AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hey guys, how are you? Good? That's good. So hey, I know that you're in the mood for some awesome Enjonine fanfic, and I promise that we're going to get to that, but first I feel the need to let you in on a few things before we really get this party started.

First of all... THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVEN CLICKING ON THIS FIC. I am pretty new to the fandom and this is my first attempt at writing these characters. I am trying to keep them as in character as possible but there are a few changes that I am going to be making.

This is a Modern AU fic.

It takes place in the USA (primarily on the East coast) simply because that is what I am familiar with. I am not sure how the college experience is in any other country & I feel like trying to write something that I am 100% unfamiliar with would sort of ruin the fic for those that actually do know how things work.

For the most part all of the places that I write about are completely fictional. The school, the area surrounding it, where everyone lives... it's all in my head. Think Sunnydale from Buffy the Vampire Slayer if you will. There will be mentions & visits to places that really do exist but for the most part they're going to be fictional.

Appearance wise most of the characters are based on the movie version but for some reason I can't seem to get the 25th anniversary Grantaire out of my head. This is a personal preference for me & please feel free to disregard any character descriptions that go against your own.

This first chapter is a lot of set up so bear with me.

So now that that's over... on with the show!

HERE'S TO THE NIGHTS

You have four years to be irresponsible here.
Relax.
Work is for people with jobs.
You'll never remember class time, but you'll remember time you wasted hanging out with your friends.
So, stay out late.
Go out on a Tuesday with your friends when you have a paper due Wednesday.

Spend money you don't have. Drink 'til sunrise.

The work never ends, but college does…
Tom Petty

CHAPTER ONE:

Èponine Thénardier stood next to the large fountain and looked out at the college campus that would be her home for at least the next couple of months. She thought it'd be bigger, grander somehow. All of the schools that she had seen on TV or in the movies had looked like castles with large towers reaching up in to the clear blue skies above filled with hope and promise for every student who entered. She had expected something similar from Musain University with it's reputation for success with more majors for graduate students and undergrads alike than anywhere else in upstate New York (or the entire East coast for that matter) but this place just seemed so... normal.

From her focal point at the fountain in the dead center of the entrance way she was surrounded on either side by long redbrick buildings that looked to be two stories tall with large banners reading "Welcome Students!" hanging from the rooftops. What she assumed to be the main building in front of her had an almost cathedral look to it with a large clock and bell at the very top. On either side of the main building were cement pathways that she assumed lead to the rest of the campus surrounded by trees and random shrubberies.

The mobs of people around her were practically a blur, everyone rushing around and trying to get moved in as quickly as possible. Fathers followed their daughters and mothers wrapped their arms around their sons as they all went toward their destinations. Almost everyone was toting along bags and boxes filled with their belongings with more waiting in the cars that were lined up as far as the eye could see down the sidewalks leading to the campus.

Èponine had two suitcases, one in each hand, and the small binder full of information that the university had sent her along with the news of her acceptance tucked under her arm. She was usually pretty good at finding her way around but being in a new place without a free hand to take a look at her map she was something she wasn't exactly accustomed to.

"Excuse me!" She called to a young man, presumably a fellow student, as he walked by. Whether he didn't hear her or just ignored her she wasn't sure but he marched on without skipping a beat.

"Hey, could you help me?" She tried again as a woman looking to be in her early forties rushed along with much the same result. She glanced around the yard and noticed an older looking gentleman across the way handing out yellow fliers and giving polite smiles to each student that took one and made her way across the yard.

"Hello miss," he said as he saw her approach, "you've certainly got your hands full."

"That I do." Èponine responded kindly.

"I'm Jean Valjean, dean of students. May I help you with anything?" He asked as he looked around for anyone who may have been accompanying her. She hadn't quite considered the fact that flying solo while moving in to her school would make her stick out like a sore thumb until now.

"Would you mind pointing me in the direction of Dubois Hall?" She asked as she lifted her bags ever so slightly. "I can't get to my map."

"Of course." He turned and pointed to the walkway on the left. "If you take that walkway down to the end and make a right Dubois will be on your left. It's the third building down, if you find the pond you've gone too far."

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome miss..."

"Èponine."

The dean smiled as he inclined his head. "Have a nice semester, Èponine."

