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Chapter Text

“I have no friends, no one to see

And I’m never invited”

“A moment of your time, Javert”

Inspecteur Javert straightened by his desk at the voice of his superior, Monsieur Chabouillet

“Sir?” He said sternly. “Something is the matter?”

“Oh! Nothing grave, I assure you. “Chabouillet said, “Or, at least I hope so.

He handed him a closed envelope

“It arrived in the morning post. I suppose the sender didn’t have you address outside the Commissaire

Javert grabbed the letter and turned around. It was a fine paper.

“Maybe it’s a thank you note” One of the policemen nearby said.

“Or maybe a love note!” Exclaimed another one

Javert didn’t give them the pleasure of acknowledgement. He honestly had no idea who would write to him willingly. And less with something that looked like an invitation to an upstanding social event.

“I admit I am curious too, but I have paperwork to make and I understand the desire to keep your life private” Said Chabouillet “And that goes for everyone, go back to work! Leave the man alone”

Once the heads were turned the other way, Javert opened the envelope. The letter inside had a neat handwriting and a faint smell of the sea.

It was also extremely short, taking into account that it shook his world to the ground as it was a castle made of cards. But he didn’t let it show in his face:

Cher monsieur Javert, it started,

Please, be so kind to accept this invitation to Île d’Indigo on the week of … I am aware the travel is long but I wish to discuss matters regarding monsieur Madeleine and monsieur Fauchelevent and I believe it would be more convenient to do it in person.

Your faithfully, C.F

Post Scriptum: You don’t need to send a reply, I will be waiting for you at the dock

Keeping his face carefully blank, and don’t allowing his hands to shake. The name of Madeleine resounding inside his head. Finally, after years, he had a lead from a case he thought long and impossible. Valjean, Pere Madeleine, monsieur le Maire, Fauchelevent, Jean le cric. A man of a thousand faces but one body.

He stood up and went straight to Chabouillet’s office because his composure faltered.

What’s the name of the game?

(I was an impossible case)

“Ah Javert, did you read your letter?” Said Chabouillet after he entered

“I did”

“Good news then I hope?”

It was always hard to read the face behind the whiskers. One could only guess. He highly doubted there was someone capable of accurately doing so.

“In a way” he answered absently and seemed to shift on his stance“I wish to take a month leave, sir” He said bluntly

That took Chabouillet by surprise, but before he could say anything, the inspector continued:

“I will double my shifts when I come back, with the same wage. And I will…

“Javert, please, stop. You have been working here for years and never asked for leave. I will not enquire about the contents of the letter, but if it was enough to make you ask for days off, it must be akin to someone planning our king assassination” When Javert was about to protest, he raised his hand to quiet him.

“I will give you this month’s wage and I expect to see you again four weeks from now, I don’t ask for more. Agreed?”

“Sir, I…”the look from his superior made him stop again “Oui, monsieur”

“You are dismissed”

Javert exited the office. He felt weird, he had expected to have to fight more. Or even the slight hope of rejection. He was a dog, called to heel by someone on the other side of France, with the hope of finding his master

“What I'm trying to conceal
If I trust in you, would you let me down?”

His first stop, however, was to find a map.

Île d’Indigo was in the Mediterranean coast, in front of Côte d’Azur. It wasn’t very big and was part of a bigger archipelago with islands similarly named. As far as he was aware, it was used as a recreational paradise, with a rise of tourism in the last few decades. Valjean’s own Santa Elena it seemed.

The travel inland was around six days from Paris and then a short boat trip through the Mediterranean. Javert had never been inside a boat except when observing the works in Toulon as a young prison guard.

He packed lightly (not like he had much stuff anyways), left a note to the housekeeper, and left Paris when l’Étoile du matin was still in the sky

I will save the reader from the unnecessary vicissitudes of Javert’s trip. The only notable thing was how, all the time, he couldn’t stop thinking about the past, regarding the meeting with the ex-convict turned major.

Who was the traitor in the old man’s home? He wondered. A jealous servant? An ungrateful maid? A partner that felt out of love? That want he highly doubted and dismissed it quite fast. A fellow con? Why would Valjean choose a place so relatively close to Toulon to spend his last days? Questions without a clear answer until he arrived

Javert was convinced that justice would be done, one way or another.

At the end of the last day, after he had paid the rower who brought him to l’Île, he finally saw the figure standing by the dock.

Shaking his head to banish the remaining dizziness, Javert straightened and went to meet his destiny.

Chapter Text

“The usual place, the usual bunch
And still on top of this I'm pretty sure it must have rained
The day before you came”

The pitter-patter of the rain filled the strangely silent room. Usually the quiet times between the Father and daughter were filled with easy chatter. To Cosette, her papa had always a tendency to taciturn, but these few weeks after the wedding announcement, he had become melancholic and would spend hours staring blankly towards the sea.

