More Log:
Enjolras comes home, disheveled and pretty sloshed.
Javert is sitting in a chair which he's turned to face the door, waiting
Enjolras' arrival. He had planned to stand up when he came in, but he
stares oddly at him, thinking he looks like hell.
Enjolras backs up into the hallway as soon as Javert registers in his
brain. "Mon Dieu! Oh! It's you!
Javert stands up at this, and goes to guide Enjolras back into the room
and shut the door behind. He reaches up a hand to smooth back the
russled hair, asking calmly, "Where have you been all night?" Not
accusing in any way, just asking.
Enjolras says, "With a...friend. What are you doing here?"
Javert continues questioning, "Recruiting more young idealistic fools to
your cause, I assume?" and answers the question, "I spent a long day
trying to deal with a pack of idiots. I needed some time with someone
sane."
Enjolras answers Javert's question with a noncommittal, "Hmmm. Did you want
to discuss anything in particular?" He hopes to goodness that Javert didn't want to do anything else.
Javert thinks about that. He hadn't, really, had anything specific, but
he takes the opportunity to talk freely with a soul so like his. "Why is
it that people cannot see the importance of a cause?" he speaks in vague
terms to encompass both situations at once, the situations in themselves
being a bit different. "How can they shrug it off as if it were
something as incidental as what sort of cheese to have with supper - in
fact even less so?" He looks to Enjolras questioningly, then steps away a
bit. "It's infuriating."
Enjolras finds a thought he can certainly relate to, in the immediate
sense of having thought those thoughts _tonight_. "One of the hangers-on
of my group seems to delight in undermining all the progress I try to
make by making snide remarks of his own about absolutely every point I
try to make. He aggravates me." He pauses, stopping himself from
saying 'but' or 'except'. "He calls himself a skeptic. I think he is
just a fool." A sexy fool. But a fool.
Enjolras says, "Sometimes I'd just like to strangle him."
Javert smiles to Enjolras with a rare, genuine smile. It is NICE to talk
with someone so sensible once in a while. "Precisely. If I had a sou for
every imbecile gendarme I've had to deal with hwo either argues with me
at every decision I make or just doesn't /care/..." his voise grows
angry at this point and he looks like to would rather enjoy hitting a
wall or something, but he doesn't. He calms himself a bit and smiles
again, "I would be able to buy us a house in the country where we could
talk pleasantly for hours without fear of being sighted by your nosy
neighbors."
Enjolras looks genuinely frightened at the prospect, but only until he
gets control of himself. "Your doubters aren't the same as mine, though.
In my group, there is but one dissenter who will never listen to reason.
He has his mind on other things. He often seems as if he does not
believe in my dreams. Once, he wanted to proselytize to a cafe, and I
allowed him to do it. What did I see when I went to make sure he was
getting on well but a game of dominoes? He makes me so angry! It's good
to be able to talk to someone. The people in my group just don't
understand how much he gets under my skin." And neither will you, God
willing.
Javert frowns, "Were I you," >>> Am I not? <<< "I would discipline him,
firmly."
Enjolras says, "I have tried. Oh, I have tried. But he will not leave me
in peace. Or my group. They find him amusing, but only up to a certain
point. Then, they start getting annoyed with him."
Javert thinks, "I begin to believe I know who you are speaking of." he
muses... Yes, his spies have told him of one these students like to
laugh at. The name isn't coming readily to mind... he can always find
the name when he returns to his files, but he just asks instead, "What
is his name?"
Enjolras says, "Grantaire," trying to keep anything but scorn out of his
voice. "He is a terrible nuisance. Among other things."
Javert says, "He sounds it..." then pauses, looking Enjolras straight in
the eye, "I am glad that there is no one who dares to come into the
Paris police force and be as usurping as that. If there were, I would be
rid of them right away." He steps closer and lays a hand on Enjolras'
shoulder. "I could rid you of him, of course."
Enjolras's face drains of blood. "No, he is not so bad as all of that."
He swallows, as his throat is suddenly dry. "Thank you. But no. He is just like a buzzing fly. No more."
Javert says, "A buzzing fly can be enough of a distraction to cause a
disaster."
Enjolras says, "I have practice in ignoring him."
Javert says, "And you have gotten so used to him, you will be amazed at
your abilities when you are free of him. Let me do this for you."
There is a knock at the door.
