A/N: I BRING YOU THE CHAPTER THAT EVERYONE HAS BEEN WAITING FOR. ENJOY IT.

Thank you to each and every one of you for reading, I am overwhelmed by your kind words and sometimes your keyboard smashes.

I dedicate this chapter to an absolutely wonderful girl, who has honoured me with her friendship, and who started me shipping E/É in the first place: unicornesque (youarethesentinels on tumblr). If you haven't already, everyone go and read her fics. They are absolutely beautiful.

Thea, you are an incredible human being, and I am still in shock that you like my poor excuse for literature. I hope you enjoy this. Thank you for being you, and never stop. All my love, an avid fan, and friend. R x

19. When Eponine and Enjolras actually show affection in front of anyone else, it is unacceptable to gaze in mock awe and whisper "the marble man has cracked" in an ethereal manner. If you continue to do it, all rights to protect your testicles from Eponine's Dr Marten's are relinquished.

"Soooooo," Grantaire says, as the credits roll up the screen and Combeferre goes to turn the lights on. "What are you two planning for this Saturday?"

Enjolras and Éponine both look at him quizzically, the former raising a singular golden eyebrow.
"Why would we be planning anything for Saturday?" Éponine asks.

Grantaire looks at her in disbelief. "You are kidding me, right?"

"Is something particularly important happening?" Enjolras inquires.

"Only your anniversary!"

Éponine frowns. "Is it really?"

Grantaire looks incredulously at the couple. His jaw hangs open and his eyes almost pop out of his sockets.

"Yes! You've been together two years!"

"Oh."

Éponine shrugs and starts flicking through the channels to find something else to watch. Enjolras picks up a newspaper. Grantaire wants to hit both of them.

"You are the worst couple ever!"

"So you keep telling us, R," says Enjolras, not looking up from the paper.

Grantaire lets out a frustrated shout and leaves the room, unable to cope with the difficulty of having such unromantic friends.

"So... Two years?"

Enjolras looks over at Éponine, who is watching him carefully from her side of the bed. He smiles softly, and puts his book down.

"It is quite an achievement." He says, finally.

"You're telling me," she replies. She meets his eye, hesitating before continuing. "Do you want to do something?"

Enjolras's smile widens. "Would you be willing to come with me for dinner at le Brasserie Blanc?"

Eponine looks completely shocked. "Enj, that's the most expensive and well known restaurant in the city. I'm not going to be able to afford that."

Enjolras just grins. "Well, given that my parents own it, I think we'll be able to manage."

"Are you shitting me?" Eponine shouts incredulously. "Your parents own that place?"

"They do."

She grins at him, eyes bright. "I'll go gladly, on one condition."

Enjolras raises an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"We cannot, for the love of all that is good and dear to us, mention it to R, Jehan or Courf."

Enjolras laughs and pulls Éponine into a one armed hug, kissing her lightly on top of her dark curls.

"Ep? You ready? They've all left for the club. It's safe to come out now." Enjolras calls up to her, voice muffled through the wood of the door.

Eponine steps out of the bathroom where she had been getting ready and hiding from the rest of the boys, and carefully walks to the top of the stairs. Enjolras turns to look at her. His eyes widen and his jaw drops slightly as he takes in the silver dress clinging to her skin, and flowing gracefully around her feet like water.

"Wow."

She smiles. "You don't scrub up too bad yourself."

It is true. Enjolras's nickname of Apollo has never been more appropriate. He is dressed in a sharp, black suit with a scarlet skinny tie and matching pocket square, and he is absolutely radiant.

As she reaches the ground floor, he takes her hand and kisses it lightly. The two of them step into the balmy May evening, and slide into Enjolras's car.

The food is, of course, sublime and talk flows easily between the pair. They laugh about their friends and the girls with no hope of catching his attention. Of course, Enjolras hasn't noticed the reverent stares of every other female on campus, and Éponine delights in imparting the information to him. Enjolras proposes a celebratory toast to their anniversary. She drinks deeply as the chime of their wine glasses rings over the table.