She followed the man's instructions and, just like he had said, she came across her building with ease. As she made her way to the third floor she finally felt nagging pull of anxiety coarse through her body. It had all happened so fast, too fast maybe. It felt like just last week that she had been bumming wifi off of one of her parents' customers at the inn and almost accidentally come across the school's website. She halfheartedly skimmed through the page of available scholarships, but when she came across The Pontmercy Scholarship for a Chance something inside her just told her to go for it. Convincing herself that she had nothing better to do with her day, she proceeded to take the one hundred question survey, wrote her essay describing her circumstances and what she had learned from her less than conventional schooling, attached a copy of her grades from her homeschooling sponsor site, and sent it off without much of a second thought.

When she received a letter from the school a couple of weeks later she almost threw it away. There was no way she would have gotten accepted so why would she want to read the words of rejection with her own eyes? At one point she had actually thrown the large manilla envelope in to the trash can but in the end, after what felt like an eternity of staring at the damn thing from across the room, she stomped over, ripped the seal and read the last word that she had expected to see.

Congratulations!

The shock she had felt at reading her acceptance letter couldn't be put in to words. Her face had flushed and she had felt so sick to her stomach that she was sure she would faint. She had no idea why they would want her, why the Pontmercy's would choose her to attend their school as opposed to someone, anyone else. Her grades were decent enough and she may have made her essay seem a little more pitiful than her story actually was but she simply couldn't fathom it. She would be a year or two older than the other incoming freshmen due to her delayed addition to the college game and she hadn't had any formal education since she was in eighth grade.

In the end she had decided to go for it. It took two miles of walking, three different buses, and a twenty minute cab ride to get her to this spot and she had promised herself that she was not going to waste it. She wasn't stupid, she knew that this was a once in a lifetime chance to leave the past behind her. This was her ticket to get out from under her parents' thumbs, a chance to leave Montparnasse and the life he had taught her behind, an opportunity to better herself and perhaps one day she could even get Gavroche out of the slums as well.

This would be a new start for her, a better life was just beyond the horizon, and the only way to get there was straight ahead.

Unlike the unimpressive campus, the dorm's hallways were almost exactly the way she had pictured them. Girls were running in and out of their open rooms, shoving their belongings inside with an almost warlike attitude to them. More than one pair of girls, both mothers and daughters and new roommates, were arguing over where to put their things and the slamming of suitcases, boxes, and furniture could be heard all around. When she found her room she was surprised to see that it was one of the only ones on the floor without an open door. She hoped for a moment that she had managed to get there first but when she entered and saw the small blonde girl already putting the finishing touches on the room she knew that wasn't the case.

"Oh, hello!" The blonde called over her shoulder as she struggled to fit the curtain rod she had been fiddling with back in to place from her awkward spot standing on her already made bed.

"Do you need a hand with that?" Èponine asked as she closed the door behind her.

"Yes, please, that would be wonderful!"

Èponine dropped her things next to the door and moved to help the girl. Within moments they had managed to get the pole back in to the small slots and the blonde hopped down from on top of the bed. She quickly smoothed out the brand new, long, purple curtains that now covered the single window in the small room and straightened out the short jean shorts and large purple sweatshirt she wore. Standing face to face now Èponine could see that the girl was a few inches shorter than she was and had aura about her that just oozed positivity. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and curled to perfection where it hung half way down her back. Her slim face was almost angelic and her bright blue eyes were only outshone by her smile.

"Hi, I'm Cosette."

"Èponine." She responded as she extended her hand. She was taken by surprise when Cosette launched forward and wrapped her arms around her in an excited hug. Not knowing what else to do Èponine returned the awkward embrace and pat the girl on the back. When Cosette finally pulled away Èponine glanced around the room trying to find anything to comment on to break the strange silence that filled the room. "So... purple."

"Oh, yeah." Cosette laughed. "It's my favorite color. You don't mind do you? I can totally take down the curtains if you don't like them."

"No," Èponine said quickly, "no it's fine. Really. I'm not much for decorating so please, do whatever you'd like."

"This is so cool!" Cosette exclaimed. "I'm sorry, I'm just really excited. Do you need help with the rest of your bags?"

"Nope," Èponine smiled as she gave one of her bags a little kick, "the gang's all here."

"Oh." Cosette said as her eyes widened in something looking a lot like embarrassment as she tried not to look at the pile of boxes that were stacked in the corner. "I didn't bring very much either, most of it is already put away."

"What time did you get here?" Èponine grabbed her suitcases and moved them to sit on top of her bed.

"Oh, my mother and I got here at six. We're morning people so we got here as early as we could." Cosette explained.

Wonderful.

"I wanted to get everything done before orientation starts. We should go together, it would be so much better sitting next to someone that you actually know." Cosette said as she grabbed a large white dry erase board (complete with purple border) from one of her many boxes.

"Yeah," she said, "sounds great."

