I'm putting my little note here because I wanted to leave the end of the chapter just as it is without butting in. This is the LAST chapter, but I will post an epilogue hopefully later this week.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to every single person who has read this story over the last few weeks, and thank you especially to those kind enough to review. I appreciate it so much, you have no idea. Even the simplest reviews make writers feel so good.
This story is so indulgent on my part, and really, the first thing I've ever written that I felt went EXACTLY as planned and accomplished everything I wanted it to. It's my "Say Anything," John Hughes, Carly Simon, "Working Girl", CRAZY 80s inspired love story. It's MEANT to be a little over the top. I wanted it to be pure fluffy goodness, with just the right amount of angst in the right place, and I think I did it. (We'll see how I feel in a month or two when I look back, but for right now, I'm HAPPY).
Please review! And if you really do want to see if I did what I wanted to do, think of those movies, listen to the song, and see what you think. :) Enjoy the last chapter.
ix.
The next morning, Eponine and Enjolras were woken by a hesitant knock on their bedroom door.
"Ep? Are you awake?"
Eponine groaned and rubbed her eyes, glancing over at the clock to see it was only 5:30. "I am now. What do you need, Gav?" He cracked the door just enough to be heard and covered his eyes as he peeked in. It didn't matter, since they were both fully clothed after finally getting a night of peaceful sleep.
"We're nowhere near my bus stop. So, if you want me to go to school today, which is totally optional!...you have to get up and take me in a little while."
After contemplating for a minute, she finally sighed and said with finality, "Screw it. Go back to bed, Gav. Missing a day won't kill you."
"Score! Thanks, sis." Gavroche closed the door and Eponine reached over to the nightstand to grab her cell phone. She quickly called his school and left a message on their answering machine, lying smoothly and saying that Gavroche was sick. Enjolras hadn't stirred, but he laughed quietly as she settled back down next to him, her back against his front.
"Letting him play hooky because you feel lazy, huh?"
"Oh, shut it. Do you want to get out of bed and take him?"
"No. And I don't want you to, either." He shifted his hips closer and Eponine smiled as she felt his morning hardness press against her bottom.
"Is there something in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" she joked.
Enjolras snorted and began kissing her neck, his good hand finding it's way under her shirt to caress her stomach and the the underside of her breasts. "You're such a dork."
"Well if you're going to call me names, I'm not going to let you have your way with me."
"I'll play nice." Enjolras brushed his fingers across her nipples until they pebbled and peaked at his touch, making her breath catch in her throat. A knot of desire was slowly pooling in her belly and she squirmed against him as he slipped his fingers lower to expertly stroke between her legs.
"You're pretty...oh, fuck...good with your left hand, too," Eponine finally managed to squeak, turning her face into the pillow to stifle a moan as he slowly plunged his fingers inside of her.
"Good to know."
Eponine pressed her hips back against his erection and ground slowly, making him hiss against her ear. He added another finger, curling them perfectly inside of her until she whimpered, clutching the sheets in her hands and hooking her leg back over his.
"Tell me what you want," Enjolras whispered.
Eponine moaned. God, she loved it when he started the dirty talk, and was always happy to play along. Anything that made him finally lose control was good in her book and usually, very simple things drove him crazy. "I want you inside me, Gabe. I want you to make me come so hard."
"Fuck, Eponine." He slowly removed his fingers from her center and hastily pushed down his boxers and her underwear. Eponine lifted her leg just enough for him to push into her from behind, thrusting his hips forward until he was buried inside of her.
Eponine turned her head, their mouths meeting in a messy, awkward kiss. This position was usually one of her favorites, their bodies so close together she could barely tell where one ended and the other began. Today, however, with one limb out of commission, Enjolras was a bit limited with where his hands could wander on her body. After a few minutes of making love in a steady, sweet, rhythm that would have definitely eventually brought her over the edge, Eponine grew too impatient to wait. Before he could protest, Eponine pulled away and pushed Enjolras onto his back, glancing down at his hand.
"You're going to have to get used to being on the bottom for a while with that splint." Eponine grinned as she moved to straddle his hips, sinking back down onto his length with a whimper of pleasure. He filled her so completely when their bodies met like this that there was nowhere else on Earth that she'd rather be. She ground her hips down in slow circles, building up a delicious friction between them.
"I think I can get used to it. Oh, fuck, Eponine..." Enjolras moved his hand to her bottom and squeezed, pushing her up and down his shaft ever so slightly. She leaned forward and trailed kisses along his chest, licking and sucking at the hollow of his throat. When he moved his hand to her breasts, hastily trying to push her shirt up and over them, Eponine leaned up farther to tangle her hands in his hair and bring his head forward. His mouth closed over her nipple in a wet, open mouthed kiss.
"Gabe," she panted. "Oh, please, please..." She always knew she was close when she got to the point of begging, and so did he.
The contact of his teeth against her skin sent a bolt of fire straight between her legs and she cried out, beginning to move her hips more rapidly. The sound of their bodies meeting filled the room and Eponine sat up, pulling almost completely off of Enjolras before sinking back down. "God, I'm so close..."
Enjolras put his hand between her legs to circle her clit with his thumb, making Eponine cry out again. "I love you so much. Come for me, Eponine," he growled, his eyes dark and filled with passion as he gazed at her above him.
Her thighs shook as she climaxed, moaning his name and squeezing her eyes shut. He cursed as her walls clenched around his cock, and Enjolras reached his own peak almost as soon as she did. She leaned forward and kissed him hard as they both rode out their orgasms, her hips finally still as Enjolras thrust up into her a final time. She eventually broke the kiss, gasping for air, and laid her head against his shoulder, trailing light kisses along his jaw as his strong arms encircled her back. She didn't move off of him; the feeling of him inside of her was still too good to break.
