A week later, Enjolras comes home from a few hours at work and a trip to Home Depot (a place he has a feeling he's going to frequent as a new home owner), to find that Grantaire, Musichetta, and Joly have invaded the house. At first, they don't even notice him standing in the living room. They're completely absorbed in watching Eponine's stomach. Her shirt is pulled up, and she's looking at their friends with a bemused and tolerant expression. She meets his eyes and gives him a wink, clearly reading his 'What the hell is going on?' look.

"Hey, Enj. The baby is moving. They're fascinated," she explains patiently.

"I could see it's fucking foot. Like, clearly, it was a foot. Your stomach moved." Grantaire doesn't even look up to acknowledge him.

"That is so amazing. God, I want a baby," Musichetta says quietly. Joly's face immediately turns red and he splutters a little bit before Musichetta pats his back. "No pressure, babe. But seriously."

Enjolras laughs and sits down on the couch after shooing Grantaire over to Eponine's other side. His eyes are still glued to her stomach and Enjolras asks, "Really, R? You find it that cool?"

"Yes!" he exclaims excitedly. "It's so weird! And amazing. My God, I almost want to get a girl pregnant just to watch this all the time."

"You do remember you don't like girls, right?" Eponine teases, and Grantaire rolls his eyes at her.

"Of course. That doesn't mean I don't want a family someday, though."

Enjolras raises his eyebrows, surprised again. Somehow, Grantaire has never struck him as the type to settle down into a committed relationship, let alone become a family man. He is a good guy, but very set in his ways. "Really?" he asks curiously. "You want a family?"

"Eh..." he shrugs. "I've been watching all of you guys start to settle down and it doesn't look too bad. Kind of interesting."

"It'll happen when you're ready for it to happen." Eponine reaches out and musses up his hair, then abruptly pulls her shirt down. "And you've been staring at me long enough now."

"Fine," Grantaire concedes, then abruptly changes the subject and looks at Enjolras. "So, we hear you're about to be unemployed, huh?"

"Eponine!" Enjolras scolds. "Why did you tell them?"

"Hey! I didn't know it was a secret. I figured you'd talk to everybody and try to figure out what you want to do. I'm sorry." She gives him her signature pout and Enjolras' annoyance immediately dissolves.

"It's alright. I probably would have. So yeah, eventually. I'm just reducing my hours for now. I'm not in a huge rush or anything, not with everything else going on."

"Do you have any ideas on what you're going to do?" Joly queries, and looks kind of like he may have one he wants to share.

"A few, but if you have one, please tell me."

"What about a clinic? Cheap medical care? Or free? Or a clinic on wheels, that goes to the places where people really need it? There's so many people without transportation."

"Huh..." Enjolras considers this and nods. "It's an interesting idea. It may fit into the bigger picture of what I'm thinking about."

"Which is...?" Eponine prods, lightly elbowing him in the side.

"I'm not ready to talk about it," he admits. "I need to get my thoughts organized first." Enjolras is impeccably organized and always has been. He's not the kind of person who brainstorms well with a group, at least initially. He likes to come up with the idea and build a sturdy foundation before he then lets others add on to or morph it into something else. That's how it's always worked with their little group. There's only two people he ever really talks things over with before others.

Eponine smiles and rolls her eyes. "Is that code for, 'I need to talk to Combeferre first'?"

He shrugs and admits, "Well, yeah. And you."

"God, you guys are so sickeningly sweet." Musichetta mimes gagging and stands, motioning for Joly to follow her. "Come on, we're going to wash a load of baby clothes so they don't have to do it. We did come over here to make ourselves useful."

"Aw, thanks!" Eponine calls after them, and then sighs dramatically, leaning her head against Grantaire's shoulder. "Good God, I'm tired today."

"Well, you are hauling around a bowling ball all the time, so that's not surprising," Grantaire replies, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and squeezing.

Enjolras stands and goes into the kitchen, leaving them to enjoy their strange little friendship for a minute. He brings a bottle of water back for Eponine, as well as one for himself, and sits down in a chair across from them both.

"Oh shit! I can't believe I completely forgot to tell you!" Eponine grins at him and says excitedly, "Guess what?"

"What?"

"The midwife was here today to check up on me and I'm two centimeters dilated!" In a stroke of pure luck, Enjolras just manages to avoid choking on the water he swallows, but is absolutely lost in a fit of coughing.

Grantaire gets up and pats his back, trying very hard not to laugh, as Enjolras sputters and Eponine giggles. "You're what?" he manages to choke out.

"Relax, Enj. I'm not in labor or anything. Nothing is happening," she says reassuringly, and then amends, "Well, it is. Clearly, it's going to happen soon. So this is a good thing. We're ready."

"Uh huh. Right."

Grantaire laughs and shakes his head. "Well you better get ready, Enjolras. You don't exactly have a choice at this point."