A rough male voice calls, "Marcelin?"
Enjolras turns away from Javert. He says, "Just a moment." and opens the door. "What do you want?" he greets Guess-Who.
Javert looks to the door, only vaguely recognizing the man as the
drunken student whom he had seen a few times while watching Enjolras. He
resumes his normal cold stare.
Grantaire holds out a small brush to Enjolras. "You forgot this," and then
he notices that someone else has come calling. "Who on earth is _that_?"
he asks, ever polite and well mannered.
Enjolras grabs his toothbrush and mutters, "No one." He tries to shut the door as fast as he can.
Grantaire sticks his foot in the door.
Javert makes no move but to watch the exchange silently, not at all
offended by being called "No one", but... puzzling over the rest of it.
Grantaire pushes against the door in the opposite direction. "I have
something else for you, too."
Enjolras very reluctantly opens the door again. "What?"
Grantaire, drunk and not knowing how utterly suicidal his action is,
gives Enjolras a big kiss.
Javert stands up just that much straighter. Hiding the hurt along with
all the other feelings he's ever felt in his life, he waits until they
are finished kissing, being a man of manners, then comments, "You find
the buzzing of the fly this fascinating. I see."
Enjolras, bright red, shoves Grantaire away. "You don't understand," he
says, to both of them, and to himself.
Grantaire asks, "What's he talking about?"
Javert says, "I understand. You have been weakened, Enjolras. You are
lost."
Enjolras says, "No. You don't see! Go home, winecask," he orders,
definitely not talking to Javert. "Let me talk to this gentleman in
peace."
Grantaire shakes his head. "I want to know why he's here in the first
place."
Javert informs Grantaire, "I was here," like he is not here now,
"because your friend was a kind of person I don't meet too often. I was
curious to speak with him."
Grantaire gives Javert his very best sarcastic I-Don't-believe-you look.
"Sure. I'm sure you have lots of interesting conversations with innocent
boys in the middle of the night, Monsieur whomever-you-are. Let me just
leave you two to your 'conversation,' then. Marcelin, the winecask is
officially empty." He strides down the hallway, ignoring Enjy's quiet
plea to "Wait..."
Enjolras facepalms. He says, "Listen, Javert."
Javert casually ignores the i-don't-believe-you look, as he spoke the
truth and he doesn't care whether he is believed by such a person or
not. He looks to Enjolras. "I listen. Though I already believe I know
what has happened."
Enjolras says, "You couldn't possibly."
Javert glares at Enjolras with his usual 'I am above you' stare. "Then
you were not seduced by the relaxed and uncaring lifestyle that one
lives. Then you did not lower yourself from the heights of virtue and
dedication to the depths of idleness. I listen, is that what you wish to
say?" He looks at Enjolras as though he would not believe him if he did.
Enjolras says, "He never seduced me, and I am hardly idle. Sometimes I have to be human. Haven't you ever needed to be human? I don't betray my beliefs by relaxing."
Javert says, "Not until I met you."
Enjolras says, "Then you ought to understand. Just because he is...drunk, silly, and cynical doesn't mean I have any less right to relax with him than you do with me. You
don't know me particularly well. Obviously. At least I understand him."
Javert nods his head slightly. "Perhaps I ought to. I do not. I believed
I did.. you're right, it is obvious that I did not. I apologize." For
chewing you out? No, he is fairly certain he was right about that. For
what then? Probably more like for wasting your time.
Enjolras says, "You are interesting. But you confuse me. I don't know why you want to talk to me."
Javert says, "And you confuse me not at all. I do not. Fare well." He
steps deliberately out the still-open doorway to leave.
Enjolras * hmm. unless Javvie decides to take out his 'frustration' on
Grantaire.
Enjolras * Could just arrest the poor guy. _should_ have arrested Enjy.
Javert * I think he's going to go home and take a shower. He feels a
little dirty :-/
Javert * like he thought he had found someone special, and it turned out
to be just another person... and he like /touched/ him and /kissed/ him
and /who knows what elsed/ him and now that's just really gross to him.
You know he doesn't like touching.
Enjolras * Okay. ready to be Grantaire?
Javert * grins. We can get out the Guillotine ;) Yeah, sure, he's
waiting for you, drowning in wine over at the Corinth.
Enjolras makes an entrance, as always, then goes to R's table and tries
to draw him aside.