"Yeah, I can definitely get used to being on the bottom," Enjolras confirmed after a minute, and Eponine laughed, raising her head to look at him.
"Yeah, right. You like to be in charge too much to let me do this too often."
"Me? Like to be in charge? I don't know where you ever got that idea."
"Yeah, I must be crazy." Eponine finally moved next to Enjolras on the bed, sighing at the loss of contact. As she gazed at him laying next to her, the last part of their conversation from the night before suddenly rushed back.
Jesus, had he really proposed to her? Had she said yes? Did he actually mean it? Did he even freaking remember it happening?
"Eponine? Hello?" Enjolras waved his hand in front of her face and Eponine jumped, realizing he'd been talking for a solid ten seconds and she hadn't heard any of it.
"Sorry! What did you say?"
"I asked if we could go back to sleep for a few hours..." He looked at her strangely. "Are you okay? You zoned out there."
"I'm fine! I'm just tired, I guess. So yeah, let's go back to sleep." She nestled into his side, resting her head against his chest, and closed her eyes.
There was no way in hell she was going to remind him that he proposed to her. So, if he didn't mention it again, Eponine decided, she would just forget it happened.
Over the next few days, Enjolras didn't say a word about his impromptu, probably drug induced, proposal. By the time the one week mark rolled around, Eponine decided to officially let it go – there was so much change happening as it was, that it was better to not add one more thing to the list. So far, the living situation was perfect; she had even gone to Gavroche's school and changed his bus route with Enjolras' address. The hole in her apartment wall was fixed, and surprisingly, her landlord let her out of her lease with no problems since he already had someone who wanted to rent the apartment. She even got lucky and sold the new tenants most of her furniture, taking only sentimental, personal things with her. Her trial living period of a few weeks had gone by the wayside after only a few days, but Gavroche didn't care. He was happier than she had ever seen him.
A few days before Eponine was scheduled to begin her new job, Enjolras walked into the den where she was watching TV talking to someone on his cell phone. He rolled his eyes at her and mouthed, 'It's my mom,' before sighing into the phone.
"Okay! Mom, stop it. I'm asking her right now, she's right here. Just hold on." He covered the phone and sat down next to her on the couch. "So..."
"What do you need to ask me?" she asked nervously. There was still no parental contact on her part, and she had a feeling she knew the answer to her own question.
"I told my parents that you and Gavroche moved in and they're kind of pissed at me since I still haven't introduced you. They want us to come over for dinner tomorrow night..." He looked at her hopefully.
"Oh. Uh...Yeah? I want to meet them. But, honestly, can we do it here? I don't mind cooking; it would probably make me less nervous."
"Are you sure? You really want to play hostess the first time you meet my parents?" he asked skeptically.
"Yes! Seriously, being on my own turf will make it easier. Is that okay with you?" She chewed on her lip and turned towards him on the couch.
"Baby, it's fine with me – whatever you want. Can I tell her?"
Eponine nodded and watched him finish the conversation with his mom. Enjolras turned back to her when he hung up and put his hand on her leg, squeezing her thigh. "Are you sure you're up for this?"
"Of course." Eponine shrugged. "It has to happen sometime, right? And the longer we wait, the more awkward it will be."
"True. They're holding something else over my head until they meet you, too, so..."
"What the hell do you mean by that?"
"I kind of came up with a plan. A career plan. I didn't say anything because I like to thoroughly think things through before I talk about them, but do you want to hear it?"
Eponine rolled her eyes and lightly smacked his arm. "Of course! Why would you even ask me that?"
Enjolras laughed and pinched her leg in retaliation. "I don't know! I don't want to bore you. But anyway; over the last few days, a couple of my old clients contacted me. Long story short, they've kept me on their cases, but independently, since I'm technically unemployed. That doesn't mean I can't practice law, though – I just don't work for that firm. So, anyway, one of them just came right out and asked why I don't start my own practice; I have a clear specialty, a good reputation, a minor in business...so. What do you think?"
"Gabe! That's brilliant! So brilliant that I can't believe you didn't decide to just do it right away." Eponine leaned over and kissed him soundly, pulling away when she realized she still didn't understand something. "But wait, what does that have to do with your parents holding something over you?"
"Oh. Well, it takes money to start my own practice. I need a business license and a marketing plan and all of that stuff...and since I'm probably going to need to dip into my savings to keep the house, I asked my parents if I could borrow some money. They said yes, but only if they finally got to meet you," he said sheepishly.
"Well, I guess that's a pretty easy trade-off. I'm glad I can be of use," she teased, and scooted onto his lap to straddle his hips. "My parents, on the other hand, would have laughed in my face and asked for my first born child if I even dared ask for ten dollars. So is there anything else you need my help with?"
"I can think of a few things..."
For the next few minutes, they concentrated on nothing but each other's wandering hands and teasing lips. They were just about to move to the privacy of their bedroom when an indignant Gavroche disrupted them.
"HEY! Really?! Seriously, guys?! Do I need to be scared every time I walk into what I think is an empty room in this house?!" He covered his eyes and turned around dramatically, bumping into the wall on purpose before finding the door.
Eponine's cheeks colored in embarrassment, but she giggled at Gavroche's antics and buried her face in Enjolras' neck. "Oh my God. My brother doesn't need to see me like that."
Enjolras just laughed. "Lesson learned. Keep sex in the bedroom."
Dinner with Enjolras' parents went much better than Eponine anticipated. Her food was delicious, Gavroche was on his best behavior and acted completely charming, and she managed to answer every question they had without too many socially awkward moments. At the end of the night, they politely asked to talk to Enjolras in the den and Eponine crossed her fingers; hopefully, he'd walk out with enough money to not only reboot his career, but make it even better than before.
