Disclaimer: I am not Victor Hugo and I don't charge people for reading this story.

Author's Note: I really have a lot to say which is why I left the real author's note for the end. Scroll down and read it now if you like. For now I just feel obliged to say that this is indeed centred on Javert but you won't see him until next chapter. Have a little patience.

Chapter one

In which a mother and a son have an argument

In the house of the Chevalier family in Toulon a heated argument greeted the first rays of sunlight when they crept across the ornamented carpet and glinted off the silverware on the deserted breakfast table.

"Albert, what sort of foolishness is this? I cannot allow you to do it!"

"You allowed me to go to the interview, mother," 21-year-old Albert Chevalier replied with a sigh, slipping his boots on.

"But I never thought they would take you! Look at you!"

Albert did indeed spare a glance at his reflection in the full-length mirror hanging in the hallway. Neatly trimmed light blonde curls, pale rosy cheeks and slim build that hinted at a dancer's grace but definitely not at physical power. There was, of course, the thin long scar next to his ear. Oddly enough, it was his little sister Maude that had given him that scar. Albert was rather fond of it, although he rarely told the truth of how he had gotten it. It had the delightful advantage of spoiling his perfect looks and he was sure it had saved him a lot of teasing as a boy. When you had a scar, you could count on a little respect. But apart from that, his mother was right – he did not have the looks of a prison guard. Although he would never admit it to anyone, he himself was surprised that he had managed to secure the position. Even if he had indeed used a sort of delicate bribery. The bagne of Toulon was in the process of changing management. The old commandant was leaving in the hopes of securing a better job in Paris. Albert had discreetly hinted at using his father's connections to help that happen. Combined with unashamed flattery, it had done the trick. After all, the commandant was not risking much. He would not be here to witness the consequences of hiring someone unqualified. His successor would have to deal with that.

Unfortunately, so would Albert. He could pretend all he liked but he was rather nervous. He was not entirely useless in a fight but some of his charges would be hardened criminals three times his size. As much as he disliked the idea, he would have to count on the infamous Chevalier luck to keep him out of fights.

"Have a little faith in me, I know what I'm doing," he muttered, while buttoning his uniform.

Officially, he said it to his mother. But he was staring at his own reflection the whole time, daring it to contradict him.

"Oh, this is all your father's fault!" Adorlee Chevalier lamented, noticing that her son was barely big enough to fit the garments he was wearing. "He's made you think that if you treat life as if it's some sort of fairytale quest, things will turn out all right in the end."

"You leave father out of it," Albert admonished her mildly. "It's hardly fair to blame a man who is sick and cannot defend himself. Anyway, I am doing this for all of us. So father can get better."

"Oh, you silly child…"

She trailed off, suddenly sounding older and heartbroken in stark contrast with her still almost girlish face. She sat back down on her chair, which she had left in the middle of their verbal battle, and continued in a much gentler voice.

"Albert, how do you think working in the bagne is going to help your father? We don't need money and even if we did, a guard's salary would hardly provide that. Are you restless? Do you need something to distract you from your father's condition? You could help Jacques with his business."

"I think Jacques is managing fine on his own, thank you, mother. And it is not that I am restless. I told you, this is not just about me. It is about all of us. Things have always been too easy for us. And people who are no worse but less fortunate suffer greatly for no good reason. Perhaps this is some kind of retribution. Father lives here in this beautiful house with his loving family and enough money to buy half of Toulon and he delivers verdicts and sentences to men and women who have hardly ever had anything."

"Your father is one of the most merciful judges I have ever seen, Albert. It is hardly his fault that people are poor. And we give to charity all the time."

"That's not it. That's also easy. What is giving money when you have it?"

"So you want to see what people who are less fortunate do to survive? That's noble, if a bit unnecessary, but why a prison guard? There has to be more to this sudden whim of yours. Otherwise I have to assume you have gone insane."

"Very well then. It's the Moreau case."

Adorlee's mouth opened in surprise.

"The Moraeu case? You still remember that? That was two years ago. It hardly matters anymore."

"We are talking about a man's life, mother. How can it not matter?"

"The man is a murderer."

"My father always wondered…"

"Your father always wonders about all of his cases. He cares about people and that is good but it doesn't make him responsible for their misfortunes or for their actions."

"Well… this time he wondered more than usual. He thought he may have sentenced an innocent man to jail. I want to see this man and see if he really deserves what he got. And not just him. You know father wants me to follow in his footsteps. I want to see what his verdicts do to people. It's only natural to want to know, don't you think? Ah, there! All set up. Wish me luck and off I go."

"Wait! Maude wanted to see you off."

"No need to wake her up, I'm nearly late anyway. I will see you all tonight. Goodbye, mother."

"Maybe God really is punishing us for something," Adorlee muttered when he disappeared out the door. "He gave me an ill husband and an idiot of a son. Still, I pray to Him to keep that idiot of a son out of trouble…"

Real Author's Note: Just to make a few things clear.

1. This story takes place in 1805. Valjean is in Toulon and he has already tried to escape twice. Javert is 25 and he has been working as an adjutant guard for two years. (*edited after a reviewer made me realize that I was an idiot)

2. Yes, there will be original characters, sorry. But they are indeed actual characters and not self-inserts or the likes. I know fan fiction readers are not fond of them in general but do try to keep an open mind – these people are necessary to the story.

3. When I write fan fiction, I usually do it in order to step out of my literary comfort zone and perfect a certain skill. In this case it's writing crime. I've never written anything remotely criminal. On top of that, I am notoriously bad at historical writing, hence the reason my original novels are all fantasy. I will try my best to do some research but there will be inaccuracies. Please ignore them and enjoy the story if you can. I never studied French history and while I'm prepared to do research, there are limits to what lengths I will go to, considering that I tend to focus more on the characters than the setting anyway.

4. What universe is this set in? Perhaps I should have started with that. It's set in some intermediate Les Miserables universe. It mostly keeps the book in mind but I don't guarantee it will be completely book-compliant. I do love the musical but the idea that Javert is a religious fanatic for example doesn't work for me at all.

5. Speaking of which, I'd like to think that my Javert will be a bit more 3-dimesional than most of his other portrayals. I am however unable to give you the most interesting Javert in the world. The most interesting Javert in the world has been written by AmZ. If by chance you haven't done it, go read AmZ's "Between the Dog and the Wolf" NOW.

6. If by any chance someone has read the fics from my Women of the Opera challenge, they might have recognized Albert. Yes, it is essentially the same character, although obviously in a completely different universe. For some reason he kept demanding to be reused, rewritten and properly developed in this fic.