biggest bed they had.) and cradled his soon to be wife in his arms. On his chest he held both Sarah and Ben, who slept soundly (miraculously.), hearing the sound of their father's heartbeat. Gavroche was on Éponine's other side, Combeferre's arm stretching and securing his entire family in his wingspan.
As he drifted to sleep, his family safe in his arms, he thanked who ever listened up there to bless him with who he was with now. Closing his eyes, lulled to sleep by the sound of his love and children's breath, he fell asleep knowing there was no other place and no other person he'd rather be than there and himself.
Didja like it? I hope it was worth the wait! I've got some interesting action coming up! So stay tuned!
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until next time!