Look, I'm still here! Don't own Les Mis though.

Though they were both aware that something between them had shifted, when they woke up the next morning both Éponine and Enjolras decided with a single look that life could, and would, return largely to normal. Their first nervous glances at each other in the cool light of the morning changed quickly to small smiles seconds after their eyes met, and when Enjolras wordlessly lifted his arm, Éponine cuddled into his side without hesitation. And there they stayed for a while, content just to hold and be held; all was as it should be for a minute and there was time to be lazy.

But Enjolras was still Enjolras and Éponine was still Éponine, so there wasn't much time for resting. They were soon up and dressed and herding Gavroche and Jacques out the door, schoolbooks in hand to head over to the Café Musain. Éponine unlocked the door, and set Gavroche and Jacques up with some studying while Enjolras got his books out and sat at the table in the corner, just like he always did. For a minute, when Éponine looked over at him, she found herself transported back to a year ago, when she first got this job. Him studiously pouring over his books and articles, her darting between the tables: both of them telling themselves they weren't looking, let alone flirting… but of course, it was all different now. And as difficult as the conversation was going to be, it had to happen… and so she steeled herself to get it out of the way. She walked over and sat down opposite him, looking down at her hands on the table as they knotted together.

"I don't know exactly what happened" she blurted out, after a minute. Enjolras looked over his laptop at her, suddenly aware which conversation they were having, and concerned at the way Éponine was holding herself. As the foreboding filled his gut, he closed his laptop and waited as patiently as he could. When Éponine spoke again, her voice was rushed and low.
"I left… well, I think you know why I left. I was mad at myself, and you, and Grantaire, and the world… and I was really ashamed of myself. Because I really fucked the Grantaire thing up, Enj, and I'm so sorry." Her breathy apology was verging on a prayer.
"So did I" Enjolras admitted, "I shouldn't have blamed you… I was just in shock, and overwhelmed, and I acted like a dick and I'm truly sorry, but…" He fought hard to keep the hurt out of his voice, but it wasn't a fight he could win. "Three days, Ép?"

She screwed up her eyes and steeled herself. "I didn't intend to. I was only going to go for a walk and clear my head, but… I don't know what exactly happened." Taking a deep breath, she continued in a rush "my Pa – or one of his people – grabbed me before I even got to the end of the road and… well, I woke up after what I suppose must have been a day or so, and I was back in the inn, in the back room and -" she choked up, holding back tears she was determined would not fall.

Enjolras felt rage and fear pool in his stomach as he asked "oh Ép, tell he didn't make you –"
She shook her head.
"Oh thank god… did he hurt you at all? Are you ok? How did you…?"
"I'm fine, he just… honestly, I think he just wanted someone to run the bar, and the house. Since Azelma's gone and he said my Mum died… I think he might even have been a bit lonely. And I didn't think you would still want me, or if any of the lads would speak to me again, so when he said that the inn was the only place I deserved I sort of… believed him at first?"
Lost for words, Enjolras simply reached out and wrapped his hands around Éponine's.

"But" she continued, more surely, "I think I might actually finally be free of him… I pretty much told him what I thought of him, and walked out. And I think if he was going to come back he would have by now, so…" She looked up at Enjolras for the first time since she sat down, and their eyes met.

"How did you know where I was?" Éponine asked.
"I… just remembered you felt safe there."
"My quiet place" she half-smiled.
"Your quiet place" he agreed. There was a silence then, as the two of them considered the implications of this: Enjolras, that he had been worrying for no reason, and perhaps he didn't trust his girlfriend as much as he ought to, and Éponine, that she was loved beyond anything she could have imagined. He remembers the quiet places she thought. When nobody else does.

