Beyond The Barricade | les misérables

thirty two

We spent the past three days making sure we had everything for our special dinner. Marius had returned to his wedding planning mode and Jean found it humorous to see him in that state.

I had never seen Cécile and Cosette interact so closely but I could see the void Cosette filled for Cécile. She treated her like the sister she was missing. All while Constance sat alone, watching in silence.

We had spent all day today getting last minute things together and the sun had fallen. We all sat together and just talked. I got to hear stories I never heard before and Marius shared many things that only he knew.

"We built a fortress back in the trees when we were ten," he said with a laugh. "We would write and pretend we had some higher power. She was better at it than me and she knew it. Told me every damn day."

He smiled, but I could see the hurt.

"She came to me rambling about the American Revolution, was that your doing, Marius?" her father said with a laugh.

"It was. I showed her a book and she kept it for herself. She was absolutely fascinated with the idea of people standing up for something as simple as freedom."

He looked at me and I could tell we both thought the same thing.

"It wasn't out of character for her to do what she did," he finished. I took a sharp breath in and looked down at my hands. That's when Cécile gasped and slammed a hand down on the table.

"You were with Marius that day he bought the dresses!" Her eyes lit up as she stared at me. I smiled slightly and looked up at her.

"I was," I nodded. "I tried to get him to keep walking but he was too stubborn for that." I looked at him. He was still smiling but his eyes were filling with a few tears.

"I couldn't just ignore Hyacinth Toussaint like that," he said. "It's impossible to ignore her."

"Trust me," I said. "I know."

Jean laughed and looked at me with a warm smile.

"That girl ran away from here more times than you would think," he said. Even Marius looked at him in shock. "It was a frequent thing for her. She usually came back, but she would disappear for hours. I have no clue where she would run since it seems as though you had no idea."

"She never came to me, no," Marius said.

"I can only assume she went to a secret spot. I could never find her and her mother certainly couldn't find her either. She was good at hiding from people."

The words stung all of us. The immediate silence that followed was heavy. I sighed and looked at the window. Something was off outside and I didn't know what. Jean was joking with Marius quietly now but it wasn't as smooth as it was.

Then there was a knock.

Everyone froze. The second set of knocks fell upon the door and Cécile pushed herself up.

"I'll get it. You guys keep talking," she said quietly. I turned to Jean who wore a worried look. Marius was clutching onto Cosette tightly and his eyes were locked on the doorway.

After a few silent moments, Constance got up and went to where her sister had gone.

"Father!"

Their voices were muffled. Jean shot up from the table and rushed to the door. He vanished and I felt my heartbeat quicken. There was crying. Marius stood, putting a hand on Cosette's shoulder.

"Stay here," he mumbled. I pushed myself up and followed behind him through the doorway. Both of us imagined the worst.

Francine was back.

Marius stopped dead in his tracks. I nearly ran into him as he took a few shaky breaths. I glared at him as I came up beside him and that's when my eyes fell on the ginger hair that had been haunting me for a year. My heart stopped as we met eyes.

"You see her too, right?" I mumbled to Marius.

"I do."

There was a woman at her side, seemingly holding her up. She didn't look any more lively than she did at the barricade. Her eyes were dull and she looked weak.

Then she smiled.

I walked slowly toward her, scanning her to make sure she wasn't just a dream. My hands met her arms and I felt a jolt of energy shoot through me. I pulled her into me and held onto her tightly, tears falling down my face as she wrapped her arms around me silently.

I pulled away from her and stared at her face, running my thumb across her cheek.

"You're really here?" I asked, my voice breaking. She was crying silently, holding onto me.

"I am," she whispered. I broke. Everything that had been built up and held back was releasing. The numbness was fading and I could feel her again.

"How? I saw.." my voice cut off as the words came to mind. "I saw him kill you. You died."

I was scared to blink. Terrified that is I blinked she'd be gone and I'd be left with nothing again. But when I finally did blink, she still stood before me.

"I don't know," she said. "I woke up in a room alone."

The house.

She had been there the entire time. I had been so close to her without even knowing.

I smiled at her, my vision blurry from the tears. I wiped them from my face and ran my fingers lightly through her hair. It was as if no one else existed anymore. Just us. I had been longing for this moment for so long. I felt so comfortable and that emptiness I had been feeling was gone.

I held the side of her face and leaned forward. My lips met hers and for the first time in a year I felt something. I pulled her closer as we kissed. Her hands were in my hair and mine held her lower back, pressing her against my chest. I felt the pain melt away as her lips danced with mine.

I pulled away and rested my forehead against hers. All was right with the world again. She was here, in my arms.

I took her hand and looked at it, the ring still there. I smiled and glanced at her.

"How'd this manage to stay on?"

"No idea. But it did, which means.."

"The promise still stands."

She grinned at me and pressed her lips to mine again. This time it was quick and sweet. She pulled away and looked past me. Her eyes met Marius' and I saw the tears. I stepped to the side as she stumbled toward him. He pulled her into a tight hug and swayed side to side, his face buried in her shoulder.

Jean came up beside me and put a hand on my shoulder. I looked at him and he smiled, his face was tearstained and his eyes were red. But the smile he wore was undeniably happy.

Constance was hugging Cécile with the biggest smile in the room.

And there was, standing alive before us all.