Moments of Change

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.

This story starts, like many stories end, with a wedding.

On a cool night in April, the River Hotel in Paris hosted over a hundred guests of Monsieur Joly and Madame Musichetta, who had finally tied the knot earlier in the day. The main ballroom was decorated with soft lights all around the high ceiling, collecting along the wall behind the band. Their music carried around the large room, across the dance floor in front of them, past the tables and chairs spattered with plates of finger food and glasses. The bar stood at the very bottom of the room, a hard wood structure with men and women in crisp shirts and trousers serving drinks. Along the right side were tall French windows, opening out onto a terrace.

This was all Eponine saw as she walked into the room, her mouth falling open slightly. "Wow...this is so...so Musichetta."

Beside her, Cosette giggled and answered, "Of course, she is one who planned everything. If Joly was in charge, he'd probably have had a heart attack."

Eponine looked around the heads of everyone in room, past the dancers and the eaters and the drinkers. She tried to find the one person in the long dress, probably smiling like a mad woman. She smoothed down her own simple dress, a deep blue that tied around her neck, went in at the waist and flared out slightly to her knee.

Cosette batted her hand away, saying, "You look great, stop worrying. It's me that has the dress problem. This red makes me look like I'm advertising myself. Why did you let me wear it?"

Eponine rolled her eyes and linked her arm through Cosette's. The red dress was a daring colour and it may be a little tighter than Cosette's usual style but she looked amazing. "I didn't make you do anything. It was you who said that the other dress gave the appearance of a bloated frog. Now where is 'Chetta and that new husband of hers?"

The two girls walked further into the ballroom, scanning the crowd. They didn't know many people there, as they were old friends of the bride who had never met her workmates, nor many of Joly's friends. It wasn't that they didn't want to go out with Joly's famously social friends but Cosette had been busy travailing with her father in America for the past year and Eponine had been caught up in an embarrassing trial with her parents.

The Thenardier Trial had drawn huge media attention; the sentencing of one of the world's most profitable conning families would. Of course, the news that their daughter was testifying against them only made people become more interested. It was all Eponine could do to keep her face out of the papers, so sitting with a bunch of strangers and being asked dreaded questions was a nightmare. Now, her parents and all their gang were in prison and she was finally free. She didn't even know what to do with herself, let alone her little brother. Gavroche seemed happy in his foster home so she let things be. It was actually introducing herself as a Thenardier that made her cringe. The look on people's faces, probably wondering if she would lift their wallet or steal their watches and then there was the realisation that she was the one who had turned them in.

But she was determined to keep her head high and say it with pride; starting with this wedding.

Cosette suddenly waved her hand in the air and called out "'Chetta!" catching sight of the bride on the dance floor.

Musichetta spun around from dancing with her brother, a wide smile appear on her face when she saw them. "Finally! I have been waiting for my would be bridesmaids to be here."

Cosette and Eponine both ignored her; they had been hearing the same complaint for weeks. Musichetta had wanted them in her wedding party from the start but Cosette had to stay with her father in Florida at the time and Eponine had been in the middle of the trial. So Musichetta had chosen two other friends. Of course, Cosette had come back in time of the wedding and the outcome of the trial came in at record time, leaving both girls free but unprepared to be bridesmaids. This only refuelled Musichetta' upset.

The bride wrapped her arms around her friends' shoulder and a combined hug. "You know we're sorry 'Chetta," Cosette said, "But your bridesmaids did look wonderful."

Actually, they kind of looked like overcooked chickens in those amber coloured dresses but Eponine just nodded.

Musichetta pulled back and fixed her train behind her before answering. "I know, I know. It's just that I wanted my best friends beside me, not stuck at the back of the church."

Cosette gave Eponine a pointed look, which she ignored. It wasn't really her fault that there was traffic and it certainly wasn't her fault that Joly and Musichetta had invited so many guests to such a small church. Eponine hadn't even seen the bridal party walk up the aisle, let alone see Joly and his groomsmen. All she had seen were the heads of the bride and groom as they said their vows and once she had caught sight of those bridesmaids' dresses coming down the aisle she had turned her head to give Cosette a shocked look, so Eponine had missed the groomsmen altogether.

"We are sorry but we're here now!" Cosette exclaimed and Musichetta grabbed her friends' hands.

