After the holiday week, all of the students spent most of their time studying for their finals. They also stepped up their care for their younger students, realizing that they had less than a month left with them. In the case of apartment 256, when they weren't studying or with their friends, they were preparing and worrying about a court case.
Éponine still had many doubts. She tried not to voice them when Gavroche was in earshot, so as not to upset him again, but many nights she voiced her fears to Gabe.
"We aren't going to win. Then Gavroche is just going to go back and hate me for the rest of our lives. Why would a court let me take in a little boy? That just sounds like a terrible idea. 'Let's stick the boy with his unstable older sister who doesn't make enough money and is still going through college to get a degree in the money-making profession of teaching. It will turn out perfectly.' Who are we kidding?" She asked, her head on his chest and his arm around her.
"Éponine, we've been over this. You do make enough money. Especially if…" He didn't finish his thought.
"If what?" She asked, shifting so that she was looking at him.
"If you let me help you out." She opened her mouth to protest, but he held up his hand. "Before you interrupt, hear me out. If you let me pay for our house next year, rent and utilities, then you can continue to save. You have enough scholarships and money in savings to finish your education. You even have enough to live for a few years by yourself, or even conservatively with Gavroche. But if you let me help you, you will have enough for both of you to live comfortably and not have to pinch for money. You could even start a college fund for him. I still have plenty of savings from my parents, and nothing else to spend it on. Let me spend it on you." He said.
"Gabe-" She started, but she found she didn't have much to say.
"Now you're thinking about it. Ép, I love you. I know we've only been dating for a couple of months, but you are it for me. Eventually, I want to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you. You, me, Gavroche, and any kids you want to have. There's no reason for you not to let me help. It's not charity. It's the beginning of living together and sharing our lives. It's help for Gavroche. If it was just the two of us, I would be completely open to splitting rent and anything else. But there's another factor that you have to think about once we gain custody."
"You always say we. We gain custody. We will take care of Gavroche. We will raise a family." She commented.
"Is that a problem? I just see it as a-" He was cut off by her lips on his.
"I love it. I love you. Could this help also be a secret weapon in winning the court case, if needed?" She asked. He shrugged.
"It could be. If they worry about money, we can bring up your filthy rich, white, conservatively-raised boyfriend who's willing to shower you in funds if we get to keep your brother."
"Mmm." She said, kissing him again. "And what if they ask about a breakup claus?" She asks.
"Then I'll get down on one knee and propose to you right then and there so they realize I will never leave you. Not as long as you need me." He said, kissing her.
"Please don't. I'm not one of those girls who planned their whole wedding, including where her future fiancé was going to propose, but I don't want it to be in a courthouse while getting custody of her brother. I'd probably turn you down, and then we'd lose." She said.
"Okay, enough courtroom chat. Let's go to bed. We only have three days left, and we both have class tomorrow morning." Gabe said, tucking her back into his side.
"I love you, Gabe." She whispered as they were falling asleep.
"I love you, too, Ép." He said, kissing her forehead.
"Gav! You need to get up!" Éponine yelled from the kitchen where she was making breakfast for the apartment. Gabe was already up, sitting at the table checking the news on his phone. Both of the older students were in their pajamas. Neither had bothered to get ready yet, since neither were going to classes that day.
"I don't see why if you aren't going to classes, I have to go to school." The boy protested, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and sitting down at the table. Gabe poured him a glass of orange juice before going back to his phone and coffee.
"Because Gabe and I have a little bit more preparing to do. You don't have anything to prepare. You just have to speak the truth. If you decide the truth is that you don't want to live with us, then you have to say that." Éponine explained.
"You just want to kiss each other while I'm not here." Gavroche said grumpily as Éponine came over to put the french toast and bacon she had made on his plate. But then she turned and just put it on her and Gabe's plates. Then she set down the pan on the stove before climbing onto her boyfriend's lap and kissing him soundly. "I'm still here!" The boy shouted. "I've been blinded! Can I have breakfast now?"
"Not with that attitude." Éponine said, staying where she was.
"Please? I'll stop complaining about going to school, I promise." The boy pleaded, even pulling out the bambi eyes.
Éponine sighed dramatically. "I guess so." She finally got up and put breakfast on her brother's plate. Gabe, undeterred by his girlfriend's antics, never even looked up from his phone.
