Cosette awoke with a yelp and seized Marius's arm. He grinned at her, closing his book, and twisted his brow into a look of concern. "Bad dream?"

Sitting up, Cosette rested her warm forehead on his shoulder, nodding against his nightshirt. He extracted his arm from her grip and pulled her into a hug, his chin in her hair. "The same thing," she mumbled, her voice cracking with sleep, "the same figure chasing me. But this time she was coming for you, too."

"Cosette, are you—" he hugged her closer, "are you shaking? Oh, darling, it was only a dream."

"Yes, but Marius," she pulled away and studied him, brow furrowed. Pale in the flickering light of the candle on Marius's nightstand, she made a visible effort to steady herself before continuing. "How do you know dreams aren't real?"

Marius stared at her. "Because they're dreams, dear."

"Yes, but what are dreams?"

"Random images during sleep, Cosette."

"But listen!" She repositioned herself, kneeling among the pillows and leaning forward. "I was thinking about it. Right now I know you're there because I see and hear you, right?"

"Um—"

"And in dreams I can see and hear things. So how can you prove they aren't real?"

"Cosette, is that— is that Descartes?"

She crawled back over to him and settled against his side, drawing his arms around her waist and cuddling her head into his neck. "Still, I'm glad you're here now."

"I was— I haven't moved, Cosette, and neither have you. I was sitting right here, darling, and you never left."

"How do you know? Maybe there's a whole world, one that our souls visit while we sleep, one where our bodies can't go. And maybe in that world you and I are being chased. And maybe I saved the lives of both our souls by waking up in time."

"But, Cosette, how could it be real? Dreams don't make sense."

She sighed sleepily, her back rising and falling against his chest. "Here they don't. But in the dream world, this doesn't make sense."

Marius sighed too, barely hiding his exasperation, and buried a gentle kiss in her hair.

"I'll keep you safe," she said around a yawn, her eyes fluttering closed. "If she comes back for us, I'll try to wake up."

Marius smiled against the top of her head and whispered, "Thank you, dear."

Within a few moments she fell asleep in his arms, and Marius resigned himself to a night spent sitting against the headboard. Unable to free either arm without disturbing his little wife, he watched the candle burn away and held Cosette closer, a soft smile on his lips.