"Perfect, then I can finally introduce you to Joly's friends. He has so many of them but only three of them were his groomsmen, you know. Most of them are law students but not all of them. They call themselves Les Amies because of the charity work they do around the city. Have you heard of them?"

Cosette shook her head but, as Musichetta practically dragged them towards the open French windows, Eponine remember exactly where she recognised the name from. They were a bunch of rich people who were trying to clean up the city. They set up small hostels and shelters but as far as Eponine was concerned, they weren't doing much. They made a dent but Eponine knew that the problems of the poor went far deeper. She just never knew that Joly was a part of the group.

Before the girls could step off the dance floor, however, Musichetta was stopped by a guest. As they talked, Cosette pointed towards the open doors. "They must be the groomsmen."

Eponine turned and caught sight of three men, all in matching suits in various states of dress. One of the men had sandy brown hair, slightly floppy but in an endearing way. His suit jacket was missing and he was holding a beer in his hand. The other looked slightly younger, his brown hair slightly spiky at the top and a face covered in freckles. He still had his jacket but the shirt was hanging out and his tie was loose. He was cute, Eponine decided, as the man laughed at a joke. The last man, however, had his back to her, so she could only see blonde hair and the back of black suit.

But when Joly appeared out of nowhere and clapped a hand on his shoulder, the man turned around and Eponine felt the world freeze. He was, without a doubt, incredibly handsome. His features were practically chiselled and he had strong jaw with deep eyes. His suit was intact, perfectly tailored to him and hazardous to Eponine's health. He smiled at Joly and without her knowing why, Eponine herself smiled too.

A hand on her arm, jolted Eponine from her staring and she turned to see Cosette looking at her. "Musichette mentioned their names to me earlier...what were they? It's confusing because some of them call each other by the second names. Um, Combeferre, Marius and Enjolras I think...yes! Yes those were their names."

Eponine nodded and turned around again. This time however, Joly must have pointed them out to his friends because her blonde groomsmen met her gaze. He froze, stuck staring at her. She gave him a small smile which only caused him to turn back around. Startled, her smile dropped as she watched him mumble something to his freckled friend. This man looked over at her and after a moment, gave her wide smile. So Eponine smiled back, only to see this groomsmen walk over to her and her group, leaving his friends to trail after him. He stopped right in front of her, holding out his hand.

"Hello there, you must be the famous Eponine. Musichetta has been talking about you all week. I'm Marius."

Eponine shook his hand, trying not to look past him at the others who had joined them. "Yes, I'm Eponine. 'Chetta mentioned that you were a groomsman."

The other man greeted her happily also, saying, "My name is Combeferre. And this quiet one over here is Enjolras."

Finally Eponine looked at him. Enjolras was a name that seemed to suit him for some reason. He was tall, now that he was standing nearer and she could see that he had a soft drink instead of a beer like his friends. He nodded to her and she nodded back, choosing that if he was going to be off putting then so was she. The feelings from only moments ago were being slowly forgotten as Enjolras seemed to show little interest in her. He purposely looked away, scanning other guest for someone Eponine was sure didn't exist. He just didn't want to talk to her. She sniffed and turned back to Combeferre and Marius who were smiling.

"Joly says that we all would have met much earlier but you and...Cosette is it?"

Eponine nodded and looked around to see her friend now standing with her back to them, talking to Musichetta and Joly. "Yes, that's her. We were going to be bridesmaids but she was travelling and I had...legal matters to take care of so we didn't think we could properly help her with the wedding."

And she had mentioned legal matters. Eponine could have sworn right there but she had long schooled herself to keep a calm face and thankfully, Combeferre and Marius were too polite to ask.

"Well, you are here now so we can all celebrate!" Combeferre exclaimed just as Musichetta saw them.

"Perfect idea Combeferre," she said, "Marius, take Eponine out for a dance and Cosette can take pity on Combeferre and do the same."

Hearing this, Cosette giggled and turned around with Joly to finally look at the group. Eponine smiled at her and turned back to Marius who was staring ahead of him.

She held out a hand and asked, "Are you alright? Or should I get another partner?"

Marius jumped slightly and took her hand. "Absolutely not, you and I should grace these people with our talent."

