AU in which Éponine somehow survived through A Little Fall of Rain by some miracle. Marius still believes she is dead. He comes to visit the ABC Café and say goodbye to his friends. But he is in for a treat when a beautiful voice begins to harmonize with his ballad of goodbye.

Pairing: Marius/Eponine

I used Eddie and Sam as my models while writing this (so you know;).

Disclaimer: Don't own Les Mis. I sure as heck wish I did though!

The last thing she remembered was being in his arms. In Marius' arms. She had taken the gunshot meant for him. She was supposed to be dead. But...as Éponine sat up and looked around her, she wasn't so certain. All around her in a line, were the now dead students. Friends of Marius, friends of her. She looked to her right. There was Enjolras, Grantaire, Courfeyrac, Combeferre... Tears stung her eyes as she realized that all her friends were dead except somehow, she lived. Éponine turned her head to the left and looked at the remaining bodies, in an attempt to identify them all. But she froze almost immediately upon looking at the boy next to her. She cupped a hand over her mouth as a strangled cry escaped her throat. The young boy was none other than her younger brother, Gavroche.

Éponine lifted her brother's small body gently and held him to her chest, squeezing her eyes shut as tears poured down her face. She screamed his name. Stroked his tiny face, begging him to come back as her tears fell onto him. She clutched his body to her tightly. Éponine shook vigorously with angry sobs. It should have been her! She should be the one who's dead, not him. He never did anything to deserve this fate. He should be running through the streets of Paris with his pals, not here, lying in the ABC Café, dead. She sacrificed herself for her love, but somehow she was still alive. And her brother was gone.

Éponine kissed his forehead. "Goodbye, Gavroche," she whispered. "I love you my little boy." She heard a noise from outside the Café, setting her brother back in his place gently, she turned around towards the door. There came Marius, limping towards the entrance, he was alive! Thank god in heaven. He must have been coming to say goodbye to his friends. Éponine quickly laid back on the ground and closed her eyes. She'd wait until Marius was near to show that she was alive.

Marius limped into the Café and felt the tears sting his eyes. He paused at the front of the line of bodies. Martha had known he'd want to say goodbye. But the moment he saw those who remained on the Café floor: Enjolras, Grantaire, Courfeyrac, Combeferre, Little Gavroche, and...Éponine... Marius felt the tears sting his eyes. No, he couldn't say goodbye...it was much too hard to say goodbye to them. Especially her, 'Ponine...

Marius hurried quick as he could up the stairs to where he and his friends had sat so few days ago, talking of revolution and dreams. He pulled up a chair and softly started to sing. "There's a grief that can't be spoken. There's a pain goes on and on. Empty chairs at empty tables, now my friends are dead and gone..."

Éponine sat up after she heard Marius go upstairs. His beautiful voice rang clear from upstairs.

"Here they talked of revolution. Here it was they lit the flame. Here they sang about 'tomorrow,' and tomorrow never came."

Éponine quietly stood and walked up the stairs. She stood at the base of them, watching Marius sing his goodbyes.

"From the table in the corner. They could see a world reborn. And they rose with voices ringing. And I can hear them now!"

Éponine felt tears well up in her eyes. She walked up the stairs and towards her friend, beginning to harmonize with his heart breaking tune.

"The very words that they had sung. Became their last communion...on the lonely barricade at dawn."

Marius turned around in confusion. "Éponine?" he whispered.

Éponine nodded. "Hello, Monsieur." She reached for his hand. "Oh my friends, my friends forgive me,"she sang.

"That we live and you are gone,"Marius sang.

Éponine joined in once more. "There's a grief that can't be spoken. There's a pain goes on and on."

He pulled Éponine towards him, wrapping his arms around her as they sang. "Phantom faces at the window. Phantom shadows on the floor. Empty chairs at empty tables, where our friends will meet no more."

Marius pulled away and walked to the window. "Oh my friends, my friends, don't ask me. What your sacrifice was for. Empty chairs at empty tables..." his voice faltered and Éponine came up behind him. She took his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Where our friends..."she sang softly.

"Our friends..."

"Will meet."

They finished together: "No more..."

Marius pulled Éponine into a hug. "How? 'Ponine, how can it be?"

Éponine hugged him tightly, breathing in his scent. "I don't know Marius. But I'm here and you're here and we're together." She took a deep breath. She needed to tell him. At least let Marius know how she felt. This was her second chance. She couldn't lose him again. "Marius, there's something that I need to tell you."

Marius smiled down at her. "You can tell me anything, 'Ponine. What is it?" Éponine took his hands and looked up into his eyes. There's lips were so close to touching; Éponine could feel his breath on her, sending chills down her back. But suddenly, Marius was no longer looking at her. His focus was on the stairs. Éponine turned around as Marius let her hands fall. She saw Cosette, and her heart shattered. Marius walked to Cosette, took her hand, and together they walked out of the Café

Éponine watched from the window as Marius and Cosette faded from her view. When she could no longer see them, Éponine slumped against the wall. It was pointless. She would never win his heart. It belonged to Cosette. She was just wasting her breath. "He'll never know...for little he sees..." she whispered. Éponine wiped the tears from her cheeks. 'C'mon 'Ponine,' she told herself, 'You can fend for yourself without a man. You don't need him. You're strong. You know your way around.'

But Éponine didn't want to move on. She couldn't live without him. She loved Marius. He was the only source of joy in her sorry life other than Gavroche, and Gavroche was gone. Éponine squared her jaw and made a mental decision. That evening, she would go to Marius' home. And then, she would confess her true feelings for him.

Yes. That is what she would do.

Please review! I'm only going to continue it if there's a want!