The Decade

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Gavorche gapes at his sister, "You want to do what, exactly?"

Eponine just rolls her eyes. She hates having to repeat herself. "I want to burn the letters."

"All of them? Are you sure? Are you positive because, you know, you could change your mind at any moment. You could save them. You could show them to Enjolras. You could wake up ten years from now and kick yourself in the butt for not saving them," He tries to protest as she stubbornly shakes her head no. He can tell that it's too late, that she's made up her mind but he still has to make sure because this is a big decision and he can't help but wonder if she'll regret later.

"I'm sure, Gav. I've found closure and it's time to let go of the past and move on with my life." Her brown eyes sparkle as she explains her reasons to him, her foot toeing the box closest to her but it's such a dictionary answer that he doesn't quite believe her.

"Alright then," He agrees, knowing that he can't win against her, not when she's made up her mind, "Do you have a place to torch them because last time I checked doing this sort of thing in one's rented apartment was highly illegal. Imagine the headlines: 'School Teacher Turned Pyro' it'd be a riot!"

"Shut up." Eponine rolls her eyes and throws the closest object to her (a pillow that she keeps on the sofa for the nights she falls asleep while marathoning her shows) at his face.

"Yeah, yeah; but Ep, I have to ask. What about Enjolras?"

"What about him?" She deflects, avoiding the question as she moves the boxes around wondering how exactly she would torch them because her brother did have a point.

"You're letting him go, Ep. Are you sure you want to do this? You love him and you don't even know what his decision is yet. You're shielding yourself. You say you're okay but I know you. You're bracing yourself for disappointment. You don't think he'll chose you. You're my sister, you can't hide anything from me. You say you've found closure and maybe to some degree you have, but you've also started withdrawing from the world."

"Maybe I'll drown them, I mean all I really want is to get rid of the evidence. If I get them all soggy then the writing's destroyed and I can throw them out like a normal person."

"Eponine!"

"It is a little less symbolic though, don't you think? Oh well. Help me drag these to the shower would you?"

Gavroche sighs and runs one hand through his hair while his other grabs onto Eponine's tiny wrist, "Why won't you talk to me 'Ponine?"

"Because we've been over this Gav, it's going to take a while but in the end, I'm going to be okay. I am okay. I've grown up and I've learned my lesson." She tugs on the edge of her tank top and shoves loose strands of her hair behind her ear, "I'm not going to run away, not this time. I'm going to stay away from Montparnasse and I'm going to let you and Cosette treat me like a baby for a few weeks and I'm going to eat a bunch of ice cream and watch crappy movies and then I'm going to finally be over Gabriel Enjolras and the world will shine."

Gav sighs and lets her arm go, "Do you really think the world will shine?"

She snorts, "Hell no."

This causes the both of them to burst into laughter and Gavroche does help his sister drag the boxes into the shower, despite his opinions because she's he's sister and he'd do anything to make her happy. They work quietly together as Eponine hums and later sings (off-key, of course) along to the music playing on the radio.

"Hey, 'Ponine," He whispers as he watches the water drench years of his sister's life.

"Yeah?" She responds, just as quietly.

"How do you know you'll be able to get over him this time?"

She turns to him and he notices how her smile isn't sad, but something else. He isn't quite able to put his finger on it.

"I don't know if I will; but I'm going to at least try. Besides! This time it's not like I'll never see him again. This time we're going to be friends and we'll hang out over coffee and be normal. Right? It's like my second chance at the life I would have had if that night hadn't happened. I'm not going to waste this opportunity Gav. No matter what."

He nods as if agreeing with her but he can't help but feel as if they're killing something, someone. Kind of like they're killing Enjolras, which is stupid since they aren't. He's alive and probably talking to Amelie or Sebastian or brooding over his feelings.

But still.

It just feels... Wrong.

After Gavroche helps his sister drench her past, he tries to call 'Ferre, and the 'Fey. Things have been a little rough between the three of them lately, but they did practically raise him and he can't stay mad at them for long. Besides he's got news that they should probably know. When they don't answer, he obviously has no choice but to stake out their apartment and ring the doorbell until they agree to listen to him.

It takes a lot less effort than he thought, because the door opens on the first knock and he's surprised to see Joly standing behind the door; so surprised that he does a quick double take, making sure he's at the right place.