Grantaire stares down at the table, where two spots of wine have stained
the wood below his eyes. His hand is, as always, fondling the curve of a
bottle. The place is nearly completely empty at this time in the
morning, all good little boys and girls having got off to bed.
Enjolras sits next to Grantaire. "Listen. I'm sorry."
Grantaire says, "No. I'm not listening. Go back to your bloody cop and have him listen to you."
Enjolras says, "I hardly invited him over." This time. "I didn't know he
was going to show up on my doorstep any more than I expected you, and
you were a much more welcome guest. Except."
Grantaire listens, despite pretending not to.
Enjolras says, "He's not even my friend. Not at all. Say something, please."
Grantaire takes a drink, "And... it was true, what he said? He only
wanted to talk to you? How do you know him?"
Enjolras says, "He approached me one night after a meeting at the cafe,"
once Fricassee walks away again. "He's a driven man. I think he saw some
of that in me, and it really bothered him that I'm not the same around
you as I am around les Amis."
Grantaire says, "Why does he care how you act?"
Enjolras says, "I don't know what he wanted." Liar. "He left just after
you did, after getting all mad. He's not really the sort of person I
wanted as a personal enemy. Bad enough that he's a cop and I want the
Republic. I don't know." Liar, liar, pants on fire, now they match
his vest. "He's not entirely sane."
While you two talk, a shortish man in nondescript clothing (whom neither
of you know more than likely) comes in and sits down at the bar.
Grantaire looks to you. "Really?" He looks relieved, but like he just
wants to hear it once more.
Enjolras realizes that he's sitting in a public place talking to his
known nemesis. He leans back a bit to reestablish physical distance. "As
far as I can tell, he's a nutcase. He touches one of R's hands. "You have absolutely nothing to worry
about." Except that you'll be dead in a matter of days unless you're in
jail, and that your boyfriend is a lying scumbag.
The man at the bar leans over, speaking to Fricassee. Any casual
observer would say, "He is giving his order", but the look on
Fricassee's face would make anyone looking very closely think different.
Enjolras says, "Will you forgive me?"
Grantaire smiles softly, touching Enjolras' hand in return with one hand
and wiping his eyes with the other. "I don't think I have a choice." he
lowers his tone, "I'm mad for you."
The man gets up and leaves the shop.
Enjolras says, "I know. Lucky, lucky me."
Grantaire lifts Enjolras' hand to kiss it quickly, as the only fellow
who was nearby has left the building.
Javert has arrived.
Enjolras, for a wonder, doesn't resist.
Grantaire leans forward to kiss Enjolras. In public, no less.
Javert steps into the building, alone. His gaze sets upon the two young
lovers and he stands there, quietly scowling at how disgusting it is and
feeling a bit nauseated again at having been a part of that.
Enjolras lets Grantaire kiss him.
Javert looks back over his shoulder and nods his head in a signal. A few
soldiers file in from the street, a few more staying back, and even more
surrounding the building and its back exits. The kissing couple MIGHT
notice a line of soldiers entering the shop, staring at them and holding
back chuckles.
Enjolras opens his eyes, nearly screams, and pushes Grantaire off him.
Grantaire backs up hurriedly and overturns his chair.
Enjolras says, "What is the meaning of this?" as if he didn't know.
"What's going on here?"
Javert stares steadily, tiredly, at the yelping student, and repeats a
little formulaic line he memorized long ago. "You are to be arrested for
crimes against his Majesty the King."
Grantaire protests, "I've done nothing wrong!"
Enjolras says, "What crime have we committed, Inspector?"
Javert looks to the other, and says dully, "You have been seen
fraternising with a known revolutionary group." He hopes that answers
both of their questions. It should.
Enjolras says, "Is it wrong to talk to people?"
Javert replies simply, "The wrong people." and motions for the soldiers
to lead the two out if they are cooperative, or to get them out by other
means if necessary.
Grantaire looks at all the soldiers, then at Enjolras, and says, "If we do
not go quietly, our Friends will never even know where we went. Don't be
a martyr, not today."
Enjolras thinks about that.
Grantaire goes with the soldiers.
Enjolras follows, eventually, his head still held high. As they get to
the street, he, of _course_, yells, "Vive le Republique!" as loudly as
he can manage.
The soldiers lead Grantaire outside, then into the waiting fiacre.