Cosette could tell that he did not like it here, but he would never complain. Yes, he had his garden and tended it with diligence. But he never ventured to the beach, or took walks outside the house terrain, even though there was a beautiful village surrounded by vegetation.

As she sews, listening to the rain and stealing glances to the man sitting on the armchair beside her, Cosette wondered what she could do to help him. Weddings were supposed to be happy celebrations! And it wasn’t as if she was suddenly going to replace him with Marius! Her heart was big enough to hold all kinds of love

But Cosette couldn’t just say that straight away either, she knew her papá would shy away in that way of his. She had to think of some gesture that might work to cheer him up.

Her thoughts wandered once again to the wedding preparations. There was still so much to do! The flowers, the dresses, the meals, the guests, the…wait a minute! The guests! That was it then! Marius and she had spent the last weeks sending invitation letters but her papá had written or suggested no one!

Maybe that was the solution. She had to find a friend or friends and invite them to come over. But, who would they be?

Again, Cosette couldn’t ask him right away. It had never worked when she had tried to enquire about his past and he got that wistful look. And, also, it was supposed to be a surprise not something to make him sad.

No. The answer laid elsewhere, and she already had an idea of what place that might be. Cosette thought of the books she had read lately.

The heroine, going through old letters and documents, had been able to uncover the mystery and then her transgressions had been pardoned because she had a noble cause. And, what cause would not be noble enough to save one father’s from melancholy?

Cosette didn’t like much the idea of going through her father old things, but it would have to do.

When the rain stopped, Valjean got up from the armchair to look after the garden again. Cosette waited for a few minutes and headed upstairs

“It's funny, but I had no sense of living without aim
The day before you came”

Upstairs, they had set up a bureau. The idea was for father to use it as an office, but Cosette highly doubted he had actually entered the room. There were still several unpacked boxes from when they had left Paris few years ago.

Most had discarded winter clothes inside but there was one tiny box that contained a worn diary, newspaper clippings, and old documents. Cosette wasn’t sure if her father knew they had packed and brought that stuff.

She picked the two later, as the diary was too private to her liking.

There was a bit of everything, but a certain article caught her attention. It was from a place she had never heard of: Montreuil-sur- Mer.

It pictured a drawing in black ink of two men. One man was tall and fierce, a shadow sketched on his face, the other bulky and shorter looked like it had an halo around his head.

It read; Père Madeleine, awarded by the King, chosen to be the new Major of M-s-M. Chief of Police Javert attended the ceremony….

“Ah!” Thought Cosette “Two possible acquaintances or friend of Papá”

She put the paper aside. Now that she had a point de départ she could look at the bulk of documents.

Most were indecipherable, as they were either written in a blocky handwriting or the ink had smudged. Despite this, she was able to identify that the names of Javert and Madeleine seemed to sign most of them or appeared sometimes.

“Maybe Father was monsieur Madeleine secretary” Cosette thought. It would explain why he had kept this.

She would have to write a letter to Madeleine and one to Javert then and started crafting both inside her head. But curiosity was stronger and looked at one last document.

Cosette repressed a sob, as it was monsieur Madeleine’s last will, signed by a lawyer, testifying his dead.

He had left half that he had earned as Père Madeleine to the people of Montreuil-sur-Mer, and the other half….the name had been scratched, making it unintelligible.

She felt heartbroken, for now only could write one letter to a father friend. But maybe he would tell her more about Father’s past and together find more people. Father surely had to leave an impression.

Cosette put the documents again inside the box, went to the desk and began to write

“And rattling on the roof I must have heard the sound of rain
The day before you came”

Chapter Text

Cosette had been watching through the window in intervals for about a week until she finally saw a boat approach in a straight line to the Île from the North. She calculated that she had about half an hour before it arrived and hurried out, praying that her father did not notice her absence.

Five minutes after she arrived at the port, a man descended the little ship. The mid-afternoon sun was just behind the unmistakable “stranger”.

He was tall and severe, face hidden behind mutton chops. He wore several layers of unnecessary clothing for the warm weather.

“A bit like Father” She thought, because he was never seen without long sleeves

The man approached her with wobbly steps that betrayed the beginning of seasickness

“Javert” he said, simply

“Ah, we are using first names, it seems”

That pleased her, the appellation of Mademoiselle was a bit of a mouthful in her opinion. And there wasn’t a male equivalent as far as she was aware.

“My name is Cosette”

She was glad when Javert took his hat off and bowed instead of doing la bisé. That marked the man social limits in more ways than one. She hoped that by the end of the week that would naturally change.

“Enchanté, Cosette”

…

The girl was odd. What was her business anyway? Javert had been sure that he would be able to tell which type of person his mysterious informant was with just a glance. However, she did not fit in any of his mind scenarios.