Joly merely chuckles and opens the door wider, "You've got the right place, 'Roche."

When Gavroche walks in he's hit in the face with a sight that he hasn't seen since he was a boy. It's almost like a blast from the past; they're sitting there in the tiny living room with beer and cookies. If it weren't for the fact they'd all aged ten years and the blatant tension between Joly, 'Chetta, and Bossuet and of course the fact that some key members were missing (his sister, Enjolras, Cosette, and Marius) it was almost like things were okay. Like there was nothing bad that ever happened.

"What are you doing here, Gav? Aren't you batting for the other team?" Grantaire asks (Gav is frankly surprised to see him here since he moved to nowheresville and has obvious issues with both Eponine and Enjolras).

"Well, you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" Gav asks with a grin, pointing to Jehan who is literally on R's lap.

The other man chuckles and raises his beer, "I'll give you that one."

"So what's going on?" He questions.

"A meeting to unite the two blind lovebirds." Grantaire says with an odd expression on his face, something between a grimace and a smirk.

"Oh. Well, I came to let you guys-well actually Courf and 'Ferre since I didn't know you guys would be here-know that they've talked it all out and basically 'Ponine and Amelie gave him an ultimatum. He's got to pick one of them and both girls are fine with whoever he picks."

Grantaire snorts, "Sure they are."

"Either way, call this plan off. They're doing things their way. They don't need this."

"But we planned! We called everyone up," Courfeyrac whines, "We did all this work and you're just now saying that it's unnecessary?"

"I've actually been saying it all along," He points out.

Courf pouts and opens up another beer, "I hate you."

"Yeah, yeah," Gav waves it off, "I've heard it all before."

"Alright then, what do we do now?"

He shows up at Amelie's apartment completely unannounced, not like it matters because he has a key and he's pretty sure she's waiting for him.

Well, waiting for an answer from him.

She's in the living room when he slips through the door. She doesn't even notice, or if she does, she doesn't acknowledge his presence so he takes a minute to study her, takes a minute to soak in all that is Amelie, to reacquaint himself with all that he'd fallen in love with in the first place. He'd be the first to acknowledge that she was beautiful. Both inside and out. Her smile, that look she'd get when she was really serious. The way she loved her son.

He walks over to the sofa, knowing that he has to do this, now that he's sure of his answer, he has to tell her because she's been here waiting all this time for him. Waiting for him to get his head together so she can live her life, so she can move on from whatever this is either with him or without him.

"Amelie." He calls out her name, just her name, as he walks towards her but it's filled with every emotion he can muster at this point. All his regret and sorrow for making her wait so long for an answer that probably she already knows. An answer that he's probably known all along.

Her voice comes out a moment later, choked, as if she's holding back tears and she doesn't turn around, "Stop." It's a command and even though she speaks it with no force, even though she wouldn't stop him from walking further into the room, he obliges her.

"Amelie," He tries again, tries to get the words out, to tell her how sorry he is. To tell her he's a scumbag for making her wait for him, for promising her the world and his love and then failing to deliver when push came to shove.

"Please." Her voice is still just a whisper. The tremor is still there. "Please," She tries again and it comes out stronger this time. "I know what you're going to say." He doesn't say a word. He knows she knows and he knows she needs to get these words out. He'd do anything to try to make things better for her. To somehow fix all the wrong that he's done in her life. To her; to her son. How is he any better than that scumbag who got her pregnant and then left her in the dust?

He isn't allowed to wallow in his thoughts for long because all of a sudden Amelie's in control of her emotions and the emotion she chooses to let out first is white hot anger, burning him deep into the core of his being. She doesn't speak loudly, either because Sebastian's asleep or because if she does, she'll lose control. He doesn't know which it is; he's lost all sense of time. All sense of everything. So all he does is stare into her eyes and let her hit him with everything she's got because he deserves it.

"You're going to apologize to me. You're going to say that you're sorry you wasted my time, am I right?" He can literally feel her anger; it radiates off of her skin and drenches him with his mistakes and shortcomings. "Well," She continues, "I don't want to hear it, you jerk because I always knew that there was someone else you loved first. Someone you loved more than you loved me. It was this look in your eyes when we first met. I never said anything because I thought they were the forever kind of gone and I'd see that look less and less as we spent more time together. Until recently, that is."

