And the drama continues ….

Biting her lip nervously, Eponine gave one look back to Courfeyrac before climbing out of the window. The young man looked so calm, but she could see the fear and worry in his eyes. He was only staying calm for her and Gavroche. Trying to ignore the fact that she could hear the sound of her father's booming voice in the corridor of the café, she climbed down the roofing and came to the ledge where she could see wooden panelling that she could climb down easily. She quickly clambered down, not bothering to pull at her skirts when they caught on the rough wood, just letting the threads rip. She looked back up; tears in her eyes as she watched Courfeyrac quickly help Gavroche down the roof and carefully climbed to the ground. "Come on Gavroche, just climb down like it's the ladder on the elephant" He whispered. "I won't let you fall"

Gavroche nodded, a tear sliding down his cheek as he heard Thenardiar shout. He slowly started moving down the wooden panels but he was too small for his legs to reach where they needed too. He whimpered as his footing stumbled. "Courf"

Courfeyrac stepped forwards, right against the building. "That's it petit, it's alright, just that next one and I can grab you" He whispered reaching up to him. Thenardiar shouted again, and sounded closer this time. They had to rush. "Alright 'Roche. Be brave, mon petit, let go, I'm going to catch you"

Gavroche looked down at him and bit his lip. "I'm scared" He whispered

"I know, but I promise I will not let you fall" Courfeyrac said putting his arms up to him.

Trying not to look down, Gavroche stared at his own hands as he let go of the panels and allowed himself to fall, his eyes shut tight as he whimpered. Eponine watched in shock and felt a gasp of relief pass through her mouth as she saw Courfeyrac grab Gavroche and bring him into his arms. "I've got you, shh" Courfeyrac whispered holding the boy close and taking Eponine's hand "Now we have to run"

Eponine nodded running with him as he carried Gavroche easily in his strong arms. "Are we going to be alright Courfeyrac?"

"Of course we are" Courfeyrac said with a comforting smile. "Getting out of there was the hardest bit, I'm sure that we can out run him"

"They are not here, take a look for yourself" Enjolras said calmly, trying to pull Thenardiar away from Joly as he still had the knife pressed to the young doctor's neck. Joly whimpered, looking at the chief. "I said take a look for yourself!"

Thenardiar hissed looking at Enjorlas and giving one slice across Joly's neck as he pulled away. "Fine boy!" He shouted as he strode through to the main rooms of the café.

The cut was not deep, but was enough to send the hypochondriac into a panic. He clasped a hand on his neck and slid down the wall to sit on the floor as he gave a cry. "If the blood loss does not kill me, the bacteria will some horrid disease that will kill me slowly"

"Easy Joly, it's alright" Combeferre said kneeling down to him and holding a clean cloth to the cut. "It is not deep I highly doubt that any bacteria made its way into your system"

"But there is still a chance!" Joly insisted

"Are you all liars, no good students!" Thenardiar shouted coming back into the corridor "Of course my children were here, that window is open, they escaped!"

"Good" Grantaire smiled. "They can stay away from you"

"Where are they!" He yelled turning to run out of the building. "They can't be far from here!"

Without waiting for an answer, Thenardiar ran out of the building and began to search for Courfeyrac and his runaway children. He didn't love the children, he used them. He used Eponine for money, letting men pay to have her or making her go out and steal. Gavroche was small and fast, Thenardiar could make him sneak into the homes of the rich and steal. "Where are they?"

Enjorlas, Grantaire, Jehan and Combeferre followed him keeping an eye out for any sign of Courfeyrac, Gavroche and Eponine. Joly had stayed at the café, insisting that he needed to clean the cut and wrap it properly. Courfeyrac was running as fast as he could, holding Gavroche tightly and gripping Eponine's hand. He was scared, but he wouldn't admit that. He wanted them to think that he was calm, that he knew what to do.

"Courfeyrac, he will follow and he is fast" Eponine stressed.

"If he comes, take Gavroche and run" Courfeyrac replied as they ran

"Thief! Thief! Those are my children!" came a shout.

Courfeyrac turned, coming face to face with Thenardiar. "If they are your children, why don't you care for them!" He blasted, instinctively squeezing Eponine's hand to reassure her.

"I care greatly for what they can do for me!" He shouted. "Now, child thieving for the second time on your life, are we?"