"So where are you from?"

Before Èponine could answer there was a quick knock at the door.

"Come in!" Cosette called happily.

The door opened slowly, cautiously, and a young man not much older than the two of them stepped just inside the door frame. "Is there a Miss Thénardier here?"

At the sound of her name Èponine stopped what she was doing and turned to face him. He was tall and had hair that stood messily a few inches above his head. He was wearing a red polo shirt with the school's name written on it in black with dark jeans and carried a large envelope in his hand along with a bookbag on his back.

"That's me." She said.

He smiled politely and took another step inside the room, just close enough to extend his hand towards her. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Thénardier-"

"Just Èponine is fine."

"I'm Marius Pontmercy." His hand clasped around hers and she gave it a quick shake before they both pulled away from one another. Èponine didn't miss how Cosette's head practically spun on it's axis at the sound of his name. It was kind of impressive how she could keep her balance standing on top of a desk with her head at that angle while somehow managing to not drop the huge dry erase board. "How are you finding Musain?"

"Fine so far." She said. "Did you need something?"

"Actually," he said as he clasped his hands in front of him, "this is incredibly awkward but there has been a small complication with your scholarship." Èponine felt her heart fall to the very bottom of her stomach. Something on her face must have given away her feeling because Marius' hands instantly flew out in front of him. "It's nothing major, your tuition and rooming costs have all been taken care of."

"So what's the problem?"

"There was a mix up with some paperwork and the rest of your scholarship money will be a bit... late." He explained.

"How late?"

"It should only take about a week." Marius explained while handing her the envelope. "My parents just need for you to fill out this paperwork and everything should be taken care of."

"Okay, sure." Èponine said as she moved towards the desk that had been provided for her. "I haven't exactly unpacked yet, do you have a pen or something?"

"Of course." He pulled a pen from his pocket and handed it over to her.

"What will she do about books?" Cosette's almost forgotten voice asked from across the room.

"Most books are... What are you doing on top of that desk?" Marius asked as he made his way straight over to Cosette, all traces of his former apprehension at entering their room seemingly forgotten. "Here, let me help you down."

The slightest blush colored Cosette's cheeks as she placed her hand in his outstretched one and allowed him to help her down. Èponine saw the way Marius looked the younger girl over and she watched with a knowing smirk as Cosette's eyes shyly did the same to him.

"Thank you." Cosette said quietly.

"My pleasure."

"So about those books." Èponine said from the opposite side of the room, effectively putting their fairy tale moment to rest.

Marius cleared his throat as he released Cosette's hand and turned back to Èponine. "There is always the option of paying for them out of pocket and filing for reimbursement when the rest of your scholarship comes through but honestly you probably won't need the books for most of your classes your first week... actually for some classes you probably won't need them at all."

Èponine nodded as she finished filling out the sheet of paper.

"I'm so sorry," Marius said as he turned his attention back to Cosette, "I didn't catch your name."

"I'm Cosette."

"Cosette," he repeated, "that's beautiful."

Èponine could practically hear the swooning in Cosette's nervous giggle as she thanked him and it was almost all she could do not to laugh. It seemed so very childish to her, the way that Cosette was acting, and she could tell how naive the poor girl was just from this brief exchange. She couldn't help but feel a fondness toward her already, she counted herself lucky that she wasn't boarding up with one of those psychotic roommates she had heard horror stories about, but she could tell that the girl had a lot to learn about life... things she herself had learned the very hard way.

"Here you go." Èponine said turning around and handing the envelope back to Marius.

"Great." He said tearing his gaze away from the blonde. "I'll fax this over to them and everything should be worked out in about a week. You'll get a call the moment it goes through."

"Thank you."

"So Cosette," Marius went on, "do you like sushi?"

"I've never had it."

"There's a fantastic sushi place just off of campus-" a series of three beeps sounded through the room and Marius quickly excused himself before pulling his cell phone out of his pocket and taking a look at the screen. "I'm sorry but I've got to go set up for orientation. You two will be there, right?"

"Of course we will." Cosette answered for the both of them.

"Great." Marius' smile was directed mainly towards Cosette but he looked toward Èponine and gave her a quick nod. "I'll see you both there."

Èponine raised a brow and couldn't help the smirk that overtook her features. "I'm sure you will."

The moment Marius left the room Cosette practically collapsed on to her bed, legs hanging over the edge while the rest of her body laid sprawled out on top of her comforter. "Do you know who that was?"

"Marius Pontmercy." Èponine answered while grabbing a pile of her clothes and making her way to her dresser.