Amelie's crying now. She can feel the hot tears sliding down her cheeks and she hates herself a little because she swore up and down that when this day came she would be strong, she wouldn't cry; if not for herself, then for her son.

He tries to cut her off here, despite his initial plan of letting her let it all out without him interrupting but she keeps going, "I always knew that, so when she showed up, I knew it was only a matter of time before you left me for her and I was okay with that because for a short time I was able to feel like I did when I was young. I was able to fall in love again. You helped me fix my heart, 'Ras. You helped me become whole again." She rubs her eyes and chuckles a little at his confused face. He looks almost broken, almost lost. But that's okay because she will give him a map and set him on the path to the girl who can fix him.

"Don't look like that, 'Ras," She whispers and finally gets up and makes her way over to him. Slowly, she cups his face and smiles, "Our story isn't over. It's just taken a new direction. Besides," She pauses and wipes away both the tears slowly falling down his face and the ones on hers, "If you hadn't sucked up your courage and broken up with me, I would have broken up with you. That girl's been waiting a long time for you. I've had my turn, now it's hers. Besides, don't you think I deserve someone who loves me whole-heartedly?"

"Amelie," He reaches up and rubs her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs, returning her favor and flicking the tears away, "I don't know what to say. This isn't how I thought this conversation would be."

"That's because you're stupid," She tells him, candid as always. Then she takes a breath and slaps him. Hard.

His eyes go wide, "What was that for?" He asks in a slightly higher pitch than the one he was using earlier; his hands now cradling his quickly reddening cheek.

"That's for stringing me along for so long. Now move your hand away, I still owe you one more." Her eyes are still shining with tears but now he can see a little mirth.

"For what?" He cries out.

"For wanting to apologize for wasting my time with you. Wanting to do that means that you think little of us, that you think that all that time should be erased but I don't want that, Enjolras, I think that those were some of the best years of our lives, yours, mine, and Sebastian's because you helped glue my little broken family together so don't you ever apologize for that."

Enjolras nods, eyes wide, "Alright, then I'm sorry."

Amelie's eyes narrow, "For what?"

"For being stupid and wanting to apologize incorrectly." He replies and offers his cheek, "Alright, let's get this over with."

The woman in front of him just rolls her eyes, leans in and gives his cheek a kiss.

"We'll always be here for you, if you need us, you know. We can still be a part of each other's lives."

He nods, "I know." They can both feel the words that aren't being said as if there's a weight placed upon them. They both know they'll slowly drift apart.

Before any more words can be said, Sebastian stumbles in, looking rumpled but not in his pajamas. It's obvious he woke up because of their conversation.

"Hey baby," Amelie coos, "What are you doing awake?"

Sebastian, however, ignores his mother and turns to Enjolras, "'Ras are you leaving? Is Mommy going to be all alone again? Am I going to be all alone again? Are you going to stop being my daddy?" The questions are mumbled out through a yawn and he's still rubbing his eyes, but Enjolras can tell that he's serious, that he wants answers and Enjolras also knows that this kid deserves them.

He feels sick, knowing that he's crushing Sebastian's dreams just like how he crushed his mother's. He takes a deep breath and tries to explain everything to Sebastian, but how does one explain something like this to a child? Finally he comes out with, "Even if mommy and I aren't together, I'll never leave you buddy. I promise. I'm only a phone call away." He knows his answer is weak and his promises probably don't mean much to these two since he's been breaking pretty much every single one he's ever made to them, but this one he intends to keep. Even if it kills him.

"But it won't be like now." Sebastian protests. "You won't always be here. You won't make me lunch or move the milk to the bottom of the fridge for me or help me make pictures for Mommy." The boy looks so broken and Enjolras is so tempted to stay with them, so tempted to take everything he's said to Amelie back and convince her that they can all be happy together.

Amelie herself intervenes in their conversation then, and he can tell she's pushing her tears back for her son, just like him, "I can do all of that for you, baby. We can make pictures together."

"But it won't be the same!" Amelie looks over at him lost as her son continues to protest. They both know he's close to tears and neither of them have a clue as to what to do.

"I'm sorry," Enjolras finally chokes out and goes to hug the kid, "I know right now it feels like I'm being unfair and breaking promises to you and that I'm being unfair but trust me, in the long run, this will be a good thing." The words flow out of his mouth but he can't help but feel like he's lying.

