Hey guys! I'm so sorry for the delay! I had to finish that 50 some page paper I told you about (ended up being 58 total, yuck), then I went to visit my grandparents over spring break, where I caught a bad cold. I finally started writing this chapter a couple of nights ago, and I just couldn't get it to where I wanted it to be, hence the even longer delay. But you can all thank Fanpire101 for helping me out of the rut so I could get this posted tonight :) A couple of announcements: there will be two more chapters after this, and then you will all get what you've been waiting for. Yes, the girls will finally be old enough that we can begin the love stories, so hopefully I will give you all your fixes of Enjonine and Mosette. Also, I have another AU fic for Les Mis in the works. Short description: WWII fic where all the Les Amis are evacuees from London who come to live with Valjean, who has just hired a new housekeeper named Fantine to help him take care of all these extra kids. You guys interested? You better be, because I've got the whole thing outlined and I'm ready to write. But for now, enjoy this chapter!
February 18, 1825
"…And they all lived happily ever after," Valjean finished, closing the book as he said the last words printed on the page. "And now, mes filles endormies, it is time for bed," he said to the two little girls perched on his lap.
"Yes Papa," Eponine replied with a yawn, laying her head on his shoulder. As difficult as she was to wake in the mornings, Eponine never made a fuss when it was time for bed. She loved nothing more than to snuggle under the covers with Marguerite tucked under her arm and her sister curled up to her side. Cosette, however, was a different story. She was always up with the sun, singing like a little lark as she set the table for breakfast, but she hated to go to bed. More than once Valjean had found cause to scold her for getting up for multiple drinks of water or begging one too many times for another story.
But to Valjean's surprise, Cosette echoed her sister with a sleepy "Yes Papa," and rubbed her eyes as she leaned back against his chest. Valjean furrowed his eyebrows and tilted her face up to look at him.
"Who are you and what have you done with ma petite Cosette?" he asked with mock concern. "She never agrees to go to bed without at least asking to hear a second story."
"I'm Cosette, Papa," the little girl replied with a small giggle. "But I'm tired tonight, and I feel sore."
"That does not surprise me at all," Valjean said, setting the book down on the table and rising to his feet, one daughter balanced on each hip. Recently, Cosette and Eponine had read a story about skipping rope in one of their schoolbooks, and they had been anxious to try it out. They had run into a problem when they realized that skipping rope usually required three little girls; two to turn and one to jump. Valjean was more than willing to play with them, but his tall stature and male hands were not conducive to skipping rope. Fortunately, Eponine was proving to be quite innovative, and she had suggested that they tie one end of the rope to the gate bars. This had worked quite nicely, and the girls had spent every afternoon for a week jumping until their hair ribbons came undone and they were out of breath.
"Perhaps you should stay indoors tomorrow," Valjean continued as he carried his daughters down the hall. "You have gotten more than enough exercise for one week."
"Oh no, Papa!" Eponine begged, lifting her head from his shoulder. "We love to skip rope!"
"Please Papa, don't make us stay inside," Cosette pleaded.
"Very well," Valjean said indulgently, setting them both down on their bed. "So long as you get a good night's sleep." Both girls nodded hard in agreement, and Valjean sealed the deal with a kiss as he tucked them in for the night.
The girls kept their promise better than Valjean had anticipated. The next morning, both girls proved difficult to wake up, especially Cosette. But despite their tired state, they both eagerly jumped at the chance to go play outside after they had finished their lessons. They played hard for well over an hour, before Valjean looked at the clock and realized that the sky would be growing dark shortly. Setting the lid on the pot of soup boiling over the stove, Valjean wiped his hands on a rag and headed for the front door. Supper would not be ready for another hour at least, but the days were still cold, and he did not want the girls catching a chill. He opened the front door and was greeted by the sight of Cosette swinging the rope in large circles while Eponine jumped and giggled every time she tripped.
"Cosette! Eponine!" Valjean called from the doorway. "It is time to come inside, mes filles. You'll catch your death in this cold weather."
"We aren't at all cold, Papa!" Eponine called, her voice coming out in short breaths as she jumped continuously over the rope.
"And it's hardly begun to get dark!" Cosette echoed, swinging the rope more vigorously with each turn.
Valjean shook his head. While both of his girls were just as sweet and charming as ever, they had begun to get more defiant as of late, and they were not yet nine years old. He shuddered to think what would happen once they became teenagers. Shortly before his arrest, his eldest niece Afrodille had been approaching puberty, and he swore she gave his sister Jeanne grey hair. And she had only been one child.
"Just because you are warm from jumping, petits, does not mean the cold is not affecting you," Valjean said firmly. He had been standing in the doorway for less than a minute, and he was already starting to shiver without a coat. "Now come inside."
"But Papa…" the girls began to whine in unison.
