The circus is closed - postponed for the time being while Eponine teaches Azemla everything she knows. Fortunately her sister is a quick learner and before she knows it the younger girl is more prepared than Eponine ever anticipated. It's only days later, when Eponine sits in front of Azelma to apply her makeup, that the first signs of break appear on her sisters face.

"Are you excited?" Eponine asks, careful to keep her hands steady.

Azelma glances down at her hands, clicking her fingers together to watch the sparks that fly.

"I know it doesn't seem like much, but that'll wear you down if you keep at it," she adds, trying to break the silence that haunts the dressing room she once called her own.

The name on the door has been replaced with Azelma now and although Eponine knows it's for the best it doesn't ease the emptiness in her heart.

"Are you really leaving?" Azelma finally asks, reaching to grab ahold of her sister's hand. "Everyone is saying that you're leaving tonight, after my premier. Is that true?"

Eponine smiles weakly and reaches up to push some hair from Azelma's face.

"Yes, dearest. There's no place for me here any more. It's your time - mine has passed."

"But.. We've just been reunited! How can you just leave me now?"

Eponine sighs and holds Azelma's hand, running her thumb along her palm.

"I'll always be around, Azelma. I promise you. But it's time for a rest."

Azelma allows Eponine to wrap her arms around her upper body and pull her close. The sisters stay close as the moments tick away and revel in the silence that surrounds them.

"I'm afraid, Eponine. What if I fail?"

Eponine laughs and pulls away from her sister, the smile warm on her lips.

"There is no what if. You've the Thenardier blood flowing through your veins.My blood flows through your veins. You will be better than I ever was."

Azelma pulls a smile onto her lips and sits back so her sister can continue readying her for the debut.

Eponine stands at the back of the tent, eyes trained on her sister as she amazes the crowd with her magic.

It's like looking into a mirror, she thinks.

"I haven't seen enthusiasm like that since your first show," Valjean comments as the cheering grows louder.

Eponine smiles and looks toward her mentor - his hair is impossibly grey and his wrinkles are so deep but Eponine knows he will never leave the circus. Even after death Valjean will be in the tents, his very spirit continuing along. But it is aging him and she wishes he would take a break.

"She's wonderful," Eponine adds, clapping along with the crowd. "She's going to make you proud."

"I'm already proud of her. More importantly, I'm proud of you."

Valjean slips an arm around her shoulders and Eponine immediately turns into the hug. He is the closest thing she has ever had to a father and the thought of leaving him, even more so than the circus, makes Eponine's breath hitch in her throat.

"I'm going to miss you," Eponine whispers, tears wetting his shirt. "I'm going to miss all of this."

"Not as much as it will miss you."

The circus is near ending when Eponine exits the train car, holding delicately onto a suitcase. She is ready to leave, ready to continue on with her life - a life without the circus. There is a car waiting for her and she's going to be late, something Eponine never accepts.

But the sudden noise of a clearing throat distracts her and she turns around only to meet Enjolras's face.

"Leaving so quickly?"

Eponine holds her bag in front of her with both hands, a weak smile on her lips.

"Goodbyes aren't easy for me," Eponine explains. "I prefer to leave everyone wanting more."

He walks toward her, sad smile lining his lips, and immediately wraps arms around her.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" he whispers into her hair, running fingers through her curls.

For a moment Eponine falters, thinking her options through her mind. She doesn't have to leave, not now with Azelma taking her place, but Eponine knows she should. There are things that she wants to experience - a normal life is at the top, a life not scheduled by the circus.

Eponine knows she deserves that much.

She finally nods and looks up to him, her smile more genuine.

"I'm sure. It's what I need to do," she replies, accepting the kiss he places chastely on her lips. It's not much yet it's just perfect. Enjolras pulls away from her, dropping his arms to his sides.

"Got to leave you wanting more, hm?"

Eponine laughs and takes a tentative step away from Enjolras - from the circus.

"I'll see you again, you know? You're never truly separated from us," Enjolras calls out as Eponine turns to leave.

"You're starting to sound like Valjean," she calls back over her shoulder, sending one last smile in his direction before she slips between the tents to find the car that waits for her.

Ten Years Later

Those in the circus don't age regularly, she learns, but now that she has been gone for so many years she has noticed the small wrinkles that appear around her eyes - lines from too many laughs shared with new friends in a new life.

Eponine wonders if she will be recognized by those who travel the train tracks; would she be just another patron who watches the magic with an air of disbelief?

It's when she finds herself back at the gates of the familiar circus that Eponine feels the pull to the middle. With her hat pulled down to hide her face, Eponine navigates to the big top in the center and slips inside. Immediately she is taken by the lights, the artistry, the magic.

She sits quietly, watching as Azelma, her sister, directs the crowd with careful hands. She hasn't changed a bit since the day Eponine left. If anything she has grown even more talented and Eponine feels the pride swell in her heart.

The show plays out in front of her and for hours, Eponine laughs and cheers along with the crowd. A normal person just like each of them.

As the night wears on, she finds herself drawn to the smaller tent off to the side and dips inside only to meet the empty benches as Enjolras stands on the stage toward the front.

"Couldn't resist, could you?"

Eponine smiles and takes a step forward, shaking her head.

"I've got something to show you."

There's silence around them as she holds her hand up and the sparks fly above her palm, lighting up the dark tent with a similarity to fireworks.

And the only sound is Enjolras's gasp.