Sorry that this took so long. And honestly, I don't think that this is my best bit of work. But between exams, planning/leading a church service (yes, I led a worship service at my church. For the third time. United Church of Canada lets seventeen year old girls with no training do so. Besides, that's my desired career path anyway, so there), major friend drama (I just may have lost one of my best friends last night), and the beginning of a new semester (Drama Class RULES! And Philosophy is going to be awesome!), my focus has been anywhere but on fanfiction. Especially since around 9pm last night. Stupid drama (friend, not class or club).

Chapter 16

"Then it's settled. You will speak to members of the government and try to come to an understanding," the army officer told Enjolras, who nodded.

He sighed slightly as the officer then turned and walked away. It wasn't the victory he had wanted, but it was a start. They would speak and try to come to an agreement. It was better than nothing. He returned to his men, and told them what had happened, and they all cheered. The truce was a better ending than the bleak fate that some had begun to expect when the cannons had been brought in.

As Enjolras glanced around at them, he suddenly felt exhausted. Not all of them had made it through the night. Bahorel had fallen, as had Feuilly, and a few citizens who had joined them as volunteers. The rest had survived though, for which he was thankful.

Many had been wounded, however. Lesgle, Courfeyrac, and Prouvaire had joined Eponine in the café with various injuries. Joly and Combeferre had assured him they would live, however. He glanced at Marius, who was pacing in annoyance.

"What's got you all riled up?" he heard Grantaire, already drunk again, somehow, ask the clearly impatient young man.

"I just want to get out of here and go see Cosette!" he replied, finally stopping and crossing his arms across his chest.

"Then what's stopping you?" Enjolras retorted, leaning against the wall of the café, arms folded across his chest. "By all means, please leave!"

Marius stared at him like he had grown three extra heads.

"Almost all night you've been going on about her nonstop, and it's really getting quite annoying! If that's what it will take to give us at least a few moments of peace, then go right ahead!" Enjolras snapped. He had reached the end of his patience with the man.

"But I don't know if she's still here! She could be gone forever by now for all I know!" Marius groaned.

Enjolras couldn't help but notice the odd look one of the volunteers was giving Marius, as if the man knew something.

"Why don't you ask him?" Enjolras asked, nodding to the older volunteer. "He looks like he might know something."

Marius turned to look, and his eyes met those of the man Enjolras had gestured to.

"Do you know Cosette?" he asked quickly. "Do you know my beloved blonde angel?"

Enjolras groaned at Marius' rapid-fire lovesick questions, and felt somewhat relived when the man revealed that he did, in fact, know Cosette as he was her father. Brilliant. He could get Marius out of his hair.

"Yes, monsieur, she is my daughter," the man replied.

"Then do us all a favour and get him out of here," Enjolras said quickly as a wide grin spread on Marius' face. "I've been listening to him talk about her since we got here, and it has gotten rather annoying."

The man nodded slowly, clearly uncertain exactly what to make of the two. After talking briefly with Marius, however, he eventually led him away, no doubt home to Cosette. Enjolras rolled his eyes as he watched Marius leave; the other boy may as well have been walking on a cloud.

He stepped away from the wall he'd been leaning on and returned to the café to check on Eponine. He was thrilled to see her sitting up, looking far more alert than she had the night before.

She looked slightly confused, as if she was unsure of what exactly was happening. She spotted him after a moment, and instantly asked the last question he had expected her to ask.

"Where's Marius?"

Eponine felt her heart leap into her throat as she saw Enjolras walk into the café. Not because his leg was bleeding from some sort of injury, but because of the events of the night before, when she had been running on adrenaline and still slightly delirious. Did she love him? She didn't know, but she had told him that she did. She'd have to be careful about how she told him she wasn't actually sure. But what to say first?

She decided that she would ask him what exactly had happened. People had come in injured in the past ten minutes since she had heard the cheering, but no one had told her anything, they had simply seen to their injuries.

But, of course, that was not what she actually asked him. No, the first words out of her mouth were the stupidest ones she could have thought up, and she regretted them as soon as they left her mouth.

"Where's Marius?"