“I received a letter” Maybe she had not been the one who wrote. That was a possibility. "I am supposed to meet here with…” what could he say? “An old acquaintance.

“Oui! I wrote it. “ The girl answered enthusiastic

Ah, so she had. Still, he was skeptical of the young…maid?

“Does your mother know that you’re here?” He asked

“I don’t have a mother, monsieur” The girl answered

“Your father, then” Javert corrected bluntly

“No! He doesn’t know anything. In fact, it is important that we keep your arrival a secret”

“Hmph!” Javert grumbled. A solo work with this…girl then it seemed. She had to be quite intelligent to be the only one in the whole Île to have the Valjean case figured out to an extent.

Truth be told, Cosette looked a bit familiar to him, but couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was about her. Or where on Earth she would have seen her before.

There was something in the eyes but also another thing, completely different, in the way she moved. An amalgamation, as he was sure if he saw her in a street of Paris, she would have mistaken for high society.

After a beat, the girl said

“Come with me, I will show you your lodgings”

Javert grabbed the light suitcase and followed suit

They went up hill through a dirt road that bordered the cliffs. They were rocky, ending abruptly in the sea, a free fall to the salty water. They had been carved for centuries by the incessant waves and tides.

The evening sun colored the landscape in quite a beautiful palette that Javert observed, unmoved. Barely sixty kilometers to the West, there was the Bagne of Toulon, so he was used to this kind of sunsets

The girl and him continued the hike, and they arrived at a property surrounded by a forest.

Instead of going into the house, Cosette led Javert towards a wood building, an old barn, after she had looked around making sure no one had followed, they entered.

“Ah! Yes” thought Javert “I’m a truly a secret, she knows how to keep it. Is she going to blackmail the old man? Money moves everything indeed

...

Cosette had found herself with indecision on where to lodge Javert upon his arrival. He was supposed to be a surprise for Father, so she just couldn’t let him inside the house. Father would see him and it would be ruined before the wedding!

So, she had chosen the barn to not take any risks.

It was well kept and Javert would only stay two nights maximum. And, to make matters better, when she looked at the top storage room near the roof, she had found a bed already! That saved her from asking for help to bring a mattress there and the questions that could arise!

True, there was no bed frame, but it would have to work. She ventilated by opening the windows, and brought clean water.

Once up the barn, Javert offered no comment about the strange place except for a twitch of his impressive eyebrows.

“There’s a Service de toilette in that corner, as well as clean sheets and candles there. “ She said, pointing near a pile of straw. She started to fidget with her fingers, suddenly nervous. “I will let you rest, and we can talk more in the morning”

Before she turned, Javert grabbed her wrist.

“Arrêtez!  Answer me something first. How much do you know?”

That surprised her, but it made sense. Not every day you were invited by the daughter of an old friend,… and then had to sleep in a barn. However, she had to think of what exactly to say to not to scare him off

“I know almost everything” Cosette reassured him, “ I know about Montreuil-sur-Mer and Madeleine “The hand tensed at the name. Oh, had she said something she should not?” But! I hope our talk tomorrow will help fill in the gaps”

Javert ungrabbed her and let it fall to his side

“It is settled then. I will see you tomorrow…Cosette

“Bonne nuit, Javert”

Cosette exited the “room” through the traps door that led to the stairs and closed it with a clic

Chapter Text

“I've been cheated by you since I don't know when
So I made up my mind, it must come to an end”

Once alone, Javert took a look at his surroundings. The hayloft was not very big, but it was wider than his apartment back in Paris. He quickly made sure that no one was hiding in the room.

There were two round windows opposite to each other that couldn’t be opened from outside and was high enough that nobody could climb. There was nothing in the hay apart from several spiderwebs and a couple of dormice that didn’t pay much attention to.

Once the surveillance was over, he grabbed the suitcase and put it on the trap door. It was not heavy enough to block it, but if someone attempted to enter the additional noise would wake him up

Javert put his gun on the mattress and lit a candle. He went to fetch the water and was surprised to find also bread and a block of cheese. In her haste, the girl had mentioned the water but not the food.

His stomach, not longer upset from the sea travel, grumbled. He had not eaten since breakfast, really early in the morning. Javert was used to skipping meals and tight his belt, but he was hungry by the presence of a meal, meagerly as it was.

Javert took off his outer clothes in an attempt of getting comfortable in such a strange place and started to pick small pieces of bread under the candle light.

“I've been angry and sad about things that you do
I can't count all the times that I've told you we're through”

Valjean left the main house through the service door and, as always, nobody noticed him. Quietly, like a thief in the night, he made his way through the garden. Except for the sound of crickets, the path was deserted.

What was the reason behind such secrecy, often reserved for both lovers’ meetings and crooks? What would make a man, who had been bid adieu for the day, to leave in the middle of the night, with the stars and the moon as the only light?