Javert looks out after Enjolras as he is led out, and as he yells, he
frowns, thinking that thet spirit was what he so loved about this man.
Oh, well. He inspects the Fiacre and orders it on it's way, opting to
walk back to the station.
Gavroche says, "Monsieur Inspector, I have a letter for you." He delivers a note on beautiful stationery, dated 5/27/32.
Javert blinks, "What?" he peers down at the kid. He then looks at the
note, still wondering what it is the gutter snipe is giving him.
Gavroche says, "From a friend, I think."
Gavroche, who read the note, hands it over and snickers.
Javert takes the note and stands in the light of a streetlamp to read
it.
The note reads: 'Dear Inspector Javert, I have given a great deal of
thought to our last conversation and encounter. You remind me of the
tutor who taught me history when I was a lad. Please come to the meeting
at the Cafe Musain on the first of June. I would enjoy speaking with you
again as we did several nights ago.--M. Enjolras, Rue de Fromage'
Javert scowls, balls the paper up and tosses it away angrily. Then,
unable to see Paris any more filthy than it already is, he walks over to
it, picks it up and throws it in a trash can outside the wine shop.
"Thanks." he grumbles to Gavroche.
Gavroche, who had sorta been expecting a _tip_, Hello?! grumbles right
back, "You're bloody welcome, Monsieur."
Javert ignores the indignant child and walks away to occupy his mind
with other matters.

[Laura started out as R, Dessa as Enjy. Partway through, we switched.
(It's marked, I wouldn't make you guess) Laura was Marius when he was
needed, and Dessa Cosette.]
[The Naming of R is a difficult matter. Mail me if you have an opinion
on 'Pierrot'. Abby says Francois, which I don't like any better.]
The Next Day, in prison...
Grantaire wakes up, shivering.
Enjolras sits next to R on the wooden bunk. "Morning."
Grantaire embraces him for warmth.
Enjolras allows the embrace and rubs R on the back, not really caring
about his image in a place like this.
Grantaire says, "How did we get into this, again?"
Enjolras can think of several possible reasons, none of which he really
cares to discuss. "I don't know."
Grantaire says, "I remember a bit about some little group of Friends.
Yeah. Well. I should have found somewhere else to take my evening
naps. But the other cafes didn't have you..."
Enjolras mumbles quietly, "Hush, it's not your fault." calming-like.
"They don't have that much on us, we'll be out in no time." >>> I hope.
<<<
Grantaire turns around to give him a kiss and offer a backrub.
Jeers come from a nearby cell. "Are all the boys your age pansies?"
Grantaire says, "They do, though, if they took the map from the Cafe,
and if someone's been listening to your speeches half as well as I do."
Enjolras ignores the jeers, glad, at this, to be locked up, if just to
keep THOSE people OUT, and kisses R rather absently, then sighing.
Grantaire says, "What's the matter? Just don't listen to those crooks.
They're stupid."
"We might not be the brightest, but you're gonna be dead if we ever get
outta here, ya fairy!"
Enjolras says, "I'm just thinking of the Amis... will they know?"
Grantaire says, "They'll get it done without you. They can. I hope."
Enjolras smiles softly, "You hope? Since when did you hope?"
Grantaire says, "Since I met you."
Enjolras ponders the frequency with which he's heard those words
since... yesterday, was it? He's changed so many lives? he wonders.
A guard comes to the cell door.
Enjolras removes his arms from R and adjusts his prison clothes (very
not red) to look presentable.
The guard glares at the two inmates. "Enjolras and Grantaire?"
Grantaire says, "That's us, Monsieur."
Enjolras nods shortly.
The guard harrumphs. What _do_ they teach them in these schools? He
opens the door. "You're free to go. The charges have been dropped."
Enjolras's eyebrows go way up. But he doesn't argue, he just grabs R
byt he arm and wants out of here, now.
Grantaire gets out as quickly as he can.
The guard escorts you to the main entrance of the prison.
"Watch out, boys. There's been a lot of trouble recently."
Enjolras looks at the guard, "What sort of trouble?" They could at least
have let him have a newspaper or something.
"Some stupid thing about a Republic." The guard, uninterested in
political turmoil, turns and goes back inside, shutting the door with a
very final bang.
Grantaire says, "Mon Dieu! They went and did it all without us!"
Enjolras is stunned into silence. Some stupid thing.
Grantaire says, "Marcelin? We should go to the cafe. If something happened, they'd
know there."
