Salvete and welcome to the final chapter of What We Lack! I can't thank you all enough, especially those of you who have taken the time to review. I couldn't have done it without you.

(Okay okay okay, there might be an epilogue, but you didn't hear that from me.)

Special thanks to:

Smiles1998, the reason why Enjolras has such a large part in this story
XxBraveSoulXx, who introduced me to this website
PhantomoftheBarricade1832, who has not stopped supporting me throughout this whole time
My friend Grant because Grantaire (only in chapter 2 though.)
Aaron Tveit, George Blagden, Eddie Redmayne and Sam Barks… do I even need to explain this one?
My best friend in the world, whom (due to an inside joke which I am not even allowed to know) I call Trout. He's a little bit Grantaire and a little bit Marius, but he's mostly Enjolras. (He's even blonde and, since he's not here I can say this, quite attractive.)
Finally my other best friend in the world, whom I call Barracuda. In fact, nearly all of my inspiration for Marius and Enjolras and even quite a bit of Grantaire is just rewritten from Barracuda's personality. Even though he has yet to see Les Mis (fear not, it's a project just over a year in the making).
Also Russell Crowe. Because Russell Crowe.


Éponine awoke on Friday morning, already trembling. Cosette was still asleep. She checked her phone to see what time it was. 6 AM and a text from Enjolras, perfect.

"Grantaire got the message. He says he'll give you a response when he sees fit. -Enj" So anytime then. Perfect. Éponine got dressed as quietly as possible so as not to wake Cosette and went to the library, hoping to see Enjolras.

While he wasn't there immediately, he did show up relatively soon. Enjolras was just searching for another book about the French Revolution when he saw Éponine and decided on a copy of Macbeth instead. "Éponine? What are you doing here so early?"

"Didn't want to accidentally disturb Cosette. What about you?"

Enjolras laughed quietly. "I live here, didn't you know? I had to find someplace when you moved into my dorm."

Éponine blushed. "Sorry."

Enjolras laughed again and touched her shoulder. "Hey." She looked up at him. "It's fine. As much as I don't understand it, I can respect anything going on between you and Grantaire."

Éponine was completely shocked by his smile. It was so genuine, so honest, so unlike Enjolras. "Well what do you know? The man of marble with eyes of ice has a living heart after all."

"Don't jump to conclusions." Éponine could not help but notice he smirked as he said this. He went back to reading as she realized she had classes starting soon. She didn't say goodbye, as she figured distracting him from reading would only make him angry. Wait, was he reading Macbeth? Wow.

Éponine's day dragged on like a slug swimming through molasses. Every lecture was eternal, and every walk was just torture. The final level of hell was the time between her last lecture and her call time. When she finally arrived at the theater, Éponine thought her heart would explode. "And to think, you haven't even seen Grantaire yet." Her thoughts spoke too soon. Grantaire walked into the green room with an unusually red face. He did not sit next to Éponine, but he still did his best to flash a smile in her direction. "Please, Éponine, don't check your props too closely today..." his mind screamed.

The director entered to give notes. Éponine was usually quite attentive, but today she only listened for her name. "Macbeths. Y'all need to make the scene where you first see each other a little more believable. It's already really good, just see if you can put a little more passion into it." Grantaire wished more for a drink in that moment than he ever had in his life. Éponine thought she would cry.

When the director was finished, Grantaire walked up to the girl playing Macduff's son. "Hey. Poor bird who didst never fear the net nor lime nor pitfall. Got any gin?" She laughed, which was odd to Grantaire. He had never even heard her talk offstage before, let alone laugh. She shook her head. "Oh well. Thanks anyway. I'll tell my assassins to take it easy on you." He ruffled her wig as she continued to laugh. "No promises." At least spending a second with her calmed his nerves a little bit.

"When shall we three meet again, in thunder, lightning, or in rain?"

Marius scanned the audience. While the house was full, he was happy to see people he recognized. Cosette sat next to him, which delighted him enough. He snorted when he saw Enjolras sitting off by himself, holding a copy of the script as well as his French history textbook under one arm. Seeing Jacob Enjolras with the love of his life gave Marius enough courage to follow suit. Trembling, he stretched his arm around Cosette's shoulders. Seeing his look of shock, she whispered softly in his ear, "No fear, no regrets." He smiled and pulled her in closer, letting her rest her head on his shoulder.

"Fair is foul and foul is fair. Hover through fog and filthy air."

Javert hated a great many things. William Shakespeare's Macbeth was not one of these. However, the only thing he hated more than casual lawbreakers was a paradox. Fair is foul and foul is fair? What could that possibly mean? Could it mean that all that seemed right was wrong, and all that seemed wrong was right? Something deep in his soul burned as he scanned the audience for a familiar face. There was Marius Pontmercy sitting with a girl whom the Inspector knew to be Cosette Fauchelevaunt. Naturally, Cosette's father was watching her closely. Ultimas Fauchelevaunt. There was something so familiar about him... The lights flashed red as the witches onstage crouched together. The auditorium faded to black, obscuring Javert's view of the sainted criminal.

Éponine set herself onstage and moved all her props to their correct positions while the lights were down several scene changes later. She opened the letter that sat on the desk before her, even though she knew its contents by heart. There was an unfamiliar scribble at the bottom, but she could not read it in the darkness. As if cued by her curiosity, the lights came up. "They met me in the day of success: and I have learned from the perfectest report, they have more in them than mortal knowledge." Éponine's eyes began to scroll further down the page than she should have been at the time. It did not matter, for she could and, according to Cosette, did say that monologue in her sleep. "This I have thought good to deliver thee, my dearest partner of greatness..."