Valjean raised a stern eyebrow at them, cutting off their tantrum before it could begin. "Come inside immediately or you will not be allowed out to play for the rest of the week," he warned. Cosette dropped the rope like it was a hot potato at the threat, and she and Eponine both trudged towards the doorway, heads hanging abashedly.
Valjean could not stay mad at them for more than a brief second, and when they crossed the threshold he greeted them with a smile and placed a hand on each of their cheeks, both of which were flushed with exertion.
"You say you are not cold, mes filles, but your cheeks say differently," he said gently, stroking their chilled skin with his fingers. "You both feel like little icicles."
"I guess we are a little cold," Eponine admitted reluctantly, and Cosette nodded her agreement as she shivered slightly.
"Soon I will have some hot soup ready for you, and that will warm you right up," Valjean promised. "In the meantime, why don't you play by the fire in the sitting room with Catharine and Marguerite? They must feel neglected as of late; you've barely spent any time with them since you've started skipping rope."
"Papa's right, 'Ponine," Cosette said seriously. "We haven't been very good Mamas."
"Let's go make it up to them," Eponine said, taking her sister's hand and skipping off down the hallway.
The girls had such an enjoyable time playing quiet games with their dolls that Valjean hated to interrupt them, but he wanted to make sure they had a good square meal after all their exercise. He had prepared a hearty bean soup, which was one of Cosette's favorites, so he was surprised when she took no more than two bites before setting her spoon down.
"Cosette?" Valjean asked, setting down his own spoon in concern. "Is there something wrong with your soup?"
"It tastes funny, Papa," Cosette complained, pressing her hand to her stomach.
"Mine doesn't," Eponine said, shoving a big spoonful into her mouth. "It tastes good, Papa!"
Valjean gave Eponine a brief smile before turning his attentions back to Cosette. "Would you like me to get you some salt, Cosette? Perhaps…"
But Valjean did not get to finish his sentence before Cosette abruptly turned green and spewed the two bites of soup, plus the entirety of her lunch and breakfast, all over the table. Eponine jumped back in disgust, and Valjean leapt to his feet and ran to his little girl.
"I'm sorry, Papa," Cosette whimpered, her eyes filling with tears. Valjean noticed that they were already quite red, something he had failed to notice before.
"Sh, it's alright petit," Valjean said gently, picking up a napkin and wiping her face with it. "I can see you do not feel well; it's not your fault." He lifted Cosette in his arms and felt her forehead with his wrist, noting with concern that it felt awfully warm. "I think we may need to fetch the doctor to see you, ma Cherie," he said worriedly. "Let's get you into your nightgown and into bed, and I will send for him."
Cosette did not respond to this pronouncement, but continued to cry, her little body shaking with a combination of chills and sobs. Valjean rubbed her back as he carried her into the bedroom and got her prepared for bed.
"Eponine," Valjean said softly, beckoning his healthy child over to him as he came back into the foyer. "I will be back with the doctor as quickly as I can. I will need you to take care of your sister while I am gone. Dab her forehead with a cool rag, and try to get her to drink some water. Can you do that, petit?"
"Yes, Papa," Eponine nodded urgently, her earlier disgust gone and replaced with worry. She was feeling very concerned upon hearing that Papa was going for a doctor. Eponine had never seen a doctor before; every time she or Cosette fell ill while staying with the Thenardiers, they had not been given any treatment. But she knew from books that doctors often came when people were seriously ill.
"Good girl," Valjean said, giving her a kiss on the head and grabbing his overcoat as he left the house.
"Papa," Cosette croaked, another tear squeezing out of her eyes as she heard her father slam the door.
"Sh, it's alright, Cosette," Eponine assured her, hurrying to do Papa's bidding as she grabbed a rag from the bedside table. "Papa will be back soon. I'm going to take care of you." With that promise, Eponine wet the rag and began to wash her sister's face gently.
Two hours later, Valjean exited Cosette's bedroom and closed the door behind him. Sighing deeply, he closed his eyes and fell back heavily against the wall, his mind reeling from the evening's events. It had not taken the doctor long to figure out that Cosette was suffering from influenza. How she had caught it, the doctor had no idea, but he warned Valjean that Eponine might come down with the disease as well, seeing as the girls shared just about everything. But in the meantime, his primary concern was Cosette. The little girl's fever had risen in the short time he had been there, and the doctor feared that if it continued to rise, the influenza might develop into pneumonia. With the help of a nurse he had sent for, the doctor was prepared to spend the rest of the evening working to break Cosette's fever and soothe her cough, but he warned Valjean that it was probably going to be a long night. Being told there was nothing he could do but wait, Valjean had left the room, feeling utterly helpless.
"Papa?" a little voice whispered. Valjean opened his eyes and saw Eponine hovering in the doorway of the sitting room, her little face pinched with worry and streaked with tears. "Is Cosette going to die?" she whimpered.
