AN: hey so after this chapter there will be two more chapters and I'll be done with Part 1. Then I'll get started on Part 1 of G/J if you want more information on that it'll be on my profile. I kind of hint at Jane in this fic. Not a lot because she isn't the focus so I decided to actually come up with a trilogy for them too. After that I'll write part 1 of Joly and Chetta.
Thanks for all of the feedback btw! I LOVE hearing from everyone! Good or bad review, I love it!
Lots of love,
T.
Chapter 7: Fieldtrip
You and the boys meet me at Ruby's Pub. It's time for a Fieldtrip -Eponine
Coufeyrac read the text message, "Boys get ready! Ep's taking us out tonight!" he told Bossat and Jehan. Well Graintaire was asleep and Enjolras was doing the usual, reading. "Come on boys get excited!"
"Excited about what?" their waitress, Musichetta asked.
"Eponine wants to teach the boys and I how to 'woo' the common woman" Bossat told her.
Her eyes were on fire, "Well. I hope my husband. Had nothing to do with that sort of thing." she gritted through her teeth. The boys laughed, "Well if he did there is no harm in a little fun I suppose."
"Musichetta, we can all tell you that Joly had nothing to do with our shenanigans. He only talks about you and the baby to be."
She smiled, "good. This is my last night before the baby comes. It's exciting isn't it?"
"So does that mean that you have picked out godparents yet?"
Musichetta went into a panic, "So where are you boys meeting Eponine?"
"Ruby's." Coufeyrac told her.
"I'm not going." Graintaire sighed. They all turned and stared in shock at Graintaire, "I just don't see a point in going anymore." Their eyes widened.
"R? Not want to woo a woman? Or drink? Are you sick? Joly should take a look at you my friend!" Combeferre laughed.
Musichetta shooed them away, "What is wrong mon ami?"
He shrugged, "Nothing unusual."
"You lie! Come tell Chetta what troubles you." she patted his back.
"It's just this girl. Jane. I met her a few weeks ago and am completely smitten with her." he told her.
"Well R, I'm sure that if you can cool it on the alcohol and actually pay attention to this girl than things will smooth over." he sighed again and Chetta gave a small smile, "Do you want to come home with me and Joly? We have some stuff to do before the baby gets here and we'd love a little help." he gave her a sad smile and agreed to going home with her and Joly. He was secretly as excited about the baby as they were.
Enjolras fumed at being forced into a bar by his so called friends. "Were is Eponine so we can get this thing over with!" he cursed.
"Well these lessons are really for you mate." Coufeyrac smirked.
That was when she entered, she looked really nervous. Since her trip to the jailhouse Enjolras had been very protective of her. Making sure that she was alright at all hours. If he found her watching tv in the middle of the night he would make her hot chocolate and watch whatever chick flick she wanted to watch.
Enjolras knew that he was smitten with Eponine, she was the first woman he had ever been attracted to. The first woman he had ever wanted a true relationship with. And when he turned to see who walked into the door at Ruby's there she was. Dressed in black skinny jeans, a white shirt and a long sleeved red cardigan. The boys started laughing and he finally heard one of them say, "Wow wanna close that mouth Enj? You might catch some flies!"
He turned and glared at them, his nostrils flaring, "I don't appreciate that one bit." he straightened himself up and joined Eponine at the bar. "Good evening mademoiselle." he greeted.
She laughed at his formality, "Good evening to you Monsieur. How was your day of reading? Courf told me that our fearless leader took a day off."
"I did not take a day off. I took a few hours to freshen my mind for a bit. I'm no good in a protest if my brain is jello."
"Well I'm sure that you would still be brilliant if your brain was jello."
He laughed, "Not as brilliant as you are 'Ponine." she blushed and turned to take a sip of her drink.
"Are they... Flirting!?" Jehan said.
"Of course not. Our leader has too much on his mind, he doesn't need a woman to occupy his thoughts!" Combeferre assured them.