Sebastian isn't really buying it either because he further protests, "I just want a daddy. Everyone has a daddy so why don't I? Don't I deserve a daddy?"

Enjolras doesn't even try to hide his tears at this point, "You do. You deserve a daddy."

"Then why won't you stay and be my daddy?"

He's at a loss. He had a plan when he'd walked in here, a plan to talk to Amelie but he hadn't planned on explaining everything to Sebastian tonight. He'd come after the boy's bedtime because of this and yet here they all were. "I do love you, kid, and I know I said I'd be your daddy but it wasn't right of me because somewhere out there there's an ultra-cool daddy waiting to love you. I can't take his place."

"Really?" He asks, believing Enjolras despite all the lies he's been fed.

Amelie nods, "Really," and goes to hug him. "Really."

"I'm going to be here too, maybe not as your daddy but we could be best friends. How about that? Does that sound cool?"

Sebastian nods and the three of them sit together on the floor, a three-way group hug going on and probably the last family moment they'll have.

Enjolras half jogs to his car after saying goodbye to Amelie and Sebastian. They're going to be okay, eventually. Now that it's over, he wishes he'd built up the courage to do it earlier. He's glad it's done with, it was a gruesome experience but a necessary one and he was just being childish and unfair putting it off for as long as he did.

He chews on his lips as he heads over to Eponine's, hoping that she's still waiting for him, that she'll accept him.

He doesn't know what will happen with them, he only knows that this is almost ten years in the making and it must be fate or something driving this since there hasn't been much bloodshed so far and he can only hope Eponine doesn't slap him as well. He knows he won't stop her; he deserves it, but still, he'd rather not get slapped again. His face is still stinging from when Amelie hit him.

She tucks her son into bed, making sure that he's wearing pajamas this time, before pouring herself a glass of wine.

She deserves this one glass.

She isn't going to get over Enjolras, not tonight, maybe not ever, but she's going to be strong because if he'd chosen her, Eponine would have been strong.

She would have been happy for them, and that's exactly what Amelie decides to do for them. She's going to be happy for them. She's going to get through this. She's going to help Sebastian pull through. She's going to find a man who loves her. She's going to find a father for her son. She's going to be strong.

Eponine huffs as she tugs the boxes through her apartment after they've thoroughly drowned. After Gav left, she'd made sure they were entirely unrecognizable and even sent a few of the more intact pages through the shredder (once they'd dried of course). Now all she had to do was take them down the hall and dump them into the garbage shoot.

If she was being completely honest, she would admit that a piece of her would miss these letters, they had been a part of her, her comfort and her strength. They'd seen her through some tough times and been her constant throughout the years when nothing was. However, she wouldn't keep them. As many good memories they contained, they also had bad ones; ones that it would be good to forget and let go of. Besides, she was starting a new decade. With or without Gabe there by her side. She was going to grab a new slate, this one clean and fresh and fill up her life with no regrets.

The letters had done a lot for her and saying farewell to them would help give her the closure she needed now.

It isn't until she gets back from the visit to the trash shoot that she finds a piece of paper on the floor. She picks it up and snorts, of course she missed one.

It's water stained but still legible. Against her better judgment, she reads it. The last letter for old time's sake.

Dear Gabe,

I suppose this is whole new beginning thing isn't going as well as I thought since I'm still stuck here thinking about you.

I know, as much as I'll miss you, I'll find some peace in these silly letters that I'm writing. I haven't written more than ten right now but it's only been like two days.

I want to thank you for always being there for me. Even when you're not.

Wow, sorry for getting so deep with you all of a sudden.

You know, if I'm going to keep these up at the rate I'm going… Where am I going to put all of these?

Boxes maybe? I see a lot of boxes in my future.

Enjolras is knocking on Eponine's door for almost a minute before she answers it, and when she does he can see an imprint on her cheek as if she'd been asleep.

"Hey," Her voice sounds rough and he now has further proof of his deduction.

"Sorry," He replies, a bit nervous. He wonders if she feels nervous as well. He's pretty much got all of the answers she wants to hear and here he is, apologizing, "Did I wake you?" It seems all he does lately is apologize and yet he feels like no amount of apologizing will ever make up for the pain people he cares about have suffered because of him.