Idiot, her mind told her, you told him last night that you love him, and the first thing you say to him when he walks back in here is a question about the other man you love, the one you think you may still actually be hung up on? Stupid, stupid girl!

Enjolras looked rather surprised at her question, but no doubt figured that she had asked it because she still wanted to clobber him. "Gone," he replied.

"Gone as in dead, or gone as in he left?" Eponine asked, feeling her heart nearly stop at the word.

"He left with Cosette's father, just now," Enjolras replied with a shrug.

"Then… She's still here. She didn't go to England…" Eponine said quietly, hating Cosette once again.

"No, they're still here," Enjolras said slowly, looking at Eponine carefully. "Are you all right?"

She shook her head instantly, a tear sliding down her cheek. Why here, she wondered, wishing that she were strong enough to stop herself from crying. "I- I think I made a mistake last night," she said slowly. "I'm sorry, Enjolras, but, I was delirious, I wasn't thinking-"

She watched as comprehension dawned on Enjolras' face, and felt guilty as she saw a glimmer of disappointment shine briefly in his dark eyes before he shook his head. "It's fine, I understand. Marius. It's always been Marius, no matter what he does."

"Oh, no, I still want to kill Marius for being a blind idiot who clearly doesn't even care that I could have died, but, I don't know, I just feel so confused. I need time to think about everything and sort out exactly how I feel," she explained quickly, hoping that she wasn't talking too fast and that everything she said made sense to him. She wasn't even sure that she understood exactly what she was saying, of course, that could be due to the pain she felt in her shoulder and chest from being shot.

She stared at him nervously for a few moments in silence before he slowly nodded, and she released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"Of course, I understand, Eponine."

Eponine. He'd called her Eponine. Not 'Ponine, Eponine. She didn't know why, but that somehow hurt her more than she realised it could.

Thankfully, Joly walked in then, ending the awkwardness. He nodded to Marius, then turned to Eponine.

"So, what are we going to do with you while you recover?" he asked her, and she shrugged. "Do you have a home we could take you to?"

"No, I left," she replied, her mind flashing back to two days before, when she had fled from her parents and their gang. She noticed the concerned look that Joly and Enjolras shared before they looked back at Eponine.

"The hospitals won't want to take her," Joly murmured to Enjolras, "and unfortunately there's no room at my flat right now, or else I would take her in a heartbeat. Marius-"

"Ran off to find Cosette," Enjolras said, cutting off Joly.

"Then you're going to have to take her."

"What?" Eponine and Enjolras said at the exact same time, staring in shock at Joly, who shrugged.

"You're the only one with room, and it won't be difficult, Enjolras. Besides, I'll stop by every day to check up on her-"

"I don't think that's a good idea right now, Joly," Eponine said quickly. Joly frowned at them, looking concerned.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked them, and Eponine and Enjolras instantly glanced at each other, neither one sure what to say.

"No," Enjolras said after a moment. "Nothing's wrong."

"Great. Then you can go home and get everything set up for 'Ponine, and I'll bring her there in an hour. Oh, and you need to get your leg looked at, mon ami," Joly told Enjolras with a quick glance at his leg.

Enjolras glanced down at his leg, then shrugged. "As you wish, Joly," he said stiffly, with one last glance at Eponine. Joly smiled, then walked away.

Eponine sighed, and lay back down on the table. Great. Marius was with Cosette, her father and his gang – Montparnasse in particular – were probably looking for her, Enjolras probably hated her now, and she was going to be stuck at the revolutionary's house while she recovered.

Can this possibly get any worse? Honestly, just how do I get myself into these messes?

Bet none of you saw THAT ending coming. So, yeah, book three will be up... I don't know when. I've got a lot of other issues to sort out. Issues barricades can't solve, sadly. Barricades are actually the problem here. Question: What kind of cannon does one use to knock down brick walls in an effort to get a message across to people who are too stubborn to see their own self-worth? And that is a rhetorical question, do not feel the need to answer it, although advice would be welcome... I apologize, my ADD took over there... Hope you liked book 2, please don't kill me, I have plenty more E/E stuff planned for book 3. I'll try to put book 3 up soon! Thank you guys so much for all of the support so far!