The following week the baby kicked for the first time.

They were in the grocery store when it happened, in the dairy aisle. Enjolras was mulling over what yogurts he wanted when Eponine felt the first thump.

"Any time today Enjolras," she said, starting to loose patience. "It's only yogurt, it's really not that big a decision."

And then she felt it. At first she thought it was just a muscle spasm but when the second, much more obvious, thump came she knew exactly what it was.

"Which one do you want?" Enjolras said, turning round with two packets of yogurt in his hands, oblivious to what had been going on in Eponine's stomach.

"The baby just kicked."

"What?" he exclaimed, throwing both packs into their cart.

"It kicked, it definitely kicked," she said excitedly.

She grabbed Enjolras's hand and placed it at the side of her stomach where she had felt the very prominent kick a few seconds earlier.

"I don't feel anything," he said disappointedly.

"Give it a minute," Eponine replied.

She had barely even finished speaking when she felt the thump again, right where she had felt it previously.

"Shit," Enjolras said, pulling his hand away.

"Told you," Eponine said. She couldn't help but smile at the look of sheer disbelief on Enjolras's face.

"Shit," he repeated, putting his band back on her stomach just in time to feel another kick. "Does that hurt?"

She shook her head.

"What does it feel like?"

"Weird," Eponine replied. "It just feels really weird."

Enjolras leant over and kissed her, his hand still clamped to her belly. "You're amazing."

"I'm not doing anything," Eponine laughed.

"You're carrying our baby," he said. "I think that's pretty amazing."

Eponine smiled. "You are quite the charmer Mr. Enjorlas."

He kissed her again. "I try."

"Can we please leave the dairy aisle now?"

"Alright," Enjolras replied, removing his hand from her stomach so he could wrap his arm around her.

"Thank God for that," Eponine replied, digging him lightly in the ribs.

"I still can't believe Apollo didn't even bother gracing us with this presence this evening," Grantaire lamented as he and Eponine made their way up the hallway towards her apartment.

"He has a deadline to meet," Eponine replied, rummaging in her purse for her keys.

"Yeah yeah," Grantaire said, "excuses, excuses."

"I do understand you not being able to get your head around that idea R; you know because Enjolras actually works for a living, and we all know that is an alien concept to you."

"Whatever preggo," Grantaire said.

Eponine rolled her eyes. "He's very stressed, so be nice," she whispered as she opened the door.

"Now Eponine," Grantaire replied, "are you trying to imply that I wouldn't be nice?"

Eponine turned around, blocking the doorway. "You know what I mean, don't get him all annoyed for your own amusement."

Grantaire went to respond but Eponine cut him off before he even had the chance. "Promise me that you won't wind him up Grantaire."

"OK, I promise," he replied, clearly disappointed that Eponine had pulled the plug on his after dinner entertainment.

"Thank you," she said, walking into the apartment.

Grantaire followed her through to the living room, where Enjolras was sitting on the couch, typing furiously on his laptop. Grantaire was pretty sure that he hadn't even realized that they had walked in. He watched as Eponine walked over to where Enjolras sat and wrapped her arms round his shoulders.

"Hey," she said.

"Oh," Enjolras said, turning round and kissing her softly on the lips. "Sorry Ep, I was miles away."

"How are you getting on?"

"I'm getting there," he replied, "slowly but surely."

"I brought you something back, I'll go heat it up."

"Awh you didn't need to do that," he said, kissing her again.

Grantaire just watched them. He still found it a bit weird seeing them as a couple, it was hard enough trying to get his head around it when he didn't have a visual aid, but for some reason seeing them being all lovely-dovey made the whole thing seem even more surreal. Enjolras was the last person in the world he had imagined Eponine ending up with, but now when he looked back on things he couldn't believe he had missed how obviously in love with her Enjolras had been. He had always been a bit too pissed off about her unrequited love for Marius, which they had all just put down to the fact that Enjolras was basically opposed to any kind of romance or general human emotion, but with the benefit of hindsight he was clearly just annoyed because he was in love with her and she was wasting her time pining after Pontmercy. Enjolras had been the one who had suggested they throw her a surprise party after she graduated because he thought she should know how proud they were of her for making it through school when all the odds really were against her. And on her last birthday it was Enjolras who had come up with the joint present they all got her, a particular edition of some book that her father used to read to her when she was a kid: she cried when she opened it. It was all so obvious that Grantaire really did feel like an idiot for not picking up on it sooner.

Eponine suddenly slipped past him, grabbing the take out bag he was holding.

"I'm just going to heat this up," she called as she breezed out of the living room and into the kitchen.

"You should have come Enjy," Grantaire said, walking across the room and throwing himself down on the couch. "That desert you love so much is back on the menu."