"Well they look to be very flirty... Or at least Eponine does. I'm not sure what a flirting Enjolras looks like. I didn't think that existed." Coufeyrac smirked.
"I'm telling the truth!"
"No you are not!" Eponine said.
"You seriously have not dated a girl in your life? Not even one date? Not even like the prom or something?"
He shrugged, "I didn't go to my high school prom. I didn't care about those things. Fighting for the people was more important than dancing with some drunk high school female." she laughed again, "What?"
"I love that you call us 'females' it's like we're some other species!"
"On most levels you are." he took another drink.
"So that means you've never kissed anyone?"she asked curiously.
He turned bright red and froze, "Perhaps. You don't have to date someone to kiss them."
She laughed, "Oh my god you really haven't. Oh Ras! Don't be embarrassed. I'm sure there is a girl out there waiting to fall in love with you." a hint of sadness glistened in her chocolate colored eyes.
"Yeah." he smiled at her, "I hope she is out there."
"So this 'female'" she mocked him and giggled at him when he glared, "Will she end your love for your dear Patria?"
"Oh no, she will become my Patria. She will be what I fight for, why I fight, I will do all in my power to make sure she is never treated unfairly. I will protect her no matter what, encourage her to do as she pleases. And attempt to make her the happiest woman to have ever lived."
"But what would Patria do if she ever found out her beloved marble statue left her for some girl?"
"It's not Patria I have to worry about." he whispered.
"Well who do you have to worry about?" Eponine asked.
"My idiot friends who will tease me for the rest of my life." he rubbed his eyes while she laughed again. He now admired her laughter. It was really the only laughter he could tolerate because she had a soft chuckle that was just music to his ears. "So have the lovely couple planned a date for their grand ceremony?"
"It's in about a month and a half."
"What? That's soon!"
"I tried to tell them that but they just want a short wedding with friends and family. You know what that means right?" his star at her, his eyebrows furrowed. "That means for the next couple of weeks you and I will have to spend all of our free time with the bride and groom"
His hands cupped his face and he groaned, "I'm extremely honored to have been chosen to be a best man but I have more important things to do like-"
"Fighting for human rights!" she imitated him. His glare made her laugh harder.
"I don't see how the rights of every person is a joke to you Eponine."
Oh she knew she had gone too far when he said her name like that, "I not laughing at our rights Ras, I'm laughing at you" she patted his knee.
"So what was the point of you making me come here?"
"Oh!" she exclaimed, "I just wanted to see how many girls checked you out in an hour."
He stood up, "What!?"
She laughed, "I've counted thirteen. And that was before you distracted me Monsieur."
He grabbed her hand, "We are leaving right now, I think the wine has gone to your head."
She giggled, "To new fair I didn't have wine I had a martini."
She giggled all the way down the street, not because she was drunk but by the way he was acting. So protective of her, so embarrassed by what only his looks could do to women. She laughed even harder when he began to give her a lecture, "You are a teacher Eponine. You go to work every day and preach to your high schoolers not to drink and you turn around and go against everything you preached about."
She loved everything about it, the passion in his eyes, the way he gripped her hand as he dragged her towards the apartment. She loved the way he talked about her, how he treated her, she loved him. *What? No I do not! This project is for me finding him a girl! Not so she would fall for him, or the other way around.*
"Eponine are you even listening to me?" he barked,
"My ears are yours Ras."
He was still lecturing her about how she was a woman of France and how she should be the prime example to those around her. She plopped herself on the couch and when Enjolras came back over to talk to her he saw that she was fast asleep. He sighed and small smile crept over his face. He took her shoes off and carried her to her bedroom. He covered her with the quilt at the end of her bed and kissed her forehead, "Good night, my 'Ponine."
Oh how knew that no matter how angry she made him, he would always love her. Yes that was a word he could use now. He loved her. He knew before that he had never felt anything towards a female, but she wasnt just any girl. She was his Patria.