Chapter 1

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

There are about eight AUs going on in this (modern; set in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United States; foster care; Enjolras-and-Cosette-are-siblings; Cosette-and-Enjolras-are-Valjean-and-Fantine's-biological-children; soulmate-identifying marks; high-school-student/younger!Éponine and college-student/older!Enjolras). On top of everything else, for the sake of this fic, pretend that Enjolras is actually a first name.

So the way this particular soulmate-identifying marks system works, each person as a mark in the shape of an animal representing their soulmate on their wrist. So the mark representing Cosette is a lark; but Cosette doesn't have the lark on her wrist. Marius has it on his.

This fic is based on the 2012 film with a healthy dose of Hugo. The title is from Landon Austin's Once In A Lifetime, which really, really suits the whole soulmate AU thing.

I hope you enjoy this, and God bless.

August 27 - September 7

"And this is your room," Cosette says, opening the door.

Éponine pauses in the hall, old duffel bag weighing down her shoulder. "I'm not bunking in your room or something? Or the couch? This is…" She swallows hard. "Mine?"

"Yes."

Only then does Éponine step over the threshold, trying not to openly gape at the spacious room and the walk-in closet and her own bathroom and everything she'd only dreamed about. "Thank you," she says belatedly, placing her old duffel bag on the wood floor and carefully perching on the edge of the soft mattress, the comforter rustling.

Cosette only smiles and says, "I'll leave you to get settled."

In her absence, Éponine methodically unpacks her bag in the same way she has unpacked in all of her previous foster homes. But Louisiana already seems to be different, because she will not be sharing a tiny room or sleeping on a couch older than she is. She hangs up her wrinkled clothes in the closet larger than entire rooms she's stayed in before, sets her three ratted books on the desk, puts her cracked hairbrush in her own bathroom and wonders if she has enough cash to buy foundation. She knows she shouldn't waste her small wad of money on something as frivolous as makeup; she had purchased some six months ago, but in her previous home her then-foster brother stole it out of spite and she hadn't dared to ask her then-foster parents to buy another. Though her new foster family looks like they have enough to spare for a single case of foundation, she isn't going to bring it up. Cosette and her father seem nice enough, but Éponine knows not to ask.

Out of habit, she pulls back her sleeve to look at the mark on the inside of her wrist. But the black lion representing her soulmate isn't silver, and it isn't burning on her skin.

It is same as it has always been.

"Enjolras texted me and said that he's coming home next weekend," Cosette says over spaghetti. At Éponine's confused look, the blonde adds, "Enjolras is my brother. He's studying journalism at Louisiana State in Baton Rouge."

"I understand you have siblings yourself, Éponine," Valjean says kindly.

She focuses on idly twirling the pasta on her fork, not lifting her gaze from her china plate. "A sister and three brothers."

"When did you see them last?" Cosette asks carefully.

"My sister, a year ago. My brothers…" Éponine bites her lip. "Gavroche, a year and a half. Hugues, two years, and Bressole, almost three." She doesn't add that her youngest brothers probably don't remember her.

"I can try to arrange for you to see your siblings, if you would like," Valjean offers, and to Éponine's embarrassment, her eyes well with tears. "We could fly out to see them. Meet over the summer, perhaps?"

"Really?" Her voice cracks as she stares at her foster father, and almost asks why, but stops herself. Don't push your luck, Thénardier. You know full well that he can take back his words just as quickly as offering them.

"I don't know how successful I will be, and it may take some time, but I will do my best," Valjean promises.

Éponine focuses once again on her spaghetti, not trusting herself to say any more than murmuring her thanks.

She's started at new schools many times before, but it helps that she and Cosette have almost the same exact schedules.

Except the first class of the day.

Éponine sits in the back, hoping no one will approach her, but a freckled, auburn-haired, lanky teenager takes the desk right next to her. He smiles at her, and even though the mark on her wrist doesn't burn silver, she smiles back.

"I haven't seen you around before," he says. "Are you new?"

"Yep," she says, and mentally kicks herself for her lame answer.

"I'm Marius."

"Éponine."

The strict government and economics teacher, Javert, intimidates her – though she refuses to show it – but sharing glances with Marius helps pass the time. He even walks her to her locker, and they are laughing about something when her foster sister approaches. Then Marius puts an arm around the blonde's shoulders, and his sleeve shifts.

"I see you've met Éponine," Cosette says, but Éponine is internally panicking, because only a few minutes ago she was kind of flirting with Cosette's soulmate. The lark on Marius' wrist representing Cosette is silver, and when her foster sister slips her arm around his waist, Cosette's sleeve rides up and Éponine sees the symbol of Marius on Cosette's skin.

The Labrador Retriever is silver.

"Uh, yeah," Éponine blurts out. "We have government together."

"What do you think of Javert?" Marius asks.

"He's… intense," she supplies.

"By the way, he lives next door to us," Cosette comments, and Éponine stares at her. "He and Dad were roommates in college. They didn't exactly get along." The five minute bell rings, and the blonde lowers her voice. "And they still don't, honestly." With a smile, she says brightly, "Ready for history class?"

The weekend finally arrives, and Éponine can breathe a small sigh of relief. She still has to interact with Cosette, but at least for two days she doesn't have to be constantly reminded by Marius' presence that she is nearly developing a crush on someone else's soulmate. Which is not something civilized people do. But Cosette's older brother is coming home from Louisiana State on Saturday, and Éponine hopes that she will be distracted enough to stop thinking about Marius and high school and her faux pas.

She stands with Valjean and watch through the open front door as Cosette hugs her admittedly very attractive older brother on the front steps, downtown New Orleans shining in the distance. Once the door is shut behind them and they all stand together in the foyer, Cosette's brother extends a hand.

"I'm Enjolras."

"Éponine," she says right as she grasps his hand. Then her wrist burns.

She jerks her hand back, shoving her sleeve up to see the black lion on her skin turning silver. Éponine looks up in shock at Enjolras, who is staring at her with an unreadable expression as the wolf on his wrist changes to the same hue.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: What's this? Enjolras isn't studying law in a fic? (Cue a distant gasp from the fandom).

Now, Enjolras-is-a-law-student is definite fanon and may be canon in The Brick depending on how you look at it. But if I'm changing this many things in this fic, I thought I'd be even more creative and have Enjolras pursue a journalism degree. I think he would love exposing government corruption/publishing his views/inspiring the public through a newspaper.