LOVELIES! HAPPY BARRICADE DAY! (Well, this was meant for yesterday when they rose, but now it's a little gift of happiness (much fluff ahead) for the day they fell...) Also happy D-DAY! YAY! Sorry it's been another long spell, but I am now a high school graduate (YAY!) so it's summer time and MORE WRITING TIME! YAY!
So i hope you enjoy your Barricade day gift :) And please leave your comments, they make my day!
Warning: Swears and Fluff... much fluff...
Disclaimer: Alas, the rights did not come with my diploma...
Chapter 33: Silver Lining
Grantaire let out a contented sigh, pulling this little section of his family closer, he had a feeling something's were finally turning out right. It was quite impressive really.
No sooner had Éponine chosen and shuffled her initial group into the back of the café did Combeferre collapse onto the couch with an already sleeping Ben in his arms, speak his piece, and promptly fall asleep. A nervous chuckle broke out in the gaggle of young people as they regarded the young father and son both passed out on the couch with remarkably similar mouths and small snores coming from them both.
"How long is that drive?" Feuilly asked, still clutching Azelma tightly to his chest, smiling as Bahorel repeated the action to them both.
"Two hours I think? Maybe a little longer? Plus Ép and I had a nap in between, Combeferre didn't." Azelma spoke nonchalantly, wiggling out of the arms' embrace and towards the counter. To the boys' tired surprise, she hopped the counter with ease and began to mix herself an Irish Coffee.
"Took a nap? What'd you do at the prison? How'd it go?" Enjolras asked nervously, eyes darting between his sleeping friend and the back room. Azelma once again shrugged, holding up her cup of coffee.
"Anyone want one?" "Zel, since when did you work behind the counter?" Musichetta quipped gently. "Since I needed a strong coffee." She fired back. "Anyone? I make a proud Irish coffee for a French woman."
Once again a nervous bubble of laughter broke out through the group, but Enjolras was on edge. "Azelma, you're stalling. What happened?" He bit out, moving to stand in front of her.
The newfound tension in the room did not go undetected by Sarah, who let out a small whimper. Azelma's mischievous eyes darted from the leader to her now whimpering niece. "Jolras, it's not my place. You heard what Combeferre said and you're upsetting my niece." Enjolras grunted, clearly annoyed with Azelma's answer.
"You were in there too! Can't you at least give us a brief summary? Why'd she have to talk to R and Courf? What the hell happened there?"
His voice had risen slightly and he was ashamed of that. He wasn't one to lose his temper around his friends unless they were at a rally. But this was a situation that involved his boyfriend, his best friends, and a murderer and he wasn't over the sense of unease that was clearly etched over Éponine's face. One thing he couldn't stand was when one of his friends, his family, was hurting, and there was nothing he could do to fix it. Azelma stepped back a bit, shocked at his raised voice. The others were surprised as well, but only slightly, because they knew of Enjolras's heightened distress when one of his family was hurting, and it was increased all the more, because Éponine needed to talk to Grantaire.
At this point Sarah's whimpers turned into frightened cries at the sudden change in atmosphere. Jehan bounced her carefully, reciting poetry and humming little tunes. He even fished a flower from his hair to dangle in her face. Though her cries subsided, the whimpers continued. Bahorel, who couldn't stand when Sarah cried, moved over to the little poet and held his arms out. Jehan, exasperated with attempting to settle the little girl handed her over, only to gawk at Bahorel's super powers. Within seconds in the fighter's arms Sarah has quieted, gazing in wonder at the self proclaimed 'favorite napping arms' and then drifted the sleep.
"Enj, as much as I'd love to tell you why she brought Grant, Courf, and Gav to the back room, I have no clue why. I left the room before they did. They had their own conversation for another half hour or so, I took another nap then actually."
"How long were you in there?" Bousset questioned quietly.
"Must've been three, maybe four hours we were in there. Papa had a lot to say. The only reason that last conversation took place was because Combeferre was worried on why it was taking so long. We fell asleep around the last hour or so."
"Wait, you just fell asleep? All of you?" Joly asked, baffled that part of this visit included two naps. "Well," Azelma began, taking a big gulp of her coffee and wincing as the generous dose of whiskey burned down her throat. "I know I fell asleep and the twins were asleep long before his story finished, but how could you resist. We were in a position we hadn't been in years." Azelma sighed wistfully, her eyes fogging over with group looked on curiously.
"What kind of position?" Marius mumbled, wincing as Jehan and Cosette's hands connected with his skull.