"Yeah, but it's alright. It's just that I didn't get much sleep last night," She waves his concern off and opens the door wider; she's more awake now and more cautious as well because of it, "Do you want to come in?"

He nods, "I've made up my mind?"

"Is that a question or a statement you're making there?" She asks with a smirk on her face and her hip holding the door open. She wasn't a fool, not any more. She wasn't going to believe that everything would work out perfectly for her in the end because it never had. She'd half convinced herself that he wouldn't show up, ever. That he'd live out his life with his perfect girl and their perfect son and they would forget all about her.

The moment Gabe shows up at her door, her heart starts to hope even though her mind tries to shut it down. She can't help but feel that maybe this will all work out for her, so she puts on a smirk and pulls her bravado up by the bootstraps and takes a deep breath and she greats him.

"It's a statement." He steps over the threshold, forcing her to move back and thus closing the door behind them. "I choose you. I think, in my heart, I'd chosen you from the beginning. I think I'll always choose you."

Her smirk threatens to form into a full out grin at this point, "You do know that you've got a lot to make up for, right? Making the choice is step one."

He nods, her eyes are serious, "I know."

"What about Sebastian and Amelie?" She hates to ask and ruin this potentially romantic moment for them but she has to know, has to make sure that things on that front are all okay. Or as okay as they're going to be.

"I just came from there, actually. Amelie slapped me," He looks almost sheepish for a moment but then his expression turns serious and he adds, "Sebastian cried." Eponine can feel her face twisting into one of sympathy because she sincerely likes Amelie and Sebastian. He's a sweet kid and she's a kind mother, "But I think everything's going to be okay."

"Good." She says, feeling relief flow through her. They'll all make it through. No severe casualties this time. "So now we start the tale of Eponine and Gabriel and their epic romance."

"Do I get to kiss you?" He asks, tentatively.

She eyes him, "We're going to have to work up to that. First you take me out on a nice date." Despite it all, she can't help but be cautious.

He grins, "Deal."

For her, he'd do anything. As much for her as for Amelie and Sebastian.

She watches him for a moment, and decides that she could get used to seeing him here, in her apartment, and the thought makes her want to screw caution so she pulls him forward and gives him a smack on the lips, "There's your kiss."

Gavroche is so bored it's like he can feel his brain melting like the overheated battery on his phone.

"I'm telling you," Grantaire repeats for the third time this hour, thoroughly drunk at this point, "All you've got to do is get Eponine to make out with a hot piece of man chunk and you know Enjolras, all jealous and touchy-feely. He'll flip and bam instant make out session."

Jehan just rolls his eyes and doesn't even try to take his boyfriend's beer away, though he does start filling his empty with water. Gav senses a plan there, Grantaire's too drunk to notice the difference at this point, but as he has for the past few hours (since he became a hostage, really) he just starts a new game on his phone and tries to block out the crazy.

"We've been over why that won't work," 'Chetta groans. At some point she'd laid down on the floor and started making beer bottle pyramids but Gav wasn't sure when. He'd snagged a few bottles for himself and things were a little fuzzy.

"You don't work." Grantaire replied, and that set off another round of discussion over what was already discussed multiple times.

"I don't know why they wouldn't listen to my plan," 'Fey muttered, "It was a good plan. If we lock them in a closet long enough things are bound to happen. Baby making things."

"Yes, yes," Combeferre just pets his head, "I liked your plan too, 'Fey, but we were out voted and this is a democracy."

"Down with democracy!"

"Don't say that too loud or Enjolras will hear and beat your ass."

"Maybe Eponine should say it so he'll beat her ass."

Gav chokes, "Gross! That's my sister!" But of course either no one hears him or no one cares. Probably a mix of the two.

He groans, when will he be free?

Three hours later everyone has somehow downed enough coffee into their system that they are at some point of sobering up. He is still a hostage.

He tried calling and texting Eponine and Enjolras. Neither answered.

It isn't his fault, really, it's just. He was getting desperate.

Which is why Cosette bursts through the door with Marius in tow only half an hour after he sent out a distress text to her (honestly, he doesn't know why he didn't do it sooner, the woman is a saint).

"I hear we've got a problem here," She states, strutting in, Marius close behind her sweating, and looking nervous.