"His parents are the largest sponsors at Musain." Cosette continued on as if Èponine had never said a word. "The Pontmercys practically own the school."

"And their son is interested in you." Èponine said as she turned back toward Cosette.

"Do you really think so?" Cosette was sitting straight up on her bed now.

"Are you kidding?" Èponine asked. "I was waiting for him to start drooling, the way he was looking at you."

"Oh my gosh." Cosette muttered through the hand delicately covering her mouth.

"He was about to ask you out for sushi and he made sure you were going to be at orientation."

"He asked you that, too."

"No," Èponine said while grabbing another pile of clothes, "he included me to be polite. You're the one he was really asking."

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"I'm sure."

Cosette flung back on her bed again and let out another excited little squeal before shooting right back up and heading toward the closet with a purpose. "What am I going to wear?"

"What's wrong with what you've got on?"

"It's gross!" Cosette said quickly. "I've been wearing it all day and it's sweaty and I probably smell bad and look like I'm homeless. I can't believe he even saw me like this, that's so embarrassing. What do you think of this?"

Èponine glanced over and saw Cosette holding floral sundress up to her body. She was standing on her tiptoes trying her hardest to get a full look at the thing in their room's only mirror. "I think that we're going to be inside an air conditioned auditorium and you're going to freeze."

Cosette looked back at her closet with a small frown etched on her features before rummaging through her clothes again.

Oh yeah, Èponine thought, this is going to be a fun couple of months.

Three hours, four wardrobe changes, and about a million speeches later the girls were sitting in the very air conditioned auditorium listening to what everyone in the room hoped would be the last speaker. They had sat through a welcome speech by Dean Valjean, multiple readings of different parts of the Student Handbook, heard about the school's Honors Society, and had been given a 'brief' summary of the school's history. Cosette had at one point been taking in every word with open ears, even taking notes here and there about different things that interested her, but even she had become disenchanted within the past half hour or so.

Just as Èponine was considering an unnecessary trip to the bathroom a group of ten or so students wearing the same red and black polo shirts as Marius took to the stage. Cosette instantly sat up a little straighter when she saw him and Èponine knew that her attention had been reclaimed. One of the students, a young man with curly dark brown hair that fell just above his eyes, walked up to the podium and gave it a quick tap with his forefinger before giving a warm smile and a little wave of his hand.

"Hi guys, how is everybody?" He asked excitedly. There was a quick round of clapping accompanied by some hoots and hollers and the speaker nodded happily. "I know you've all been sitting in this auditorium for hours now and you probably just want to get out of here but I'm Courfeyrac, your student government president, and I'd like to invite everyone to join us for a tour of the town around your new school. There are a lot of great stores, restaurants, and places to hang out with your fellow classmates within walking distance of the dorms and we'd love to show you around. Uh, we'll be meeting at the fountain at the front of the main building and we'll be taking off in about ten, fifteen minutes. Um, this concludes your freshman orientation seminar and we hope to see you out there."

Cosette was on her feet in an instant and before Èponine could stop it she had grabbed her by the arm and gently pulled her in to the center isle while the rest of the students took their time in stretching out their stiffened limbs before turning to exit the auditorium. Cosette and Èponine were among the first twenty or so people to gather around the fountain and when Cosette saw Marius coming from the opposite side she quickly moved to walk his way.

"No." Èponine said as her hand found Cosette's wrist. Cosette turned to her with a quizzical look in her eyes. Èponine shook her head. "Don't act so desperate. Let him come to you."

"But-"

"Trust me." Èponine said as she pulled Cosette to face her with a hand on her shoulder. "Here, pretend like we're talking."

"But what if he doesn't see-"

"He will." Cosette didn't look convinced but she continued to face her anyway. Èponine watched him from the corner of her eye while he glanced around the growing crowd. She knew the moment he noticed them by the way his face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. "He's spotted us now."

"What is he doing?"

"He's walking over." Èponine said as she gave him a wave. "Go ahead, turn around slowly and act surprised."

Cosette did as Èponine said and even threw in a small wave of her own. "Marius, I didn't see you there."

"I just got here." He said as he approached them. "Are you guys going on the tour?"

"Of course!" Cosette said excitedly.

"Great, follow me."

Marius grasped her hand in his own and began walking through the crowd. Cosette turned and gave Èponine an excited smile which she responded to with a quick thumbs up. When they reached the base of the fountain Marius let go of her hand and the two stood a few feet away from where he met the rest of his group. Marius pulled a name badge and clipboard from his backpack while the man Èponine recognized as Courfeyrac seemed to take roll.

