sorry for taking so long to get this chapter uploaded, time just ran away from me this week. as always thank you so much for all the reviews on the last chapter - you guys really are the best!
"I'm outside, buzz me up."
Eponine smacked the buzzer and lent against the wall, waiting for Cosette's unmissable knock.
When it came and Eponine opened the door Cosette brushed straight past her and walked through into the hall. Eponine shut the door behind her. When she turned round Cosette was just standing there, staring at her.
"Are you pregnant?"
Eponine wasn't expecting her to be so to the point. She could feel her face redden under the pressure of Cosette's intense glare.
"Eponine, are you pregnant?" she asked again, making Eponine feel like a small child getting scolded.
"Yes," Eponine said, her voice coming out in a pathetic squeak.
Cosette had clearly not been expecting that answer. "I thought Marius had gotten it wrong," she said, sounding startled.
"Nah, he got it right," Eponine laughed, trying desperately to lighten the situation. "I'm totally knocked up."
"Oh Eponine," Cosette said, any harshness in her voice now gone. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I don't know," Eponine sighed, "I don't know why I didn't tell you. I'm so sorry Cosette, it wasn't that I didn't want you to know, I just didn't really know what to say I suppose."
"Come here," Cosette said, grabbing Eponine by the shoulder and pulling her into a hug. "Let's have some tea," she said, smiling as she let her go.
Eponine watched as Cosette walked into the kitchen. She stood in the hall for a few moments, just trying to focus on breathing, before slowly following her. When she walked into the kitchen she was greeted by the sight of Cosette rummaging in one of the cupboards.
"Don't you have any biscuits?"
"Eh yeah, they're in the other cupboard." Eponine said. "I don't think there's anything very exciting though, we haven't really had time to go shopping."
"You have some cookies," Cosette said, pulling the packet from the cupboard just as the teapot started to whsitle. "They'll do."
Eponine leant up against the counter and watched Cosette take charge.
"Here," she said, throwing the packet of cookies to Eponine. "You can go sit down, I'll bring the tea in."
Eponine skulked into the living room and threw herself down on the couch. It didn't take long for Cosette to appear with 2 cups of tea in her hands. She handed one to Eponine and sat down on the couch beside her.
"I can't believe you're having a baby 'Ponine, I just can't believe it." Cosette said, shaking her head. "When Marius told me I thought he had to be wrong."
Eponine laughed. "It is pretty mental."
"Are you OK?" Cosette asked, a sympathetic tone seeping through into her voice.
"I'm fine Cosette," Eponine replied, trying to sound reassuring. "I'm seriously fine. I'm actually really happy."
"And everything is OK with the baby?"
"So far, so good," Eponine said, smiling.
Cosette set her cup down and reached over to grab Eponine's hand. "Oh 'Ponine, I'm so glad that you're happy."
"I know it sounds crazy, but I really am."
"I think this is going to be a really great thing for you, I think you're going to be a great mom." Cosette said, returning Eponine's smile.
"I hope you're right," Eponine said. "I just hope I don't mess the poor thing up too much."
Cosette squeezed Eponine's hand before lifting her cup back up and taking a sip of her tea.
"So," Cosette said, sounding hesitant. "The guys have this ridiculous theory."
"Oh yeah?" Eponine said, tucking her legs up. "And what is this theory?"
"That there is something going on between you and Enjolras," Cosette laughed. "And that it's his baby. Ridiculous right?"
It took Cosette a moment or two to realize that Eponine wasn't laughing aswell.
"It is ridiculous isn't it 'Ponine?"
"Not really..."
"Eponine?"
"They're right," Eponine said bluntly. "It's Enjolras's kid."
"You and Enjolras?" Cosette exclaimed, unable to keep the shock from her voice. "Are you serious?"
Eponine nodded.
"Jesus, Eponine. How long has this been going for?"
"Not long," Eponine replied. "I got pregnant the first time we slept together."
"The first time?"
"I know, just my luck right?"
"So are you and Enjolras together?"
"I don't know." Eponine sighed. "I don't know what is going on."
"What do you mean?" Cosette asked, trying to get her head around the barrage of information that Eponine was throwing her way.
"That first night, we were drunk and we decided to just act like the whole thing hadn't happen. Then I found out I was pregnant and he was kind of a dickhead at first. but he wised up pretty quickly and asked me to move in with him."
"And then what happened?"
"We had sex again." Eponine said matter of factly.
"Just the once?"
"Not exactly." Eponine said, suddenly starting to feel slightly uncomfortable.
"Hang on, let me try and get this straight," Cosette said. "You're having a baby together, you're living together and you're clearly sleeping together, but you're not sure if you are together?"
"Basically yes," Eponine said, fully aware of how ridiculous the situation sounded to an outsider.
"Haven't you talked about it?"
"No," Eponine said. "I mean we talk about the baby, we talk about the baby all the time, but we just don't talk about us."
"Why not?" Cosette asked. "Don't you think you need to talk about? That you need to work out what is going on between you?"
Eponine sighed. "I think it's better if we don't."
"How?" Cosette asked. "How is that better? You're having his baby, you at least need to know where you stand with him."
"It's just that things between us are really good now and I don't want to mess it up by insisting that we start to talk about our feelings. Enjolras just isn't very well equipped to deal with that sort of thing."
"What sort of thing?"
"Relationships, emotions, any sort of human feeling," Eponine said. "You know him, you know what he's like."
"Well he needs to get equipped to deal with it." Cosette said sternly.
Eponine shrugged.
"Eponine?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you in love with him?"
Eponine didn't know what to say. She hadn't been expecting Cosette to throw that question at her. Was she in love with Enjolras? She had been convinced she was in love with Marius, but now she could see that it had just been infatuation. She was never really in love with him, even though at the time the whole situation had nearly killed her. She had thought she loved Montparnasse, but now she knew that was just fear masquerading as love.
Enjolras was different, she knew that much. But did she love him? She knew that she felt safe when he was around, safer than she had ever felt in her entire life. She knew that being with him made her happy, even when they were just sitting in silence watching some documentary he'd been so excited about seeing. She knew that her body had never reacted to anyone the way it reacted to him. She knew if she was given the chance to go back and do things again she would still pick him to be the father of her child. It was then that she realized that she had felt that way about anyone else. It was then that she knew she was well and truly fucked.
"Yeah," she said. "I'm totally in love with him."