Éponine catches Enjolras staring at her more than once during dinner. Whenever she meets his gaze, he holds it unabashedly.

"What?" She demands finally, after they've ordered dessert, and her brown eyes lock with his icy blue ones yet again.

"I wasn't aware that looking at something I deem enrapturing required justification."

She rolls her eyes, but the comment makes her stomach flutter.

As they leave the restaurant, Éponine goes to return to the passenger seat, but Enjolras retrieves a large rucksack from the boot. Éponine looks at him, puzzled.

"I brought each of us a spare change of clothes. I thought we could spend a few hours wandering around the empty city together."

Éponine grins, wondering how on earth he found out she'd always wanted to do this.

She laughs quietly as she pulls out the clothes he's chosen. He's managed to pick out her favourite outfit, and even packed the second pair of socks she likes to wear with her Dr Marten's. She changes quickly in the passenger seat, then guards the door as he does the same. They leave their dinner dress in the boot, and wander away, hands close enough to brush every other step.

They walk into the centre of Paris, footsteps echoing through the streets. He takes her to all the buildings of historical note and she pretends to listen to his facts on the Eiffel Tower. She takes him round all her favourite places; the tiny memorial garden with the pond, the street corner with the wisteria older than her, the café which has a little old man that plays the saxophone above it, and of course, the plaza in front of the council hall.

He takes her hand as they gaze up at the grand building. She doesn't resist.

"Sometimes I still can't believe we were successful." He admits. "Sometimes I can't fully accept that I was a part of a triumphant revolution."

"I had a feeling you would be. The people were ready for change."

Enjolras squeezes her hand. "Thank you for believing in my dream Épona."

"It took you and your passion to get me to believe it."

They stand in silence, unspoken words hanging in the air between them.

A sudden impulse to dance comes over Éponine. She lets go of his hand and spins happily over the cobblestones. Her hair follows like a long ribbon, matching every turn; her silken shadow. She lets out a joyful shout as dizziness clouds her head, throwing her arms wide and stumbling slightly. Enjolras is watching her from a bench, laughing openly at her childish antics. She loves it when he relaxes and the weight of the world lifts from his shoulders. It raises his head and brings out his wonderful smile, and Éponine cannot get enough of it. She meets his eye and an odd but not unwelcome calm falls over her.

Yes, she thinks. I could do this forever.

The fountain that is installed in the tiles suddenly comes to life and Éponine screams as the cold water hits her. She retreats hastily to a safe distance, giggling. Enjolras comes closer and Éponine whips her hair round, peppering him with freezing droplets.

He narrows his eyes at her.

"You are going to regret that, Miss Thenardier."

She grins at him. "Only if you can catch me, marble man. From what I've heard, statues can't run all that fast."

And then she flees, sprinting in the direction of the house. She is only just aware of Enjolras following behind her, hot on her tail.

Enjolras only has a few seconds to register that Éponine has vanished, before he picks up the rucksack and pelts after her. She is slightly faster than him; always managing to stay ahead. By the time they get to their road, both of them are completely spent. He slows to a standstill and sees Éponine do the same about twenty feet in front of him. It is only now he realises the car is still parked at the restaurant, but the panic is rapidly quashed; there is no time limit and he can simply pick it up in the morning. Comforted by the thought, he quickens his pace slightly.

By the time they reach the house, they are level, and they fall through the front door together, laughing breathlessly. The house is empty. Enjolras turns to look at Éponine and as she turns, he knows that this is it, and he has to do it tonight.

Éponine pulls him into a long kiss, and smiles quietly with her eyes when she pulls away. "I'm gonna go make us some coffee," she whispers, before disappearing into the kitchen.

By the time she disappears into the kitchen, Enjolras has a plan. He walks over to the stereo and pulls his iPod from his back pocket, plugging it in, and waiting.