Eponine laughed and Marius barely took a step forward before asking, "Oh but Musichetta forgot to mention a second name for you. Or do you just have one, like those musicians?"

Eponine forced herself to grin as she replied to him in a level tone. "No, I have one. It's Thenardier; Eponine Thenardier."

Thankfully, to Marius, the name just seemed like a stray thought to him, as if he couldn't remember where he had heard it before. But Enjolras just snapped his head around to look at her again. She met his gaze with determination and set her mouth in a firm line. He must be one of the law students 'Chetta had mentioned and from the knowing look in his eye, he knew exactly who she was.

Anger flared in her then and she quickly said, "No need to check your wallet Enjolras, I'm sure it'll be there at the end of the night."

Enjolras simply raised an eyebrow and said nothing which infuriated Eponine more. She took a breath and looked at Marius, who seemed utterly confused. It was adorable. She smiled at him and took his hand again as they walked out onto the dance floor.

"Don't be bothered about Enjolras," Marius said as placed his other hand on her waist, "It's his nature to be quieter than the rest of us. But you should see him in a courtroom! He's amazing!"

Eponine was pretty sure that a courtroom was exactly were Enjolras expected to see her; just like her parents. But she decided to forget about the handsome idiot and concentrate on the friendly man in front of her.

Five years later.

Eponine turned off the tap, stopping the flow of cold water to the sink in front her. Water dripped down her tanned face and she dried herself off with a towel. She walked out of the small bathroom, stopping in the doorway to look at her boyfriend.

Marius was still asleep, curled up in pillows and sheets, snoring slightly. Eponine grinned slightly, not truly believing she had been with him for five years.

From their first dance at the wedding, Marius and Eponine had become fast friends. They had great fun together and many times, Eponine would cry from laughter with him. They hadn't gone on a date for a couple of months but finally, Combeferre helped Marius to get the guts to ask her out.

From there, Cosette and Eponine were fully accepted into Les Amies. Suddenly, their days were spent with either one or two or all of their new friends and nights spent at someone's apartment or the Cafe were almost mandatory. Cosette and Eponine got jobs at the Cafe and just two years ago, they put their money together to buy it when it went on sale. So business was good and her relationship with Marius was wonderful.

He was sweet and considerate, always there when she needed someone to talk to. They were practically living together now, something that Musichetta had expected to happen three years ago. Eponine's friend was very protective of her, especially since everyone found out who she really was and what her life had been like. As far as Muischetta was concerned, the "taking it slow" agreement that Marius and Eponine had going was at snail's pace. Eponine bit her lip and crossed her arms over her chest. They were not like Joly and 'Chetta, she had decided long ago. They had no plans to get married or really settle down fully. What they had was fine for them and infuriated 'Chetta for some reason.

But Eponine just shook her head and padded over to the door of the bedroom. Opening it up, she walked into the living room, decorated in soft couches and a wide screen TV. The room was large and open plan so Eponine had a very clear view of the kitchen at the other end of room and Marius' roommate, who was currently eating breakfast.

Eponine nearly groaned out loud at the sight of the one thing in her life that was not wonderful but instead chose to ignore Enjolras. She walked past him at the breakfast bar and went straight to the fridge. Enjolras, unlike her and Marius, was out of his pyjamas and dressed in a ridiculously well-tailed shirt and suit pants. His jacket lay across his briefcase which was sitting on the table.

"Shouldn't you be at the Cafe? It is actually a normal working day you know?" he quipped as he finished his cereal.

Eponine took out the pancake batter that she knew was in there from the night before and shut the fridge before facing him. "For your information, it's Cosette's day to open the cafe; unless, you want actual proof that I have job? It's just a lot less boring then yours."

Enjolras gave her an eye roll before grabbing his dishes to put them in the dishwasher. They both avoid even getting in the same personal space as they moved around the kitchen and Eponine only let out an exasperated sigh when Enjolras return to his room to get some files.

Having the one person in their group she couldn't stand as her boyfriend's roommate was not an ideal situation. From the night of the wedding, neither of them could get along. He was the only one of Les Amies to not welcome her to the group and barely said two words to her. For a while, she thought that he just disliked women in general, including her and Cosette. He was very focused on his work with charities and his studies at the time. But then Cosette had mentioned to him that he might want to focus his efforts on foster homes as some of them were horrific; she knew. From then on, the two of them had become quite good friends. Musichetta even said that he would do anything for her.

