The Darkest Night Will End

Saint Michelle, Paris, February 11th, 1832

Saint Michelle, Paris, February 11th, 1832

Grantaire sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face as he trudged behind the group of ABC members bound for the Musain after a mostly successful rally, just that morning he had gotten word from Enjorlas that his part of the deal had been fulfilled, with a far too ambiguous 'she accepted.'

Now Grantaire was trying to muster up the courage to talk to Jacquelyn, who was barely two steps ahead of him, trying and only slightly failing at keeping the hem of their skirt up out of the mud.

He took a deep breath, quickening his pace to fall in step with them, "Pretty good end for a rally for once, huh?"

They smiled, "I think that's the best one in E's history."

"Yeah, I must admit, it is nice to see things turning out for once." He chuckled.

Jacquelyn gave him another tight lipped smile, eyeing him cautiously, "You know 'aire, for a cynic, you're not very cynical."

"Hey! Those are spiteing words!" Grantaire laughed.

They continued walking along for a moment, until he finally worked up the nerve to begin talking again, chuckling, "Hey, Jackie, you remember back in the old days when I tried to bandage your hands cause you scrubbed them raw? It was only a day or so before I'd asked-"

He was cut off abruptly when near the front of the miniature procession Courfeyrac exclaimed, "HOly shit Enjolras! Why didn't you tell us you had Jack nabbed?!"

The entire group froze, most of the confused looks being shot toward Enjolras though Jehan raised his eyebrows suspiciously toward Jacquelyn.

Enjolras chuckled nervously, glaring at Courfeyrac, "I was going to make an announcement when we got back to the cafe Courf!"

Combeferre clapped him on the shoulder, and Enjolras turned around to face the group directly, taking a shaky breath.

Jacquelyn gave him a reassuring smile, and so carefully he began to speak, "Well, I suppose that now that Courf has let the cat out of the bag, the announcement I was planning to tell you all back at the cafe is that- well- Jacquelyn and I, we've started courting."

All around there were positive reactions, handshakes exchanged, Jehan nearly tackling Jacquelyn in a hug as Bahorel thumped Enjolras on the back so hard he nearly fell over.

Meanwhile Grantaire just gaped at them, words of hate already beginning to brew in his mind.

"What's with you?" They asked with a nervous laugh after freeing themself from Jehan's grip.

"Courting? Him?" There was a rough edge to Grantaire's voice, and Jacquelyn could see the storm ready to burst in his eyes.

Sighing, they squared their shoulders, getting ready for a fight, "Yes, I am. Is there an issue with that Grantaire?"

"So all your loyalty to me is gone? Is everything we had, burned now?" He asked, incredulous.

Jacquelyn shivered, fearing the anger that burned in his brown eyes, "You are the one who allowed it to burn."

"Says the one who spent those two years lock up, you thief," He spat, scoffing, "And Enjolras- Enjolras of all people? And here I was thinking there was no way to downgrade from me! And yet you have, Jaquelyn."

They shuddered again, the connotation of his voice as he said their name dragging against their skin like sandpaper as he continued, "I'd say that you were going to be a spot on the Enjorlas family name, but it seems he made that spot himself! Would make sense that he'd choose a dirty thief like you!"

"I am not a thief." They muttered, arms crossing in front of them as if forming a barrier, their head already hung slightly.

"Really? Is that why you spent two years in jail? Is that why you were one of Monteparnasses gang? Going around in the dead of night to break into houses? Being carted off on the night of your 18th birthday because you were stupid enough to get caught?"

Jacquelyn could feel Enjolras' look of betrayal burning into their shoulder, and the looks from the rest of the Amis as well as their brain screamed at them to run.

"To think I was going to try and get you back," He spat, "You can have her Apollo, I think all the lying, betrayal, stealing and the rest accompany you well."

Jacquelyn looked from Enjolras to Grantaire, and then back again. It was all too much and so they took off in a random direction, vision already beginning to cloud with tears.