July 1833

Cosette was absolutely thrilled to be carrying a child. It was her new hobby, her obsession. Every private moment- of which there were few these days- would find her taking off her dress, untying her corset and running her hand in circles over her belly, smiling all the while. She listened closely for a heartbeat, felt for signs of motion long before she was expected to start showing. Even Marius was never allowed to share in these moments. They were for Cosette alone. Fantine's maternal instinct had been passed down to her daughter, and whether this was due to genetics or the guilt her father's letter had instilled in her, no one could say. The only difference was that Cosette knew her child would be cared for.

Cosette's relief was even greater due to the fact that she knew the night, that one night, on which the child had been conceived. Her first attempt was the first time she laid with Marius, on the night before Éponine joined into their sacred vows. The fact that she could pinpoint this child to that one night satisfied her for some reason she couldn't put her finger on.

"I hope it's a boy," Cosette said one evening, lying on her bed as Marius entered the room.

"Me too." Marius lay down beside her. After a moment, he began to stroke her belly cautiously, as he would with a cat who lay with its midriff exposed. "Something tells me it will be."

"I don't think there's any question as to what we should name him," Cosette said.

"I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Napoleon Bonaparte," said Marius half-jokingly. "Maybe he'll grow up to be the next Emperor."

"Jean," said Cosette softly.

"Of course," Marius agreed belatedly. "After... your father." Marius feared that bringing up that name again might trigger painful memories and tried to steer Cosette away from it. "Or, how about, Jean Georges Courfeyrac de Pontmercy? That's got a ring to it."

"Marius, we can't cram in a whole bunch of names into one kid," Cosette told him. "We've got to save some for the later ones. Besides, all those names are a high standard to live up to."

"True," Marius said. "But our son is going to be a baron, remember. He deserves only the best of everything, including names."

"If it's a girl," Cosette began.

"Thèrese," said Marius. "After my mother."

"Don't be so egotistical, Marius! You never even knew your mother. We'll call her Fantine."

"You never knew your mother either," Marius pointed out. "And she had such a tragic end. Why would you want your daughter to carry that with her for all her life? We'll have to tell her sometime, you know."

"I just feel like it's the least I can do," said Cosette. "The only thing I can do, really, after all she did for me. I don't want her to be forgotten. She wouldn't want us to forget."

Marius nodded. "You're right." He traced his finger around Cosette's stomach, outlining where the infant was forming. "Hello there, little one," he whispered. "You have no idea how lucky you are to exist."


A/N: I don't really know if I'm continuing this story. This chapter was short because it was sort of an experiment to get me back into it. Please review and tell me if I should continue.