Enjolras nods dumbly a few times. Some stupid thing.
Grantaire takes his hand firmly and leads him to the Cafe Musain, ignoring the stares of people around but looking desperately for a
familiar face.
Enjolras looks around, finding no one he recognizes readily. "Well... it's mid-day, they should be arriving in a few hours." he informs Grantaire.
Grantaire gives him a very worried 'time for a Reality Check, Marcelin' sort of a look, and opens the door of the Cafe Musain.
Louison looks up at the men in the doorway, screams, and faints.
Grantaire * Louison the dishwasher, you may or may not recall.
Enjolras blinks at the screaming and faining Louison, trying not to let
the meaning of her actions sink in. He sits down at a table, and looks up to R almost sternly. "Let's
wait for them."
Grantaire lets go of your hand and walks over to Louison quickly, not
listening to the gasps of the regular patrons. "Louison, wake up!" He splashes water on Louison's face, trying to revive her.
Enjolras sits at the table, staring expectantly at the door, trying to
keep optimistic.
Louison's eyes blink open. "Monsieur? Is it really you? You're not a
ghost?"
Grantaire shakes his head. "I'm no ghost, and neither is Enjolras over
there."
Enjolras cringes at the words but pretends to ignore them.
Louison frowns. "You I can understand, but him...I thought sure he'd be
with them." She sits up, looking at Enjy, trying to find ectoplasm.
Enjolras stares at the door, then looks at the clock, then back to the
door.
Louison asks, "Why weren't you with them, Monsieur Enjolras?"
The other patrons stare at both the Amis.
Enjolras looks to Louison intently, "What do you mean?" he asks, as if
just DARING her to tell him something's happened.
Louison says, "After General Lamarque's funeral, there was an emeute.
I've not seen any of your friends since. The gendarmes tell us that many
insurgents were executed for trying to oppose the king.""
Grantaire goes pale and sits back on the floor.
Enjolras lets his mouth hang open, then he bites his lower lip and
presses on, "How many?"
Louison shakes her head. "They won't tell us."
Grantaire stands up on shaky legs, takes Enjolras's hand, and presses it
hard.
The bartender puts in his two cents. "There was a big barricade over in
the Rue de la Chanvrerie, and another somewhere else.
Enjolras presses back, and stares at the floor silently now. No crying,
though. Not here. They wouldn't have wanted him to cry here. He stands up, "Let's go." he says with a sigh, fitfully ignoring
Louison's question.
Grantaire says, "Yes. I suppose waiting here won't do any good. If you
do happen to see any of them, please tell them we were looking,
Louison." He puts an arm around Enjolras's shoulders and shepherds him out.

Grantaire pushes open the door, finally letting Enjolras go for the first
time since they left the cafe. He fumbles around looking for absinthe,
his eyes blurred by tears, and he hands Enjolras a bottle and takes one
himself. "We can always drink ourselves to death, you know."
Enjolras says, "Two more souls for the cause... would it tip the scales?
The world seems unchanged."
Grantaire says, "It wouldn't have mattered. Sit. Drink."
Enjolras obliges. Down to the dregs of an absinthe bottle before he
stops for a breath.
Grantaire says, "I wouldn't have. You were only one person, no matter
how devoted and wonderful."
Grantaire * um, alcohol poisoning? It's liquor, not beer.
Grantaire says, "At least we are alive."
Enjolras * heh hehs. Dies
Grantaire * No!
Grantaire * O happy dagger, this is thy sheath...(stab)
Enjolras * or goes blind? Absinthe does that too, y'know.
Grantaire * Er, no, it was Oedipus who went blind. Enjolras just went
crazy. Hey, that could be fun...
Grantaire * The Furies! They're everywhere...Aiiieeee.
Grantaire * No dying or going blind. crazy is okay, he was always kind
of crazy.
Grantaire says, "We're alive. It must be a miracle. I wonder why that
police officer decided to throw us in jail on _that_ day, and keep us
just long enough to save us. God wouldn't care enough to save me."
Grantaire * Guilt trip, guilt trip. Want to switch off and have Enjy
spill his slutty guts?
Enjolras * Ok.
Enjolras says, "It was because of the conversation I had with him when I
met him."
Grantaire raises an eyebrow. He had thought it was merely a coincidence,
truthfully. "What did you say?"