"I'm ready," he says weakly.

"Yeah, you sure as hell look like it. Look, Ep, in case your manly man husband here wimps out on you during the birth, you can count on me." Grantaire grins cheekily at him and then turns back to Eponine as Enjolras just glares. "Do you want me to get started on painting the bathroom? Since Enjolras looks like he might puke."

"Absolutely. Thanks, R. You guys are spoiling me." Grantaire gives her a mock salute and leaves the room, and Enjolras just continues to stare at her, the panic slowly creeping in.

She gives him a stern look. "Stop it. You will keep it together, because starting tonight, we begin, 'Operation Eviction,' otherwise known as, get this baby out of me now."

"And how do we do that?"

"Any way we can. I'm gonna walk laps around this house, swim, eat as many spicy foods as humanly possible, and we're going to have sex at least three times a day. So buckle up."

"And all of those things are going to make you go into labor?" he asks skeptically.

"Well, not proven, no. But they might. You never know."

Enjolras takes a deep breath and leans back, closing his eyes. "Fuck."

Eponine doesn't say anything, and after a few minutes he opens his eyes and looks back at her, feeling a lot calmer, until he notices the look on her face. She is staring out the window and her eyes look a bit misty, though no tears are falling. "Eponine?" he asks quietly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing...except for the fact that over the last few weeks every time we talk about the fact that we're about to have a baby you look like a fucking deer in the headlights, like you're completely second guessing this or something. So newsflash – it's a little late for second thoughts."

Enjolras sighs and moves to the couch, wrapping his arms as tightly around her as he can. "Eponine, I am not second guessing this. Not at all. Please don't think that. I'm just nervous. Really nervous. We've talked about this. You know exactly how I feel." He pushes her hair back from her face and kisses her forehead, then her nose.

She sighs and opens her eyes, looking at him sadly. "Are you sure? You just...you just look like you're about to run for the hills. And I swear, if you do I will fucking hunt you down and kill you."

"No need for violence," he teases, trying to make her smile. "I'm not going anywhere. I just...on top of the nerves, I'm a little bit scared, too, alright?"

"Of what?"

He shrugs and looks away for a minute. They haven't talked about the day they were both scared out of their minds, when Eponine fell and Enjolras thought he was going to lose everything. They haven't talked about it since she was given the okay to be off bed rest, though every time she goes to the doctor, he holds his breath and still waits for the other shoe to drop. And that's why he's still scared – because, even though he's more than willing to let her deliver this baby any way she wants, wherever she wants, he is terrified that something will go wrong. And he doesn't want to admit it, so he just looks at her, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, trying to figure out how to put into words what it would do to him to lose her.

She seems to understand suddenly even without him saying a word and her eyes soften. "Oh. Enjolras, everything is going to be okay. I know it's scary, but both of us are going to be just fine. It doesn't do you any good to think otherwise."

"I'm sorry," he says meekly. "I know I'm being ridiculous. And I know this isn't what you need from me right now."

"No, it isn't. So man up," she teases, and slaps his cheek just hard enough to sting.

"Ow!" He tries to look mad, but the things she does are so ridiculously unexpected that he just laughs instead, even though his cheek actually smarts a bit. "Okay! Don't hit me again, I get the message."

"Good." She grins and leans forward to kiss his now reddened cheek. "You should just be happy Grantaire didn't see that or you'd never hear the end of it."

Five days past Eponine's due date she officially declares "Operation Eviction" is a failure, even though they've tried everything they can think of. There's still no baby, and though she thinks she's felt a few contractions, they haven't progressed into something real.

Sitting in the house just waiting around is too much, and even though it makes him nervous and goes against his better judgment, Enjolras gives in to Eponine's pleas to go out to dinner with their friends. She needs to get out a bit, and since everyone is more than understanding and accommodating, they pick a restaurant only five minutes from their house just in case.

They arrive a few minutes late to dinner and the conversation stops as they sit down. Eponine raises her eyebrows and looks around the table for a second, then glares at Musichetta, who has the most clear look of sympathy on her face. "Oh my God! Guys, do I really look that miserable?"

"No!" Cosette says quickly, reaching over the table to squeeze her hand. "You look amazing! Seriously, do you remember what a mess I was? You are gorgeous!"

"Then why are you all looking at me like I'm hideous?"

"Eponine. You look beautiful," Courf says sincerely. "But we know you're anxious. We're just sympathetic."

She sighs and glances at Enjolras. "We are anxious. But I want to literally forget about everything for a little while. So, entertain me!"

Enjolras squeezes her knee under the table and thinks that it is nice to be out for a change; he's been trying hard not to let the stress show, but Eponine knows him so well that it's hard to hide. He's high-strung by nature, anyway, and has never had a lot of patience. It would be nice if they could push a button and just magically begin this whole birth process whenever they choose, mother nature be damned.