Éponine wanders back out and looks at him holding the music player with a quizzical eyebrow raised.

He presses play, and she puts the mugs down on the table as the soft guitar chords form a stage for his words.

"Éponine, I am terrible at expressing how I feel about you. I can stand up in the middle of a lecture theatre full of students, and argue with the professor. I can speak in front of 5000 people at protests. But I always falter when it comes to you. Hopefully this song will do my emotions some form of justice."

Enjolras holds his hands out for Éponine to take. He pulls her close, spinning her round on her way towards him. They sway gently, as the voice of the musician wraps around them.

"There's fireworks. Would you lay here on my shoulder?
We'll kiss the earth, as the crescent winds brings us closer."

Enjolras smiles warmly, and kisses the top of Éponine's head as they turn.

"Oh, save me with your sky, beyond these shadow spaces tonight.
Your raging sun, it burns beneath my heartbeat.
You rupture me, I fill you up."

Enjolras pushes Éponine out, and twirls her slowly under his arm.

"The core of you, it runs so deep inside me.
Like volcanoes, we erupt and we subside."

He spins her back into him and she giggles softly.

"This rain pours down. Will you bring me back to life?
"I was chasing dreams somewhere out in the gulfstream,
Until you crashed into me."

Éponine smiles against his chest. His heart stops beating for a second. They continue to move around the living room; his left hand intertwines with hers and her right hand moves to his shoulder, poised so gracefully Enjolras swears she could be an angel, albeit a dark, fiery one.

"As ashes leave us slowly,
We fall, quickly into paradise."

She smiles up at him, eyes shining brightly.

"Your raging sun, it burns beneath my heartbeat.
You rupture me, I fill you up.
The core of you, it runs so deep inside me.
Like volcanoes, we erupt and we subside."

As the divergent piano chords fill the silence, Enjolras leans in for a kiss. It is slow; deliberate, and she melts underneath his gentle touch. He loses himself entirely in her being for a moment, caught up in the scent of old books and springtime. They are just like volcanoes. She is unpredictable; explosive; hot headed. He is single minded; ambitious; overzealous. Together, they have the potential to tear each other apart and sometimes they do. Sometimes they are a complete catastrophe. But largely they tick along: calm, content and uneventful. For the most part, their relationship just is, and it is everything Enjolras needs.
He pulls away, and she buries her head in his neck. He murmurs the last chorus into her ear as it is sung.

"Your raging sun, it burns beneath my heartbeat.
You rupture me, I fill you up.
The core of you, it runs so deep inside me.
Like volcanoes, we erupt and we subside."

As the music ends, they stop moving and stand on the spot, holding each other tightly.

"That was a beautiful song." Éponine whispers into his neck. Silence falls over the pair again.

Again, Enjolras is the one to pull away. He takes a small step back and looks Éponine in the eyes. He keeps his hands clasped around hers, and takes a deep breath, and finally, finally, voices the words he's been trying to say for months.

"Épona, I'm in love with you."

Her eyes fill with surprise. She opens her mouth to respond, but she is interrupted by a tenuous whisper from above them.

"The marble man has cracked!"

Both of their heads whip around to see every other member of the house crowded on the upstairs landing, gazing drunkenly down at them through the railings. They move apart hastily, the moment fading away like the ebbing tide from the shore.

"How long have you been there?" Enjolras's voice barely contains his resentment and irritation as he scowls up at the cramped sea of bodies above him.

"We knew you were going out somewhere together, so we all came home early from the club and hid upstairs when we heard you running up the road." Jehan looks as though he might cry from happiness, holding Courfeyrac's hand tightly. "Enjolras, that was beautiful."

"The mighty Apollo has a weakness! We have found his heel!" Grantaire raises his hands in mock celebration.

"That was Achilles, R." Joly snaps.

