A/N: Oh you guys make me so happy with your reviews! To answer a question I received, yes I am planning on including Gavroche and maaaaaaaybe a little Montparnasse in later chapters.

"I can survive without him," Éponine muttered to herself as she stopped to lean against a building's brick face. The rain had finally cleared, but she was soaked through and began shivering violently as cool winds whipped past her. She imagined being wrapped up in Enjolras' warm embrace and thought about how her body would be swallowed up by his large, masculine form, returning warmth to her limbs and causing the beat of her heart to become more noticeable. She shook her head quickly to dispel the fantasy. She did not want to feel dependent on anyone; she could take care of herself.

But as the hours ticked on she became increasingly aware of the way she craved him. Like an addict, her mind seemed to grow fuzzy and her world grew darker in the absence of her drug. But the object of her infatuation wasn't something harmful to her, quite the opposite. She longed for the man who had lit up her life and provided her with more love and compassion than she'd ever experienced. If he was a drug, a toxin, she might be able to convince herself she was better off, but she couldn't lie to herself.

As night arrived, she curled up on her side and reacquainted herself with the cold ground she had spent so many nights away from, but sleep evaded her. After becoming accustomed to slumbering in a warm bed, just a tangle of bare limbs and the comforting knowledge that she was safe and loved, sleeping out on the streets again seemed nearly impossible. She had been spoiled and now that her privileges were gone again, her entire body seemed to react like that of a pouting child. She grumbled and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that her dreams would bring her relief, but they only brought her back to Enjolras.

On the other side of the city, a frantic Enjolras could lie in bed no longer. He threw back the blankets and paced the length of their bedroom, his fingers frantically combed his gold curls out of his eyes. The thought of Éponine back on the streets, wet from the rain and shivering all alone left him feeling riddled with an anguishing guilt. It was all his fault. All she wanted was acknowledgement of his love and instead of confessing to his most trusted friends the inner desires of his heart, he sent her running from a curt, cold and public rejection. Hindsight being 20/20, his mistake was so obvious and cruel and easily preventable that it infuriated him. He had searched the streets with the help of the amis, but to no avail. All he could do now was wait and hope for her to return.

The days seemed to drag on endlessly for both halves of the pair. Éponine tried to fall back into her old life before she started hanging around the café, while simultaneously avoiding her family more than she would have before. She'd heard her father's threats from the few friendly acquaintances she had that warned her he's on the warpath after her disappearance. The only one she wanted to speak to was Gavroche.

She asked around the streets for her long abandoned little brother. She was used to seeing him hanging around the Musain, following around the men eagerly and doing whatever was requested of him to help. He was just a kid, but he had been on his own for most of his life and somehow seemed to thrive from it. Courfeyrac had taken him under his wing and treated him as if he were his own little brother. Their interactions had often been a source of genuine happiness on Éponine's part. She was glad that someone was looking out for him. But the reason she was desperate to find him now was to inquire after Enjolras. She knew it was pathetic and it shamed her that she was so frantic to know how he was, but not seeing him was beginning to cause a physical ache.

"Gavroche!" she cried, at last spotting him gnawing on a chunk of stale bread.

"Where've ya been 'Ponine?" he hollered as she crossed the street towards him. "The guys've been seachin' for ya. I've never seen Enjolras so worked up over somethin' other'n the rebellion."

She wrapped her arms around the boy in a quick hug. "What do you mean?"

"They're all real worried 'bout ya. I told 'em yous tough and can handle yourself, but Enjolras has got me runnin' all around lately askin' people out 'ere were ya are."

She felt tears sting her eyes, but her stubborn nature took over. "Tell him I'm well and that if he's lucky I'll return soon enough and he better be ready to make it up to me when that time comes."

Gavroche snickered at her severe expression but promised to relay her message. Éponine hugged him again and turned to leave, but he called out to her again. "Watch out for mum 'n dad 'Ponine. Azelma told me they're 'bout ready to kill ya for runnin' out on 'em. Be careful and I know everyone thinks I'm just a dumb urchin kid, but I know two stubborn idiots in love when I see 'em. Go home 'Ponine."

She knew the home he was referring to was not the one she'd grown up in with her parents, but the one she'd come to know with Enjolras. "Thanks," she murmured. Gavroche spun on his heal and took off running in the direction of the café.

He burst in through the door and hurried up the stairs to a room full of young men talking and bustling about noisily. Several looked up upon his entrance including Courfeyrac who nudged Enjolras' arm and wordlessly jutted his chin in the direction of the boy. Enjolras crossed the room and leaned down to speak to Gavroche. "Have you found her?"

"She found me actually. I told 'er you're real worried 'bout 'er 'n she said she's good 'n that you better make it up to 'er if you're lucky enough 'n she comes back."

Enjolras huffed in mild amusement that Éponine still teased him and rubbed his tired eyes. He hadn't slept more than a couple hours the entire time she'd been gone. "Did she say she was coming back? Is she going to give me the chance to make it up to her?"

"She didn't say for sure, but she's lookin' just as messed up as you are. She still loves ya, but she's as stubborn as a mule." Gavroche chuckled to himself and earned a halfhearted grin from Enjolras.

The men who had crowded around to listen in began speaking again, offering encouraging words of Éponine's return. The atmosphere seemed to lighten slightly, but Enjolras was still clouded in remorse and distress. Éponine had woven herself into his life and he could no longer live without her.

A/N: What do you think is going to happen? I hope it's not too difficult to read what Gavroche is saying, I just feel like it adds to his characterization.