Enjolras gave her a small wink when they came back out and she breathed a sigh of relief. Even though she knew he didn't blame her for everything that happened, and they were stronger than ever now, Eponine had a feeling she would always carry a tiny bit of guilt when she thought about that day that everything fell apart. She didn't think she'd ever forget Mr. Franklin's face as he stared at her in the hall, so judgmental and cold.
Eponine was shaken out of her thoughts as Enjolras' mom, Liz, pulled her into a tight hug to say goodbye. It took her a bit by surprise; she wasn't used to anyone but Enjolras hugging her, really, and it was especially strange coming from a woman. She didn't even remember the last time her own mother had hugged her, or if she ever had at all. After they left, Enjolras turned to her anxiously and asked, "So? What do you think? They didn't drive you crazy, did they? Did you like them?"
Eponine leaned against the wall by the front door, trying to put her thoughts in order. "Yes, I liked them! They're both amazing and I think you're incredibly lucky," she said honestly. "I can't even imagine what it's like having parents that support you, let alone that freaking adore you so much. They clearly think that you hung the moon."
Enjolras' eyes softened as he looked at her and Eponine immediately bristled a little bit. She hated pity, but she also knew it was really hard for a lot of people to not feel it when they knew about her situation. "Don't look at me like that," she sighed. "I hate it when you feel sorry for me. Or when anyone feels sorry for me."
"I can't help it," he said indignantly. "I love you. And I want every single thing in your life to make you happy. I don't want you to ever be sad about anything again for as long as you live."
Eponine shook her head and wrapped her arms around his waist. "That's a little impossible, but I know how you feel. It killed me when you were so upset last week. Speaking of which, what did they say about the money?"
"They think you're amazing, so they're giving it to me." Enjolras kissed the top of her head and grinned.
"Oh, right!" Eponine laughed. "I'm sure it was all about me and not about the amazing freaking kid they raised. You're every parent's dream child."
"Speaking of dream children, they were really impressed with Gavroche, too. They want to come to one of his soccer games and watch him play."
"Oh. Wow. Yeah, I'm sure he'd love that!" She didn't know what else to say – it touched her that they'd even care at all, and it was something she hadn't expected. For the first time in her life, Eponine felt optimistic not only about her own future, but Gav's, too; there had always been a lingering fear in the back of her mind that no matter what she did, he would fall victim to the same streets her father had, and so many of her peers growing up. Now he was surrounded by so many people that could lead him in positive directions, and doing so well in school and with soccer, that she could see the complete picture of the man he was growing into. And it was a damn good picture.
In a few hours, Eponine went to bed before Enjolras, who was typing away madly on his laptop, re-energized when it came to work and doing a massive amount of research on everything it took to begin his own law practice. Around midnight, she awoke to him sitting on the side of the bed, gently shaking her shoulder.
"Eponine? Wake up, babe."
She blinked groggily and rose onto her elbow, looking at him in confusion. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I..." He suddenly looked incredibly nervous, and wiped his hands on his pants before glancing back at her. The only light came from the open window blinds and nightlight in the bathroom, but Eponine could still see him clearly.
"Why did you wake me up, crazy pants? Come to bed." Eponine laid back down and tugged on his hand.
"No, I...shit. I wanted to ask you something." He cleared his throat nervously and Eponine's eyebrows shot up. She had a sneaking suspicion she knew exactly what he was doing. "I mean, actually, I think I already asked, unless I dreamed that, which is possible, because honestly, I think I was kind of high? But..."
Eponine sat up slowly. "You didn't dream it. You asked."
"I did?" He sighed and looked at her in relief. "Good. That kind of makes this easier then, I guess." Without warning, Enjolras suddenly scooted off the bed and onto one knee on the floor, smiling up at her shyly.
Eponine's eyes widened as he took her hands. She was definitely wide awake now. "Gabe..."
"Shh. Let me talk. I had a whole fucking speech planned and now I can't remember a damn thing," he confessed, and Eponine laughed, sobering when he frowned at her.
"I'm sorry! It's not funny! I don't know how to act when someone proposes to me for the second time in the middle of the night!"
"Well, laughing at me probably doesn't help!" He took a deep breath and squeezed her hands, then said seriously, "Okay, here goes. I know this is really fast, Eponine, and a lot of people are probably going to think it's crazy and stupid, but I don't care. I can never make fun of Pontmercy again, because I thought he was a damn fool when he fell so quickly for Cosette, and now it happened to me. I will never regret a single thing about falling in love with you, and if I had to do it all over again, I would do it the same. I know we could wait and give it time and it wouldn't change how I feel about you at all, but I'm impatient and I don't like to wait," he confessed.
Eponine giggled and nodded in agreement as she blinked away a few tears that threatened to fall. "I agree; waiting sucks."
"So. For the second time...will you marry me?" Enjolras reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring, holding it out to her hopefully.
"What?! When...where..." She didn't even think he had a ring yet, that this was more of an off the cuff kind of proposal rather than a pre-meditated one. Her mouth fell open as she stared from his face to the ring in his hand, absolutely astonished that he'd actually thought this through and must have planned to ask for days.
Enjolras leaned forward expectantly, his expression a little bit worried at her lack of response. "Eponine? You already said yes," he reminded her. "You can't take that back!"
"Oh my God. Yes! Yes!" Eponine grabbed his arms and pulled him onto the bed next to her, laughing as she kissed him all over his face. "I didn't realize you were really, honestly, serious! Who decides to propose in the dark in the middle of the freaking night? Twice?" she teased.
"I was going to ask earlier, but I chickened out. Now do you want to put this ring on your finger or not?"