Enjolras says, "Well. It was a bit more than just a normal conversation.
And he thought I was as obsessive and caught up in my beliefs as he was.
And then you came to my flat and kissed me and he knew he was wrong, and
he was upset."
Grantaire says, "I don't understand: Why did that make him want to save
us?"
Enjolras says, "He didn't think he'd be saving us. He was just very
upset with us, and had a reason to arrest us. I don't know why he let us
free. Perhaps because our...accomplices...were. Gone. Well, he wasn't so upset with you as with me."
Grantaire reaches over an arm to comfort Enjolras. "I don't see why he
should have been so upset, I mean, if not upset about the... speeches
and such."
Enjolras says, "He just didn't think you were the sort of person I'd
accept a kiss from, that's all. He was as floored as one of the..Amis
would have been." If I'd slept with Bossuet, for instance, that's how
freaked out he would have been. "I can't believe they're all gone." He takes a drink of absinthe.
Grantaire nods slowly, "I can't believe it either... but perhaps some of
them came through all right? Saved, like us?"
Enjolras laughs. It sounds more like a sob. "I don't feel saved. I feel
cursed."
Grantaire aims a kiss toward Enjolras, saying as he leans in for it,
"You live." He doesn't find much comfort in that himself, but it's a
shot.
Enjolras says, "But the Republic." He accepts the kiss without feeling.
Grantaire says, "There will be others - it's hard to believe, but there
will be - who are interested in the Republic. And you have survived to
lead them as well as you did the Amis."
Enjolras says, "I didn't lead them at all! I wasn't there. I failed them
when they needed me the most." He breaks down and cries, now.
Grantaire says, "You couldn't help that, you were locked in a cell,
under guard, under lock and key."
Enjolras says, "It was all my fault. If I'd been there, I could have
stopped them from dying. But I wasn't because I was stupid."
Grantaire says, "You weren't stupid. You didn't have an idea we were
going to be arrested like that..."
Enjolras says, "It was my fault." He drinks more absinthe.
Grantaire says, "I don't believe so. How could it be?"
Enjolras says, "I told you. That policeman was mad at me. He would have left us alone if I had never...talked to
him."
Grantaire says, "You couldn't have known he was insane like that,
Marcelin."
Enjolras says, "True." He drinks again.
Grantaire says, "See? You were not stupid, and you could not have
known."
Enjolras makes a very noncommittal noise. "Still. They are dead. All of
our friends. Dead. I can't believe it."
Grantaire says, "We'll keep an eye out for the papers... maybe there
will be a list of deceased. If not, we'll take out ads and ask for them.
Perhaps some are still alive."
Enjolras says, "Maybe. If I let myself hope, I will only be disappointed."
Enjolras * and you're always so damn cheerful, Marcelin. That's what I
love about you.
Grantaire hugs Enjolras, tightly. "Then, they are all dead, then."
letting out tears at the thought, he lowers his voice to a choked
whisper, "Then we shall be pleasantly surprised."
Enjolras buries his face in R's shoulder. "Oh, God."
Grantaire whispers, "Marcelin... I feel alone."
Enjolras says, "I'm here for you as long as you're here for me."
Grantaire hugs so tight you can't say for certain he will ever let go.
"Don't leave."
Enjolras says, "I won't. You know, we don't have to pretend anymore."
Grantaire says, "Pretend?"
Enjolras says, "We don't have to hide."
Grantaire says, "Oh, yes, let's not hide any more. No matter who is
alive or dead or... watching."
Enjolras kisses you.
Grantaire returns the gesture with gusto and tears.
Enjolras eventually says, "We're going to be different."
Grantaire shuts his eyes, "Tell me."
Enjolras says, "No more hiding. No more sneaking around in the middle of the night. No more public insults for their own sake."
Grantaire smiles, though tears still fall. "You don't care anymore what
anyone thinks?"
Enjolras says, "Who is there to care about us? We can make new friends, yes. But they'll have to accept us, not just me, not just
you."
Grantaire repeats, "Us." he likes the sound of the word.
Enjolras says, "And who knows? I might even get drunk in public, next
time." Instead of drunk in R's house, which he definitely is.
Grantaire can't resist a sad, choked laugh at that. "I will like to see
it."
Enjolras says, "I miss them already." He sags back into being depressed from being euphoric.
Grantaire says, "I miss them as well... we shall do something for them,
however."