"Good to see you again, Pontmercy!" One of the students said as he approached and gathered Marius in to a brotherly embrace.

"Combeferre! How was your summer?"

"Ah, you know." He answered. "Same as every other."

"Who's ready to party?!" A voice boomed as another man appeared from around the fountain.

"Not yet, Grantaire." Courfeyrac answered as he approached. "Has anyone seen Joly or Jehan?"

"Right here!" Another student said as he approached with another young man following closely behind him. "Sorry we're late, Joly couldn't find his hand sanitizer."

"You're still on that kick?" Grantaire asked.

"You'll all wish you had gotten in on it when flu season comes around!"

"Gentlemen." Another young man, one with a head full of wavy blonde hair, greeted loudly as he approached them with a confident stride. He was quickly thumbing through a large stack of papers and hardly glanced up as he reached the group and everyone formed a sort of circle around him. "Is everyone here?"

"I think so." Courfeyrac answered as the blonde retrieved a stack of green fliers from the bottom of his pile. "What's this?"

"I received an e-mail this morning from the cafe," he answered as he began passing the fliers to either side of him, "they would like to be added to the tour."

"Nothing like late notice." Combeferre mumbled.

"I sent them your information." He said looking directly at Courfeyrac. "I told them that moving forward they are to get in contact with you about any matters involving Musain and to remove me from their contacts."

"Thank you, Enjolras, I must have overlooked them."

He nodded before turning his attention back to the entire group. "The cafe shouldn't be a difficult addition if we throw it on to the end of the tour. Take the students there and leave them to socialize. They're adults now, they should be able to find their way back to their dorms easily enough. Does everyone know where they're going?"

"Same route as the past two years." Grantaire answered.

"And yet you somehow manage to get turned around every time." The rest of the group laughed at Marius' quip, even Grantaire chuckled along, but the one they had called Enjolras remained unfazed.

"It seems the marble man is back again." Jehan mumbled.

"Grantaire, stick to the main walkways this year, no roundabout shortcuts. I believe I speak for everyone when I say we would like to avoid a repeat of last year's fiasco." Enjolras said seriously.

"Yes sir." Grantaire said with a quick salute.

"Alright then," he said, "let's get this show on the road."

Seeming to take his cue Combeferre moved back around to the front of the fountain. He looked around the large crowd for a moment before clearing his throat.

"Excuse me!" He said loudly.

A few people in his immediate area turned and looked toward him but most continued talking and carrying on.

"May I have your attention please?!" He tried again with the same minimal response. "Hello?"

He glanced back toward his friends, his face reddening in embarrassment, his eyes nearly begging for help. Grantaire moved to put two fingers in his mouth to prepare a whistle but Enjolras' hand shot up and knocked the appendage back to his side. Enjolras motioned toward the base of the fountain and Èponine watched as Courfeyrac nodded, took a deep breath, and hopped up on top of the circular stone structure.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" His voice bellowed over the crowd. Finally the crowd seemed to take notice of him and Courfeyrac chuckled softly as he clapped his hands together in front of him and continued speaking. "We're going to get going here in just a few moments but first we need to split you up in to groups."

Despite his less than effective start Courfeyrac did a pretty decent job of directing everyone on where to go. He split the large group in to several smaller ones and each of the group leaders claimed one as their own. Marius had, obviously, chosen the group that Cosette and Èponine were filed in to and within minutes each of the groups was headed off in a different direction. The groups were large but the girls had found it easy enough to get to the front of theirs and Èponine was sure that she wasn't the only one who noticed how closely Cosette was standing to their guide.

Their first stop was at a movie theater that did half price tickets for students on Tuesday nights. There was a live concert venue that put on a free show once a month, multiple restaurants that offered a wide array of different foods, a small sized bar that boasted of it's Thirsty Thursday deals, and more mom and pop shops than Èponine had cared to count. Cosette had been talking animatedly with Marius the entire time and had been asking questions about absolutely everything. Marius would answer her with enthusiasm and tell her stories of things he'd bought here or a time when he hung out there. The two would include Èponine in on their conversations as much as possible but she was without a doubt the third wheel in this scenario.

"This store here," he said pointing at a large brick building with a large white sign reading 'Forward to Times Past' above it's door, "you're going to love."

"An antiques shop?" Èponine asked.

"It's more than just that." Marius said as he turned to face the rest of the group the way he had multiple times throughout the last hour. He stopped and waited as he allowed the group to file in around him close enough so that they could hear. "This next store is my always everyone's favorite. They have everything from tables and chairs to posters to light switch covers. It's a great place to find things for the dorms, even on the Ramen noodles for every meal budget."