"Thank you." Azelma the begging eyes of every person she explained.
"And the kind of position where you're held safely in your father's arms." She finished, looking out the window dreamily lost in the memory. No one truly knew the Azelma that was triggered by the parental love demonstrated at the prison. Before everything fell apart, Azelma Thénardier loved anyone and everyone, but no one more than her parents. She trusted them with everything she had and trusted anyone who was close to them as well. She even felt safer in this trustful position than Éponine did after the fall out because Papa hit Éponine. But after watching her sister be beaten almost to death, that carefree, naive little girl was no more. Only now with her lovers did she relax into a world of love once more.
The room was silent. Several jaws could've hit the floor if physically possible.
"He held you?" Cosette asked incredulously, stunned the man who nearly ruined her childhood had any affection in his body.
"Mm-hmm." Azelma nodded, still smiling. "I may not be ready to forgive him, but something snapped back into place because that man was not the murdering bastard I had the misfortune to call father as a child."
"And you trust what he says? I mean I was his neighbor and he tried to con me out of everything I owned!" Marius demanded, rising. His outburst was met with a collective groan.
"Pontmercy, you're lucky Combeferre's asleep and Grant and Courf are in the back room cause they'd whoop your stupid ass." Bahorel growled, frankly annoyed with Marius's unfiltered remarks.
"Why?" He questioned, his hazel eyes wide in his skull.
"Sweetie, remember the first time you told everyone the Thénardier's were your neighbors? Combeferre broke your nose." Cluelessness was still etched on his face.
"If you realized he was a con man, why the hell didn't you realize he was beating his children half to death?" Enjolras groaned impatiently.
"Or notice he was killing people." Jehan added, twidiling with the end of his braid.
Marius was about to protest, but the swoosh of curtains alerted everyone to the severed group reentering the room. Jehan smiled slightly when he took in Éponine's own smile and the relaxed aura of the group. He could practically see the tension melt and rise off of Enjolras's shoulders seeing Grantaire's arm looped around Éponine's shoulders.
Pausing to take in the group, she frowned slightly. "Where's Combeferre and Ben?" Bahorel let out a whooping laugh that woke little Sarah with an annoyed shriek.
"Sorry petite, but your son takes after his father," pointing to the couch.
"They're both asleep." Éponine smiled and turned back to the group. "Well? Zelma wouldn't tell us anything besides the fact you slept in his arms?" Feuilly pouted while the others nodded in unison.
Éponine gulped slightly, but relaxed once again when she felt both Courfeyac and Grantaire squeeze her arms in support.
"We did. He told us the whole story. He told us from the start that he wanted to give us everything, but he couldn't hold a good job. That after he lost everything he turned to blame the people he once wanted to give the world to. Then he was losing everyone, his wife, then me, and soon all of his children, whether they were his or not."
She took a breath, looking at the patient faces of the group. Who knew if they'd believe anything she was relaying. She wasn't even sure if she'd believe it, but hell, right now she did. "He told us he regret everything he did. He was ready to sit in jail and mull over hatred, but he visited the bishop."
"You're father visited a man of the church?" Enjolras chuckled, imagining the ginger in a place of worship.
"That's what I said!" Azelma chipped in, also smiling.
"He did." Éponine cut in. "And he told my father not to hate, but to reflect. And once that process started, well, everything came back up and the regret started and deep down he only wanted to keep us close to him. And I know that's a shit reason to beat your own children, but if you saw him, I mean for God's sake the man burst into tears! And that's the first time I'd ever seen that!" She exclaimed to audible gasps.
"So why exactly did he kill Montparnasse?" Bousette questioned, still a little confused. Éponine smiled.
"That's what got me too. But he told me that he can't control my future, he's fucked up my past, but if he can keep me safe as he still breaths, he'd do anything. Even if it meant killing his protégé. He said he'd do it again if he could erase everything." That's when her tears bubbled up, one even escaped. "Then he said he loved us." Now she was sobbing. "And that's just something I hadn't heard in a long time. Yeah I hear it from you guys, but my father hadn't said it to me since before he lost the inn. Hearing your Papa tell you he loves you after over twenty years was the greatest thing to hear. And he held the twins so protectively and they adored him. They don't know what he's done, and I suppose one day they'll know, but if they can know this man. The man I saw today who told me he loves me and held me like a little girl, than that will mean the world to me." She sobbed.
