Love is enough- Les Mis fanfic/Enjolras

Chapter 53

It was seeping out of her, travelling through the thin fabric of her clothes and Marius trembled as he leant towards her, taking her into his arms. She sighed contently, leaning against him.

I stood there, shell shocked. It was like every part of my brain had gone into shutdown, seeing my sister so helpless. It was too late, the blood was running to fast and her face was paling by the second. Life was draining from her, fast.

I heard Marius sing to her, a lullaby which was the same one I had sung in the meeting before, when Gavroche asked if I knew it. He was singing her to sleep. And judging by the smile on her face, she was happy.

I wanted to go over, to say my final farewells but I was frozen to the spot, knowing if I moved a single muscle, I would go crashing onto the floor. Plus, I couldn't tear my watery eyes from them.

"I love you Ponine. Thank you and I love you" I whispered to myself as her eyes drooped completely shut and her body locked in the last position. She was gone and I couldn't comprehend it.

"Lissy! Are you okay? Why aren't you with Madame H?!" Enjolras said loudly, striding over from behind me. He placed his hands on my shoulders and that's when my legs gave up, sending me toppling on the floor, sobbing.

"Lissy?" He said a lot gentler, before following my eyes and seeing the broken Marius hold my sisters dead body. Everyone else seemed to notice it then and a moment of pure silence overtook us before Enjolras breathed deeply and said "she is the first to fall... the first to fall on this barricade"

Grantaire, who had been missing for the majority of the attack, appeared in he cafe doorway, frowning at what was going on. Then he saw the scene and gulped, running towards me with tears in his own eyes and enveloping me.

Joly stepped forward but was dismissed by Marius with a sad shake of his head. It was too late for that. She was already gone. It was as if her spirit was floating over us at that very moment.

I wanted my sister to wake up. To jump up and yell "tricked you!" To let us know that she was okay. But what pained me most was seeing her body, completely empty. It was like it was just a costume she had been wearing. She was no longer there. She was no longer my sister.

"She's gone!" I wept repeatedly into Grantaires green jacket as I watched Enjolras and Combeferre carry Éponine away- Combeferre with an guilty look on his face for shouting at Marius. Joly replaced Éponine's place next to Marius, and he examined him for any gunshot wounds. He was staring into space like he had been earlier and ignored Jolys questions. He caught eye contact and I looked away first, knowing that I would break down again now I was only just managing to keep it a tiny bit quieter.

"I'm sorry" Grantaire murmured into my hair as we gazed to the empty space, where the only reminder that she was there was her now cold blood... and that letter that Marius had dropped.

I knew Éponine had loved him, and despite her coming to terms with it being platonic whether it was or wasn't, I was so proud of her for treating Cosette with respect. And even though it pained me to see my sister upset, I couldn't be mad at Cosette. I no longer cared about dying, as long as they were all there beside me. But I wanted Marius to live: for Éponine and Cosette.

Watching my sister fall in the arms of the man she loved opened my eyes. I was going to fight with more drive and determination than them all. I wanted to make a difference to this world, and they did too. And if leaving behind a legacy was the only way, so be it.

Marius hauled himself up, wiping his eyes with his dirty sleeve roughly and went over to a little crevice at the side of the barricade, where Gavroche claimed his 'sleeping space'. My heart suddenly panged, she was his sister as much as she was mine, he must have seen what had happened to her.

My suspicions were confirmed when he escaped from our barricade nimbly, letter in hand but with his head hung low, grieving in his own way. Marius must have written another letter to Cosette and asked Gavroche to deliver it, away from harm for a while.

Marius was now pacing around, not meeting anyone's eyes and he was so unsettled that it unsettled me. Grantaire still hadn't let go of me so we were still slumped against the hard brick wall of the Musain, unable to move from sheer emotional exhaustion.

And I burst into tears again, and didn't notice straight away when a man, dressed in a uniform, slipped through the barricade...