So it was just Eponine then? That had pissed her off even more and one day out of the blue; she decided to stop pretending she was ok with it. That was the same day that Enjolras seemingly decided to stop keeping his snide comments to himself. That followed many arguments and sarcastic quips that their friends had learned to ignore; they just decided never to put Eponine and Enjolras anywhere near each other during group parties and get- togethers.

Which was complicated because Marius and Enjolras lived together. Apparently, Marius had needed a place to stay, Enjolras had a spare room and then Marius just never left. So, that had left Eponine in a foul mood every time she saw him. Plus, there was the fact that he was a rising star in the legal field and was making more money per case then she saw in a year. The only reason he didn't get a better place was because he gave so much of it to the needy.

Enjolras emerged from the room, a file in hand which he placed in the briefcase. He looked at Eponine, who was cooking the pancakes and she sent him a twitch of her eyebrow in return. "Don't you have better things to do with your morning off then cooking your lazy boyfriend pancakes?"

Eponine shot him a scathing look and replied, "Just because you don't have a girlfriend doesn't mean that you can criticise me."

Enjolras rolled his eyes and picked up his case and jacket. "By the way, when Marius eventually reawakens from his beauty sleep, you can tell him that a spot opened up at my firm if he would actually like to get a big boy job for once."

Eponine nearly threw the spatula in her hand at his head. "You know that Marius to trying to find himself as a lawyer; he doesn't need you pushing him all the time!"

Enjolras started walking backwards towards the door as he spoke. "Yes, but the whole point of finding yourself is actually finding something at the end of it."

With that Enjolras turned sharply and walked out the front door. As it shut behind him, Eponine let out a frustrated growl and went back to the pancakes. Ok, so Marius hadn't really had a steady job since he had graduated but who was she to talk? There were plenty fields he could go into and he did get work here and there.

She just wanted him to be happy. Even if Marius' career was something 'Chetta blamed for their lack of moving forward.

Eponine just shook her head and went back to cooking her famous pancakes.

It was far later in the day when everyone had gathered in the cafe. Apparently, Enjolras had won the case he had went to in the morning and Musichetta and Joly had big news so Grantaire had brought drinks for everyone-with Cosette's permission to serve them.

Eponine watched from behind the counter beers were passed around the now otherwise empty cafe. She was putting away clean cups from the day when Cosette appeared beside her. Nodding her head towards the group, Cosette asked, "Are you ok with this?"

Eponine just gave her friend a smile and continued to put away the cups. Cosette was always worried when people drank around her friend but Eponine had stopped getting annoyed at her long ago about it. Thanks to her family's lifestyle, she had been an alcoholic at fifteen and Cosette and 'Chetta had gotten her to rehab after a year of begging. The treatment there had worked, not only for the drinking but for how she saw life overall. That had been the beginning of her bringing down her family.

So, Eponine generally avoid drinking but if there was one thing that could drive her up the wall was when people were awkward about drinking around her. That was why she had warmed to Grantaire. He had pretty much admitted that he was going to drink and would she mind at all? When she said no, he had grinned and bought her a soft drink, while telling about the time Courfeyrac had gotten his head stuck in a fence after a night out.

Grabbing some coffees, Cosette headed over to the gang and Eponine followed her soon after. Chatter and laughter echoed around the group until Musichetta banged through the door like a whirlwind with Joly scrambling behind her.

"Guess what?!" she exclaimed to the group as she threw herself in a chair, her eyes bright with a hint of crazy. Joly sat down gently beside her, nodding to the group.

"We all know it's your fifth wedding anniversary," Feuilly said over his coffee.

Musichetta just waved her hands like she was taking off into the air. "Yes, but that's not the point! Eponine, you know those dresses I was working on last week. The last minute order I got?"

Eponine nodded, replying, "The bridal party dresses? The ones you spent three days and nights making?"

Joly, sipping his coffee, muttered, "The ones that made you live on energy drinks and made me panic..."

Muischetta just nodded again, continuing. "Well, the father of the bride was so grateful for me practically saving the wedding that he decided, as a gift, to let Joly and I spend our five year anniversary at his resort in the Caribbean!"

