Disclaimer – I own nothing of Les Miserables or the song A Thousand Years. Both of them belong to their respected owners. I do own my original character of Shilo and the plot. 'Nuff said.

A/N: Hey guys –sheepish grin- sorry I haven't written anything in FOREVER, just been a little busy with NaNoWriMo and school and work, but I promise in December, I'm back for good! I was having some writer's block with my novel and decided to write this story while I waited for inspiration to strike. On another note, Marius is Eddie Redmayne.

Summary: AU: Modern day Les Miserables story. Marius was in a coma from when the French Revolution ended to 2013. The first thing he sees is a young girl named Shilo who ultimately saves him. Set to the song A Thousand Years by the Glee Cast. ONE-SHOT. Rated T because I'm paranoid.

Genre: Romance/Drama

Rating: T

Marius felt the bullets hit him, but they just bounced off his body as if they were rubber. The thing that really got him was seeing all of his friends dead.

He didn't hear the enemy soldier come up behind him and hit him with something – hard.

Marius' vision became blurry and eventually, everything went black. That was the last thing he remembered before he blacked out.

Marius wondered how he didn't die – his brain, eyes, heart, body and muscles lived.

He opened his eyes and saw he was in a white room with white walls and a white floor. He slowly sat up and felt a pain in his head. He looked down and saw he was out of his regular clothes and was in some sort of hospital robe. Warm sheets covered him and a large white pillow was behind his head.

"Hi. I thought you would NEVER wake up!" a girl's musical voice greeted Marius' ears and rested on his eardrums. He smiled when a beautiful girl entered the room. She was about 5'6 and was very skinny. She wore a faded gray T-shirt and jeans with holes in the knees. On her feet, were sneakers. Marius didn't know how he knew all these terms – they just came to him. "Do you remember my name?"

Marius shook his head and watched the girl sit next to him. Her shoulder-length blond hair was streaked with all the colors of the rainbow – blue, green, purple, red, orange – just to name a few. Her loving green-blue eyes stared into his blue eyes.

"It's okay. They call me Shilo. I still haven't figured out what they call you – no wallet, no ID of any kind, no nothing." Shilo told Marius, her eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

"M-Marius," Marius whispered. Shilo looked up from stroking Marius' hand and smiled. "My name is Marius."

"Nice to finally meet you, Marius." Shilo said, her smile growing wider.

The day we met
Frozen I held my breath
Right from the start
I knew that I had found a home
For my heart beats feast
Colors and promises
How to be brave
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall
But watching you stand alone
All of my doubt
Suddenly goes away somehow

One step closer

It was discovered that Marius was in a hospital in a faraway place called Michigan. Shilo didn't know how Marius could've been alive – when he came to them, he was an inch from death and was wearing clothes that a young man from the French Revolution would wear, which was utterly impossible. Shilo's dad had been an archeologist studying in France when he found Marius. With permission from the French Government, Shilo's father was able to bring Marius home and kept him on life support and under a medically induced coma.

"Where's Cosette? I have to tell her I'm alive!" Marius told Shilo as she took him to physical therapy. He had been in a hospital bed so long, he had forgotten how to walk.

"I wish I knew who Cosette is – or was. No one knows you're here, except you – of course." Shilo told Marius, her voice sad.

She left Marius in the hands of her good friend, Eve. Shilo told Marius she had to go practice for her gig that night.

"You're coming with Eve, right after your physical therapy. Afterwards, we're going for pizza at Dom's. You can come, too." Shilo told Marius.

"I would like that. Will your boyfriend be there?" Marius inquired.

"I don't have a boyfriend, and before you ask, I'm straight." Shilo told Marius, seeming to read his thoughts.

Later that night, Eve and Marius sat at a small table towards the front of the small café. Twenty feet in front of them a small stage was set up.

The house lights dimmed and applause rang out from the audience members. Shilo stepped onto the stage with her guitar. Without a word, she started playing a gentle tune on her guitar.

