Sorry for the longer wait

I hope you enjoy this, the drama is coming!

After making sure that Gavroche was asleep and making Combeferre promise to keep an eye on him, Courfeyrac ran out into the streets in any hope of finding Eponine. He walked the path he had walked the day before, hoping that Eponine would be walking the same way. As he passed through the market, he saw Marius with a stack of books tucked under one arm. As Courfeyrac knew, if there were two people that Eponine wanted to spend all of her time with it was Gavroche and Marius. "Pontmercy" He called running up to his friend. "Marius, have you seen your shadow, have you seen Eponine?"

"Not this morning ami, she meets me at the corner of the square at two" He replied. "That's when she leaves work. Why are you in such a hurry to meet her anyway, she will be at the café this evening as always"

"It's Gavroche, he isn't himself this morning. He didn't sleep well last night and is complaining of feeling ill" Courfeyrac sighed. "Combeferre says it's all in his head, he's worried about something and he won't tell anyone. I need to know what they were talking about last night; he grew quiet when he saw that Eponine had hurt herself at work"

Marius frowned. "When I see her, I will send her straight to the Café to see him" He said placing a hand on Courfeyrac's shoulder. "Do not worry yourself Fey; I am sure that he is fine and just bothered by a night terror or something. I can make no move into understanding children, especially not one who has been through what Gavroche has"

"Merci, please as soon as you see her, send her to the Café" Courfeyrac replied already turning to run back to the café. "I need to know what is wrong with 'Roche"

"Indeed, there is nothing that can come between you and your 'little brother'" Marius said with a smile. "I will send her"

Courfeyrac nodded in confirmation before turning on his heel and rushing back in the direction of the café. He wanted to be with Gavroche today, reading to him and holding him to tell him that everything was alright. Gavroche was hiding something and it was hurting him. Courfeyrac didn't understand it, something was wrong and it had to have something to do with Eponine.

Arriving back at the café, he rushed to Gavroche's side. "Is he alright? Combeferre did he wake?" He asked looking at the young doctor.

"Didn't even stir" Combeferre said not looking up from his book.

With a nod, Courfeyrac sat beside Gavroche and stroked his hair. "Eponine will be here this afternoon; Marius is going to send her here. I'm going to find out what is wrong and sort it out"

"I admire your dedication to this boy Courfeyrac, yet I hope you are still willing to fight. I just have one question. We all know that we could lose our lives at the barricade, what then if the worst was to happen, would happen to Gavroche" Combeferre asked setting down his book and pushing his glasses back up his nose.

"If I were to die, if Marius were to die, Gavroche would have the house. He would go and get his boys and they would live there. Of course I wish to survive the barricade and come out victorious to the chance of raising Gavroche in a better life, a better life for everyone, but it the worse was to happen, I would want Gavroche to make the house his and have his boys there with him where they can grow up in safety" Courfeyrac said with a sigh. "There has to be a plan for every possibility in times like this doesn't there?"

Combeferre nodded "Yes mon ami, there does. As I said, I admire what you do for Gavroche and I can see that he is very special to you. Can I ask why? I mean, if one of us had found a child sick on the streets we would have taken them to the hospital and aided all we could but that would have been the end of it I am sure"

"He needed someone; I could tell that it had been years, terrible long years, since he had had someone that he could trust and someone that he knew would try and look after him no matter what it took. And he chose to put all of his trust in me, no one has ever done that before" He said, deep in his thoughts as he watched the little boy sleeping.

"Gavroche?" A voice pulled him from his thoughts and tore his gaze away from the sleeping child.

Eponine stood in the door, her cheek bruised and the cut beginning to seal. "Monsieur Marius sent me here straight away, Monsieur Courfeyrac. Is Gavroche alright? Marius says he is not himself today"

"Eponine, yes indeed, he is alright. He is tired and hurting, but Combeferre here says that the pain and the feelings of illness are all in his head." Courfeyrac replied, gesturing for her to walk to him. He took her hand and sat her beside him. "He was fine yesterday, all smiles and fun, until he saw that you were hurt. I think he is worried about you Eponine"

"About me?" She sighed. "I told him not to worry, I told him I was fine. He was scared I would get hurt again if I wasn't careful"

"Why would you get hurt again Mademoiselle?" Courfeyrac asked. "I thought the injuries came from an accident at the factories"

Eponine paled. "Well Monsieur, you see" She stammered. "Listen, this all in the head illness, what is it caused by?"

"Stress, worries, fear" Combeferre shrugged. "We put it down to the idea that he had a night terror and wanted to be seen as brave and grown up so didn't tell Courfeyrac here about, therefore scaring himself more by keeping it all a secret"

She bit her lip at the mention of the word secret and turned to look at her little brother. Gavroche stirred at the movement on the bench, slowly rolling onto his back as his eyes opened. " 'Ponine?" He said sleepily

"Oui, I am here petit" She whispered kissing his head as tears rose in her eyes. "I'm sorry"

Gavroche nodded pursing his lips and staring into her eyes, silently telling her that he didn't tell anyone, that her secret was still secret.

"Why are you sorry to him" Courfeyrac asked "What were you two talking about last night?"

With a sigh, Eponine grabbed his wrist and lead him to the side room where Gavroche couldn't hear them, Combeferre followed. "What is going on?" he asked

"We were talking about a secret, that's why he has gone all shy and doesn't want to talk, that's why he is scared" She said looking down on the floor

"A secret? Scaring Gavroche? Eponine this is serious, please, I beg of you, tell us" Courfeyrac said taking hold of her hands. "For Gavroche?"

Eponine bit her lip, allowing a tear to fall down her cheek. " I told him something, and made him promise not to tell anyone, not even you Monsieur"

"And keeping it a secret is what is making him act this way, Eponine, dear Mademoiselle, you need to tell us" Combeferre said stepping forwards.

She nodded "I know I know, he wanted me tell you yesterday but I didn't want to ask for help". She sighed "Well you see, I didn't get hurt at work, well I sort of did. I don't work at the factories. I still live at home, with papa"

"Your father, the same monster that almost killed his own son and kept him locked in a cupboard" Courfeyrac gaped

"Oui, but it wasn't him. I mean sometimes it is, but this time it was Montparnasse, he treats me, he sees me as his lady of the night you see" Eponine cried

"This has happened before?" Combeferre said

She nodded. "Many times, all the time, many people, it's just how it is. Papa says its business"

"Business is fair and right, and this isn't" Courfeyrac said. "We will fix it and until then, you're staying with Me, Marius and Gavroche. No going home"

What will happen next when Thenardiar finds out ….

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