The Barricade Girl (A Les Miserables FanFiction)

Chapter Seventy-Seven

Maggie opens the door, and her face lights up when she realises it's us. Behind her, Aunt absentmindedly wanders past, but then does a double take when she sees me standing there.
            "Juliette..." She gasps. "Papa!" She yells at the top her voice. "Papa! She's here! Juliette is here!" She rushes toward me, and my heart races with fear that she'll detect my pregnancy. But Aunt is too distracted by me physically being there to think about the fact that I've grown a pregnancy bump since she last saw me. "It's so good to see you, Juliette", she beams as she throws her arms around me.
            "You too, Auntie", I hug her back.
            "Juliette?" Marius comes skidding into the hallway, dragging Cosette behind him who hurries along, her heels tapping as she runs across the floor. Upon seeing me, he lets go of Cosette and freezes. He's seen what everyone else has missed – my stomach. My eyes widen in panic, and his gaze locks with mine. I pray he won't say anything, and almost as if he can read my mind, he pretends he hasn't seen it, and sweeps me into a tight hug. "Juliette!" He says breathlessly as if he can't quite believe it. "I didn't think I'd see you again..."
            "Well..." I try to control my emotion. "That's quite dramatic, Marius", I try to joke. "Of course, you were going to see me again. I promised you I'd be home for Christmas, remember?"
            "Courfeyrac! Gavroche!" He pulls them both into a hug, ruffling Gavroche's hair. "How I've missed you!"
            "It's so good to see you again, Juliette", Cosette gently hugs me, her blonde hair bouncing as she walks. "How have you been?" She asks.
            "Fine, thank you", I reply, smiling an anxious smile, and opening my mouth to return the question to her, but she cuts me off before I can get the words out. She holds me hands and swings them outward.   
            "And look at you!" She looks down, taking me all in. I hold my breath, as does Courfeyrac, Gavroche, Maggie, and now Marius – a collective inward breath, waiting for her to reply. But her eyes return to my face just as quickly as they had swept down my body. "You're positively glowing!" She beams, clasping her hands together in elation. We all release our breath, an audible and shared sigh of relief – she hasn't noticed it. Grandfather comes striding in, a spring in his step.
            "Juliette..." He opens his arms upon seeing me, and beckons me toward him as he steps to meet me halfway. "My dear Juliette", his eyes fill with tears and he hugs me to him. "You're home...you came back. Thank you, God."

Dinner happens without a hitch. In fact, all of us relax into it, and for a little while, none of us seem to give a thought to the secret that we're trying to hide. The entire household joins us for dinner, taking their seat around the table. And it feels wonderful. Everyone feels a home – like a family. Around that Christmas dinner table, our troubles are as far away as they can possibly be, and love and laughter radiate around the room – that hasn't happened in this household for the longest time. Wounds have healed, and hurt has disappeared. But I can't help but think that Enjolras should be here.
            "Shall we adjourn to the drawing room?" Grandfather asks, looking happier than I have seen him in years. As the entire company rise from their seats to follow his lead, Marius comes around to my side.
            "Juliette", she touches my arm, talking in hushed tones. "Can we talk? There's something I need to show you".

We tread through the snow together, for the first time in what has felt like forever. I've missed these moments with my brother, but I also feel crippled with nerves, knowing what he's going to ask me about. He takes my hand to help me along.
            "Where are we going?" I ask as I walk alongside him.
            "Somewhere special", is all he says. He walks along in silence before stopping once we're far away enough from the house that we won't be noticed. "When were you going to tell me?" He looks at me seriously.
            "...Tell you about what?" I try to play dumb, in my last attempt at keeping my secret. But he sees right through me.
            "You know what", he gestures toward my stomach.
            "Is it that obvious?" I worry, anxious that everyone else will have noticed it too.
            "No", he replies. "But I'm your brother. I know you better than anyone".
            "It wasn't that I wasn't going to tell you at all", I sigh, taking in a breath. "I just didn't want everyone to know. And I didn't want to give you the pressure of keeping such a thing quiet. That's why we went away...to keep the secret. And then I was going to return once the baby was born..."
            "And that wasn't going to raise eyebrows?" He looks at me questioningly.
            "Less eyebrows than if I started magically growing a bump in front of everyone's eyes..." I try not to sound sarcastic. "I'm just not ready, Marius", I grip his hand, looking at him pleadingly. "You can't tell anyone. Not a soul. Not even Cosette. I need you to do this for me. Please?" He hesitates, just looking at me, and then he replies.
            "Okay..." He says, and I breath a thankful sigh of relief. "Did Enjolras do this to you?"
            "Why do you say it like it's a crime?" I joke.
            "It's not..." He shakes his head, furrowing his brow as if he's trying to comprehend this. "I just wanted to double check".
            "What kind of woman do you take me for?" I gasp, punching his arm in jest. He rubs is, laughing softly. And then he just looks at me, and at the bump.
            "Touch it if you want", I take his hand and place it on the bump.
            "Wow..." He mumbles to himself, almost inaudible. "I'm going to be an Uncle..." As his hand reaches it, the baby gives a kick – the hardest kick it's given yet. "Oh my!" He yanks his hand away. And I giggle.
            "Must know it's you", I laugh". "Good baby..." I stroke my bump in congratulations. And just like old times, Marius jokes back.
            "It's your kid alright! Violent – just like it's mother!"