"I have died every day
Waiting for you
Darlin' don't be afraid
I've loved you for
A thousand years
I'll love you for
A thousand more." She gently sang, continuing to gently strum her guitar. She went to an instrumental break before going back to the lyrics. Marius knew that she was singing this song directly to him.

"Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything take away
What's standing in front of me
Every breath
Every hour has come to this

One step closer." Marius felt himself singing, even though he did not know the words. Shilo's eyes met Marius' and the two of them sang to each other.

"I have died everyday
Waiting for you
Darlin' don't be afraid
I have loved you for
A thousand years
I'll love you for
A thousand more." Both Shilo and Marius sang to each other.

After Shilo's gig, she and Marius went to Shilo's tiny apartment. Marius placed her to be between twenty-five and thirty, right around his age. They had planned to go to Dom's for pizza, but Eve had to be at work early the following day and had gone home.

"You hungry?" Shilo asked, going to the small kitchen and the even smaller refrigerator. "I have turkey and bread – I could make us sandwiches."

"I'm not hungry, thank you." Marius told her, sitting down on her sofa, not seeing a brown blur race out.

"That's Owl. I hope you're not allergic to cats." Shilo told Marius as she joined him on the couch.

"No – I love cats. They taste like chicken." Marius teased. Shilo rolled her eyes and turned on the TV.

The two of them watched a show that Shilo had recorded while Shilo ate her turkey sandwich.

"Please don't kill me for asking this, but where are your mother and father?" Marius inquired.

"My mom died when I was six. My dad died when I was twenty-one." Shilo answered, picking at the crust of her sandwich. Marius frowned and put an arm around her shoulders. She shrugged his arm off her shoulders and stood up, bringing her dishes to the kitchen.

"I don't have a family, either, so I know how you feel. I lost both my parents when I was four. My father's father – my grandfather – raised me after they died." Marius told her, stroking a stay hair out of her face. Now that he was looking at her more closely, he saw that she had milk-white skin, exactly six freckles on her nose and had three piercings in each of her ears.

"I'm sorry," Shilo apologized, getting off the couch and led Marius to a small room. It had a bed, desk and a small TV in the corner of the room, next to a very small closet. "Tomorrow, when I get home from class, I'll take you shopping."

Marius nodded and smiled when she shoved lilac towels into his arms. She then led the way to the bathroom and showed him how to work the shower. She then laid out an extra toothbrush for him.

"Thank you for your kindness." Marius thanked Shilo, gently kissing her cheek. She smiled and headed to her room, leaving Marius to get ready for bed.

That night, there was a horrible thunderstorm. Shilo squealed and fled from her bed, crawling in next to Marius, burying her face in his chest. Marius opened his eyes and saw Shilo trembling beside him. He turned on the lamp, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness.

"Shilo? What's going on?" Marius asked, stretching and yawning.

"I'm scared of thunder. Always have been, always will be." Shilo's trembling voice answered. Marius turned off the light and held Shilo in his arms, stroking her hair.

"Meow." Owl's meow sounded in the darkness. She waddled in and hopped upon the bed. She then buried her face in the crook of Shilo's arm and stayed there for the rest of the night.

"And all along I believed
I would find you
Time has brought your
Heart to me
I have loved you for
A thousand years
I'll love you for
A thousand more

I'll love you for
A thousand more." Marius sang soothingly as thunder boomed and lightening split the sky like a faulty light bulb. Shilo cried into Marius' sleep shirt. He held her close, kissing her temples, her nose, her face, everywhere his lips could touch. His arms wrapped around her small frame.

The storm stopped around four in the morning, right as Shilo finally fell asleep. Marius had fallen asleep around three, feeling Shilo breathing against him.

At six in the morning, Marius got out of bed and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast for the two of them.

Owl waddled into the kitchen, meowing. Marius found the cat food and poured her a little bit. Owl sat on her haunches and meowed loudly at him. Marius rolled his eyes and poured her a little more food.

He then looked in the fridge to see what sort of food she had that was edible. He found eggs, bacon, sausage, milk and orange juice. In the pantry, he found pancake mix and chocolate chips.