"Yes! I can't even see it!" She reached over and turned the bedside lamp on, then slowly reached out and gave him her left hand, smiling expectantly.
"I hope you like it – it actually belonged to my grandmother; my mom brought it over for me tonight." Enjolras slipped it on her finger, then brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, watching her reaction.
Eponine's breath caught in her throat. "I...it was your grandmother's? And your mom is okay with me having it?" she asked incredulously. "Oh my God, it's beautiful. It's amazing! I love it so much!" Eponine whispered, holding it up to the light to gaze at it more closely. It was clearly old, but immaculately cared for, and extremely unusual; vines, leaves, and flowers twisted around the band, with small white diamonds woven in. In the center was a deep red ruby, which happened to be her favorite stone. "Oh, Gabe..."
"I know it's not as flashy as most engagement rings or as expensive, but my mom always made sure I knew it was an option for me to have one day. And I kind of thought it seemed more like you than some big rock, anyway. But if you want that, I can get one!" he added.
"No! No, I don't want one at all. This is perfect, you're right. God, thank you...you're amazing, even if you did do this when I'm not wearing any pants."
Enjolras grinned and leaned forward to kiss her, lowering her slowly onto her back and pressing his body down against hers. "Or maybe that was a strategic move on my part, hm?"
An hour later, after they had their fill of each other, Eponine sat up against the headboard, holding her hand up to inspect her ring again. It felt so strange on her finger, and she was startled every time she felt it's weight, however slight. She was engaged.
Enjolras watched her, laying on his side and smiling like a fool. "You keep looking at it," he remarked. "It's not going to disappear."
"I know! I mean...holy shit, we're engaged! I'm going to marry you."
"I know. Speaking of which; when?"
"Oh. I don't know! I haven't even thought about it yet. God, you're right," she realized. "People are going to think we're crazy. They just found out we're even together, and suddenly I moved in, and now two weeks later you propose? You're worse than Marius, my friend."
Enjolras laughed and shrugged. "Can I make it even worse with this? Because, to be honest, I don't want to wait very long."
Eponine bit her lip. "How long are you thinking?"
"I would marry you tomorrow, Eponine," he said seriously. "So you tell me. If you want to wait a month, I will. If you want to wait six months, I'll whine a little bit, but okay. And, I guess if you want to wait a year, I'll deal with it. I won't be happy, but I'll do it. So it's your call." His fingers gently stroked her leg, and Eponine stared at him, lost in thought. What did she want?
"I don't want a big wedding," she confessed quietly. "The thought of all that planning just makes me want to scream. So there's no reason to wait a year."
"Good."
"But," she said practically, "I am starting a new job in two days, and you're embarking on a huge new endeavor that needs your time and energy, so do you really think it would be super smart to get married that soon?"
"I guess not," he conceded. "So how long are you going to make me wait?"
"It's almost October," Eponine thought out loud. "And then the holidays are always so busy, and I want to make sure they're really good for Gav this year since it's our first all together...but then after the new year, there's nothing big. And I always thought it would be nice to get married in the spring, but I'm still in school then, so we wouldn't be able to go on a honeymoon. So what about June?" she asked hopefully.
"I like June. So can we say the first Saturday of the month, whatever that is?"
"Absolutely." Eponine shook her head and slid back under the covers, letting out an incredulous laugh. "That means it will be barely a year between when we officially started dating in New York and when we get married. We're insane."
"What can I say? I go after things I want. And even though I didn't know I wanted this out of life, I knew almost as soon as we met that I wanted you. So I went after you." Enjolras smiled, his eyes soft, serious, and full of promise as he gazed at her. "And I swear, Eponine, that I'll never stop. I will always chase you, I will always be there, and I will always, always want you."
The next few months flew by. Eponine's new job was perfect, Enjolras' practice was gaining traction, and their extremely tiny wedding had somehow turned into a modestly sized affair to be held in his parent's backyard. Cosette was going to be her only bridesmaid and default matron of honor, but poor Enjolras still had to choose a best man. His friends campaigns to win the role had been pretty comical so far, and with only about three weeks until the wedding, Enjolras was now running out of time to choose someone.
One night before bed, Gavroche cornered her in the kitchen and asked nervously, "Uh...Ep? I have a question..."
"Yeah?"
"So, I know I'm supposed to walk you down the aisle and everything, but. What if I was the best man instead?"
Eponine raised her eyebrows and turned to look at him, frowning. "Why do you say that? Did Gabe say something?"
"He just mentioned that it would be easier if I was the best man, and that he had wanted to ask me, but then you said I was walking you down the aisle, so he just never said anything, but...I kind of think I would like that better," Gavroche confessed. "Not that giving you away isn't great or anything!"
"But being the best man is cooler," Eponine sighed. "I get it."
"Would you be sad about it, though? I know it's kind of a thing to have your dad walk you down the aisle and since ours is a piece of shit, I know I was the next best thing. So if you're sad, I won't do it."
"Won't do what?" Enjolras asked curiously as he walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.
"Be your best man," Eponine said with a sigh.
"What? Gav, I know I said I wanted you to be, but I didn't mean to go ask if you could suddenly switch roles. I just said it in passing." Enjolras leaned on the counter next to her and put his hand on her back.
"Oh. Okay. It's fine! Walking you down the aisle is great, too," Gavroche conceded, but Eponine could tell he was a little disappointed. She understood, too; it felt more important to be standing up there next to Enjolras, a part of their union rather than a passing thought.
"You know what? No," she said firmly. "Gabe, if you really meant it and were going to ask him before I ruined that, then I want him to be your best man. That's a way more important job. And this way none of your friends will have sore feelings."
"Eponine," Enjolras said gently, "if he's my best man, then who's going to give you away?"