The crowd laughed softly and Marius proceeded to open the door and hold it as each student passed. As they had been doing all day, Cosette and Èponine waited next to him until the last of the group made it inside before walking in themselves. Marius showed them around the different floors, separated by ramps instead of stairs, and talked about the different pieces in the shop.

"Èponine!" Cosette gasped as she rushed toward an old vanity table and mirror set. It was made out of solid wood and painted an old white color with three large mirrors surrounding the base. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"It is really nice." Èponine said as she ran a hand over the framing of one of the mirrors.

Cosette's hands found the price tag and her eyes widened in surprise. "It's only $170!"

"Too rich for my blood." Èponine said as she let her hand fall.

"It would be perfect for our room, so much better than that small mirror that's hanging on the wall." Cosette said as she took a look inside the large drawer.

"The bench could use a bit of work," Marius said as he shook the small seat, "nothing a few screws and nails wouldn't fix."

"It's pretty heavy," Cosette commented, "how would we get it back?"

"A friend of mine lives off campus, he would probably give us a lift."

"I couldn't ask you to do that." Cosette said with a shake of her head.

"No, no," Marius said, "I'll give him a call. Excuse me for a minute."

As Marius made his way out of the loud and crowded antique shop to make his phone call Cosette continued to admire the piece. "Don't you just love it, Èponine? We wouldn't have to use the counters in the floor's bathroom and would actually be able to see ourselves in a mirror."

"It's really nice, Cosette," Èponine agreed, "but it would be yours. I wouldn't feel right-"

"Oh, nonsense." Cosette snapped her head around with an expression close to a glare directed at Èponine. "It's your room, too. There is no good reason why you shouldn't be allowed to use it."

"I can't give you any money for it-"

"I'm not asking you to." Cosette snapped as she turned her entire body Èponine's way. "Èponine, I want us to be friends, I really do. We're going to be living together and I'd rather not have one of those arrangements where this is mine and that is yours and don't touch my things. If you want to label your milk and hoard your pencils that's fine but it seems ridiculous and time consuming and not something that I want to waste my time on."

Èponine felt as if she were being scolded by her mother for taking the last cookie or something. "It does seem pretty stupid."

"Good, then we agree." Cosette said as she glanced back at the set. "Now, this vanity has plenty of room for the both of us and I will consider it a personal insult if you don't use it."

Èponine crossed her arms over her chest and gave Cosette an annoyed look through one of the mirrors. "You're too nice, you know that right?"

"So I've been told." She responded nonchalantly. "So, do we have a deal?"

Èponine nodded. "Deal."

"Everything's taken care of." Marius said as he made his return. "He said to meet him at the cafe and he'll give us a hand. If you want to grab the tag, Cosette, we can take it to the front and have it put on hold for us."

Cosette smiled her brilliant smile and pulled the tag off of the mirror. The line at the front of the shop was long but Marius was able to wave over one of the employees and get their lot put on hold while Cosette and Èponine waited in line. By the time Marius had gathered the rest of his group together the girls were already waiting on a bench outside sharing a bag of homemade chocolate covered pretzels that Cosette just had to have when she saw them at the counter.

Most of the students left the store with some sort of decoration ranging from framed artwork and rolled posters to rugs and blankets. One girl had even found one of those old mannequins used for sewing and was toting her new treasure around like some sort of prize. Marius lead the now slightly slower moving crowd to the cafe that would end their tour and gave the new students some recommendations on what they should try while Èponine and Cosette found a table to sit at while they waited for him to get through the line.

The cafe itself was a bit on the small side but the garden area around it was another thing entirely. An old wrought iron fence decorated with fleur de lis twisted in to it's metalwork surrounded the area and ten or so tables were scattered throughout. The wall of the cafe had thick rose vines growing up it's side and a tiny fish pond was in the very corner. It was within sight of the campus' main building and Èponine could see the clock tower from where she sat. She wasn't at all surprised when Marius returned with a cup of his favorite coffee drink for Cosette, but when he offered a third one to her she couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you, Marius!"

"You didn't have to that." Èponine said as she took the offered cup and was surprised to find that it was cold against her hand.

"Ah, it was nothing." He responded.

"What is it?" Cosette asked.

"Iced salted caramel mocha." He said easily. "It's a bit hot out today and I figured something cold might do the trick."

"That's so thoughtful." Cosette said as she raised the cup to her lips. She took a sip and her eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, that's really good. Try it, Èponine."