"Mmm. Something smells good." Shilo's sleepy voice greeted Marius' ears two hours later. Marius looked over his shoulder and saw Shilo shuffle into the kitchen. He poured her a cup of coffee and kissed her temple.

"Sleep well?" Marius asked, scooping some piping hot pancakes onto a plate and placed it in front of Shilo.

"Thanks to you, I had the best sleep of my life." Shilo told Marius as he handed her a fork and a napkin. He smiled and helped himself to some pancakes.

After breakfast, Shilo went to take a shower while Marius cleaned up the kitchen. They had eaten every bite of all the food.

"And all along I believed
I would find you
Time has brought
Your heart to me
I have loved you for
A thousand years
I'll love you for
A thousand more

I'll love you for
A thousand more

One step closer." Marius sang as he did dishes and put things away.

"I'm going to class then I'm off to work. I'll be back around seven and we'll do something, okay?" Shilo told Marius, kissing his cheek.

While Shilo was in class, Marius went to the grocery store to get ingredients to make spaghetti and meatballs. He would also make a salad and cut up some fruit.

After the grocery store, he went to the jewelry store and found the perfect engagement ring. He was slowly falling in love with Shilo and he knew that she was falling in love with him.

He was making garlic bread when Shilo came in the door and slammed it behind her. She tossed her shoulder bag on the couch and sat beside her bag, burying her face in her hands.

"Hey. What's going on?" Marius asked, going over to her, a glass of red wine in his hand.

"Nothing. I just had a really bad day, that's all." Shilo answered. Marius frowned and set his wine glass down so he could give her a shoulder rub. It was then he saw a peace sign on the back of her neck.

"Hey, Shi, when did you get this tattoo?" Marius asked.

"Which one? I have five." Shilo answered.

"The one on the back of your neck. When did you get it?" Marius questioned, running his index finger over the ink etched in her skin.

"I got it the day after my dad died." Shilo answered, taking Marius' hand in hers.

"How many do you have?" Marius questioned.

"Five – I have music notes around my left ankle, a blue fairy on my right foot, a butterfly on my lower back, my peace sign and The Lord's Prayer between my shoulder blades." Shilo answered, avoiding her gaze.

The two of them had dinner and Marius proposed to Shilo. She squeaked and said, 'yes', although to Marius, it sounded more like, "AKDFJDKDFAKKJFKDFYES!"

Shilo and Marius instantly went to work planning their wedding, when they weren't working or at school. Marius had taken a few classes in music and had gotten a job teaching elementary, show and high school choirs.

The wedding came and went. Marius walked Shilo down the aisle. There were only thirty guests at their wedding, which was okay with the two of them, since they didn't know that many people.

The two of them went to Mackinaw Island for their honeymoon. They stayed at the Grand Hotel on the sixth floor overlooking Lake Michigan.

"What a beautiful view!" Shilo said, looking out the large window. Marius stepped behind her and gently kissed her neck, brushing her hair over her shoulder.

The two of them talked about starting a family. Shilo and Marius wanted kids, but Shilo recently went to the doctor. The doctor told Shilo that she couldn't have children, but they could try anyway.

Two weeks after they came home from their honeymoon, Shilo started getting morning sickness. Marius was right by her side, stroking her hair and rubbing her back, soothing her.

When Shilo had morning sickness for a week, she and Marius went to the doctor. The doctor – a kind middle-aged woman named Dr. Sherwood – did some tests on Shilo, just to make sure she was really pregnant and that her body wasn't playing tricks on Shilo. It turned out that Shilo was two weeks pregnant with her and Marius' first child.

As Shilo's pregnancy wore on, she felt depressed and didn't feel like doing things half the time. Marius catered to Shilo's every need, want and desire. He painted her toenails, rubbed her back, held her and went to every doctor's appointment and Lamaze class with her.

When she was six months pregnant, the two of them found out they were having a baby girl. Marius felt tears stream down his cheeks as he saw his daughter on the ultrasound screen.