The audience silently gaped at the way Éponine blushed as she said that line. Character appropriate and perfect tone to accompany the words. To the audience, she was nothing more than a perfect representation of a young Lady Macbeth wholly devoted to her evil husband.

In fact, Éponine had forgotten her character in that moment. Her eyes had shifted to the bottom of the page, where Grantaire had written in bright red ink, "Got your message. Don't know if Enjy told you. Nice proposal, by the way. Total honesty? Let's start right now." Éponine both dreaded and hoped for Grantaire's entrance. "Hie thee hither, that I may pour my spirits in thine ear..." Éponine wanted nothing more than for that to actually happen.

Grantaire stood just barely in the shadows offstage. Total honesty. He had chosen the worst possible moment to break it to her, why couldn't he have waited another hour? He savored whatever was left of this innocent time by watching her lovingly as she spoke her lines.

"Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, to cry hold!" Grantaire's movement as he jumped his cue slightly sent Éponine off balance. "Hold!" She gave him the most honest and loving smile she could manage. "Great Glamis! Worthy Cawdor! Greater than both by the all-hail hereafter!" She could not help but notice that he was stiff and awkward as he walked toward her. Like he was badly trying to hide something. Éponine braced herself for the impending kiss.

"Wait, Grantaire, what are you doing? What?" He was ignoring the blocking they'd set up a month ago. Grantaire reached down to Éponine's side, grabbed her hand, and gently pressed his lips into her knuckle. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, GRANTAIRE?" she wanted to scream it at him. Suddenly it all became clear. He was using her hand to block his mouth as he silently whispered the most meaningful word Éponine could imagine at the moment.

"Now."

The next moment happened too quickly to feel or even see. Grantaire dropped her left hand, which went instantly to his shoulder as her right hand rested on the back of his jaw, letting her fingertips slide just barely into his ebony hair. Éponine let her eyes flutter shut as Grantaire clutched her waist and kissed her passionately. She didn't care if he was bluffing or just acting; she kissed him back with just as much fire. Their combined emotions poured into each other, causing a small tear to roll down Éponine's cheek.

Grantaire brushed the tear away with a gentle thumb. "My dearest love." The sweet rumble of his voice combined with his words only made Éponine want to kiss him again. "Duncan comes here tonight."

"Don't you dare let go of me right now." Grantaire kissed her forehead, which was definitely not in the original blocking, and walked away a few steps. Éponine followed him, almost running. "And when goes hence?"

He shrugged, wrapping one arm around her waist. "Tomorrow, as he purposes."

"Oh, never shall sun that morrow see!" Éponine had always been slightly afraid of this part of the scene. Now that she trusted Grantaire completely; however, it was much easier. With surprising strength, he picked her up by the waist and spun her around.

Grantaire had always liked acting because it allowed him to feel feedback from an audience through their applause and expressions. However, today marked the first time he had ever stood on stage wishing there were no audience. He just wanted to share this moment with Éponine and no one else. When her feet touched the ground again, he began kissing her softly. Grantaire would deal with the director later - he just needed this moment to himself. He broke off to breathe. Éponine curled her hand and brushed his cheek with it. "Your face, my thane, is as a book where men may read strange matters." Grantaire leaned into her palm as it opened. "To beguile the time, look like the time." His eyes opened once again as she said this line. As Éponine backed up, she dropped her hands, only leaving a single finger curled beneath his chin to draw him forward. "Look like the innocent flower..." in letting go, he propelled forward. Her fingers bit into his shoulders as she whispered in his ear, "but be the serpent under it."

Grantaire now drew her to him with a single finger beneath her chin. "We will speak further." He wasn't sure when that would come, but he was glad as long as it was coming.

The audience was left completely breathless at their performance. Lines became monologues, which became dialogues, which became scenes, which became acts, until finally Act 5 scene 5 began.

Éponine loved this scene. She barely listened for Grantaire to say "and beat them backward home" before she screamed. Her screams shook the audience, and evidently Grantaire was affected as well. "What is that noise?" he asked with slight panic.

Courfreyac, who played Seyton, gulped loudly. "It is the cry of women, my good lord." Courfreyac slipped offstage and swatted Éponine's shoulder. "Geez, 'Ponine!" he whispered harshly. "Some of us would still like to hear at the end of the semester." As Éponine laughed, he stepped stiffly back onstage.

"Wherefore was that cry?" Grantaire barked with a ferocity no one had ever heard from him.

"The queen, my lord, is dead."

Grantaire dropped to his knees and bellowed in a way that could wake the dead, with such emotion that every last audience member, including Inspector Javert, was greatly affected. Completely lost in character and in the moment, Éponine realized that large tears were spilling shamelessly from her eyes.

After several more scenes, three to be exact, Grantaire stepped offstage for the last time. "Éponine? What's wrong?" She was sitting on the floor by herself, hugging her knees and trying to hide her face.

"Sorry. Scene 5 hit me harder than I thought it would."

With a benevolent smile, Grantaire sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "You and me both, mon cheri."

In that moment, Éponine finally realized that Grantaire was not bluffing, nor was he ever. With a smile, she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head in his shoulder. All this time, she had thought Marius was blind. In reality, she had been blind all along, and Grantaire was her light.