When Tomorrow Comes

Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

The boys froze as soon as the gunshot was heard.

"Enjolras!" Combeferre yelled.

Their leader fell to the ground, holding his left shoulder.

"Get back!" he ordered. "I'm fine!"

Prouvaire grabbed his gun and aimed at the soldier who shot Enjolras. And soon, all hell broke loose again. Boys and soldiers ran everywhere, shooting at pretty much whatever moved.

In the chaos, Enjolras was able to stumbled back into Café Musain, closing the doors behind him. And then he realized he was breathing much heavier than he thought.

"Monsieur, are you alright?"

Enjolras spun around. He couldn't believe it. Eponine was talking to him. She was alive.

"'Ponine, you're okay!"

He dragged himself to her and painfully sat up on the table. He grabbed her hand with his right one.

"Mademoiselle, speak to me."

"I found out what was more powerful than death..." she let out.

"And what is that?"

"Love..."

He smiled.

"Love can heal any wounds," she said.

Enjolras looked down at her body and saw she wasn't bleeding anymore.

"How is that even possible?" he wondered.

Eponine nodded towards his shoulder and he noticed it wasn't covered in blood anymore. His gunshot wound had healed.

"Kiss me, Mademoiselle," he said.

"I thought you'd never ask..."

She sat up and put her arms over his shoulders. And then he noticed she wasn't in her torn up clothes anymore; she was wearing pants and a leather jacket. Under her jacket, she had put on a shirt that was too big for her, probably one of her father's. A dark grey piece of fabric hung loosely around her neck.

"Mademoiselle..."

"You were supposed to see me like this today," she explained. "But things got more complicated..."

"I don't care how you're dressed," he said. "You'll always be the same in my eyes."

And then he kissed her, grabbing her waist and pulling her even closer.

"I'll love you for the rest of my life," he said. "Don't you ever forget that."

"You already have..."

Enjolras froze.

"What do you mean by that?"

But Eponine simply smiled.

"Enjolras!" he heard someone shout.

He looked around, but no one was there. Outside, no one was paying attention at what was happening in Café Musain.

"Eponine?" he tried.

"Just close your eyes," she whispered. "These are only the first chapters..."

"The first chapters to what?"

Eponine got up and walked to the window. Enjolras arrived behind her as she grabbed his hands and kissed him on the cheek.

"To the greatest love story ever told..." she whispered.

"Enjolras!" the voice shouted again.

Enjolras turned around again but there was still no one. But this time, when he turned back to face Eponine, she was gone.

"'Ponine?" he tried.

But there was no answer. He looked outside and almost fell back down. Because right in front of him lay a body. A body that looked more dead than alive. But it wasn't any body; it was his.

And then in a flash of light, he woke up gasping for air. He was panting, sweating from all over.

"Enjolras!" Marius let out as he saw his friend waking up at last.

"What? Where? How?" Enjolras stuttered.

He looked around, but all he saw was an empty street and a blown up barricade.

"We lost," Marius let out.

"No! It can't be!" Enjolras persisted.

"Don't you get it? It's over, Enjolras."

Marius' eyes were bloodshot by the amount of tears that must have come out of them. Enjolras could feel the pain showing through.

"All of our friends are dead..." Marius continued.

"No!" His eyes started to fill with tears. "Stop lying to me, Marius!"

"We were outnumbered... They were right; we never stood a chance."

Enjolras sat up, biting his lip in pain as he tried to move his left arm. Marius was right. No one was left. He looked in Café Musain, but to his surprise, Eponine's body wasn't there.

"Where did you put the bodies?" Enjolras was finally able to ask.

"Nobody moved them yet..."

Enjolras got up in a flash.

"Then where's Eponine?!"

"How should I know!"

Enjolras ran in Café Musain but his eyes had seen right; she wasn't there.

"I have to find her!" he exclaimed.

"Enjolras! There are more important things..."

"What's more important than the greatest love story ever told?"

He grabbed a piece of fabric and tossed it over his shoulder to support his wounded arm. He looked at the table where Eponine was earlier and noticed the gun still laying on the ground beside it.

With one last look at Marius, he ran out of Café Musain. He stumbled upon a motionless arm without even taking the time to notice it.... a motionless arm that was holding a blood-stained broken bottle through its fingers.