Cheers and congratulations followed but Musichetta just shushed them. "You see, this guy built a resort on this tiny island in the Caribbean and it's like some kind of tropical paradise. It's right by the beach and there is so much flora and animals. It's going to be amazing. And it's not even the best part."

Musichetta paused, looking around the group. When none of them said anything she exclaimed, "He said that if my friends want to join us, he can give us all a discount and be there for an annual island barbecue he hosts!"

Eponine stared at her, knowing that the others were doing the same. She quickly did a head count: Joly and Musichetta, her and Marius, Cosette, Enjolras (unfortunately), Courfeyrac, Combeferre, Grantaire and Feuilly. She knew that Bahorel and Bossuet, who were not present, had work commitments for the next few months because they had been complaining about them for weeks. Were they really going to get discounts for all of them?

"You really think we can all just fly off to the Caribbean at short notice? I mean, your anniversary is next week."

Joly decided to chime in at this point. "We know but it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. And you all did clear your schedules for celebrating anyway. Even Enjolras!"

Eponine looked over at Enjolras at this moment, and he gave her frown. She turned away from him, leaning back in her chair, which Marius had draped his arm across.

"Well, I'm in!" Grantaire exclaimed and the others soon echoed him. A whole week on an island in the Caribbean? Who could resist?

"Are you sure I can't back out of this?" Enjolras asked Joly later that night. Joly, who was slouching on his couch, just shook his head.

"No way! It'll be great and we might-brace yourself for this-actually get you to have fun."

Both men were back at Joly and Musichetta's house, Enjolras crashing in the spare room. He didn't even need an excuse anymore; the couple knew it was sometimes best that Enjolras and Eponine were not in the same room.

Joly looked over at his friend, the soft glow of the lamp shining on his face as he sat in the armchair. "I know that being on an island with Eponine may not be exactly your idea of fun but it's for our wedding anniversary."

"I know, I know and I am happy for you both," Enjolras said, "Five years of marriage is a thing to celebrate."

Joly gave him a goofy grin and motioned towards the bedroom, where Musichetta was already asleep. "You know, the first time I saw her, I literally felt someone punch me in the gut."

Enjolras snorted but Joly just sat up and continued. "I mean it! Well, I really mean that the sight of her took my breath away. That's what happens when you meet the person you fall in love with. I think I read that quote somewhere...what was it... "a moment of breathless delight?" Yes, some French guy wrote that I'm sure. And someday Enjolras, you will set eyes on a girl and that will happen to you."

As his friend sat back against the couch again, Enjolras decided to not correct him. He held his tongue, just as he had been doing so for five years.

All because five years ago, he had had that moment.

The split second he laid eyes on Eponine Thenardier, air, common sense and all logic had gone out the window. He had that moment when the world had stood still and one girl had changed everything.

And what had he done in that moment? He had turned around-without smiling- and proceeded to tell his flirtatious friend of her existence. That of course lead to Marius making the first move and Enjolras had been living in agony ever since.

He had always been bad with women in general, so how could he make any headway with a girl his friend had already shown interest in? The years that followed only made things worse, so Enjolras done the only thing that made sense in his mind: he pushed her away. She already believed that he didn't like her so why bother to change her mind? Now, the whole group thought they hated one another and Enjolras was stuck watching Eponine and Marius build a life together. Granted, it was a shaky one but it still mattered.

Of course, his feelings grew and grew the more he knew her and after five years as her most hated enemy, Enjolras was sadly and cripplingly in love with her. But that was a secret he would rather keep inside himself then ever tell anyone. The revelation could break their group; maybe even cause problems between Joly and Musichetta, which was not going to happen. So Enjolras kept quiet, unless a sarcastic quip or argument needed to be said or started. Remaining stoic had never been a problem for him. He was the quiet one in the group, unless a court case needed to be won or a meeting lead.

But seeing the woman he loved with a man who clearly didn't love her enough, made Enjolras want to punch something. Preferably Marius. Yet, it was not his business to get in the middle of their relationship; he had made sure of that.

Joly stood up from the couch, stretching slightly as he said, "Well, I'm off to bed. See you in the morning, my friend."

Enjolras nodded and watched Joly exit the room. He himself stood up and turned off the lamp, still regretting this trip.

Being on an island with his friends was not a problem. Being on an island with the woman he loved and her boyfriend was.