Well, you see, the man felt himself an imposter. A parasite in a boy’s home. He was a convict from the galleys, he was on the run. He had robbed a child and impersonated an honest man.

Ultime Fauchelevent was a fake, did not exist, just like Madeleine.

Valjean felt himself an animal and so he did not deserve a room.

Two days into the Île, he had set up his mind and prepared a place to sleep that was deserved for his true status, both moral and social. Each day, Valjean would leave the undeserving commodity of the main house, the sheets of the bed untouched.

Nobody seemed to have noticed this habit of his. Even Cosette, who this past few weeks had been ignoring him, stealing glances that he did not know the meaning of. She was acting distant, stopping herself from saying things to him. With the wedding at the turn of a corner, it was only natural for him to be left behind

Valjean climbed the narrow stairs that led to his chosen sleep place but, as he was pushing the trap door, it did not move with the usual ease

“The charnierès must have rust” He thought and pushed harder. The trap door burst open and climbed the last few steps

When Valjean saw the tall figure of Inspector Javert, his relentless pursuer, in his shirtsleeves aiming a pistol at him, he started to faint

“Mamma mia, here I go again
My, my, how can I resist you?”

“You!”

With no ceremony, Javert clasped the convict’s arm so he couldn’t slip away again and hauled him up

The older man scurried to the floor and stayed there, looking at Javert as if he was an apparition.

“What are you doing here?” He said, breaking the silence

“I could ask you the same thing” Javert said, instead of answering. He crossed his arms, still holding his pistol. When Javert had heard the door opening, he had expected a thief, just….not his thief

Valjean had aged, even under the dim light of the single candle, Javert could see the new wrinkles on the old face, and his hair was different. Valjean had also not struggled from his grip, behaving like a rag doll.

And, regarding his question, how much should he reveal? The girl could be in danger because Valjean is (or used to be at least) a dangerous convict with formidable strength. But, at the same time, he had to scare him off somehow, to show that Javert wasn’t alone

“I was summoned here” Javert watched with satisfaction as the convict’s face was drained of blood

“I’m not the only one in your Paradise who knows your secret, Valjean”

The older man was whiter than a ghost by this point, he stumbled backwards as Javert came closer, stumbling with the mattress.

“No” He muttered

“Mais, oui 24601” Hmm it felt weird to say it out loud, after all, he was 9430 now

“Who?” Valjean asked with strained voice, barely a whisper

Javert barked a laugh at that. How naïve of him

“As if I would tell you, Valjean”

Suddenly, the convict fell to his feet and grabbed Inspector’s knees. Javert was about to strike him on the head when he realized that Valjean was actually weakly hugging his legs and had started to weep

“Javert, Javert, please, s’il-vous-plaît. I ask for mercy”

Javert made a disgusted face but didn’t move. The whimpering man at his boots looked…pathetic, yeah that was the word, of course. Not other one, completely different, had come to mind

“Mercy, Valjean? I did not think you so foolish”

“Please, Javert. I will go with you. Have mercy. I won’t try to run away again. Just,…just give me two days”

“Two days! The man asks for two days! Last time, they were three. Next time, who knows how many the monsieur will ask for!”

“Please, I swear I will not. Chain me to you if you must, I will not leave your side. Just…let me stay here two more days for….for Cosette’s sake”

Javert took an involuntary step backwards

“What do you know of Cosette?” If Valjean even implied to hurt the girl….

Valjean gulped

“She…she gets married the day after tomorrow. I, I have to be there, otherwise…

The situation was getting strange, as if not was enough to have the older man on his knees. What he said did not make any sense

So, this Cosette was getting married and needed the convict to attend? Maybe she was in danger! Javert needed to revaluate the facts, but he was so tired, and the thoughts were sluggish. His eyes hurt too. He couldn’t trust himself to reach the best solution at the moment.

Also, Valjean wasn’t thinking clearly either, as he continued to mumble nonsense, and if the dampness of his stockings was any indication

“Get up” Javert ordered

Valjean did

“Don’t do anything funny” He warned “Move to that corner, and don’t move”

Valjean did, this satisfied the inspector.

Javert dragged the mattress across the room and put it on the trapdoor. Then, without breaking eye contact with Valjean, put a piece of fabric that looked like an old curtain on a pile of straw.

“Give me your hands” Javert said once he was done making the straw cot, and handcuffed Valjean’s wrists

“You shall sleep there. Tomorrow I will decide what to do with you”

Valjean just nodded and laid on the straw cot without further comment or plea. He closed his eyes.

Javert went back to the mattress. He truly wasn’t worried about being attacked in the middle of the night by Valjean. The days of his formidable strength were clearly long since past, lost in the years they had not seen each other.

However, he kept his pistol at arms length, again to scare any ideas he might get.