"I have to ask" he dropped his head as he finally burst out. "And I know I shouldn't, or that I shouldn't have to, or –"
"Enj, you can ask me anything" She replied softly, ducking her head to try and meet his eyes. He slowly raised his, and as they met, the scared tears building in the deep blue of Enjolras' eyes punched Éponine in the gut, just as hard as his question would.
"Would you have come back? If I hadn't found you?"
Her heart broke a little "I promise, Enj, I was on my way… I wouldn't leave, not now with everything going on, and Gav –"
"Gav" he repeated, his voice hollow.
"Not just Gav" she hastily tried to reassure him, getting increasingly exasperated with her inability to put across what she really meant. "I wanted to come back to you too, I promise – more than anything! I just worried that…" That you wouldn't want me anymore.
"What?" he asked gently.
"That you wouldn't still… want me anymore? I know that's no excuse and I'm sorry, and I get it if you don't forgive me -"
To Éponine's extreme surprise and confusion, Enjolras started to softly laugh, barely more than a heavy exhale as he shook his head at the table. As he raised his eyes to her face, he half-smiled and clarified softly: "I already forgave you for anything you could ever do, Éponine. And I'll always want you, you can count on that."
She returned his half-smile with one of her own. "Me too, you know" she said, and his smirk grew to a real grin, the kind that Enjolras didn't give out very often, that lit up his face like the Eiffel Tower at night. And with that, they both knew everything was once again as it should be.

The day continued as it usually did. Éponine served customers and Enjolras with coffee and snacks, and kept enough of an eye on Gavroche and Jacques to ensure they weren't causing any immediate danger to those around them. Enjolras pored over his books, cramming as much law work as he could into the hours before the upstairs room of the cafe would close and his friends would arrive.

When that hour came, Musichetta arrived first and swept Éponine into a huge bear hug, making her promise to "never worry me like this again, si piccola cagna, I will kill you with my bare hands." Feeling warm and comfortable right to her bones, Éponine closed her eyes tight and hugged Chetta back. She opened her mouth to promise, but before she could, a familiar voice called out –

"SHE'S GOT BEAR HANDS?!"

Éponine beamed, extracting herself from Chetta's vice-like embrace just in time to be hoisted off the ground by an ecstatic Bahorel into yet another tight hug. "It's good to have you back, little bear."
"Good to be back, big bear" she grinned. "C- OOF" her request to be put down was cut off before it really began, as the bodies of Bossuet, Jehan and Courfeyrac suddenly appeared from behind her and wrapped her in a cuddle huddle. "Hi guys" she laughed.
"Hi" Bossuet replied nonchalantly, as though nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
"Can I get down?"
"No" Jehan replied, stroking her hair.
"I missed you guys too…"
"You are never leaving us again" Courfeyrac declared "I am moving into your room as a guard."
"Might be a bit crowded in there" Joly quipped as he entered the room with Feuilly and Sylvie.
"I'm sure Enjolras won't mind an extra big spoon" Bahorel joked. Éponine rolled her eyes, laughing at how predictable it was that less than 5 minutes had passed before one of them had made a joke about her and Enjolras.
"I'm sure he would" Enjolras replied, walking over to stand with his friends.
"You love it when I sing lullabies" Bossuet added, mock-offended.
"Nobody loves that" Chetta cut in.
"Clearly, Chetta has never heard your stirring rendition of Les Cornichons, Boss" Feuilly declared.
"I wish that were true" Joly mumbled dryly. "Also, PUT HER DOWN, you could all fall and break each other's necks."
As the cuddle huddle untangled itself, and Éponine's feet were returned to the floor, Jehan said sagely, "nothing gets the mood going like the song from an old condom advert."
"If it reminds you to use them, I'm fully behind the practise" Joly laughed.
"I hope they don't, imagine the child" Sylvie sighed, grinning at the glare Éponine shot her.
"She's right" Courfeyrac almost yelled, mischievous delight all over his face "you two best get shagging, the human race deserves it!"
"The last thing they need is encouragement in that area" Combeferre quipped, crossing from the door he had just entered through as the group laughed and cheered. Éponine walked to meet him with a tight hug, which Courfeyrac inevitably joined in with.
"I'm so glad you're back home, Ép" Combeferre whispered into Éponine's hair. "It hasn't felt right without you."
Éponine smiled over his shoulder "I missed you, Ferre."
"This is great, you guys," Courfeyrac stage-whispered "I've never felt so close to you both."

