it's asking for the taking

trembling, shaking

oh, my heart is aching

iii.

For the next several weeks, Eponine made sure her relationship with Enjolras stayed strictly professional. As nice as it was spending time with him outside of work, she didn't feel secure enough in her job to go there yet. She was pretty sure being friends with your boss could potentially make things really messy if something went wrong. There was no way she would risk putting her job on the line just to call him a friend.

Cosette, however, officially foiled the 'Stay Away From Gabriel Enjolras' plan by inviting him to Thanksgiving dinner. They made quite a strange little gathering, Eponine thought – Mr. Fauchelevent, Cosette's father, sat at the head of the table with Marius and Cosette on either side. Surrounding the rest of the table were Enjolras, Eponine, Gavroche, and their other friend, Bossuet, who was apparently plagued by bad luck. Eponine didn't believe him at first, but after he dropped an entire bowl of mashed potatoes down the front of his shirt, she thought it might be safer to scoot her chair just the tiniest bit further away.

Gavroche was on his best behavior, as well, probably because Eponine had promised him he could eat all of the pumpkin pie he wanted as long as he acted like he had manners and didn't try burping the alphabet at the table.

"How's your school going, Gavroche?" Mr. Fauchelevent asked during a little lag in conversation.

"Eh, it's alright." Gavroche swallowed a mouthful of turkey before continuing after a stern look from Eponine. "I get mostly A's and B's. Eponine says I have to or she won't keep paying for me to play soccer."

Enjolras glanced at her briefly, and Eponine could practically see the question in his eyes. It sounded more like she was Gavroche's mom than his sister.

"That's good, though, Gavroche. If your grades stay up and you're as good at soccer as Eponine says you are, you could maybe get a scholarship for college in a few years," Marius said.

"I'd better get a scholarship, or there's no way I'm going to college."

"Don't even say that!" Eponine scolded. "You're going. You will get a scholarship, but either way, you're going to college."

"Do your parents not support higher education?" Enjolras asked curiously. It was a completely innocent question on his part. Clearly, he had no idea the emotional baggage that came with talking about the Thenardiers, but nevertheless, a slightly uncomfortable pause fell over everyone as they wondered how to answer without saying too much.

"Our parents are jerks." Gavroche shrugged and stuffed his mouth with yams to avoid saying more.

"They just don't support us very much," Eponine quickly interjected. The last thing she wanted was Enjolras prying into her personal business. "They're not the most responsible people, so I take it upon myself to look out for my brother." She picked at her turkey, glancing up at Enjolras through lowered lashes.

"You've always been very responsible, Ep." Cosette smiled, and luckily, at that very moment, Bossuet nearly toppled out of his chair, which broke the awkwardness.

"I'm okay!" he called out, quickly righting himself, and saving the gravy boat in the process.

A few minutes later, Eponine almost fell out of her own chair from embarrassment when Gavroche turned to Enjolras and asked curiously, "Can I ask you a question? How old are you?"

"You technically already asked a question," Enjolras pointed out, "and I'm about to turn 28. Why do you want to know?"

"Huh. I just kind of thought lawyers were really old and boring."

Eponine felt her face heating up. "Gav..." she said in her best 'mom' voice.

Enjolras actually laughed. "It's okay, Eponine. At least four out of seven people at this table probably would say I'm kind of boring, Gavroche. And everyone starts out young."

"No one thinks you're boring!" Cosette reached out and patted Enjolras' shoulder.

"I do," Bossuet said quietly, and Enjolras glared at him a minute before turning back to Gavroche.

"Eponine says you're pretty good at your job. What exactly do you do?"

"Enjolras might not be able to share a lot about his work," Mr. Fachelevent gently reminded Gavroche. "It's very private information."

"It's alright. In school I studied international law, specifically international human rights. The cases I work on are about a lot of different issues, but they all have to do with the basic human rights everyone possesses, as decided on in various treaties or by the United Nations...have you ever heard of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?"

Gavroche shook his head, his attention focused solely on Enjolras. Eponine was so surprised at his interest in the subject that she forgot she was going to tell him to leave Enjolras alone.

"What does it say?"

"Well, I'm sure you know at least a little bit about the Bill of Rights from our own Constitution?" When Gavroche nodded, Enjolras continued, "After the atrocities of World War II, many countries that were a part of the United Nations came together to draft the freedoms they thought every citizen of the world should have. Many countries signed it, and while it's not legally binding, it's what I can often use to draft my own arguments."

"Can you tell me about a case you've worked on before?" Gavroche put his fork down, his food forgotten. Cosette shot Eponine a warm smile, and Eponine smiled tentatively back. She wasn't sure what to think – who the hell was this kid that had replaced her brother?

"I can actually tell you about one that's very public right now, and has been for quite a while," Enjolras said, and was clearly about to launch into an explanation when he suddenly stopped and looked sheepishly around the table. "...but I shouldn't. It's Thanksgiving, I'm sure no one wants to hear me talk."