I have died everyday
Waiting for you
Darlin' don't be afraid
I have loved you for
A thousand years
I'll love you for
A thousand more

That afternoon, she and Marius painted the nursery. They painted it light pink with white boarders. There was also a white crib, changing table, closet and rocking chairs. Marius had found a squishy pink armchair at a garage sale for fifty dollars.

When the nursery was done, Marius went to pick up the name stencils. They had decided to name their little one Cosette Violet Pontmercy.

Marius was hanging the stencils in the nursery when Shilo entered and wrapped her arms around Marius' waist. He looked over his shoulder and kissed her temple.

"How are you feeling?" Marius asked, hanging the second 'E' on C-O-S-E-T-T-E. He hung each letter so that the C, S, T and E were up a little and the O, E, and T hung down a little.

"I'm okay. I really want to get out of the house, though." Shilo told him.

"What do you want to do? Go to dinner? Go to a movie? What?" Marius inquired.

"We could go to Belle's – I got a gift card for my birthday there." Shilo told Marius.

"Okay – give me five minutes then we'll go." Marius told her, kissing her temple and exited the nursery, Shilo right behind him.

They had a wonderful time at Belle's – laughing and talking through dinner and dessert.

The two of them were now in bed, holding each other. Marius placed his hands on Shilo's stomach, feeling their little girl – their Cosette – kicking under his hands.

Three months later

Marius let Shilo sleep in the following morning as he made breakfast for the two of them.

Shilo shuffled into the kitchen a few minutes later, a tired expression on her face.

"Hey. What are you doing up?" Marius asked, going to Shilo's side.

"Couldn't sleep. She's been keeping me awake at all hours of the night." Shilo answered, looking at her stomach, which peaked out of her sleep shirt.

"I'm sorry, babe. Is there anything I can do?" Marius asked, pouring her some juice.

"Not right now. I think I may go back to bed," Shilo told Marius, looking down at her stomach, "three days to go."

Marius was putting the dishes away when he heard a scream come from the bedroom. He sprinted for it and saw Shilo on the chair next to the bed, a pained expression on her face.

"Shi? What is it?" Marius asked, going to his wife's side.

"My water broke and I can't move – it hurts too much!" Shilo explained, trying to keep her breathing even.

"Okay, let's get you to the car. It's okay." Marius soothed, helping Shilo stand and get her overnight bag.

They reached the hospital half an hour later, Shilo in pain more than ever. She was instantly taken to a delivery room, Marius right behind her.

Shilo screamed at the top of her lungs as she continued to bring Cosette into the world. Marius stood by her side, stroking her hair and encouraging her.

"Marius – I can't do this anymore!" Shilo exclaimed. She had been in labor for thirteen hours and was getting nowhere.

"Shh, it's okay. Her head just emerged, so the rest of her shouldn't be too far behind." Marius soothed, kissing her temple.

Cosette was out two hours later. She was perfect – 7 pounds, 4 ounces and was 21.3 inches long. Shilo, however, had almost died delivering Cosette and was currently in surgery to get some major internal bleeding under control.

Marius was in the birthing suite, rocking Cosette as he sat in the rocking chair in the corner of the room. At the moment, Cosette was fast asleep, her hand wrapped around Marius' thumb.

"And all along
I believed
I would find you
Time has brought
Your heart to me
I have loved you for
A thousand years
I'll love you for
A thousand more" Marius sang to Cosette as he rocked her.

An hour later, Shilo was brought into the room. Marius placed Cosette in her bassinet and went to talk to the doctor.

She had some major blood loss, but they were able to do a successful blood transfusion and would be awake soon.

"What about nursing?" Marius asked, looking at Shilo.

"Give her until tomorrow to recover. For now, feed the baby formula." The doctor told Marius.

Marius thanked the doctor and watched him leave. Marius didn't know when Cosette would be awake next, so he stayed with Shilo for a while.

Shilo slept until a little after four that morning. She awoke to the sounds of Marius snoring and her baby crying softly.

