The Barricade Girl (A Les Miserables FanFiction)

Chapter Twelve

We stand in the room, nervously looking at one another. Gavroche holds tightly to my hand, the tension in the room palpable. We'd spent the morning and early afternoon preparing ourselves for today's inaugural outing on to the streets to talk to the people. This was the day the boys had been preparing for, and even though I only arrived here yesterday, I am fully aware of how important today is for them.

"So...just...follow my lead", Enjolras instructs, finishing his rallying speech before we head out. "Okay, gentlemen..." He looks around the room and his eyes fall on my face. "...and lady...uh...Barricade Girl..." He gives a gentle nod of his head.

"Lady-uh-Barricade Girl?" I smirk. "That's new!"

"Let's go...and as always...look after yourselves...look after Gavroche", he adds authoritatively before his face softens a little, a look of protectiveness in his eyes. "...And now, look after our lady too...I meant it when I said I don't want her hurt..." I feel my cheeks blush a little and my instant reaction is to look at the floor.

"There shouldn't be any threat today though, right?" Marius cuts in, his voice serious and concerned, back to the big brother that I know him to be. "I mean, it's just handing out flyers!" I can tell that Marius' thoughts are racing at top speed. "She can't get hurt there! It's not possible for her to get hurt there! Right?!" He turns around, frantically looking at his friends, searching their faces for some kind of validation and confirmation that he's right.

"There are no guarantees, Marius!" Enjolras places a firm hand on my brother's shoulder in an attempt to calm him. "We don't know what might happen...but...I will keep your sister safe, you have my word..."

"Okay..." Marius answers quietly as he takes a breath to calm himself down. "Thank you..." He gratefully places a hand on Enjolras' back, giving it a light pat as he regains his composure. "Boys...let's move out..." Marius says as he leaves the room and heads down the stairs, still a little shaken up. The rest of the young men follow him, one by one. I look down at Gavroche and give his hand a little squeeze as his face beams at me.

"You just keep a tight hold of my hand, okay?" I look down at him, giving him a little wink. "We'll keep each other safe..." I smile, trying to keep my own nerves at bay. "Let's go..." We take a few steps to follow the rest of the boys down the stairs.

"Juliette?" I feel a hand gently rest itself on my elbow. I turn around and lift my head to see Enjolras looking right back at me. "Do you have a minute?" He asks softly.

"Uh...yes...sure...uh..." I say, looking from Enjolras to Gavroche's tiny hand holding tightly onto mine, unsure of what to do with Gavroche.

"Jules!" I hear a voice coming from a crack in the banisters that disappear into the floor as the stairs lead to the level below. I look down to see Courfeyrac squeezing his face in between them. "Gavroche can come with me", he smiles, giving a small wink as he looks at me and reaches a hand out to Gavroche, signalling for him to come to him. I keep a grip of Gavroche's hand as he takes the first few steps towards Courfeyrac, forgetting that Gavroche doesn't need me to help him down the stairs – he's climbed these stairs a hundred times. I let go of Gavroche's hand and Courfeyrac scoops Gavroche up in his arms as they and the rest of the boys disappear down the stairs and through the door that into the main part of the Café Musain. I look at the floor as I turn myself around to face Enjolras, my heart fluttering a little and my stomach doing a little flip. I'm not quite sure why I'm feeling this way – why my insides are so excited by the thought of having a moment alone with Enjolras. Though I'm sure that this feeling is partly caused by my fear at what might lie outside of the walls of the Café Musain when we head out into the streets. Not knowing what to do with my hands, I nervously smooth down my dress as I try to find something to occupy my fingers. I finally look up, Enjolras' eyes already on me and ready to greet my own. There's something different about him today, and I can't quite put my finger on it. I look him up and down, trying to figure it out, but I can't.

"Um..." I stutter in a small whisper. "...What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I just wanted to check you were okay", he lets out a half-smile, his cheeks flushing a little red.

"Oh me?" I try to mask my nerves, but all of a sudden I start talking very quickly – something I do when I'm try to convince myself and those around me that I'm okay when I'm not. Because, truth is, I'm a rubbish liar. Those closest to me can read me like a book. "I'm fine...I'm okay...of course, I'm fine...I –" My sentence trails off as Enjolras take a step toward me, closing up the gap between us, and gently places both of his hands on my upper-arms. My gaze follows his hands as they rest on me, his hands warm and strong.

"Calm down..." He smiles, which makes me smile back in embarrassment, letting out a small, breathy laugh as he does the same. "Just...breathe..."

"How did you know I wasn't calm?" I smirk.

"I could just...tell..." He shrugs.

"Well...if you must know...yes, I am a little nervous..." I start gesturing with my hands as my worry increases, and I look to the floor. "I'm sorry that I'm not brave and fearless like the rest of you, but –"

"I'm nervous too..." He admits quietly.

"What?" I slowly bring my head back to look at him. "The 'Fearless leader' is scared?" I fold my arms in disbelief.

"I didn't say scared!" He corrects me. "I said 'nervous'...nervous and scared are completely different things..."

"Okay..." I hold my hands up. "I'm sorry..."

"But, yes, I'm nervous!" He looks at me. "We've been planning for this day for so long...this is the starting point. After today, there is absolutely no going back. Today is a big deal...and so...yes, I am nervous..."

"That's good to know..." I answer sincerely, truly comforted by this little piece of information.

"But if you dare tell the rest of the guys that I said that –" He points a finger at me.

"Don't worry!" I laugh as I grab his hand to stop it from pointing at me. "I'm not going to tell! I'm good at keeping secrets!" I look from his hand to his eyes, letting my gaze meet his, and letting the moment linger for a second. "Thank you...for telling me...by the way..." I say, a little softer than before.

"I just wanted you to know you're not alone...we're in this together..." He smiles warmly – the warmest smile I've seen from him in the short time that I've known him, and I can't help but smile back. "We should get going..." I nod and prepare myself to leave. And that's when I notice it – the reason he looks different today.

"Hey!" My smile turns into a Cheshire-cat grin. "You've tied your cravat!"

"Thought I'd make an effort..." He looks down at his cravat proudly. "But...don't go thinking that I did this for you...because...I didn't!" He says defensively.

"Of course you didn't..."