Javert blew the candle out and turned to sleep. He tried not to think of the tears that had glowed in the old con’s cheeks

Why, why did I ever let you go?
Mamma mia, even if I say
Bye-bye, leave me now or never
Mamma mia, it's a game we play
Bye-bye doesn't mean forever

Chapter Text

“Knowing me knowing you
There’s nothing we can do”

“Wake up” The stern voice of Inspector Javert made Valjean open his eyes

The intimidating vision of him had been real after all, not an hallucination of his weak old mind. During the night, he had watched the lump of his form, like a tiger at rest, in the mattress Valjean had used in the last months. Uncovered, because he had used to cover for Valjean’s cot. They were sharing a bed; in a way, the thought made him feel weird with an unnamed emotion he was too confused by the whole turn of event to even try to identify it

Javert was even more formidable in the soft sunrise light, even if he wasn’t wearing his characteristic long coat

“Don’t make me grab you again” he grunted “And stop staring!”

Valjean had been staring? He had not noticed.

Valjean sat up, feeling his articulations pop as he did, the result of sleeping on the straw cot. The handcuffs scratched his scar marks

“Alors, you wanted a deal, non? I am willing to…

What was he going to say? Yield? That was unlikely. The pause was extremely long although it was probably no more than a few seconds

“…to make an exception.”

 An exception?! What did that even mean?. The man he had known at Montreuil-sur-Mer would never have said that.

Before Valjean could ask for an explanation. Javert continued:

“Please, don’t misunderstand. This is no mercy. I just wish for the girl to be safe”

Javert? Worried about Cosette? He had to still be dreaming

“You mean…

“The person who summoned me “ Javert interrupted again “is really concerned about the girl’s safety”

So, that was it. Valjean felt his heart stop. Could it be the Gillenormands who had called Javert? Some other Pontmercys? He doubted that as he was fairly sure the boy did not have more family and doubted that Marius would have taken that step unprompted.

Someone had to have told them and told Javert to go after him. Or maybe it was someone attempting to stop Marius happiness from an old-time grudge related to the will of the long-lost aunt?

Unaware, or simply uncaring, of Valjean’s internal turmoil, Javert continued talking:

“I will do the unthinkable and trust the word of an old con. I’m going to give you the two days you asked for mais under the following conditions”

With the heart inside his throat, Valjean listened:

“First, you will not attempt to leave this Île. In any kind of way, air, sea or land.

Leave! The mere idea. To where will he go? He had nowhere to run

“And you can’t hide either. If you do so, I will tell everyone in this Île the truth of your… despicable existence.

“But I…

“Silence! Second, I will check on you every two hours to assure you fulfill the first condition. If you fail to do so, let me tell you that I will hunt you until the ends of Earth if necessary.

Valjean flinched but said nothing. Good, he had learned.

“Third, in the evening of the second day, you will come with me willingly. No fighting, no biting, no nothing. Any fail to do so, and I will cause a scene after the wedding party or whatever those things are called, or even during if the necessity arises…

That caused Valjean to snap, an ember of anger catching flame, but he was careful with his next words

“And as for the girl’s safety….

“You also steal words from mouths apparently. I will make sure that no harm comes to her, let me assure you” Javert glared at him and inclined his body so they were even more face to face, no longer towering. If Valjean were to move just a bit, his nose would brush a hairy cheek. “By any means necessary”

Valjean puffed a hitched breath and only then Javert took a step back, as if he had lost his balance

“Do we have a deal?”

Valjean extended his hands that were still bound, and Javert unhandcuffed him with the key. He offered his now free right hand and Javert took it with a firm grip, as if he was afraid he would flee.

“Deal”

They stayed in that position for what felt like an eternity and a second, studying each other. Valjean trying to see in those expressive blue eyes what could have made the inspector change his mind about the small truce.

The eternity was broken by a sudden knock in the barn’s main door

“Go hide, stay silent” Javert commanded

“Knowing me, knowing you
We just have to face it”

“And don’t come down”

Javert watched as Valjean did as he was told and then, with a final warning glance, descended the narrow stairs and walked to the entrance.

He was carrying his pistol near the hip and touched it as to reassure himself. Javert nerves calmed down when he saw it was Cosette.

She was carrying a basket covered by a plaid kerchief

“Bonne matin, Javert. I have managed to sneak some food out the house”

The girl giggled as if it was a children prank and not technically a police stake out to catch a criminal.

Javert grabbed the basket offered, it was heavier than he had expected by the way she carried it as it weighed nothing.

“I wasn’t sure how much you would eat. I mean, someone as big and tall as you have to…” She stopped herself “Anyways! I was going to ask you if you would come with me for a walk in a few hours. We have so much to talk about!

