Chapter 16

I DO NOT OWN LES MISERABLES OR ANY CHARACTERS INVOLVED.

...

"You have ten minutes," Enjolras granted with a glare, a hard stony look in his eyes.

Nicolette, seeing how hard it was for Enjolras to let some semblance of Marius back into Éponine's life, reached for his hand, and held it tightly. When she looked at Enjolras, he was smiling thankfully at her. His eyes soon flashed to Marius, who was making his way over to Éponine.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Pontmercy. Stay right here, don't even think about going near 'Ponine," he snarled.

Marius looked back at Enjolras, whose expression was as hard as steel, and then to 'Ponine, who was still quivering with sobs, although they were starting to falter. She looked at him with confusion, anger, sadness, and thought clearly on her face. He looked back to Enjolras, and nodded reluctantly.

Now half way between the two, he decided to stay where he was. At least I'm out of Enjolras' reach, he thought.

He looked to Éponine, unsure wether to begin. She offered no solution, and he nervously twisting his hands around each other in an anxious dance.

"She forced me. That's it. I couldn't help it, I-"

"Wait," Enjolras interrupted, beginning his inevitable interrogation. "Cosette, a small, short, weak bourgeois, forced a tall, strong, revolutionary? That makes sense," he remarked dryly, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"She- She didn't force me physically. She told me that the streets weren't safe, that the police were already looking for us. She said, if I went with her, that she'd help me to keep you all safe."

"But we are safe, they're too scared of us. You shouldn't have gone with her, regardless. And we, people who survived a war against the government, can protect ourselves better than the girl who has done nothing productive in her life, that I know of," Enjolras challenged.

"I didn't know that we were safe! Admit it, Enjolras, you were wary too! We didn't know for sure, who would risk their life on a possibility? I know I shouldn't have, I know that now. But I thought about the connections that her father would have, he used to be the Mayor! But he's old, frail, and the people who he knew are long dead, or unable to help us due to old change. He has no connections now. But I didn't know that."

"You stupid man, of course he has no connections! Why would he?"

"I was just hoping for a miracle, because that's what we needed! And we got one, we're safe!"

"So you knew we were safe? Why didn't you come straight back?" asked Joly, interjecting for the first time, narrowing his eyes.

Enjolras suddenly realised the thought he'd missed out on, and felt momentarily embarassed, but then turned another glare to Marius.

"Cosette, again! She-She's just manipulative, I don't know how to explain it! And...And the letter! The letter you sent me! The one where you said to stay away, or else you'd tell the government where I lived!"

"You did what?!" shrieked Éponine, joining the conversation for the first time.

Enjolras ignored this.

"That was because I thought you were intentionally leaving 'Ponine, and marrying Cosette. How could I have known that you weren't willing?!"

"You couldn't have, " Marius agreed with a slight smile, glad that attention had turned away from his bad decisions, and that Enjolras had begun grovelling, instead of himself.

"YOU TOLD HIM TO STAY AWAY?! YOU IDIOT!" shrieked Éponine, a bottle of emotions just waiting to explode, and it seemed Enjolras' letter revelation had opened the lid to that bottle, all of her anger just spilling out over the top.

"I thought he would hurt you again," Enjolras defended himself, turning to her.

"YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT! SHOW ME THE LETTER! SHOW IT TO ME NOW, OR I SWEAR I WILL THROW ONE OF YOU OFF THE SEINE!"

"It's at the house, I don't have it..." Marius trailed off, scared of this side of Éponine he'd never seen before, even if it wasn't directed at him.

Enjolras was petrified.

But again, Joly had a point to make that Enjolras hadn't thought of.

"Éponine, I helped Enjolras write that letter, and that wasn't even the main essence of the letter. That was a little side note at the end! And actually, Enjolras was telling him to tell Cosette to stay away from you at the shop! He didn't say anything about Marius staying away, now that I recall," he remembered, turning to raise his eyebrows at Marius, who gulped.

"I...She forced me!"

"As we've heard three times now, I think it is Lottie?" interrupted Nicolette. Lottie nodded.

"Then what do you want me to say?!"

Enjolras faltered. He couldn't think of anything else to discuss, except an apology.

"I swear, Pontmercy, if this is a lie and you really are just going to go off and marry Cosette, I will hunt you down," he threatened.

"You won't have to, because it isn't!" Marius was getting frustrated. He still had yet to talk to Éponine.

"And you'll apologise to 'Ponine and never leave her?"

"What do you think? Of course!" Marius asked with a smile.

Nicolette nodded, taking control. "Let's go Enjolras, I want to show you a dress I made," she grinned, winking at Éponine. She knew she hadn't made any dresses recently.

"Hmm, I'd like to see it too," Lottie nodded, dragging Joly with her.

Marius laughed after they left, suddenly awkward.

"They're not very subtle are they?" he asked nervously.

"Marius, you left me," she stated, ignoring his attempt at a conversation starter.

"I know, 'Ponine," he nodded. "But like I said-"

"I know what you said. I know what you said the day we met Marius, I'm not forgetful. Especially not when it comes to you," she smiled slightly.

"'Ponine...I'm so sorry. Words can't describe how sorry I am. I'm so sorry that I left you. I'm sorry that I never came back. I'm sorry I never offered an explanation. I'm sorry I let Cosette anywhere near you. I'm sorry that we lost time..." he reached out for her hand," to be together. 'Ponine, I love you," he whispered the last part, looking into her eyes.

She stuttered. She couldn't force any words out of her mouth, and she didn't know what she would have said had she been able to.

Unable to express herself in words, she pulled Marius to her, hugging him tightly. He grinned, and hugged her back with all he had.

"I- Marius, I love you too...But I'm sure you know that," she added with a laugh at the end.

"I know, of course...But I wasn't sure you'd still even want to speak to me after that."

"I wouldn't have. But now I know it wasn't entirely your fault," she smiled, just happy to be in his arms and know that he loved her.

"Entirely?"

"Marius, I'm not letting you off that easy," she warned. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

"I know that."

"And I'm not going to make it easy for you. I'm never going to make anything easy for you."

"I wouldn't dream of it," and with that he leant down and kissed her.

...

Thank you again for all of your wonderful support! It means so much.

MARIUS AND ÉPONINE KISSED!

I know, right?

But this isn't the end, don't you worry. Cosette is still under the impression Marius secretly loves her...and 'Ponine might just be getting a visitor.

Any guesses, leave them in a review please:)

Thank you, again!

Until next time,

Léis an grá i mo chroí, Niamh Ní Luachra.