"Gabe, are you going to eat your breakfast, or did I make it just to go to waste?" She asked. He took a bite of bacon without looking up. She looked at her brother, and sighed again. They ate in relative silence. Gavroche finished getting ready for school, and then went over to Cosette's, since he was just going to walk to school with them.
Once the boy was out of the apartment, Éponine turned on her boyfriend. "Okay, what's the deal? Why are you not speaking or acknowledging me?"
"I'm just getting in the zone. Getting caught up on news and emails and such." He responded.
"Well, you're freaking me out, and this is not the best day to do that, if you didn't notice." She said.
"What do you want me to do? I didn't think we had that much we needed to discuss." He replied.
"We don't! But you could acknowledge my existence!" She said exasperatedly.
"Ép-" He started, but she slammed the door to her room. He turned his phone off and set it on the table before sighed and walking over to her door. He was about to knock on the door, but then he heard the shower start.
He decided to sit back down and wait for her. He ate his breakfast and left his phone face down, for fear that Éponine would come back in to see him on it and just get mad all over again.
He sat at the table waiting for her, but she didn't come out. He was about to reach for his phone, or go finish getting ready himself when he heard a thump and then Éponine yell his name. He jumped out of his chair and raced over to her room. He opened the door slowly.
"Ép?" He asked. He didn't see her. "Éponine, where are you?" He asked, louder.
"In the bathroom. Please, come help me." She said, almost whimpering. He did as asked, and saw her on the floor just outside of the shower. He rushed over to her.
"Éponine, what happened?" He said, lifting her head onto his lap.
"I'm okay. I just hit my head. I blacked out while trying to get out of the shower." She told him. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her, but then noticed blood on the ground.
"Is your head bleeding?" He asked, looking for where she hit it. He found the bump, but it wasn't bleeding. "No… Éponine, why is there blood on the flo- Oh. Nevermind, I got it." He said, finally putting all of the information together: the show for Gav, they hardly ever did any PDA past pecks on the lips in front of the boy, getting irrationally upset with him for not talking, blacking out in the shower, having blood with no cut. The mood swings alone should have been enough.
"Do you know why you blacked out? Is that normal?" He asked. She had mentioned it before, that every once in a while it happened.
"No. I'll be fine. Let's just forget about it. Will you help me to my room to get dressed?" She asked.
"Absolutely. I'm sorry for being on my phone this morning." He said.
"It's okay. I was being irrational." He hovered around her while she was getting dressed, just to make sure she didn't collapse again.
"Do you need anything else?" He asked.
"Just a couple ibuprofen and my water bottle, please." She requested. He went and got those for her before proceeding to finish getting ready himself.
All of their friends were coming to the court case to support them. Courfeyrac and Combeferre came up to check on Gabe, who was standing off to himself in the lobby of the courthouse. "Mon ami, are you alright? Are you guys all ready?" Combeferre asked.
"Yes, 'Ferre. I just, I've now seen everything." When his friends quirked an eyebrow at him, he retold the story of the morning in the most objective, medical, hushed version he could, for fear Éponine would hear him. She was a little ways away, talking with Azelma and Cosette, Fantine, and Dr. Valjean. Gavroche and Marius were hovering close by with some of the other Amis. R and Jehan would be rushing in, as they both had important classes they couldn't miss right before the case.
When it was finally their turn, all of Les Amis were present and accounted for. They all walked into the courtroom and took their appropriate places; Gabe, Gav, and Éponine in front of the barrier, Fantine, Valjean, Azelma, Courfeyrac, and Combeferre in the first row behind them with the rest of their friends filing in behind them. Everyone was very polite and knew how to behave correctly, which Gabe was thankful for. He had been in too many courtrooms that the patrons didn't know how to behave. Gabe had already introduced them and their case and everything seemed to be going just fine. That is, until a straggly-looking, older couple burst into the room, causing quite the ruckus.
"What is the meaning of this disruption?" The judge presiding asked.
"We object, your honor." The man said.
"There hasn't been much said to be objected. Who are you?" The judge tried again.
"Mom? Dad?" Éponine said.
A/N: I really liked the fluffiness in this chapter. I was just going to cut to the court case, but this idea got into my head somehow, and I really liked the moodswings and blackout stuff in the morning. Sorry I didn't post, I've been a little busy. I was going to get this up last night for the fourth, but my brother had a bajillion people over for a party. I had, like, 6. It was interesting to say the least. This story is so close to being over, and I would really appreciate suggestions for the sequel or any other stories you want to see me write. Please shoot me a review or PM with inspiring words to make me write again!