Enjolras looks round at the others. Feuilly is smiling fondly, Bahorel is trying incredibly hard to look uninterested and he can just about make out Sophia's small frame wedged between them. His eyes lock with Combeferre's, who just gives him a look which says "about damn time!". Enjolras chuckles softly, feeling his anger dissipate somewhat.

"I can't believe it. We actually have proof that Enj has... feelings." Courfeyrac's comment earns him a jab in the ribs from Jehan's elbow, and he yelps in pain.

Enjolras rolls his eyes. "And you wonder why Éponine and I keep our affection private."

"But this is revolutionary information! You know there's actually a rumour going round the University that you're an alien and that's why you don't have human emotions?"

Jehan cuffs Courfeyrac round the back of the head as Bahorel calls out "you started that rumour, Courf!"

Éponine coughs in disbelief. "You started that rumour?!"

"How on earth did we get on to this? Would it kill you to give us 5 minutes alone?" Enjolras raises his voice in frustration.

"Dude! You've been together two years and this is the first time any of us have actually seen you kiss! Then you told her you were in love with her! This is better than the shitty chick flicks Joly likes!"

"Hey! Those films are a brilliant pick-me-up when I've had to test urine samples all day!"

"Oh my god! Fuck off! All of you!" Éponine sounds as annoyed as Enjolras feels. An idea comes to him.

"Excuse me." He says curtly before turning on his heel and walking calmly into the kitchen.

"Hey! Don't leave me alone with them!" Éponine calls desperately after him, but Enjolras waves her off.
He takes the pen that is attached to the fridge next to the list and writes carefully on the paper. He returns to Éponine's side, looking sternly at the boys who are barraging her with questions. His gaze silences them, and he relays the first half of the new rule, pausing before he states the consequence for violating it.

Enjolras smirks quietly as every face pales in terror and more than one set of hands immediately cover their groins. He swears he hears more than one of them whimper. Éponine grins at the prospect of being let loose on the boys and she commands coolly.

"Now kindly, all of you: Fuck. Off."

Everyone scarpers instantly, terrified of facing the wrath of Éponine's heavy boots, and finally, the couple are alone again.

She grins smugly. " So... you're in love with me are you? Marble really can crack."

He goes to defend his words but Éponine simply rolls her eyes.

"Oh my god, I'm teasing Enj." She crosses the space between them slowly, stopping just short of him.

She smiles, letting out a small breath, and there is a particular warmth to it which Enjolras has never seen before.

"I'm in love with you too."

Enjolras feels himself break into a wide smile and his heart beats faster than it's ever done before. His lips crash into hers with an unparalleled fervour and she returns the embrace; the fresh intensity of her grazing month sets his soul of fire with every touch.

The kiss is interrupted prematurely by a shout from behind them.

"Fucking finally!"

Grantaire has returned to the landing and thrust his fists into the air triumphantly.

Éponine glowers at him and Enjolras is silently thankful that he is not on the receiving end of the stare.

"Seriously R, what the fuck?"

He smirks, unperturbed by her icy glare. "I hoped you were going to say it back. You honestly thought I was going to miss out on my best friend finally admitting she's fallen in love after almost a year of encouragement? This requires a celebratory drink!"

Éponine races up the stairs, vowing to beat him into infertility, but he slips expertly back into his bedroom, humming the wedding march horrendously out of tune as he slams the door in her face.

She wheels round to look down at Enjolras. The murderous look on her face makes him laugh.

"What's so funny?"

He smirks. "Almost a year?"

She rolls her eyes. "You can shut up right now!"

Enjolras laughs. He holds out his hands, and Éponine descends the stairs, sliding her fingers between his.

"Let's go to bed before anyone else interrupts us." He murmurs with a wry smile.

Éponine laughs, and the sound resonates through Enjolras. He beams and picks Éponine up, princess style, spinning her around whilst she giggles and squeals happily. He carries her into the bedroom, kissing her through his smile; the two mugs of coffee on the table quite cold and forgotten.