This capacity for rambling reminded Javert, oddly, to Valjean. Who was still upstairs. Probably listening? Better safe than sorry

“We do indeed. I’ll gladly join you, Co… mademoiselle

Javert had stopped himself just in time that he had decided to keep Cosette a secret. He wasn’t sure how familiar to name was Valjean with the maids, but he didn’t want to risk it

"Great! Join me at the back of the house when you are ready. I will be able to see you from the window. My papa will be probably still asleep.

She told him about her papa but not a word about the disappearance of Valjean? Maybe they were used to the con sneaking out at night.

“I will be there”

Cosette waved adieu and Javert went back to the hayloft.

Valjean was still there, badly hidden because of his bulkier form like an overgrown puppy, and Javert rolled his eyes; the man had lost his abilities with age as he sure he would have been able to spot his bottom from a league away

“You can come out now”

Valjean undusted his pants and got up from the hiding place

“What do you have there?” He asked with curiosity, getting closer

“Breakfast” Javert answered curtly, suddenly angry with himself because he had not intended to.

Inside the basket were several pieces of bread, a honey jar and a milk bottle

“What a feast” Javert mumbled

The girl was skilled to have managed to get all this without anyone noticing.

Javert sat on the mattress and applied a bit of honey to the slice of bread

“Don’t…”Valjean started but then had a change of mind and stopped” It’s not matter

“Were you going to ask for food? What a development for the thief! Suit yourself. There’s enough for both of us”

Valjean grabbed a bit of bread and started nibbling it

“You might as well taste it, God knows you won’t have this in Toulon” Javert added, thoughtlessly

There was a thud: the bread has slipped from the con’s hand to the floor and Valjean had turned his back. Was he crying again?

The next bites tasted like ashes and Javert couldn’t figure out why

Knowing me, knowing you
It's the best I can do

Chapter Text

I can still recall our last summer
I still see it all

After they, or well just Javert, had finished eating, they went downstairs.
“I have an important meeting to attend” Javert said “I don’t expect to be out longer than an hour. Remember our deal”

Cold dread went through Valjean’s spine
Who was Javert planning to meet? And where? Maybe he should follow him and….

“Ah ah ah, I know what you are thinking. You will not follow us, old man. I will know if you do, let me assure you. Now that we have met again, I would feel you anywhere, time and way”

Valjean stopped his face from making a sarcastic grin
“Oh really” He wished to say “like you did not find me in Paris but I was able to recognize your disguises?”
But Valjean levered himself and just smiled a little at the dark humor of that the situation had.

They reached a crossroads on the path they were following. One lead to the front of the main garden and the other to the opposite part of the house and the cliffs.

“Here we will go separate ways” Javert said “Do whatever you wish with your remaining time. I don’t care as long as it doesn’t break our rules

The inspector stopped for a moment as if he was thinking about what Valjean could do in less than two hours. Honestly, Valjean just hoped to find and not find Cosette at the same time. He wasn’t sure if he could look at her without starting to cry again.

Javert was turning and Valjean felt his arm move at his own will and grabbed Javert’s wrist. Briefly, it looked as if he was going to strike him

A thought had occurred to Valjean. What if Javert found Cosette first? He had to avoid him telling her anything! Valjean could not bear being the bringer of despair to her! Better to disappear after the wedding

“Javert, please, don’t tell C…the girl anything, if you were to encounter her”

The inspector frowned and then smiled, showing a wolfish grin

“Don’t worry, Valjean, if I were to meet her, I will not tell her anything that she doesn’t already now about the “existence” of Madeleine or Fauchelevent”

That was…a relief, Valjean felt his eyes fill with tears again. Javert might be many things, but never a liar. In the improbable case that they would meet. as Cosette was going to stay with her beloved Marius all day.

“Thank you, Javert. I’m so glad” He squished the wrist a bit as a reassurance

That seemed to disconcert the Inspector again and made him retire his arm with a hasty move.

Was it strange that he missed the touch of the other man’s skin?

“Time starts now” Javert informed and then walked away to the opposite direction of Valjean with something similar as…rush? Him?

Impossible!

…

“ Our last summer
 memories that remain”

”Do whatever you wish with your remaining time” His own words resonated inside his skull. What would Valjean do? Maybe he was going to say goodbye to his mistress and children! The thought was preposterous! Valjean with a wife and children! And, most importantly, why would he even care anyway? The simple notion though!

Where was the girl anyways? She was taking her time it seemed. Should he knock on the back door? Before he decided to do so, Cosette appeared. She had changed her dress and was wearing a summer one. Perfect for the warm weather, against Javert’s own big coat.

He had no idea where she was going to take him, but wished it was away from prying eyes (and Valjean), as it would be quite difficult to explain the pair they made

“Well, at least not as unusual as me and Valjean at the same time” Javert suddenly thought. They would look like a couple of ….No word came to his mind, strange.

Cosette waved at him and approached

“Sorry for the wait, Javert. Slipping away was more difficult than I had anticipated, even if I could not find Papa anywhere!