"Actually, I kind of do," Eponine admitted, and Enjolras looked at her in surprise.

"Yeah, it's been too damn long since I've seen you get all hot and bothered by a cause," Bossuet grinned, and Marius nodded in agreement.

"Please, Enjolras, I'd actually like to hear, as well," Mr. Fauchelevent said.

Enjolras smiled and shrugged in acquiescence before beginning. "Of course. I don't know how familiar any of you are with the Angola 3?"

"What's an Angola?" Gavroche asked.

"It's a prison," Eponine reminded him. "The Louisiana State Penitentiary. It's the largest maximum security prison in the country; Angola is its nickname. Remember when we went to the Angola rodeo a few years ago? I bought a painting there one of the inmates painted."

"Oh, yeah! Okay." Gavroche nodded at Enjolras to continue.

"I'm working with Amnesty International on a campaign to try and get a prisoner released from solitary confinement in Angola. Back in 1972, three African American men who were prisoners there were convicted for the murder of a security guard. These men were held in solitary confinement for years, with very little to no evidence to actually link them to the murder. One of them was released after twenty-nine years and has been very vocal about the inhumane conditions they lived in. They've also maintained their innocence as far as the crime goes since 1972. Another of the men was released after forty years because he was dying of cancer, and did die only three days after getting out of prison. The last man is still being held in solitary confinement today."

Gavroche's brow furrowed. "Yeah, but did they do it? Did they kill the prison guard?"

Enjolras shrugged. "Does it matter? I want you to think about it and decide for yourself – even if they did participate in his murder, does forty years of solitary confinement fit the crime? Are those humane conditions, or does it directly violate their Eighth Amendment right against cruel and unusual punishment?"

"Well...you think it does," Gavroche said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. Eponine could barely keep herself from smiling. This was a side of Gavroche she had really never seen before.

"Yes, I do. But that doesn't mean you can't have a different opinion. You should just have all the facts before you make up your mind."

"Where can I learn them then?" Unfortunately, Eponine had just taken a sip of iced tea as Gavroche asked that whopper of a question, and Bossuet had to reach over and pat her on the back to make sure she didn't choke.

"You're asking him where you can do research? For fun?" she wondered. "Are you feeling okay?"

Gavroche looked at her and grinned, shrugging. "I'm smart."

Enjolras was clearly in his element, and couldn't keep his own grin from spreading across his face. Eponine was tempted to call Courfeyrac later and tell him to watch his back – if Gavroche kept acting like this, he'd want to quit soccer and start wearing a suit and tie every day. He might have just found a new man to idolize.

"You'll find a lot of articles and information on the internet if you just Google search the 'Angola 3,' and there's also some documentaries made about these men. Just remember that everyone has an opinion and most media outlets put their own spin on things. It's my job as a lawyer to read between the lines, ask questions, and not form my own opinion until I'm sure I've gotten all of the facts."

"Being a lawyer actually sounds kind of interesting," Gavroche admitted. "It would be fun to argue with people in a courtroom all the time."

After almost another thirty minutes of conversation directly between Enjolras and Gavroche, dinner was finally over. Eponine was actually disappointed. As she'd watched Enjolras' attention focus solely on her brother, and saw him talk to Gavroche like a highly intelligent and capable human being and not just a kid, Eponine's stomach had twisted itself into knots.

How had she ever thought Enjolras was boring? His eyes sparkled with animation and his voice was rich with passion and knowledge. He didn't preach at Gavroche, but encouraged him to think for himself and to keep feeling curious. She could see what Cosette meant now about stopping on campus to listen to his speeches – she probably would have stopped, too, if she had heard such fiery and eloquent words spoken by someone like him.

Hearing him talk also reminded her how lucky she was to be working for him. Her position didn't directly have anything to do with her degree in social work, but she was still indirectly involved with helping others through the work he did. Hers wasn't a meaningless job.

Later that night as she helped Cosette put away leftovers, Cosette said slyly, "So...Enjolras. That was really great how he was talking to Gavroche, huh?"

Eponine rolled her eyes to herself since it was painfully obvious what Cosette was getting at, but answered honestly anyway. "It was. Gav needs positive male role models like him. I was surprised he even started asking questions, though; I had no clue he was curious about what it's like to be a lawyer."

"He was keeping up, too. Marius is right – soccer really could be his ticket to college, but once he's there, the sky's the limit."

"If my parents don't fuck things up for him first," Eponine sighed. "Which is all together too possible."

Cosette frowned and looked at her sympathetically. "It's a big responsibility and I would never tell you that you should do it or have to...but have you ever thought about having Gavroche move in with you?"

"Of course. I've been trying to save for it forever, but shit always comes up. It's expensive to move in the first place, but trying to find a decent two bedroom place is almost impossible. And you need first month's rent and last month's rent all at once...and then things like my car breaking down happen and I have to spend all of my savings to get that fixed."

"You know, if it's something you really want to do, Marius and I could loan you the money. I know you'd pay us back."