"Marius, honey. Wake up." Shilo whispered, throwing a pillow at Marius' head. He jerked awake and smiled when he saw Shilo awake.

"Hi. What are you doing up?" Marius asked, going over to her.

"My baby's crying and I want to nurse her." Shilo answered, trying to sit up in bed. Marius rushed to her side and helped her.

"The doctor said for you to rest. I've been taking care of her since she came into this world." Marius told Shilo, picking Cosette up and held her against him.

Shilo tried to protest, but she was too tired. She watched Marius bottle-feed Cosette some formula, seeing the two of them bond.

The following day, Shilo was feeling much better and wanted to try breastfeeding Cosette for the first time. She pressed the button on her bed for the nurse's station. A young nurse entered and was glad to help Shilo hold her baby.

"What's her name?" the nurse asked, adjusting Cosette's blanket.

"Cosette Violet. She's named after friends of the family." Shilo answered, smiling at her little one. The nurse instructed Shilo how to nurse her baby. Once Shilo got the hang of it, the nurse smiled and exited the room, just as Marius woke up.

"Hi. How are my girls?" Marius whispered, standing up and stretching.

"Good, I think." Shilo answered, not looking up from watching Cosette nurse. Marius kissed Shilo's forehead before kissing the top of his daughter's head.

Marius held Cosette while Shilo took a shower. The little one was fast asleep and seemed to be enjoying being rocked by Marius.

Shilo finished her shower and put on a clean hospital gown and gingerly got back into bed.

"How is she?" Shilo asked, watching Marius rock Cosette.

"Asleep. Has been for the past hour and a half." Marius whispered, putting the little one in her bassinet. She started crying as soon as she was out of Marius' arms.

"Honey, she's probably hungry. I'll take her." Shilo told Marius. He nodded and carefully handed Cosette to her.

As soon as Cosette was finished nursing, Shilo's doctor entered the room. He took Shilo's vitals and told her that she and Cosette could go home the following day.

When they got home, Marius put Cosette in the nursery while Shilo unpacked her overnight bag.

"You okay?" Marius asked, coming into the master bedroom and sat next to her, stroking her hair.

"Yeah, I'm okay – just a little tired." Shilo answered, resting her head on Marius' shoulder. He kissed her temple and stood up.

"I ordered subs from Sub Stop. I'll put yours in the fridge…never mind." Marius said, smiling when he saw Shilo fast asleep, knees to her chest and hands tucked under her chin.

He put her under the blankets and turned off the overhead lights. He then went to the kitchen and heated up his sub.

Shilo joined him an hour later, carrying her nursing blanket and boppie. She then exited the room and brought back a screaming Cosette.

"Do you need me to do something?" Marius asked, pausing the program.

"No, sweetheart. I can handle it." Shilo answered, placing Cosette on her lap and put the nursing blanket over the front of her. She then put the boppie around her waist before picking Cosette up. She then put Cosette under the nursing blanket, lifted her shirt a bit and unsnapped her bra before guiding Cosette to her left breast. The little baby latched on and began suckling loudly.

"Are you hungry?" Marius asked. Shilo shook her head and looked at Cosette. She had fallen asleep while nursing. Shilo gave Cosette's back a pat and the baby continued her nursing.

"I'm gonna put her to bed. I'll be right back." Shilo told Marius, gently burping Cosette before she took off her nursing blanket and adjusted her shirt.

"I'll put her to bed." Marius offered, putting his dishes in the dishwasher and went to wash his hands before picking up Cosette. Shilo watched Marius hold the baby to his chest and gently sing to her as he put her in her crib.

"She's so precious." Shilo told Marius as they exited the nursery. Marius nodded as he closed the door part-way behind him.

"She really is, dearest." Marius told Shilo, kissing her forehead.

"I want another one." Shilo announced, throwing Marius off-guard.

"What? Now?" Marius asked, befuddled.

"Not now, honey – down the road." Shilo told Marius, laughing.

Marius smiled and held Shilo in his arms, watching her sleep. He drifted off to sleep shortly after her, dreaming of their family.

I will love you
For a thousand years