Though she wasn't much of a coffee person, Èponine tried the drink and was not disappointed. The coffee taste that she wasn't a huge fan of was still very much present but was dulled down by the caramel, whipped cream, ice and... salt... that accompanied it. "That is good."

"They have a hot chocolate here during the winter that is to die for." Marius said as he happily began to drain his cup. "My friends and I like to come here between classes and grab something to eat and a little pick-me-up, it's especially good during exam weeks when they do one dollar refills for anyone studying."

"It's a beautiful set up." Cosette said.

"Yes," Marius agreed, "they must have redone it over the summer. It was smaller last year and the pond wasn't there but it's always been peaceful."

"Marius!" A voice called from across the yard and Èponine watched as one of the students, the blonde one from before, approached them from the crowd. His red shirt had been switched to a gray t-shirt but Èponine recognized the head of wavy hair. Marius rose from the table and met the man half way, giving him a hug much like the ones he had shared with the other students.

"It's great to see you," Marius said, "I didn't really get a chance to say hello earlier with you being in serious mode."

"Yeah," a chuckle laced its way in to his words, "so where's this vanity?"

"The antique shop."

Enjolras nodded. "My car's parked that way. We should get going so we can make it to The Barricade before the crowd, you know how Joly insists on having a table."

"Of course." Marius extended his hand to Cosette and pulled the chair out for her as she stood.

Èponine glanced toward the new fourth wheel and saw him looking away as if trying to suppress a groan just as much as she was. His attention turned to her as she stood and shot a pointed glance toward the couple. He shook his head with a roll of his eyes and gestured for her to walk ahead of him. He followed closely behind her as they all pressed through the ever growing cafe crowd before they fell in step side by side as they reached the garden's exit.

"They just met today?" He asked in a near whisper.

"Right before orientation."

"And you've had to deal with this for the past two hours?" Èponine nodded slowly, letting her exasperation seep in to the simple motion with a widening of her eyes. "You brave, brave soul."

"I'm waiting for one of them to start quoting Shakespeare."

"And they say romance is dead." Èponine let out a breath of a laugh while the man at her side continued on with a slight smirk. "As polite and chivalrous as he is, Marius is awful for introductions."

"I'm Èponine."

"Èponine." He repeated, a thoughtful look in his eye as he paused and gave her a small bow. "Enchanté. Je me présente. Je m'appelle Enjolras."

Èponine stared at him for a moment, eyebrow raised and mouth hanging slightly open in obvious confusion. "What?"

"I'm sorry," he said and immediately began walking again, "with a name like Èponine I assumed..."

"Well, you know what they say about people who assume." Èponine said, earning a chuckle for her trouble.

"I believe I made enough of an ass out of myself for the both of us."

"Nah, it wasn't that terrible." She said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Actually, I'm named after a character on one of my mother's favorite soap operas."

"Oh, no."

"Oh, yes." Èponine deadpanned. "That's the story of me and my brother, actually. Apparently Èponine and Gavroche were her favorite couple and she loved them both so much that she named her children after them. It's caused quite a few awkward moments with anyone who had seen the show."

"I can hardly imagine." He said. "I'm Enjolras."

"Well, I guess that explains the entire going off in French thing." Èponine said. "Enjolras, that's... different."

"It's actually my last name." He explained. "Our entire group goes by them, well except for Pontmercy over there."

"I'm going to assume you started that trend, monsieur."

"So you do know a little French."

"Nothing that I didn't learn from Beauty and the Beast."

"Ah." He said before getting back on topic. "It began as a joke, actually. I used my last name throughout high school, much to the dismay of my family, and it followed me here. When Grantaire found out he got our entire group to start using their own last names to mock me and eventually they stuck."

"Well it avoids the entire having four friends named Tim thing."

"It has it's perks."

"So what's your first name?" Èponine asked.

"That," Enjolras said, "is a conversation for another day. I'm parked this way."

"You're going to leave me with those two again?" Èponine asked, tilting her head in the direction of the oblivious couple.

"You're more than welcome to join me." He said while extending an arm in his intended direction.

Èponine looked back towards Cosette and Marius and saw them standing a bit too closely near the entrance of the store talking quietly to one another. Marius said something and Cosette looked shyly away as she giggled. Her reaction thrilled Marius to no end and his smile grew as his hand combed their way through his hair.

"I'm going to take you up on that."

Enjolras lead her through the alley to a small parking lot that was about a block away from the antique shop. There weren't many cars and Èponine assumed that most of them belonged to employees working at the different shops along the main road. She followed Enjolras up to a red Jeep with a black top parked at the very back of the lot.