"Cosette? Who invited you? Marius did you tell her?"

"No I didn't. I mean… What are you talking about? I didn't know anything about this," He replies, scratching the back of his neck (an obvious tell) and avoiding Cosette's stink eye.

"I'll have you know, I came here on a rescue mission for poor Gavroche here. I've been told you're keeping him hostage."

"It's 'Ferre's Plan B. Trade Gav for the two of them getting together. I think it's a solid idea. It should be Plan A!" R slurs. He's the least sober of the group but what else is new?

"Alright, I've got a new Plan A for you, then. We're all going to sit here and talk about our feelings."

A chorus of disappointment is heard from the people crammed in Courfeyrac and Combeferre's tiny living room, "Why?" being the loudest question.

"Well, maybe because all of you are here, crammed into this tiny living space, in various states of sobriety, obsessing over someone else's love life."

"They need to be together!" Someone protests.

"For their benefit or yours?"

"Theirs, of course." 'Ferre states, boldly.

"Are you sure? Are you absolutely positive that it isn't to appease your guilt?" Cosette doesn't say this in a rude or a mean way, she simply says it as if she understands their pain and wants to help them all through whatever it is they're all trying to do.

No one says anything for a while and then Courfeyrac snorts, "So what? Are we all going to do some group therapy or something?"

Cosette merely smiles and takes her seat next to Gavroche.

"Shall we begin?"

Everyone groans except for Cosette (for obvious reasons) and Gavroche who whispers a fevered, "I thought you were going to rescue me!"

"Well, now I need an assistant. Besides, think of it this way. You get juicy blackmail for later."

He really can't argue with that so he lets her proceed, albeit grudgingly.

Eponine stares at Gabe out of the corner of her eye. He's making them chocolate chip pancakes while she works on finding where the syrup has gotten too.

If someone popped up and asked her how she was feeling right now, she'd say weird, like a good weird but also a kind of disoriented weird. It'll probably take a while but hopefully they'll manage to work this out and live in weird domestic bliss.

She's not stupid, she knows it isn't going to go perfectly. Things never do. They still need to deal with Montparnasse, her ugly past and his mysterious one, and, of course, Amelie and Sebastian. Adding to that is their hotheaded stubbornness. What could possibly go wrong?

They're willing to try though, and that's all that matters at this point.

"Did you find the syrup yet, 'Ponine?"

She groans, "No. Let me check with Gav. The last time I had pancakes, he was here. Maybe he knows where it is."

As she walks towards the last place she saw her phone she hears Gabe call out, "Maybe he stole your syrup, ask him if he's ready to do the time for committing the crime."

Eponine rolls her eyes at the dork and finds her phone filled with texts and missed calls from her younger brother. Apparently he needs some saving. Oops. She sends a quick text asking him where he hid the syrup and if he still needs assistance.

His reply is that he won't tell her unless she tells him why she ignored his very obvious need for help.

Five minutes later he has the full story and she finds out that he did, in fact, steal the syrup.

"Gabe you were right about Gav stealing the goods," She says, walking into the kitchen and snagging some chocolate chips.

"Did you ask him if he was willing to do the time?" He asks, mock-seriously in return.

"I did not, but only because he's already doing the time."

"Oh?"

"Yup. He's been held hostage by the gang all day. Apparently he's decided to seek help from Cosette now since I've told him that it's his punishment to rot there for stealing my syrup."

"A little excessive there, don't you think?"

"Eh, Cosette will rescue him," She reasons as she grabs more chocolate chips, "Besides it was the good kind."

"That's probably why he stole it in the first place."

"Are you saying I can't have nice things?"

He grins, "No, I'm just saying you can't have the good syrup."

"But I like the good syrup!"

Gavroche watches in awe as Cosette seamlessly gets everyone to talk about the things they've kept bottled up for years. It's like weird group therapy.

Bossuet is actually talking to Musichetta and Joly, "I know it was wrong to make you chose, 'Chetta. I just got so jealous. We could have lived our entire lives, the three of us, together, but I ruined it."

"It wasn't just you, Bossuet," Musichetta insists, "All three of us should have had a talk, we should have confronted the issue a lot sooner."