Eponine smiled, but shook her head. "I appreciate the thought, Cosette, but you know how I feel about money. I don't like taking things from people. And I'll get enough saved eventually – it's much easier now that I'm making more."

"You know you can always change your mind."

"I know."

Later that night, they had barely climbed into the car before Eponine turned to Gavroche and exclaimed, "What the hell, Gavroche?! Where did all of those questions for Enjolras come from?"

Gavroche shrugged and leaned forward to mess with the radio. "I just wanted to know. I know you work for him, so I wanted to know what he did."

"Not that he minded, because I think he actually really liked talking to you, but you know you could have asked me way before now about my job. Or his job."

"I know. I wanted to talk to him, though. He's Courf's friend, but he's really different than him. He was really quiet that night we all ate spaghetti."

"Yeah, he can be quiet. He's observant, I think – that's probably a good trait to have as a lawyer." Eponine pulled away from the curb, inwardly wincing as she thought about the difference between the neighborhood they were currently leaving and the one she had to take her brother back to. Maybe she shouldn't have been so quick to dismiss Cosette's offer to borrow money.

"So do you think he's hot?"

It took Eponine a moment to gather her thoughts and realize what Gav said. "What?! Gavroche!"

"What?!" He snickered at her. "I know you totally do. I saw you staring at him that night, when he rolled his sleeves up before we ate. You were practically drooling."

"Oh my God." Eponine was mortified, mostly because Gavroche was completely right – she did think Enjolras was ungodly attractive. She just didn't know how obvious she had apparently been in her admiration. "I...well. It doesn't matter whether or not I think he's cute! I work for him and that's a line we can't cross. Like you said, Gav, you're smart – you should know that."

"What if he thinks you're hot?"

"He doesn't. He's never given even the slightest indication that he feels anything for me but professional courtesy. And even if he did think that, he's a good guy – he would never, ever try anything because that's what real mean do, Gav. They respect women."

"He can still respect you and think you're hot."

Eponine sighed. Maybe there were some things that would just sink in with age. "Look, I'm glad you like him. He's a good person. But if you're thinking something crazy about us then you need to stop. Nothing is happening between Enjolras and I and the only reason I see him outside of work is because I'm on the edge of his circle of friends. He's never asked to do anything with me outside of work, and he won't because it's just...it's crossing a line."

"And what about the spaghetti night, huh? You were alone with him then," Gavroche said smugly.

"My car wouldn't start! I wouldn't have been alone with him if it weren't for that. And then I didn't want to invite everyone but him to hang out, that would have been rude."

"Whatever you say."

Eponine pulled up in front of her parent's run down house, her heart constricting in her chest at the thought of leaving Gavroche. She felt guilt settle over her like a physical weight every time she brought him back here, but she ignored it for now and turned to him seriously. "I need to make this really clear to you – there is nothing going on between me and Enjolras. Nothing will go on. And I won't let you see him again if you keep talking about it or try to make things awkward for us. I need this job really bad and if I lost it, I'd be devastated. So please drop it. Okay?"

Gavroche searched her face for a minute, but finally relented when he realized how serious she was. "Fine," he huffed. "I get it. But you should date a guy like him. You're not getting any younger, you know. Isn't your biological clock ticking or something?" His signature grin was back.

"Jesus, get out of my car, you little jerk," Eponine teased, shoving him towards the door.

Gavroche laughed and sprang out of the car, waving to her over his shoulder as he disappeared inside. Eponine's smile faded as she stared at the dilapidated house after it swallowed him up. It looked like it might fall over with one good gust of wind. The paint was peeling so bad it was impossible to tell what color it was supposed to be, siding was completely missing in places, and the roof looked suspiciously sloped. The screen door was pathetic, only hanging on by one measly hinge at the top.

Eponine swallowed around the lump in her throat as she drove away and made a promise to herself that she would work her ass off to get Gav out of there within six months. As irritating as he could be, he deserved better. He deserved the world. Gavroche could be a man like Enjolras someday – someone with an education who cared about making the world a better place. Someone who was confident and respectful, with a calling that would make him happy. Her heart ached painfully to think about him being anything less than happy, but imagining him turning out successful like Enjolras – no matter what he chose to do – made her heart feel like it would burst from joy. She hoped she wouldn't have to go so far as to insist Gavroche not see Enjolras, because if there were any two guys in the world she would choose to help mold him into a young man, she couldn't think of anyone more fit for the job than Enjolras and Courfeyrac.

Hello again! First of all, thank you so much to everyone that has reviewed and put this story on their favorites list. The response has been much better than I expected it would be and I really appreciate it!

Also, a little health update - I got my test results back and everything is fine. Whoohoo! Thank you so much to everyone that sent good energy my way, along with the messages here and on tumblr. They definitely eased my mind a bit while I was waiting!

You guys are amazing! Hopefully I'll have another update for you soon. I can't seem to stop writing this one! :)

~Aimee