Not a Dream

Chapter 37

Cosette lowered the pan and held her hand out to Éponine who was still laying on the ground in shock. Cosette helped pull Éponine up and the girls smiled shyly at each other. "Thanks" said Éponine, "I thought I was done for".

Cosette smiled and laughed lightly, "I've wanted to do that for years". Éponine gave her a confused look, "well ever since I was younger I always wanted to get back at him and, well you're whole family basically, for everything you did to me in the past".

Éponine nodded slowly and looked up at Cosette, "I'm really sorry, I hope you know that. I regret everything I did or said to you, and I know it's no excuse, but my parents....."

Cosette silenced her with a rapid shaking of her head, "No Éponine, I should be the one begging for your forgiveness. I destroyed your relationship with Enjolras, which I thought was totally fake. However, now I can see how blind I was. If you didn't care for him why would you have chased after him, or had been so hurt and mad when I said that. Gosh, I was so stupid! I-I let my anger for your family cloud my judgment of you. You're nothing like your family, and I forgive you for everything, could you forgive me?" She asked sheepishly. 

Éponine smiled, "Of course I can forgive you. You've obviously earned my forgiveness tonight so I want to thank you again" she said.

"No problem" Cosette said.

Éponine stared into Cosette's eye, searching them for validation of what she heard. However, she saw no falter or uncertainty in her eyes. Éponine held her hand out, as a peace offering, but found herself to be pulled into a hug. She hesitated slightly before wrapping her arms around Cosette's petite waist. Could she really have a friend now? Was it possible for her and Cosette to become friends after all they had been through, she could only hope. The girls broke apart with bashful smiles, but Éponine's face hardened when she realized what she was really here for. Marius. "Cosette, why didn't you talk to Marius? He's really heartbroken about you just leaving like that. He needs to know that you'll still be there, well that you'll still love him" she said sternly.

Cosette looked confused, "but I told him I loved him in my letter and-" she began.

"Yeah, but you also told him you wanted him to come to you here and talk to you".

Cosette sighed, "I know, I did want that, but I got scared. I thought that he would get mad at me and hate me. I couldn't risk that, so I sent him away. But then someone knocked at the door again and I thought it was Marius, but it was your father, and well you know the rest". 

Éponine nodded, "I think you should come with me. Marius would never hate you, honestly you're all he talks about" she said with a laugh, "he loves you and he needs to know that you're there for him and that you love him. So please come with me". 

Cosette smiled at her, "of course I'll come. I just have to leave a note for my father to tell him I'm going out and will be home soon" she said turning to the kitchen. Cosette wrote the note quickly and left it on a center table and followed Éponine out the door.

However before they left for the café the girls dragged Thenardier out to the curb of the complex, if they saw an officer on their way they would send him to pick Thenardier up. 

The girls walked in silence for the first part of the journey before Cosette smiled to Éponine. "To imagine, that a few days ago we hated each other. I thought you were trying to steal Marius away from me and I wanted to ruin your life because I blamed you for ruining mine. But now I know, you did love Marius, and you might have been trying to steal him in the beginning, but I should not have judged so harshly so quickly. I'm glad we have the chance to become friends now".

Éponine smiled to her and said, "yeah me too".

Finally the girls reached the café Musain. Cosette hesitated at the door and looked at Éponine nervously, "are you sure Marius will want to see me? What if he really does hate me?" She asked.

Éponine smiled and placed her hands on Cosette's shoulders reassuringly, "don't worry. He'll be so happy to see you!"  

Cosette nodded, "Ok, can you bring him out here? I don't want to go in and cause a scene".

"Of course" said Éponine, "I'll be right back". Éponine turned into the café and made her way to the back. She heard lots of shouting and yelling and a deep pit formed in her stomach. Something was wrong. She bounded up the stairs and saw Enjolras trying to maintain order among the boys. They were yelling and trying to figure out something Enjolras was not telling them. She weaved her way through the crowd until she found Marius. She grabbed his hand and pulled him with her back down the stairs. She made a mental note to go back upstairs after she took Marius to Cosette. She stopped and looked at Marius, "you have to promise me you won't yell or be mad at her. She is just as scared and apprehensive as you are" she said sternly. 

Marius nodded and smiled a little, "I'm just happy to know she came with you".

Éponine laughed and continued to pull him through the café, "well it wasn't exactly a walk in the park" she mumbled quietly to herself.

Finally they reached the door and there Cosette stood. Marius and Cosette stared at each other, neither making a move, until Marius took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her. At first she didn't hug back, she was merely surprised, but Éponine could see that after a few seconds a smile spread across her face and she wrapped her arms around him.

Éponine smiled at the reunion and stepped away. She was no longer jealous of Cosette or hating her because of her relationship. She was happy to say that she could now consider Cosette as a friend. She turned away and began to head back up the stairs to see what was going on. Enjolras was still trying to maintain order but he yelled loudly above all the noise, for everyone to hear, "You want to know what's wrong? General Lamarque is dead!" and the café was silent.