"Are we ever going to actually start this meeting?" Enjolras snarked, eyebrow raised above folded arms.
"Ooooh, I think Enjolras is jealous I'm touching his girl" Courf teased. "Worried she'll notice what she's missing?"
Enjolras' defiant "I am not –" was inevitably drowned out by the laughs and "oooh!"s from the rest.
"Yeah, Éponine, it's not too late to upgrade to a better model" Bahorel chipped in with a wink.
"I would, but Feuilly's married" she replied, to widespread laughter, including Enjolras'.
"You wound me" Bahorel declared dramatically.
"I wouldn't even be mad if you left me for Feuilly, I'd probably just be mad you thought of it before me" Enjolras laughed.
"HE SAID LEFT ME!" Bossuet pointed out loudly as he pointed, wide-eyed, at Enjolras. "THAT'S PROPER RELATIONSHIP TALK! ENJOLRAS HAS A GIRLFRIEND!"
"It's been months and I still laugh a little bit when I think about that sentence" Sylvie added as Enjolras rolled his eyes.
"You KNEW?!" Courfeyrac shrieked, twirling on his heel with impressive speed and sass.
"Yeah, so did Chetta and Cosette" Sylvie replied casually.
"You KNEW?!" Joly and Bossuet demanded, turning to face Musichetta, who simply raised an eyebrow.
"I found them breaking the health code in my kitchen." Noting the looks of shock on the faces of her boyfriends she continued "Oh please, like I'd tell you two. Half of Paris would have known by dinner time! Besides, so did Combeferre!"
"YOU KNEW?!" Courfeyrac shrieked again, turning a circle on the spot in one ridiculous leap before staring at Combeferre in outrage.
"We share an apartment" Combeferre pointed out. "I know a lot more than I'd like to."
"And you didn't TELL US?!"
"I mean, in hindsight, everything at Marius' stag makes a lot more sense now" Jehan pointed out.
"I forgot about that!" Joly laughed.
"Boy, did we misread that one" Bossuet laughed. "Didn't we all predict she'd laugh in his face?"
"I was a little offended" Enjolras pointed out, setting Éponine off laughing.
"I stand by it" Bahorel teased. "I'll never give up hope, Ép…"
"Yeah, the better option is still right here, Pony" Courfeyrac joked, gesturing up and down his body and wiggling his eyebrows.
"Courf, last night you turned up at my door rabbiting on about how you're scared of flamingos, you're hardly a better option" Combeferre pointed out, a trace of irritation in his tone.
"THEY CAN MOVE AT 30 MILES AN HOUR AND THEY HOLD VENGEANCE IN THEIR HEARTS"
"That just sounds like Musichetta" Bahorel observed, only half joking. She glared at him.
"Only when people start fights outside her café" Joly noted wryly.
"That policeman called Jehan weedy!"
"That didn't mean you had to jump up shouting 'is there something wrong with being a delicate flower'" Musichetta pointed out.
"I stand by it."

"SPEAKING of policemen…" Enjolras said loudly, gesturing to the table in the corner.
"He's right, we should get on with it" Feuilly agreed. The group started to sit down.
"OOH, He's right, we should get on with it: title of Enj and Pony's sex tape!" Courfeyrac shouted excitedly.
"You realise this is why there used to be a no women rule" Enjolras grumbled, dropping his head into his hands."
"Wasn't that because you were scared of women?" Éponine deadpanned, setting them all off laughing again.
"If only I was, there'd be fewer people arguing at me in meetings." he replied, eyes sparkling.
"And you'd probably be in jail by now" she pointed out.
"I'm so glad this is still going to happen" Bossuet grinned. "It's not a real Amis meeting without you two going at each other."
"Nothing is going to change!" Éponine declared. "We are still the same as we were last week!"
"Agreed" Enjolras said, firmly. "Now, can we please get started?"
"Fire away" Courfeyrac replied.

And suddenly, it was as if nothing had changed. Except, of course, for the empty chair beside Éponine they were all trying hard not to look at.

This became dialogue heavy, I know, sorry! I just got carried away with the banter, it's been a long while since I got to write it!

Please review, those of you good enough to still be here! Hope you're all having great summers / winters (southern hemisphere folks)