As Enjolras listens to his friends chatter around him, his nerves slowly start to abate. Everyone is in a good mood and even Eponine is laughing as Bossuet tells a story about his latest spot of bad luck. Eventually, after their food arrives, Combeferre turns the conversation back to Enjolras.

"Have you thought any more about when you're going to quit your job?" he asks curiously.

Enjolras shakes his head. "No, not totally. I have a bit of an idea of what I want to start putting together, though."

"Which is?" Marius prompts.

"Eponine and I were thinking about some kind of community center. I'd want it to have a lot of different components eventually, but to start things off, we were thinking about some sort of after school, weekend, and summer programs for kids, and counseling services for families."

"There are so many kids in my school who would benefit from having a family counselor," Eponine explains. "The ones that do have one learn a lot and have an advocate, but the problem is that there are just not enough people or programs in the city to go around."

"That sounds amazing," Cosette says excitedly. "If you need my help with anything, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Believe me, we'll be recruiting you," Enjolras assures her. Cosette has her master's in social work and works for one of the charter school networks in the city; Enjolras knows they would be in great hands if she decided to work with them on this new endeavor.

"How do you even get something like this off the ground?" Courfeyrac asks.

"A lot of paperwork and looking for grants and loans. It's going to take a while."

"A long while," Eponine adds, "but it will be worth it in the end."

"Wait, are you quitting your job, too, Eponine? Now that y'all are bourgeoisie snobs," Jehan teases.

"I'm not going to teach full time, no. I'm going to go back to work in January, when the baby is about six months, but only for a few hours a day, doing some small group interventions and whatnot. And then hopefully I'll be able to help Enj with this idea."

"Who's going to watch the munchkin when you work? I volunteer for Fridays! I can use her to pick girls up at the park." Courfeyrac wiggles his eyebrows and Enjolras rolls his eyes.

"You are not using my daughter to attract women, you jerk," Enjolras says firmly. "And I'll be watching her, anyway."

"I swear to God, I never thought I would see this day," Grantaire declares. "I still can't believe you guys are having a kid."

Enjolras feels Eponine's hand on his leg and gives her fingers a light squeeze. "Three years ago, I wouldn't have believed it, either."

The conversation eventually turns, and Enjolras keeps Eponine's hand in his under the table, lightly stroking her wrist with his thumb. She is nice and relaxed for the first time in a few weeks, and it's nice to have this moment of peace before life changes for good.

And it seems like it really is only a moment, as he slowly feels Eponine's hand tighten around his. He looks at her questioningly and notices she's gone very still, the last of her food untouched on her plate. "You okay?" he asks quietly.

"Yeah..." She relaxes after a minute and lets go of his hand. "Just a contraction. Don't freak out, I've been having them off and on all day."

"Okay." He knows that already, so he isn't actually very alarmed; in fact, he's surprisingly calm. "Do we need to go home?"

"No. I might not have another for an hour." Eponine shrugs and goes back to her conversation with Grantaire, who shoots Enjolras a questioning look, too. He just shakes his head in answer. He's not going to annoy her to go home since they're having a good time, not unless he knows for sure that something is actually happening.

About fifteen minutes later, he notices Eponine squirm a little bit in her seat. He immediately reaches over and rubs her shoulders, but doesn't say anything.

"Fuck, this one actually hurts," she complains. "My back is killing me."

"You're freaking me out," Grantaire says. "Go home, please, before you become one of those crazy people who delivers their kid on the side of the road or something."

Eponine glares at Grantaire. "Two contractions fifteen minutes apart doesn't even mean I'm in labor. But God, let's hope this is the beginning."

"Amen," Enjolras mumbles.

"You sure you're ready now?" Combeferre is grinning at him from across the table and Enjolras finds himself actually smiling back. There's a feeling of excitement in his chest – seeing their friends right now couldn't have been better timing. He's relaxed, he's happy, and most of all, he feels prepared now. He actually hopes that this is the real thing this time, which surprises him.

"I think we should go," Eponine says. "I don't want to jinx it, but I'm kind of uncomfortable," she admits. "My back is killing me."

"You're in charge. I'll go get the car so you don't have to walk." Enjolras practically jogs out of the restaurant and down the street, aware that there's already adrenaline coursing through him. When he pulls up to the restaurant, Eponine is waiting outside with Grantaire and Cosette, and they help her into the car. He immediately reaches over and takes her hand, raising it gently to his lips.

She rolls her eyes at the gesture, but smiles, anyway. "I thought you'd be freaking out, but you seem calm."

"I am. Are you?"

"Right now. Ask me again in a few hours when things really hurt, and we'll see how I feel then. So you're ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Yay me for updating quickly again! Honestly, I kind of want to just get this story finished so I can concentrate on the others!

Only one chapter and a quick epilogue left and we're finished! As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to reply to reviews to the last chapter - I'll do my best to reply to any new ones. Have a good week, guys!