"Me! I'll give myself away. Does Gavroche own me? Do my parents? It's kind of a barbaric tradition, anyway, isn't it? I'm the one that decided to marry you, and I certainly don't need a man to cling to as I walk down the aisle. It's kind of symbolic, right? I've been very alone and independent so far in life, and now, I won't be. I'll be walking to you, and I'll never be alone again."
Eponine stuck her tongue out at Gavroche as he started to make gagging noises, apparently disgusted by her romantic sentiments. Enjolras tossed his water bottle at him without even taking his eyes off of her.
"Are you sure?" he asked, ignoring Gav's nauseated performance. "Because honestly, I agree with you; I think walking down the aisle alone fits you pretty perfectly. But I want you to be absolutely, 100% positive about it."
"I am! Completely. And if I change my mind, then I'm sure that Courf of 'Ferre or all of them would be more than happy to have the job." Eponine leaned over and gave Enjolras a quick kiss, then turned to look sternly at Gavroche. "But you. No freaking strippers at the bachelor party, got it?"
A week before the wedding, Eponine decided the stress and anxiety was finally getting to her. Her stomach was in knots all day and she could barely look at food without wanting to throw up. And she did at a few random, completely unpredictable times. She absolutely refused to get sick, though, and resolutely ignored it...or at least she tried to, until three days before the wedding.
She and Cosette went to pick up their dresses, which fit absolutely perfectly after their final fittings a few weeks ago, and then went to have a quick dinner at their favorite cafe. They sat on the patio, since the weather was gorgeous, and Cosette grilled her about all the last minute details she thought Eponine might be missing.
"You're sure you ordered all the flowers you need, right? And have some extra space for people who didn't RSVP but are going to show up, anyway?"
"Everything is set, believe me. I haven't even really had to do much – my future mother-in-law could seriously run her own party planning business. She's thought of everything."
"I can't believe you're getting married," Cosette said, shaking her head in disbelief. "It all happened so fast. I thought you'd be the sensible one and date for years and years before finally saying yes."
"I kind of thought so, too, but why wait?" Eponine shrugged. "It's not like I've ever had a doubt since I met Gabe that I wanted to be with him. And, you know, he's a couple years older than me. He doesn't have dating years to waste," she joked.
Cosette laughed. "Oh Lord, 29 isn't old. I guess he is 30 in August, though, isn't he?"
"Yep. And I have big plans to torture him about it. I'm going to fill the bedroom with black balloons in the middle of the night and get him all of this 'over the hill' stuff. He's gonna love it." Eponine's eyes followed a server past their table who carried an enormous piece of chocolate cake, and she abruptly changed the subject. "Ohhhhhh my gosh. I want that," Eponine said desperately.
Cosette glanced over and moaned. "That looks so, so good. But - wedding. We have dresses to fit into."
"I don't care!" Eponine exclaimed. "One piece of chocolate cake isn't going to mean our freaking dresses won't zip up. Let's at least split it?"
"You're the bride – if you insist."
Eponine flagged down their server and ordered just one piece, sighing in delight as it was finally delivered to their table. "Chocolate! Ugh, I have dreamed about it. You know Gabe let me have my way and our entire cake is chocolate? I know it's not everybody's thing, but it's my wedding, so I get my way," Eponine said smugly.
"I completely approve of a chocolate wedding cake. Good for you."
Eponine closed her eyes as she took her first bite, expecting to feel the usual euphoria that chocolate brought her, but beginning to feel the first stirrings of nausea in her stomach instead. Maybe if she just ignored it, it would go away. She needed chocolate, she could live off of chocolate. There was no way chocolate was going to make her sick. Instead of its usual delicious taste, however, the cake tasted like chalk in her mouth. It may as well have been dirt.
"This is so good, you were right. Good move ordering it," Cosette affirmed, and Eponine opened her eyes to glare at her.
"You think it's good?"
"Yeah! It's delicious."
Eponine put her hand on her stomach and pushed her plate away. "Ugh. Fuck. It tastes awful, are you crazy? Just the smell is making me sick." She took a deep breath and a sip of water, but immediately regretted it. With very little warning, Eponine suddenly knew she was going to throw up, and practically sprinted to the edge of the street, vomiting her entire dinner on the curb between two parked cars.
After a second, she felt Cosette's hands holding her hair back. "Eponine! Oh my gosh, are you alright?"
Eponine stood shakily after her stomach was completely empty and sighed, accepting a fresh glass of water from their server who had followed them over to make sure she was alright.
"God, that was embarrassing," she mumbled as Cosette helped her back to their table.
Cosette looked at her in concern and asked the server to take the cake away and put it in a to-go box. When she looked back at Eponine, it was with a decidedly suspicious expression. "Eponine? Is there something you need to tell me?"
"No?" Eponine said in confusion. "What the hell would I need to tell you, besides the fact that I guess I'm sick?"
"Has that ever happened before?" Cosette leaned forward eagerly, willing her to try and make the connection.
"A few times this past week...I think I'm just fighting a bug or something. Or I'm anxious about the wedding. It goes as fast as it comes." She shrugged dismissively and Cosette rolled her eyes.
"Okay, I'm going to just come out and say it. When was your last period?"
Eponine's eyes widened as she realized what Cosette was hinting at. "I...what?! No! I'm not pregnant!"
Cosette just stared at her skeptically.
"I'm not!" Eponine insisted. "I mean, I don't think I am...I..." She quickly calculated in her head and then gasped. "Holy shit! I'm late! Oh my God. I should have started my period over a week ago...like, two weeks ago tomorrow? I'm almost two weeks late. I'm never late!"
"What do you want to do? Do you want to go home and tell Enjolras or go get a test or what?"