"Oh ma petite Eponine," Valjean breathed, crossing the foyer in two great strides and swooping her up in his arms. "Of course not, ma Cherie. Doctor Beaumont is a good doctor. He will make Cosette well again."
Despite the soothing words he said to Eponine, Valjean could not convince himself entirely that they were true. With a pang in his chest, he remembered what he had said only hours ago when his daughters would not come in from playing. You'll catch your death, he had said. He hadn't been serious; it was just a phrase parents used to emphasize their instructions. But seeing Cosette lying on the bed, weak with fever, looking far too similar to Fantine during her last days, Valjean wondered if his words had tempted fate to come take his little girl from him.
"I don't want Cosette to die, Papa!" Eponine cried as the pair sat down on the couch in the sitting room. "She's my sister! I don't want her to go to Heaven without me!"
"Hush now, ma petite Eponine," Valjean soothed, stroking her hair with his hand. "Neither you nor Cosette are going to go to Heaven for a very long time, I promise. I would not let either of you go before me. You have my word." As he spoke, he prayed furiously that God would not make a liar out of him by taking his child away prematurely. He did not know how he would go on if he lost either one of his petits anges.
Eponine sniffed and leaned her head against his chest. "Can I go see her and tell her not to leave for Heaven without me?" she asked softly.
"No, Eponine," Valjean said gently. "It might make you sick to be near Cosette right now. You may see her soon, once her fever breaks."
"But where will I sleep tonight?" Eponine wanted to know.
"You may sleep here on the couch, or in my bed with me," Valjean offered.
"With you, Papa," Eponine said immediately. Valjean smiled down at his little girl. He could not protect Cosette from the vile disease coursing through her body, but at least he could hold Eponine close tonight and protect her from any outside forces. Feeling slight comfort at that thought, he gave Eponine a kiss on the cheek and stood up once more. All he could do now was focus on preparing one child for bed and try to forget that his other child was sick and helpless in the next room.
Valjean did not sleep a wink, though Eponine slept soundly cradled in her father's arms. Every half hour or so, Valjean felt her forehead to see if she was coming down with a fever, but she appeared to be perfectly healthy come morning. Valjean was checking her temperature for approximately the seventeenth time when he heard the back bedroom door creak open. Laying Eponine down gently and jumping to his feet, he hurried into the foyer and almost slammed into the doctor.
"Doctor Beaumont?" Valjean asked anxiously. "How is my child?"
The good doctor smiled tiredly at the concerned parent. "She is weak and tired, but her fever broke a short while ago," he said, causing Valjean to heave a deep sigh of relief. "She is sleeping now. I have left some laudanum for you to give her every six hours if her cough continues, and I will be back to check on her later this afternoon. As long as you make sure she drinks plenty of fluids and does not exert herself, she should be perfectly well by the end of the week. You and your other daughter may go in whenever you wish."
"Thank you, Doctor," Valjean said, gratefully clasping the younger man's hand in his own. The doctor gave him a warm smile and took his leave, the nurse following close behind him.
"Papa?" Eponine asked, trotting out of the bedroom and rubbing her eyes sleepily. "May we see Cosette now?"
Valjean smiled and picked his daughter up. "Yes, Eponine," he said happily. "We may see Cosette now." The pair headed back to the bedroom and quietly approached the bed. Cosette lay against a pile of pillows, her hair sweaty from the fever and her cheeks pale, but with a peaceful look on her face as she slept soundly.
Valjean was about to motion to Eponine to let her sister sleep, but Eponine had been worried, and she needed to be reassured that Cosette was indeed alright. "Cosette!" she cried, causing the little blonde girl's eyes to pop open in surprise. "Are you feeling better?"
Before Valjean could chastise Eponine for waking her sister, Cosette smiled tiredly at both of them and nodded. "I feel better, 'Ponine," she said softly. "The lady took care of me."
"Yes, Cosette," Valjean said, setting Eponine down and coming to kneel beside his daughter's bed. "The nurse took very good care of you. Your fever is broken, and the doctor says you will be well within a week."
Cosette shook her head. "Not that lady, Papa. The pretty lady that lives in the castle on the cloud," she explained. "She held me in her arms and sang me a lullaby, and I felt better. She had such a pretty smile, and beautiful brown hair like 'Ponine's. She knew my name, and she told me she loved me very much, and then I woke up and you were here."
Valjean stared at his daughter for a moment before leaning over to give her a gentle kiss on her forehead. As he pressed his lips to her clammy skin, he closed his eyes and sent up a silent prayer. Thank you, Fantine. Thank you for caring for our daughter when I could not.
mes filles endormies-my sleepy girls
I feel like this was one of my weaker chapters, so I hope you guys didn't hate it too much! I may have fudged some medical details, but hey, I'm no Joly. Coming up next: sister fight! It had to happen sooner or later, right? But don't worry, Valjean will fix everything before the chapter is over. Please review and let me know I didn't lose you guys over my mini-hiatus!