Gavroche whimpered, burying his head into Courfeyrac's neck. The young man held him tight, not wanting to let him go. "You will not have them and you will hurt them, you filth of the street"

"My, the student as a strong mouth" Thenardiar said with a smirk pulling the knife from his belt. "you got a strong grip Boy?" he added pressing the knife to Courfeyrac's hand as if attempting to slice away his grip with Eponine.

Although the pain was burning through his skin, Courfeyrac didn't wince or make any attempt to move. Slowly, he lowered down to set Gavroche on his feet, keeping a hand on the boys shoulder to stop him from turning around and seeing his father. "Courf what are you doing?" the little boy whispered.

"Nothing, don't worry. Roche go with Eponine, now" Courfeyrac said in a steady voice, pressing a kiss to the child's head before pressing his hand into Eponine's. "Thenardiar? You want revenge, fair enough. I did take something that was technically yours but you lost the right to him years ago. But still you want revenge, alright, you can take it out. But don't you dare take it out on Eponine or Gavroche"

"Oh and who would I take it out on otherwise?" Thenardiar smirked

"Me" Courfeyrac said bravely stepping forward "Take it out on me, the one who stole your little boy and gave him something you could never give him! Love and care!"

"Courf No!" Gavroche cried, tears in his eyes as he reached for his friend "Come with us, run!"

"Courfeyrac, don't be all honourable and do this! Let him take me and take Gavroche to safety!" Eponine insisted

"No, come on then Thenardiar do we have an agreement? Do what you want to me!" Courfeyrac said. He could see his friends watching him with wide and scared expressions, and he could feel the tears that poured down Gavroche's face but he had to do this, for them. "Eponine, take Gavroche and run, now!" He didn't want to shout of them, but if it was the only way to make them go, it had to be done.

Seeing the menacing glare in her father's eyes, which she knew meant that he was planning something sinister, Eponine nodded. She couldn't let Gavroche see this. Even though the little boy was pulling away from her, trying to get to Courfeyrac, she made him run "Now, Gavroche, come on he will be alright!"

Courfeyrac stood, brave and strong, before Thenardiar choosing to look at the knife rather than his face. He heard the retreating footsteps of Eponine and Gavroche, listening to them rather than the sound of Gavroche crying. "Come on then Thenardiar, let me take what your children have taken for years"

"Courfeyrac no!" Enjolras shouted. "There is caring and there is stupidity, this is stupidity!"

"Stupid students, all of you" Thenardiar said with a smile as he held his knife out. "You have the leader, who has a mouth that speaks more than a brain that thinks, then this young man with the glasses who thinks he knows more than he does and then there is you. The carer, the one with the child being most important. Would you bleed for him?"

Courfeyrac, wanting to protect Gavroche and Eponine whatever it took, gave a nod. He thought about the worry that rushed through him on that first night he found little Gavroche shivering in the cold and holding onto consciousness. He thought about all of the nights that he had spent watching the little boy's eyes light up and hearing him laugh when he finally won that game of cards or saw that he was winning at dominoes. He thought about the times that Eponine had said thank you when she didn't need too. He nodded once more. "I shall bleed for every beating you gave Gavroche that night, I shall bleed for all the times you have struck Eponine, I will bleed for every man you have sent upon her, I shall bleed for every day that Gavroche was out on the streets with no one to care for him and tell him that everything was going to be alright when he was scared!"

Seeing that Thenardiar was twirling the knife around in his hands as he stepped closer to Courfeyrac, both Enjolras and Combeferre lunged forwards in attempt to pull him back. "No no boys, we had an agreement" He smirked swinging the blade close to Courfeyrac's skin.

The young man did not flinch

"You want to bleed!" Thenardiar smirked "So you shall"

The four young men who watched the exchange held their breathes, knowing that it was be worse for Courfeyrac if they intervened.

"So be it!" Courfeyrac said in one brave shout. If he was going to die, he was going to die for Gavroche, to protect him.

Thenardiar, a sinister smirk on his lips, lunged forward in one great step, swinging the rusty knife down in one swing. The blade broke Courfeyrac's bravery, just as it broke his skin in one deep long cut across his stomach.

He screamed

And there is the cliff-hanger…..

Please please review and let me know what you thought

The person who leaves the 100th review can have a Courfeyrac/Gavroche one shot with a theme of their choice