"I don't know! What should I do?!" Eponine took another sip of water, her hands shaking. Of course, she thought to herself, of course you would get knocked up before your wedding.
"Well, either way, you're going to need to take a test. So why don't we at least go get one, okay?" Cosette said practically.
Eponine agreed, and followed her back to the car in shock after they paid for their food. Cosette went into a Walgreens near her house and bought three different tests for Eponine, "just to be safe." Deciding that it was better to know for sure before she threw this on her soon-to-be husband, Eponine went home with Cosette and took all three tests, staring at them anxiously as they waited for the results.
"What. The. Hell. Am. I. Going. To. Do?" Eponine punctuated each word emphatically.
"Well, what can you do? It kind of fits in with your theme, anyway!" Cosette said brightly. "You know, the whole moving really fast thing you and Enjolras have going on?"
Eponine rolled her eyes and didn't say anything, finally noticing one of the tests turning a very distinctive shade of pink. "Holy shit. It's pink. There's a pink plus sign."
Cosette gasped and gestured to another one. "This one actually fucking says it. Look!" She held it up for Eponine to see, the word 'pregnant' clearly written on the little strip. "Congratulations, mommy!"
Eponine was in a daze over the next almost 72 hours. Once she got over the shock of finding out she was pregnant (already), she actually felt rather ecstatic. She wanted kids. Enjolras wanted kids. And he was nearly 30. It wasn't like she'd gotten knocked up by some irresponsible 18 year old kid who would turn tail and run the second he found out; Enjolras might actually be excited.
And, when she had realized that the day after their wedding was actually Father's Day, she kind of couldn't believe her luck. If there was ever a day to announce she was pregnant, that was it. (Though she had a strong suspicion Enjolras wouldn't believe her at first, since she did have a knack for fooling him. He had started to grow more and more immune to it over the last few months, however, and convincing him she was serious might actually take some effort.) She and Cosette had immediately tried to figure out her due date the other night, and thanks to Google, had found a website that did it all for her. If she was correct, the baby was probably conceived in early to mid-May, which put her only at about six weeks pregnant, at the most. It was still so early that she didn't want to tell a whole lot of people, anyway, she reasoned, so it was perfectly fine to keep it a secret until after the wedding even from her (almost) husband.
Now, an hour before the ceremony was to start, sitting in her extremely comfortable wedding dress, with a crown of white flowers in her hair, she was surprisingly calm. She felt beautiful, and looked beautiful – her dress was perfect. In an homage to her black lace number from New York, it was backless, and made out of a flowing, ethereal chiffon. Its design was almost Greek-looking, she thought, and fit the outdoor, backyard wedding theme perfectly. It was sexy, but sophisticated, and she was extremely glad she had chosen to not wear a veil. She almost felt like some sort of wood nymph with the flowers in her hair, and she laughed at the thought as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Cosette looked up from the other side of the room and smiled.
"What are you laughing at? Not yourself, I hope, because you look beautiful."
"Thank you. Do you think he'll like it?"
"Eponine, he wouldn't care if you wore a paper bag today. But yes, he's probably going to forget to breathe when he sees you." Cosette came up behind her and took her hand, squeezing gently. "You haven't told him about the baby, right?"
"No! You're still the only one that knows. I'm going to tell him tomorrow. I have it all planned." She winced and said seriously, "But I'm really worried I'm going to give myself away with the cake tonight. What if I have the same reaction to the chocolate I did the other day? He'll figure it out right away since I never freaking refuse chocolate."
"Hm..." Cosette's eyes widened suddenly and she gasped. "Oh my gosh! Eponine! The wine! And the champagne! You can't drink it!"
Eponine's mouth fell open. "Oh shit. I didn't even think of that. Fuck, Cosette! I never refuse that, either! Everyone's going to know if I say I don't want a drink! What the hell?!"
"Okay, let me think..." Cosette started pacing, mumbling to herself, and then abruptly stopped and looked at Eponine. "Okay! I have it! We need Gavroche. We have to tell your brother."
"We do?"
"Yes! See, look – we bought all that sparkling cider for him to drink tonight, right? But it looks exactly like white wine, which is what you always have. So, we pour you your wine, you pretend to drink it, and then when the time is right, switch your glass with Gavroche!" Cosette looked awfully pleased with her plan and smiled triumphantly at Eponine.
"And let my baby brother drink?" she asked skeptically.
"Well it's better than letting the pregnant bride drink. And we just won't let him have a whole lot. A few glasses of wine, with proper supervision, won't kill him..."
Eponine sat down and chewed on her lip, finally shrugging in defeat. "Okay...Operation Gavroche is a go. Bring him in so I can tell him."
Thirty minutes later, Gavroche had gotten over his shock and was more than cooperative. When he pulled Eponine in for a tight hug before he left the room and told her he was really excited to be an uncle, and that she looked beautiful, Eponine could barely hold back her tears. She didn't know if it was a subconscious thing or what, but now that she knew she was pregnant, she could swear her hormones had gone extra crazy over the last few days. One minute she was floating on air, and the next she was hysterically crying at the humane society commercials on TV.
Before she knew it, the wedding began. Enjolras' parents had insisted on paying for a string quartet, and Eponine had to admit, they sounded beautiful, the music floating through the lush backyard and through the house to her ears. She and Cosette stood hidden in the kitchen, just inside the back door, tightly holding hands. When the music changed, signaling it was time to start her walk down the aisle, Cosette leaned up and lightly kissed Eponine's cheek. "He looks killer out there, Eponine. I'm so happy for you."