"I'll come next time," Enjolras said, his eyes still glued to his computer screen. "And I've already asked you at least a dozen times to stop calling me Enjy."

"Sorry Enjy," Grantaire replied.

Enjolras sighed and continued typing, clearly not in the mood to rise to Grantaire's badgering.

"What's this?" Eponine said as she came walking back into the room, holding up a bunch of letters.

Enjolras glanced up. "Oh yeah, Cosette came by while you were at dinner and dropped off your mail from her place," he said, before returning his attention back to the computer screen.

"Right," Eponine said.

Grantaire watched as she walked back out of the room, looking lost in thought as she stared at the letter on the top of the pile. "I'm just gonna go make sure your baby mama doesn't burn your dinner," he said as he stood up.

"I'm pretty sure she can work a microwave R."

"I wouldn't be so sure Enjy," Grantaire replied. "I wouldn't be so sure."

When he got into the kitchen Eponine was standing beside the microwave, her arms crossed over her bump, just staring into space.

"You OK?"

"Yeah," she said, jumping slightly at the sound of Grantaire's voice. "Fine."

She started to fuss around, grabbing cutlery for Enjolras and straightening stuff sitting on the counter for no apparent reason. As she went to open the fridge Grantaire gently grabbed her arm.

"Ep," Grantaire said, "it's me you're talking to here."

The microwave pinged.

"One of the letters Cosette dropped off was from my father."

"What?"

"It's from my father. It's his handwriting on the envelope."

"Are you sure?"

Eponine sighed. "It's from him."

"Did you open it?"

"No." She opened the microwave and haphazardly lifted out Enjolras's burger and fries. "I know what it says."

Grantaire didn't understand. He was starting to feel like he must have missed something somewhere along the way. "How do you know what it says if you haven't opened it?"

"It'll be about the baby."

"What?" Grantaire spluttered. "How? How does he know about the baby?"

"Montparnasse."

"Montparnasse?" Grantaire exclaimed. "How the fuck does he know about the baby?"

"I saw him on the street a little while ago."

"Fucking bastard," Grantaire spat. "What did he say to you?"

"Nothing much," Eponine replied. "Just that him and my father are basically BFFs now, and how he couldn't wait to tell him I was pregnant." She shook her head. "I was hoping that he was talking shit, but why else would my father suddenly write me out of the blue?" She swallowed hard as she tried, and failed, to stop the tears from starting to fall. "I just didn't want him, or my mother, to even know about the baby. It's nothing to do with them. It's my baby and I don't want it even remotely associated with them."

"Come here," Grantaire said, pulling Eponine into him and wrapping his arms tightly around her. "It'll be OK 'Ponine."

"I'm being stupid," she said. She had never cried about her parents in front of any of her friends before. She didn't want any of them to know that after all this time they still got to her, she didn't want anyone knowing that they still had the power to upset her.

"You're not being stupid," Grantaire replied. "You're allowed to get upset 'Ponine."

"I just thought this was a totally new start," Eponine said quietly. "I thought that me and Enjolras and the baby could be our own family. That's all I wanted, I just wanted us to be a family. I wanted my own family. And I'm just scared that it's going to be ruined now, just the fact that my father knows about the baby makes everything feel tainted."

"Eponine, look at me," Grantaire said. Eponine lifted her head, leaving a mascara stained wet patch on his shirt. "You are not your parents. Your parents are assholes and you are basically the greatest person I've ever met, which I'm sure makes you the complete opposite of them. Enjolras loves you, he's crazy about you 'Ponine, and you don't need me to tell you how much he already loves that baby. You guys are already a family. Let your father write you 100 letters if he wants, it won't make any difference, and if Montpar-dickhead even thinks of starting anything I'll be more than happy to punch him in the face again."

"What if I'm a terrible parent Grantaire? Like, what if I just can't do it?"

"Eponine, you are going to be a great mom, don't let this make you doubt yourself."

"I'm just scared," she said, trying desperately to stop crying.

"You're allowed to be scared 'Ponine. Having a baby sounds really fucking terrifying, I would be shitting myself, but you and Enjolras are going to be amazing parents, I know you are. I know you can do this, and I know you're going to be amazing at it."

Enjolras's voice suddenly cut into the room. "What's wrong?"

Eponine stepped back from Grantaire's embrace, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. A look of alarm washed over Enjolras's face when he saw that she had been crying.

"What's wrong Ep?" he asked, wrapping his arm around her waist as he desperately looked at Grantaire for some kind of answer.

"Nothing," Eponine replied. "It's seriously nothing. I thought I'd over-nuked your food and I just started crying. It's all these hormones," she laughed, "they're driving me insane."

"Are you sure that's all it is?" Enjolras asked, still sounding concerned.

"Yeah," Eponine said, smiling over at Grantaire. "I'm sure."