Enjolras says, "Yes. But not today."
Grantaire disagrees, "Yes, today. And every today, every..." he counts
mentally to get the date in mind, "8th of June, we will keep today
sacred to remember them, our friends."
Enjolras says, "Yes. I only have you, in the whole city." He holds Grantaire tight, crying still.
Grantaire says, "I will be your everything, until we find others."
Enjolras says, "At least Joly won't have to think he's sick anymore." He sniffs and drinks more.
Grantaire tries to smile at that. "That's.. true. And no more bad luck
for Bossuet."
Enjolras says, "Yeah. And Courfeyrac can find all the girls he wants. And Feuilly will never have to make another fan."
Grantaire looks up the the ceiling (or beyond?) "They know now, I think.
And they don't mind."
Enjolras says, "I didn't even think of that."
Grantaire * All right, guys, if you mind us being lovers, knock twice.
If you don't mind, knock three times.
Enjolras says, "I hope you can forgive me," to the ceiling. "I didn't
mean to deceive you, not to hurt you. And I didn't mean to be so far
away..."
Enjolras * ! love it.
Grantaire * knock, knock.
Grantaire says, "They forgive you... I'm sure of it."
Enjolras says, "They'd better forgive you, too." He kisses R.
Grantaire smiles slightly at the kiss. "That is all the forgiveness I
need."
Black Curtain!

M. and Mme. Pontmercy. Strolling in the park. Early June, 1833.
Enjolras and Grantaire stroll, arm in arm, in the happy summer of 1833,
oblivious to everything but each other, happily settled in with real (!)
vocations and jobs and suchlike, and a real relationship, too.
Cosette stares around, happy to be with Her Marius in this beautiful
place. she leans over her head to rest on his shoulder as they walk.
Marius smiles happily at Cosette and the bright sunshiny day. Then, a
familiar but half-forgotten profile catches his eye and he nearly leaps
forward, yelling, "Enjolras!"
Enjolras looks up in utter complete shock at a likewise familiar voice.
"Who..?"
Grantaire's eyes nearly bug out of his head. "Oh... God!" he looks about to
drop.
Enjolras says, "Pontmercy!"
Marius notices Grantaire. notices _arm around Grantaire's waist_. notices owner of arm.
screams.
Cosette meanwhile is nearly dropped on the ground, but she steadies
herself and taps after Marius. "What... What is it?"
Grantaire blinks, then laughs, "A fine hello! We've missed you too,
Marius!"
Enjolras protectively tightens his grasp on Grantaire. He says, "I'm glad to see you breathing. We didn't know anyone
survived."
Cosette's hand appears on Marius' shoulder. "Marius?" she asks quietly.
Marius points. "ba-ba-ba-..." He tries his Marius best to collect
himself. "Cosette, this is Enjolras and Grantaire. They were part of the
Friends of the ABC, but they disappeared right before the barricade, and
I've not seen them since." He keeps looking at the way
they're...together...and his eyes keep bugging out. He remembers they don't know her, either. He says, "And this is my wife, Cosette Pontmercy."
Grantaire sees the way Marius is looking at them, and smiles as he
sidles up sedictively to Enjolras much the way Cosette is doing to
Marius at this moment, just to try to drive the point home and get him
used to it.
Cosette, innocent girl as she is, does not see anything wrong with how
the two men are acting, and she merely curtsies politely, "It's nice to
meet you two." Then to Marius, "It was not very kind of you to nearly
drop me back there."
Enjolras winks at Grantaire. "We were in jail during the emeute, actually.
Arrested for fomenting rebellion or something like that."
Marius says, "I'm sorry, Cossie. I'll...explain later." He's blushing
terribly, too. "We're the only ones, though, right?" he asks the two who
have no idea.
Grantaire comments, "We thought /we/ were the only ones."
Enjolras says, "Thank goodness we were wrong." He smiles sunnily, cosy and happy in the sunshine, and not minding
_too_ much that that dolt Pontmercy survived.
Cosette seems vaguely placated. She smiles a dazzling smile at Marius.
Hmm, funny, Enjolras seems to be smiling in about the same way at R.
Grantaire says, "Yes... I had been dreaming that perhaps there was
someone else."
Enjolras says, "Would you tell us what happened?"