Eponine closed her eyes and concentrated on just on breathing for a minute, sending up a silent prayer to the universe that she wouldn't trip. When she heard her own music cue, she didn't even hesitate, but stepped lightly out the doors, her eyes immediately finding Enjolras waiting for her at the end of the aisle. She smiled shyly, blushing as he gazed at her coming towards him. He had such a pure look of adoration and love on his face that it took her breath away, and as she reached him, he took her hand and pulled her close, completely oblivious to their audience. She could hear the photographer snapping pictures as Enjolras leaned down and brushed his lips against her cheek to her ear.
"You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he whispered. "I love you."
Eponine just smiled, took his hand, and handed her flowers to Cosette, who gave her a conspiratorial wink. The rest of the ceremony, performed by Combeferre, who had gotten ordained online specifically to marry them, was short and sweet. Before she knew it, they were officially husband and wife, and Enjolras was kissing her like there was no tomorrow, even through an enormous smile. He lifted her off her feet when she finally pulled away, laughing, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
As they walked back up the aisle together and onto the back porch, the sweet smell of the flowers all around her almost made Eponine gag, but she covered it in time and threw her arms around Enjolras again, breathing in his calming scent instead. "You're my husband," she mumbled against his neck, smiling widely.
"Finally." He kissed her again, only pulling away when the photographer started directing them for pictures. The other guests were already being served for the cocktail hour as the wait staff began setting up for the reception, and Eponine was beyond grateful that she hadn't been the one to plan any of this. The only thing that mattered were the vows they had just said and the ring on her finger – while all of this pomp and circumstance was nice, it was by far not the thing that mattered most to her today.
Cosette nudged her halfway through the pictures and mumbled, "Get your hand off your stomach. Courfeyrac is watching you."
Eponine dropped her hand immediately, blushing. She hadn't even realized she was doing it. Once the pictures were over, dinner was served and "Operation Get Gavroche Drunk," as he had dubbed it, began. Once again, Courfeyrac was the one to narrow his eyes at her as he saw her switch her drink with Gav's. Eponine just grinned and shrugged at him, taking a demure sip of the sparkling cider now in her glass. Enjolras hadn't noticed a thing.
When it was time to cut the cake, Eponine braced herself. Cosette stood close, as well, ready to rush Eponine to a more secluded spot to puke her guts out, if it came to that. Luckily, however, when Enjolras stuck his finger in the rich, chocolate icing and held it out to her playfully, she didn't even flinch. She raised an eyebrow as she took his finger in her mouth, closing her eyes as she realized it actually tasted delicious. Enjolras pulled his finger away slowly and cleared his throat, saying only loud enough for her to hear, "Okay, no more of that or I'm not going to be able to keep things G-rated."
Eponine laughed, and obliged by smearing chocolate cake all over his face, as any good bride should do, she reasoned.
The rest of the night went by in a beautiful blur, but around 9:00, she was absolutely ready to be alone with her new husband. Most of the guests had already left, since it was an early wedding and reception, and though the rest of their friends were planning to go out on the town and celebrate more, she didn't even want to think about it. After they said goodbye to some family friends, Eponine turned to Enjolras and tugged on his jacket to pull him closer. "Take me home now?" she asked hopefully, and Enjolras nodded, brushing her hair behind her ear.
"I thought you'd never ask."
They made their exit gracefully and quietly, slipping into Enjolras' modestly decorated car only a few minutes later. (He had made sure, with the promise of serious bodily harm if they disobeyed, that his friends didn't adorn it with anything too embarrassing.) Gavroche was staying with his pseudo-grandparents for the next two weeks while they went on their honeymoon, but they would see him once more before their flight on Monday night. Enjolras gripped her hand tightly the entire ride home, and as they walked towards the front door, he abruptly swept Eponine into his arms.
She squealed in surprise and clung to his neck, laughing. "Oh, I guess we're sticking with this tradition, huh?"
"Of course. You're my bride, aren't you?" He fumbled with his key for a minute before pushing the door open and carrying her over the threshold, both of them giggling like kids. Once she was back on her feet, Enjolras cupped her face and kissed her forehead.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"Happier than I've ever been. Today was the best day of my life," she said honestly.
"Mine, too. There are no words to describe how gorgeous you look." He leaned down and kissed her slowly, scooping her into his arms again and carrying her easily up the stairs. Once they were in the bedroom, he moved his lips to her neck, backing her into the wall and nudging her legs open with his knee. "Don't take off the dress," he mumbled against her skin. "I want to make love to you just like this."
Eponine nodded breathlessly and helped him hastily undress, leaving her dress on just like he wanted. His hands fondled her breasts through the flimsy material, and he easily pushed it up over her hips as she jumped up to wrap her legs around his waist. Enjolras buried himself inside her in one swift motion, her back against the wall as he thrust into her with deep, long strokes. Eponine's hands gripped his shoulders and his hair as she cried out each time their bodies met.
"Tell me you're mine," he suddenly whispered into her neck, his voice low and raspy, and Eponine squeezed her eyes shut, whimpering. She would never understand how he could make her feel so good, time after time.
"I'm yours. I'm yours, Gabe!" she gasped, desperately clinging to his back as he increased his movements and brought them both to their climax. They were both so shaky afterwards that they slid right down to the floor, laughing helplessly and as euphoric as they had been their very first time together in New York. After a few minutes, Enjolras helped Eponine out of her dress, leaving it in a heap on the floor as they relocated to the bed and enjoyed each other another few times before falling into an exhausted sleep.
When she woke up the next morning, Eponine slowly crept out of bed and into the bathroom to take a shower. She dressed, and then as quietly as she could, hung her now extremely rumpled wedding dress in the closet, smiling wistfully and stroking the material one last time before shutting the door. It was already 10 am, much later than they normally slept, and Eponine sighed as she watched Enjolras sleep, her hand finding its way back to her stomach. Now that everything was over, she was impatient to tell him.