The boys looked on, Jehan was already sobbing 'quietly' into Courfeyac's side, as was Joly and Musichetta into Bousset. Bahorel held not only Sarah, but Feuilly and Azelma in his other arm and smiled happily at his 'baby sister'. She'd been through hell and Bahorel still hated the man, but he'd never been so happy than to hear her childish joy at proclaiming her father said he loved her. Cosette smiled tearily too and though Marius was still skeptical, he was happy Éponine was happy. Even Enjolras teared up.
"It was so nice to feel that again." She whispered.
"I got a picture!"
Combeferre yawned from his position on the couch, causing everyone to swivel. He rose slowly, handing Ben to Enjolras as he fished his phone out of his pocket to show everyone the picture. Courfeyac let out a low whistle. "Well, I'll be damned, didn't recognize him with all that affection radiating off of him.
"So why'd you need them?" Joly dropped, landing the biggest question to the room.
Éponine bit her lip, the nerves returning, but Grantaire nudged her slightly nodding. "I needed to check if they were ok if they saw him again."
She breathed, sighing as she met confused expressions
"I asked him to give me away at my wedding." There was silence, but everyone was surprised when Enjolras smiled first.
"I'm glad you did."
She looked up, shocked, fearing the marble man would hate her for putting his love at risk. "Really? Enj do you mean that?" She cried.
"Ép, it's your wedding." He began, echoing Courfeyac's words before. "And it's been a long time since I've seen this kind of happiness bubble up in you. Yes you've been happy and loved among us, but this new glow, I haven't seen it since the moment the twins were born. If anyone deserved this redeeming kind of moment with their parent, whether or not you forgive him, it's you Ép…. Oomph!"
Éponine had quite literally launched herself into Enjolras's unsuspecting person full on. Soaking his shirtfront.
"I was so afraid you'd all hate me for doing this." She whimpered.
"Éponine Marie Evangeline Thénardier!" Jehan burst out.
"Jehan, where's the Evangeline from?" Combeferre questioned the poet.
"It doesn't matter. What does matter is that I never want to hear you say you fear we'd hate you! That is the farthest thing from the truth EVER!" He proclaimed.
Éponine gave a teary smile. "Thanks Jehan. Speaking of that my father kinda said he liked you guys."
"WHAT?!"
She laughed. "Not in those exact words, but he was floored you all took on the Patron-Minette to save Gav and he's beyond happy that we found love and support and a family with you guys."
"Well, that's nice, the mater criminal approves of us." Grantaire sighed dreamily, earning a slight smack from Combeferre.
"He gave me permission." The philosopher smiled.
"I though I gave you permission!" Gav demanded, earning more laughs.
"I needed both the get married." The older man pacified.
"Oh." The boy thought. "Ok."
"And you're ok with him at the wedding." Marius questioned, earning another groan and another smack. (Courtesy of Courfeyac.)
"Seeing him holding them and seeing him interact with my children, I agree 100%. Remember, I was on board with her visiting him from the start Marius." He stated, crossing his arms and daring Marius to challenge him.
He didn't. Éponine laughed as she was pulled into a massive group hug by the whole clan. Her children made it back to her arms for this and with Combeferre's hand in hers, Grantaire's arms around her waist, Azelma clutching her arm, Joly, Musichetta, and Bousset creating a single being close to her back, Enjolras by her shoulders, Jehan and Courf by her front, Feuilly snuggled by Azelma, Cosette and Marius by her side, Gav squished by her legs, clutching her shirt and Bahorel surprisingly holding them all (if any of this was even physically possible.). She reflected herself on the shit she'd gone through, but she was being held by physical proof that part of her life was over. She was holding physical proof a new chapter in her life had started. A new chapter with her 'new born' father and an army of support behind her. She sighed relieved. Never had she imagined her life to be this wonderful, but it was the things her father did that led her to this point and though she could never erase the nightmares, they were experiences and shit falls that led her to her family. And if she was ever to thank her father for anything, it was for getting her to this group hug here, surrounded by love protection. And with an 'I love you' from her father, a man who was once again reflecting the man he was, there was nothing at the moment that could make her happier.
Whoop there it is! Hope you enjoyed! Again, I'd LOVE to hear your comments and reveiws! So take a min to leave your thoughts... And once again, I'm really sorry about formatting (if it's still weird... it's been odd lately..)I think the next chapter will be the wedding, and hopefully it'll come out soon :) As always stay lovely lovelies! And Once again Happy Barricade Day!Until Next Time! (Ok, i might repost this tomorrow, because the formatting's really being weird on me...)