Brighter

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Rating: M (for birth scene)

Pairing: Éponine/ Enjolras

Summary: Éponine and Enjolras had been able to escape the barricade. Now, they were in exile in London... expecting their first child. Enjolras looks back.

A/N: Just a random one shot. Needed a good ending for this pairing. A different sequel to We Are All Alone. All italics are flashbacks.

Enjolras sat outside in the cold. He sat on the front doorstep, watching the people go by. Inside his home, his wife was giving birth. She wasn't really his wife. They were pretending. He and her were on their run. France was their real home, but they were no longer welcome, due to his radical thinkings and revolutionary ideas. She was a fighter alongside him. That made her go into exile with him. Well, she left with him on her own accord.

The night before the fighting at the barricade began, the two of them spent the night together. That night, their child was conceived. Here, he waited for her to bring their child into the world.

The barricade had fallen. They were the last ones. He had told her to hide in the Café. She had been shot earlier, but not fatally. He found her hiding behind the bar. "I'm here." He whispered and kissed her hotly.

"This way." She spoke softly to him. All his friends were dead. It was only the two of them left. She held his hand and pulled him through a hole in the wall, which was obscured by the bar. They quickly moved through the hole, which led to the abandoned building next to the Café. That was how they escaped from the National Guard. Due to one hole in the building.

A scream brought him back to the present day. She was in pain. A woman, who lived in their building, was with her. His English was better than his wife's but she was learning. Éponine had spoken to the woman in broken English when they first, which made her smile, and she vowed to teach Éponine more English. "Éponine." He murmured to himself as he sipped at his bottle of beer. He was drinking to calm his nerves, but it only seemed to multiply them with her every scream and cry. "Éponine." He murmured again as he remembered their escape to England.

They waited for days. Sleeping in small rooms, using what little money they had. "I have bought us a way to England." Enjolras whispered to her one night. It had been a month since they escaped. They were staying in a room above an inn. Sleeping on a small bed, barely any room for them both. But they lay on their sides, arms around each other. "I have a friend there, he can put us in a flat until we find a job each and pay him back."

She nodded slowly. "I can't get a job."

"Why ever not?" He asked her curiously. His hand running down her naked back. They had just finished making love. Everyday he told her that he loved her. She said she loved him back. Making love was the way to show each other how they truly felt. A tear ran down her cheek. He leaned forward and kissed it away. "'Ponine?"

"I'm having your baby." She spoke so softly, he barely heard her. He just stared at her in shock. This was to be expected. They had not been careful for the past month. "Enjolras, say something."

"W... How... When did you..." He could barely get his words out of his mouth.

She laughed. Her laugh was his favourite sound. "You haven't noticed that I've been sick every morning. Two days ago, I went to see an old woman. She told me that I was." She looked sad.

"Why so sad? A baby is a good thing." He tried to sound happy but underneath he was terrified.

"We are not married."

"Ah!" He nodded. Those four words were probably the hardest four words for her to say. "We could marry today but the boat leaves this afternoon. That won't give us enough time. As for marrying in England, it will be harder. We're French." He ran a hand through her tangled hair as much as he could. "I could buy a ring and we can pretend."

She smiled a little. "What's a piece of paper to us?" She sighed heavily. "It will be easier to pretend. If I get fed up with you, I can just throw you out and not worry about divorce."

He laughed and kissed her fully on the lips. "Come on. A new life for us. Me, you and our baby." His hand resting on her very flat stomach.

The screams and cried stopped. He was on his feet and inside the building. Their small flat was on the ground floor. He just stared at their front door. Waiting for it to open. It had been hours since he had called the Margaret, the woman who had become their friend, to help Éponine. The door slowly opened and Margaret appeared with a large smile on her face. "A girl. Healthy and with a strong pair of lungs." She smiled. "As for Éponine, she is tired. But she is very well."

He let out a sigh of relief. They were fine. "Merci, Madame." He forgot his English for a moment. "Thank you."

"Come in. She's asking for you." She smiled and stepped inside. The young man following her.

Their first few months were hard but they made it work. Enjolras found a good paying job and they were able to pay their rent on time and have enough for food, clothes and things for their baby. With his first wages, he bought her a ring. Her first ring was just a cheap thing. He wanted her to have a nicer one. As soon as he got his wages, he went to the jewellers and bought her one that would suit her. "'Ponine?" He called when he walked through their door.

"In the kitchen." She smiled as she cooked their dinner. It wasn't much. Just some soup. Margaret, one of the women who lived in the building, had given them some. She had been so helpful to them both.

"I have something for you." He hung up his coat and walked into their small kitchen. "I bought a new ring for you."

She smiled and turned to face him. Her slightly large stomach came into view. Pregnancy suited her. She was eating more and had more meat on her bones. "A new ring? Why?" Looking down at her left hand, looking down at her ring.

"I wanted you to have a brand new ring. Not a cheap second hand one." He took the gold ring out of his pocket and held it out to her. "I made enough for rent, food and this." He knelt down in front of her. "Come on. Let's see if it fits." She took off the ring and he slipped on her new one. "There. It does fit." He stood up, her left hand in his hand. "My wife."

Éponine gave a small smile. "My fake husband." She stood on her toes and kissed him softly. "Now, wash up. Time for dinner."

"'Ponine?" He whispered as he entered their flat. It only consisted of two rooms; a kitchen and sitting room, which was also their bedroom. They didn't mind. It was home. She was propped up in bed with a bundle in her arms.

She looked up at him. "We have a girl."

He slowly moved forward and sat on the edge of the bed. "Well done." He leaned forward and kissed her softly. "Do you have a name for her?"

"Oui." She nodded and looked over at Margaret. "Margot." She smiled at the woman, who smiled broadly back. "After our first friend in England."

"I am honoured." Margaret smiled, dabbing her eyes with her handkerchief.

"Margot." He smiled and took his daughter from Éponine. "Our Margot." He kissed his newborn daughter's forehead. "A child of the barricade." He muttered softly, too soft for Margaret to hear. This was his life now. To work and live for his wife and daughter. A brighter future for them both.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think.