“I see”

“Ah! I just can’t wait for you two to meet each other”.

“Hmph” Javert thought. Why did the girl want him to meet her father?

He would have dwelled on it, but Cosette kept talking

“I’m going to show you one of my favorite spots to rest. The view is just amazing”

Javert highly doubted he would appreciate it but said nothing. If Cosette preferred it this way to have the much-needed conversation, then so be it.

After a few minutes of walking, he had to admit that he was wrong. Valjean had chosen his retiring place well, if one was a love of landscapes and God’s creation.

It was very different from the memories he had of the nearby Toulon.

It didn’t take them long to reach their destination.

It was a white bench that faced the sea, at the border of a forest. One could smell salt and the pine trees at the same time. The sea gently crashed on the closest cliff and the roofs of little village could be seen on the right.

They both sat on the bench, big enough for the two of them. The waves sound against the rocks below was really soothing

“I would like to ask you a few questions, if you don’t mind” Cosette broke the silence

“That’s why I am here, non?”

Cosette chuckled at the harsh response

“I like you, I don’t know how to explain it, but you are honest. Don’t seem like one to lie” Javert looked away, suddenly embarrassed, remembering the deal with Valjean. He was not better than him now.

She thought for a moment about how she wanted to start. Javert was a bit like her papa in a way, he could close like a clam if approached directly.

“Tell me about Madeleine”

But, at the same time, she needed answers. Even though she was reminding him of a dear friend long deceased, if she has interpreted the clues correctly. So it was better to rip the leech right of

Javert frowned, a strange sight is his already united eyebrows that resembled to hairy caterpillars. He answered with a lower voice

“I can still recall our last summer…

“I can still recall our last summer
I still see it all”

Almost half a century ago, Montreuil-sur-Mer had been a coastal town until the sea had retired in the way Nature was ever changing. Barely some kilometers away, the tides were still as fast as a galloping horse.

The summer air was soft and warm and Javert could almost feel it again as memories from more than a decade ago.

“Monsieur Madeleine was…” What could he say? That Madeleine was a fake, a character from a play that had everybody enamored? Madeleine, who had managed to gain a fortune that never used but to help other and, in the end, threw down the drain. That Monsieur Madeleine, fake as he was, was the best person Javert had ever encountered?

“Monsieur le Maire was everything I’m not” Javert managed to say in the end

Cosette hummed, clearly not the response she was after. She wanted more information about the alias of Valjean that she had managed to discover

“He looked after all the people in MsM” Javert continued. “Even before becoming the major, he was loved. I…I should have been more mindful about him but, I did not realized until he saved Monsieur Fauchelevent from under a full loaded cart.

Cosette gasped

“Fauchelevent! Under a cart!?! Impossible, how? I would have never…

Cosette was angry. Papa did not tell her anything ever! He could have died there! She made a mental note to confront him about being so careless with his chart. Was that the reason he dragged his leg behind sometimes?

“Absolutely possible! He has…”Javert corrected himself” ….had an impressive strength

“He was so dear to him that Javert still thinks as if he was still alive,” Cosette thought “But it seems like they had fallen apart before his dead”

“What changed?” She asked

“There was this woman, Fantine if I recall correctly. I did not agree with him. There was an…accident to call it somehow and he went to visit her at the hospital every day as she was sick. That’s… that’s the last place I ever saw him. It was not made properly and here I am now” He shrugged

A tragedy after another it seemed. And Javert was still affected by it! After all these years! Madeleine succumbed by an illness he caught while looking after another poor soul

“Javert, I am…

A bell of the church tower chimed and Javert stood up, and looked at the sun-

“What time is it?” He asked, urgently. The bell chimed again. “I…I have to go back”

“Oh my, time truly flies. I have to go too! Marius will be worried”

“Come on then” Javert leaded the way back. He hoped that Valjean was waiting and not run away when he saw that Javert was coming

And so, they redid the path. One to meet a beloved and the other her fiancé

“Our last summer
Morning croissants
We were living for the day, worries far away”

Chapter Text

“I feel a kind of fear
when you are not near”

Javert was aware that he was leaving Cosette behind in his haste to go back and check on Valjean. But he couldn’t stop. The fear of the old man escaping him again was too much. He couldn’t let Valjean out of his grasp when he was so near to finally seize and devour him. Like a tiger with his prey.

In less than five minutes, Javert had more imaginative thoughts than he might have had in two months. His brain was howling possibilities

“What if Valjean had grabbed his things and go? What if he was hiding somewhere in the Île, out of his reach? What if he thought Javert was dead and was now worried? Now, wait stop right there. That was the culmen of absurdism.

If the Inspector was dead, the old convict would escape without looking behind him. There will be nothing tying him to the past

“Javert!” He heard Cosette yell, interrupting this dangerous train of thoughts “You are going the wrong way”

He stopped on his tracks, was he really?