"School colors on your Jeep." Èponine commented. "You've got quite the school spirit. Go Revolutionaries!"

She could hear Enjolras' laugh as they walked to the passenger side of the vehicle. "That would be my father's idea of a joke." He unlocked the door and quickly grabbed the text books and folders that had been strewn across the seat. "If you're going to do something, why only do it half way, right?"

He stepped aside and Èponine climbed in to the vehicle. After he had closed the door and began his trek to the driver's side Èponine couldn't help but glance around. She wasn't at all surprised by how tidy it was nor did it shock her that the soft cloth seats didn't have a mark on them. Under the back seat she could just make out the stack of textbooks he had moved and quickly took note of their titles. They were terribly boring things like Morality and the Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution but they made his major obvious. An Ipod was plugged in to the stereo and Musain University parking pass hung from the rear view mirror. Just as she was about to lean forward and read the name at the bottom of it Enjolras opened his door and climbed inside.

"So, law student, huh?" Èponine asked.

"Yeah," he said as he started the car, "first year in the program."

"Congratulations." She involuntarily glanced down at his hands as they effortlessly maneuvered the gear shift at her side. "Isn't that difficult?"

"Law school?" He asked. "It's challenging but-"

"Not that," she pointed toward the shifter, "that."

"Driving a manual?" He clarified with a shrug. "It's second nature now. We usually take a big camping trip at the end of September and it's a pretty good thing to have for that."

"I've never been camping." Èponine admitted.

"I'm sure you'll be invited along if the way Pontmercy is acting towards your roommate keeps up." Enjolras said as he turned on to the main road. "Marius is all about including everyone."

"I don't know," Èponine said, "Cosette doesn't seem like she would enjoy the entire sleeping on the dirt under the stars thing."

"Well, you know what they say about people who assume." Enjolras repeated her earlier words earning him a quick scowl.

Enjolras smiled as he pulled up to the storefront and put the Jeep in park. They climbed out of the car and headed inside, Enjolras stopping along the way to pull open the trunk. Cosette and Marius were already inside wrapping the vanity set with a couple of old blankets that the shop had provided and the pair quickly joined in and helped them. Within minutes the guys were lifting the piece of furniture and carefully making their way through the double doors. The set was heavy and bulky but, with a little work, they managed to fit everything in to the car before piling back in themselves. It was a quick ride back to the campus and walking from the parking garage to the dorm with it all in one trip was pretty tricky but they all somehow made it work.

Cosette unlocked the door with her purple key and the group followed in one by one. The small living space currently mirrored itself with two beds near the window, a couple of small desks with an accompanying chairs, and dressers lined up on either side which left very little space for much else.

The group looked around the room for a minute before Marius walked further in to the room and took a closer look at Cosette's bed frame.

"What are you doing?" Cosette asked.

"We may have to loft one of the beds and put it on top of the other."

"What, like bunk beds?" Èponine asked.

"It would give you a lot more room and I don't see any other way of fitting everything in here." Enjolras said from his spot leaning against the door frame behind Èponine.

"I bet you're glad you don't live on campus now." Marius said toward Enjolras as he lifted Cosette's bedskirt. With a quiet 'excuse me', Enjolras stepped around the girls and knelt down next to Marius. A couple of large black metal pieces were pulled out from under the bed and Marius handed each one off to his friend.

"Is that everything?" Enjolras asked and was answered with a nod.

Cosette turned towards Èponine. "Are you okay with this?"

"More room is more room." Èponine answered with a shrug.

Cosette turned back to the boys and gave them a huge smile and off they went to work. They made everything look so easy as they removed the mattresses from the bed frames and connected one on top of the other. They attached the support beams and tightened the bolts on them by hand before replacing the mattresses and moving the furniture back to their intended spaces. The entire thing took about twenty minutes from start to finish and Èponine was actually pretty impressed.

"You've done this before I take it?" Èponine asked.

"Lofting the beds is sometimes the only way to make enough room for yourself in these places." Marius explained as he glanced at the watch on his wrist. "Enjolras, it's almost eight."

Enjolras glanced across the room at Cosette's alarm clock. "We'd better get going."

"You have to leave?" Cosette asked.

Marius and Enjolras looked at each other, a meaningful silence passing between them for a moment before Enjolras nodded and spun his car keys around his forefinger.

"How would you two like the real off campus tour?"

Well, I really wanted the end of the first chapter to be a lot further along than this but it's getting pretty lengthy and here seemed like a reasonable place to stop. I've barely reached the tip of the iceberg with where this is going but thank you so much for reading & please tell me what you think. :)