Eponine sat gingerly on the side of the bed, leaning over and brushing his hair out of his face. "Gabe?" she asked quietly. "Wake up..."
He groaned and batted her hand away, turning onto his side and curling his body around her. "Mmm, come back to bed, Eponine."
She laughed and stood even as he reached out to hold her back. "No! Come on, I have a present for you downstairs. Please?"
"A present?" He opened one eye and looked at her curiously. "You didn't need to get me anything."
"It was no trouble, believe me." She smirked and pointed to the bathroom. "Come on, go take a shower and then come downstairs."
"Okay, okay," he grumbled, climbing out of bed with a yawn.
Eponine hurried downstairs, stopping short in the kitchen doorway when she saw a box with the name of her favorite bakery on it and a card with Cosette's handwriting on top. She must have used her spare key to sneak in earlier that morning.
Thought you might not want to cook breakfast today since I'm sure you had a LONG night! ;) XOXO - Cosette
Eponine smiled and quickly texted Cosette a thank you. Not only was she lucky in the husband department, she thought, but her best friend blew everyone else out of the water, too. In a few minutes, Eponine heard Enjolras coming downstairs, and she hurried into the den, grabbing the small bag of "gifts" she'd put together to clue him in to the fact that he was going to be a father in about eight months.
She placed it on the counter and grabbed some plates, putting his favorite kind of doughnut in front of him as he sat down.
"Where did these come from?!"
"Cosette. I have a kickass matron of honor. She snuck in this morning and left them."
"Bless her," Enjolras muttered, and quickly polished off one doughnut before Eponine even touched hers.
"That's your present, why don't you open it?" She gestured to the bag sitting next to him, her heart rate increasing exponentially. "Open the little box first."
"Okay..." Enjolras pushed his plate away and took the box from the bag, his face puzzled. He took the lid off and stared, narrowing his eyes. Inside was a single, tiny little pea. "Uh...care to explain?"
"Weeeeeell," Eponine said slowly. She took a deep breath, feeling her cheeks flush from anticipation, and said quietly, "It's kind of amazing, isn't it? That that's how big our baby is right now?"
It took a few seconds for it to register, but as soon as he comprehended her words, he froze, staring at her with wide eyes. She stared back, chewing on her lip nervously, and just waiting for him to say something. After what felt like an entire minute, but was probably only thirty seconds at most, she said nervously, "Gabe? Did you hear what I said?"
"Yeah..." He cocked his head, studying her intently, and admitted, "I'm waiting for you to say you're fucking with me."
Eponine sighed and shook her head, grinning. "I'm not! I swear. I knew you would think that, but I'm not. I'm completely serious!"
"No, you're not," he insisted. "Come on!"
"Gabe!" she laughed and pointed to the bag. "Come on, look at the rest. I wouldn't have gone that far just to try and mess with you!"
With another skeptical look, Enjolras dug into the bag and pulled out a tiny onesie. Written on the front was, Don't drop me. My daddy is a lawyer.
Enjolras glanced back at her, and she could tell he was still torn. "Look at the card," she said quietly. "It's for your first Father's Day."
He pulled it out and opened it, reading it to himself silently. She had signed it, "Love Eponine and Baby Enjolras," and included the memo from her doctor confirming her first appointment for the next day, just in time before they left for their honeymoon.
She walked around the counter and stood in front of him, smiling hesitantly. He still wasn't having a very big reaction, which scared her a little, and she reached out, pointing to the card for her doctor.
"I'm really not kidding," she said seriously. "I have my first appointment tomorrow, but I've taken three tests and it's a pretty damn sure thing. I think we get to hear the heartbeat tomorrow? I don't know if they do a sonogram then, but maybe they will. I mean, if you want to go with me?" she asked hopefully.
Enjolras finally looked at her, putting the card back on the counter with shaking hands. His face was white, she realized. "You're really not kidding?"
"No. I'm really, really serious, I promise. I'm pregnant."
"Eponine," he whispered, color rushing back to his cheeks. "Oh my God. I...you...what?!" He covered his face, laughing hysterically into his hands. "You're really pregnant?"
"Yes. I know it's insane...seriously, leave it to me to get knocked up six weeks before our wedding, which was already crazy in the first place. But like Cosette said, we've done everything fast! So maybe this is just some cosmic joke, making fun of us or something..."
"Eponine." Enjolras put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer, leaning forward to gently kiss her stomach. "I don't care if it's fast. I don't. I love you. And I'm really, really happy."
Her heart melted as he lifted her shirt and pressed his lips to her skin. "Really? Because I am, too. At first I was freaked out, and shocked, but now I'm just excited. And it's still really early, so we shouldn't announce it or anything just in case, but I know it's going to be okay. According to some website Cosette and I found, I'm due in the beginning of February."
Enjolras looked up at her and grinned. "February, huh?"
She nodded. "Yeah. February."
"So you tell me you're pregnant on Father's Day and you're due in February. If this kid is born on Valentine's Day, we are never going to hear the end about how cliché we are."
"I didn't even think of that," Eponine giggled. "Oh my God, let's just hope that doesn't happen. What a horrible birthday to have!"
Enjolras gazed at her silently for a minute, his expression turning more serious, but still smiling. He leaned up and pulled her into a short, chaste kiss, his hand caressing her stomach. "I love you," he said quietly as he pulled away. "You've given me everything I never knew I wanted. I definitely never thought I would be a husband or a father, and now within tweny-four hours, I find out I'm both."
Eponine smiled. "Welcome to your new reality, I guess."
"It's a good one. It's a really, really good one."
let the river run,
let all the dreamers
wake the nation
come, the new jerusalem