Joly's wiping away tears and snot while nodding along, "Maybe all isn't lost. Maybe we can't go back to how things used to be five years ago, but we can still be part of each other's lives, right?"

"I'd like that." Bossuet agrees, accidently knocking over a lamp in his enthusiasm.

Grantaire sighs, "I know I've said it before, but Jehan, I'm really over Enjolras."

"Then why don't you talk to him? Talk to Eponine? We can get everything straightened out. We can all be a family again."

"I don't know. I don't know if I can face them again."

"I'll be with you."

"I know you will but still."

"But what? What is it that makes you keep all these unhealthy feelings bottled up inside? It's not good." Jehan worriedly plays with his boyfriend's hair, smoothing it back over and over. Gav can tell it's a nervous habit, not one that he had in the past.

"Do you want to know? Do you really want to know?" R asks, sighing, looking like he's aged twenty years since the start of this conversation.

"Yes! That's what I really want!" He's never been one to be pushy, but this is something he's had on his mind for a long time now.

"Fine! I'm afraid that if I see him again all of those old feelings will come back. What if-" He breaks off, wishes he was still completely wasted, and takes a deep breath before whispering, "What if I don't love you anymore after I see him?"

Jehan sits there stunned for a moment and when he's back to himself he lets out a half cry, half laugh and hugs his boyfriend, "Is that what you're worried about? Hun, love doesn't work that way."

"Are you sure? How would you know?" Grantaire asks hoarsely.

Jehan simply smacks him on the back of the head, "I just do."

Courfeyrac stares at Combeferre (specifically at his lips), trying to build up the courage to kiss the other man. He's kissed a lot of women before. A lot. But he's only ever kissed a man once and that was Combeferre, a few years ago when they were both super wasted at a New Year's party.

He's pretty sure Combeferre doesn't remember, but he hasn't forgotten. He's filled the years between then and now trying to figure out his feelings for his best friend. He'd never questioned his sexuality. Not once, until that kiss. He wasn't proud to admit it, but he'd chased a lot more girls after it had happened. He'd tried to "fix" himself before realizing he didn't need fixing.

But he didn't have the courage to stand in front of his best friend and spit out everything he felt because what if 'Ferre didn't feel the same way?

What if 'Ferre laughed at him?

What if 'Ferrre thought something was wrong with him?

He knows he's being stupid because 'Ferre would never laugh at him, he'd be gentle and considerate of Courf's feelings (and that would probably hurt more-him caring, but not caring enough).

He also knows that 'Ferre would never think something was wrong with him, but still, that feeling ate him up inside. He wasn't sure how some of his friends (most notably Jehan and Grantaire) were able to deal with this feeling that sometimes turned into self-loathing.

He sucks in a breath, now or never, and turns to Combeferre, only to find his lips pressed against those of his best friend. It takes him a second before he can kiss back but when he does, he does it enthusiastically.

When they finally pull away 'Ferre mumbles a, "Sorry, you can hate me now." But he isn't able to get away because Courfeyrac pulls him back and kisses him softly, realizing his best friend has been going through exactly the same thing he has.

"I could never hate you."

He wishes he'd gotten the courage to kiss him sooner.

"Okay, I've had enough of this love-fest. I'm out, guys." No one pays any attention to him as he exists, frowning at the obvious PDA Cosette and Marius are showing (along with almost everyone else in the room). He is not liking where this train is headed. Who knows what sort of dirty things they'll do after he's gone (his innocent mind has put up a nice block to prevent him from thinking of any dirty things that are probably going to be on the menu). "By the way," He calls over his shoulder as he opens the door, "Eponine and Enjolras got together a few hours ago. Okay bye!"

He turns around and runs out, ignoring the shouts behind him and making a note to check in on Amelie tomorrow.

"Dearest Gabe, these pancakes are the best thing since string cheese."

"I told you jam is amazing."

She doesn't say anything because she's too busy stuffing her face. It's nice to have Real Gabe around because he actually talks back. The letters kind of sucked that way.

I'm so sorry this took so long. First there was school and then my laptop broke in May. I've only had one for about two weeks now. Anyway! The next chapter's the Epilogue so this is pretty much the end!

Notice how the letters are missing, I did it to show Eponine moving on (for real this time). I know everyone loved the letters so I'm sorry I cut them out, it just didn't feel right putting them in this chapter.