Happy La Miserablia Memorial!!! Here's my contribution to our sacred holiday...I'm sure you'll find it...interesting...*evil laughter*

As far as the story goes...friendships are slightly sometimes more musical based, like Marius and Les Amis. It helps with the whole companionable stuff...

DISCLAIMER: I...DO own the characters, since they're my imaginary friends!! Ha! *whips out verification card and tugs over Javert* See, I even have an officer of the Lawr to prove it!

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The Un-Miserablian Epilogue of Les Misérables

Il dort. Quoique le sort fut pour lui bien etrange,
Il vivait. Il mourut quand il n'eut plus son ange.
La chose simplement d'elle-meme arriva,
Comme la nuit se fait lorsque le jour s'en va.

The lights shut off. The wailing violins stopped playing, and, for a moment, the world was lost in silence and shadow. Then, suddenly, the lights flooded back on. They found Marius and Cosette, seated on settee a comfortable-looking sitting room. They seemed somewhat sad.

"Perhaps we ought to go to Father's grave today," Cosette was saying. "We haven't been there for some time."

"Nor have we been to Enjolras'," Marius added quietly. "Nor Courfeyrac's, or Combeferre's, or Jean Prouvaire's, or Feuilly's, or - "

"Father!"

Marius abruptly raised his eyes to Cosette. Her blue eyes were widened in absolute surprise; her pretty little mouth formed an "O". One of her slim, white hands was raised to point at the doorway. The other hand rested upon her heart. She was staring at the doorway, motionless. Almost afraid to look, Marius followed her gaze.

And gasped.

Jean Valjean stood before them.

His beautiful white locks seemed to make a glowing halo around his head; he wore no cap. He was dressed in black trousers, a white shirt, grey vest, and black cravat and coat, looking simple but respectable. But best of all was his smile. Pure happiness radiated from his venerable old face, which really did not seem all that old any longer. Indeed, he looked ten years younger as he gazed upon Cosette and Marius in joy.

"Father! oh, my Father!" Cosette cried again, and, leaping off the settee, she fairly flew at him and threw her arms around his neck, kissing his face. "Oh, my Father! you are alive, Father!"

"Yes, Cosette, my child." Jean Valjean hugged Cosette's little frame very tightly, as if he had missed doing so. Then he eyed Marius, who hovered in the background uncertainly. "Monsieur Pontmercy!" exclaimed Jean Valjean, and he held out his hand.

Marius took it gratefully, wiping away sudden tears.

Finally, Cosette let go, and, taking his hand, she tugged Jean Valjean over to the settee. "Sit, Father," she instructed. He obeyed, and she and Marius sat on either side of him. "Now, tell me," Cosette continued, "how it comes to be that you are here. We all thought you had died! – we buried you!"

"I was dead," confirmed Jean Valjean.

"…Well?" Cosette's delicate brow furrowed in concern.

"I am alive," he said simply.

He spoke in a way that told Cosette and Marius not to question any more. So Cosette replied, "And I am glad," and, stroking his hair aside, she kissed his cheek, quite sweetly. Then, holding his hand, she and Marius continued to talk to him.

"I never really got to thank you," began Marius, somewhat tremulously, "for all you did. How you rescued me! - monsieur, you saved my life! - and how you really were not actually - "

"But you did thank me," interrupted the old man softly. "Before I died. You put my heart at rest. I can assure you that I died most peacefully." Here he looked back and forth between the two eager faces.

Marius smiled, and took his other hand. Continuing, he added, "And how you really were Monsieur Madeline the Mayor; you really did all that good! and that was amazing in itself, and honorable, but then you came to the barricades and saved us all! And you did not really kill that inspector; I forget his name - Javert, was it not? – no, you really saved him! You saved his life, also, in addition to mine!"

"And you never were thanked properly for it," came a voice from the doorway.