His intuition was flawless. Even Valjean had managed to ruin that! And he was not even here, that being half the problem!

“This leads to the cliffs” Cosette said “It’s the other way to the house and…

“And the village” Javert guessed

“Exactly, you run quite fast, although I don’t understand what could be so important to make…”she took a look at the stern form of the inspector in front of her, as if searching for the correct word”…you be so worried”

Worried? Was he worried?

“It is not matter” Javert scowled. “Let’s just go back”

The man was fuming, Cosette could tell. He seemed to be ready to flee and she wasn’t foolish. What was Javert hiding?

But before she could think of possibilities or ask, she heard a familiar voice that warmed her heart

“Cosette! My darling!”

Oh! What a beautiful sound! To hear her name called by her sweetheart! Indeed, her beloved Marius appeared in front of them and she ran to his arms

“My dear! I have not seen you in the whole morning. Too much, too much time apart from you, my Cosette.

“Marius! Don’t be ridiculous.. We have seen each other barely two hours ago!” She giggled.

“Oh! My darling, I feel a kind of fear, when you are not near…

“EHEM!” Javert fake coughed to remind the couple that they were not alone. He was getting uncomfortable just by looking at them

Marius noticed him and his eyes widened in recognition

“You!”

“Me, yes.” Javert then recognized the boy too by his dumb expression. He was going to ask for his pistols back, just for the sake of it, when Cosette said:

“Oh! You two know each other? How wonderful, this is fantastic!”

They looked at each other for a moment

“Although I believe we were never properly introduced…

“I will do the honors then” Cosette intervened, “My de…Marius, this is Inspector Javert. Javert, this is Marius Pontmercy, my fiancé

“ Don’t say, I would have never guessed” Javert snorted

They shook hands.

Marius, in Javert’s opinion, still had that half-wit stare of a ninny he remembered from before.

“What are you doing here?” Marius blurted.

“Mais oui, “answered Cosette instead “ I invited him of course”

“Of course…”Marius repeated

Javert had the sudden feeling that they could stay all day echoing each other if allowed. Better cut it from the roots before it began

“You will excuse me, but I’m in a bit of a… rush at the moment, so I will be going”

“But, I…

“Don’t worry, mon Coeur. I’ll explain everything to you. You see…

Javert did not stay long enough to listen to the explanation Cosette might come out with to explain his presence on the Île.

The reasons behind Cosette keeping the secret of Valjean from her fiancé wasn’t his own, he had more pressing issues than the intrigues of foolish love. His mind was fully occupied by Valjean whereabouts

“And all I've learned has overturned
I beg of you”

Of course, Javert was worried about nothing

Valjean was waiting for him by the gate, shifting his weight from one foot to the other in nervousness. He advanced towards Javert when he saw him approach, but that didn’t stop the Inspector from shouting.

“Valjean! Good to your promise I do see.

Hearing his given name loudly proclaimed made him wince.

“I was out of your sight for less than two hours, Javert”

“Too long, too long for someone as cunning as you. You could have run away for all I know?”

“Do I have to remind you that YOU were the late one?” He replied, annoyed, what had gotten into Javert “And run to where exactly? Last time when I checked I did not grow wings

“What? Do you think yourself some kind of angel? HA! No more I shall feel the worry of you out of my sight. We shall stick together from now on

Yeah, Javert was definitely anxious about something. And Valjean decided to discover what it was. This attitude reminded him of something, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Or at least, he had seen it somewhere else before

“Let’s find something to occupy ourselves then” Valjean said, trying not to think too hard into both the limited options at hand and what Javert might like to do.

“Don't go wasting your emotion
Lay all your love on me”

“And..I think that’s all”

Cosette finished with a smile. Marius expression, however, was one of concern.

“So, to abridge, you invited your dad’s old acquaintance without telling it to anyone because you think he was feeling gloom and now you have him hidden somewhere until tomorrow?”

“Yes! Exactly that my darling”

 Had it been another person, Marius would have said it was ridiculous. But she was the light of her life and so he thought it was the greatest idea ever

“Oh, perfect my Cosette”

“I’m glad you say nothing. You did invite all your friends here after all”

“Mes amis promised to behave…”

Marius had managed to lodge all of them in the village and they had settled alright. It was true that they were a bit unsatisfied because they had been planning to do something back in Paris, but Marius wasn’t sure what it was exactly as he had been too focused on Cosette.

Somehow, he trusted them more to behave than whatever Cosette was up too. But never he would dare to admit he had thought that

“Anyways, my darling, we have so many things to prepare yet! Oh! And I also have a surprise to show you, my sweetheart”

“Oh darling! You should not have! Come, we shall make everything for our perfect day. Tomorrow evening, we shall be together forever , never to be part again”