Marius keeps staring at them and is starting to get used to it, but not
really. After all those years..."Cossie," he asks in an icky-sweet
voice, "could you leave me with them for just an eensy minute?"
Cosette pouts, but kisses Marius, "All right." and flounces away to
inspect a flower bed.
Marius stops smiling quite so much. "What's Wrong with you?!" he asks,
venting all the consternation that's been bubbling up while he was
trying to be nice around Cosette.
Enjolras says, "Absolutely nothing."
Grantaire adds, "Why?" though he thinks he knows why, he just wants to
show how trivial he thinks it is.
Marius stammers for a few more seconds, pointing. "But I thought you
hated each other, not..." he can't say it. "Didn't you?"
Enjolras says, "No."
Grantaire: "Not at all."
Enjolras says, "Rather the opposite, I would say."
Marius wails, "But why?"
Grantaire smiles, "I would say that." he smiles, nuzzling in Enjolras'
ear a bit. Then he turns again to Marius. "Why do you love her?"
Gesturing to the flower-sniffing Cosette.
Marius dazes out, forgetting all the new trauma in the wonderfulness of
Cosette. "She's beautiful, and perfect, and smart, and lovely, and
darling, and..." If you don't stop him, he could go on all night.
Enjolras raises an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
Grantaire says, "Yes, well." Stopping him! "Enjolras is all those things
to me, as well."
Marius snaps out of it right quick. "Er." He's speechless, again.
"That's nice, I suppose..." he tries the smile and nod tactic.
Grantaire says, "Yes, it is nice. Very nice."
Enjolras gives Grantaire a smooch on the cheek. Well, it is a very public place,
and he doesn't want to scare that stupid girl away. "And Grantaire is
all that to me, because I love him."
Marius backs away from the two psychopaths he thought he knew a year
ago. "I'll just be going, shall I?" He calls rather frantically,
"Cosette?!"
Cosette returns from the flowers, smiling to Marius. "Did you have a
nice talk?"
Marius gives her a terror-filled look. "Uh...yes?"
Grantaire asks, "Would you care to join us on the 8th? That is the day we
will take the day to remember... everyone."
Enjolras says, "We'd appreciate the company."
Marius, his nerve completely breaking, nods dumbly, then says, "Where?"
Enjolras says, "The Cafe Musain. 7 o' clock."
Marius nods. "Okay." He then drags Cosette away without saying goodbye
or anything, trying to get as far away as he can as fast as he can.
R calls after him, "Looking forward to it!"
Enjolras says, "He's obviously not."
Enjolras sighs. "Shall we keep walking or just go home?"
R tooks to Enjolras, "He'll get used to it. Let's walk for a bit. It's
so pleasant out today."
Enjolras says, "I didn't think it would be so hard." He strolls with his dear, sweet Grantaire.
Grantaire says, "He'll be /fine/. If we don't act like there's anything wrong, he'll
eventually get the hint."
Enjolras says, "I hope so. It was so odd to have him staring like that. I thought
he was going to yell again, or something. It made me feel...like I
really was doing something wrong."
Grantaire leans over and kisses Enjolras. "There's nothing wrong. There's been
nothing wrong before, has there?"
Enjolras kisses back. "No. but there wasn't someone who knew us that
well before, either."
Grantaire frowns. "You would let one person - one person - end our happiness?"
Enjolras says, "No! It just feels strange."
"Ignore it. You can't let it get to you, or he'll see that it's all
right for it to get to him."
Enjolras says, "I won't. I think. I'm more used to it all than he is, after all. Right?"
Grantaire smiles. "Good, good. Right, exactly."
Enjolras sighs, anyway. "Out of all our friends, he's the one? The only
one? With his fluff head lover? What a world."
Grantaire nods, "It's interesting. But I am glad it was left to someone other
than me to decide who survived."
Enjolras says, "Yes. I must say I wouldn't have chosen him, or even, maybe,
the three of us."
Grantaire says, "Well, it's all well and good to criticise Fate with 20/20 hindsight,
but who would you have chosen, then?"
Enjolras says, "I don't know. But not myself. I don't know, I really don't." He stops walking for a minute and hugs R, trying not to think of
the lost lives. Crying will not make it better.
Grantaire hugs back. "Well, I'll assume, for now, the fates know what
they're up to."
Enjolras says, "Let's all hope so."
Grantaire holds Enjolras gently. "Let's go home now?"
Enjolras says, "Yes."