Disclaimer : They all belong to Victor Hugo, and he won't let me have them.

Author's Notes : The first of a double update, next part coming later! Another little nothingy chapter I'm afraid : ). But after this one all the chapters have some importance, so it's okay. Quick thank you to Happy Hobo (interesting name you have there) for taking the time to review, it means a lot to me. So read and review everyone!!!

Now life has killed the dream….

Tholomyes didn't seem to have an idea where we were going for dinner. He wandered about aimlessly, giving my bleeding knuckles occasional wary glances.

"We should get you a bandage"

"It's fine" I told him. "I don't even feel anything." That was a lie, Madame had very sharp nails and my poor hands were stinging horribly.

Shrugging he begin to tear his sleeve.

"What are you doing?"

"Making a bandage" he tore it off in one long strip, divided it into two and wrapped it around my hands. "There we go."

"Thank you"

We wandered for a bit longer, stopping in front of places only for Tholomyes to announce - "ugly", "infested with rats", "I had an argument with the chef, he'll spit in our food", "infested with poor students who want to change the world" and just plain "dull."

"I don't mean to whine" I said. "But I haven't eaten since yesterday."

Tholomyes spun around and crowed "there! A restaurant fit for a queen!"

It was fit for a queen. Candles, nice looking food and well-dressed people. Self-consciously I smoothed the creases on my dress, it was slightly worse for wear from my fall.

Tholomyes strode confidently through the door, telling the waiter to get him a table for two. As I silently followed, I knew it was a bad idea – the staff looked me up and down, a few people laughed and glamorous women began to whisper to each other.

Their whispers and giggles blended together in a humming noise that flowed round my brain, desperate to get away from it – I ran.

I ran and ran. Where I was going I don't know. I still didn't know Paris and after turning another corner I found myself to be lost. Trying to go back the way I came I took another wrong turn and slipped. My dress gave a loud rip and I landed on my hands and knees.

"Fantine" someone touched my shoulder. "What's the matter?"

I didn't need to look up to see who it was. "Leave me alone Tholomyes."

"Not when you're in this state" he tried to pull me up, but the second his hand touched my waist I let out a loud scream.

"I said leave me alone. You don't care about me –I'm just some urchin girl you gave a room too. I'm not even fit to be seen with you!"

He took a deep swallow and spoke in the most serious tone I'd ever heard him use. "Fantine, I don't understand you. You always seem so distant, always crying. You won't accept gifts as acts of kindness, only of pity. And why was your hand bleeding? They were nail marks, any fool could see that."

I looked at him, and saw only concern in his eyes. And so I told him. Everything. About the farm, why I'd lost my job and what Madame had done.

Tholomyes did all the right things. He held my hand, had all the right opinions. "Poor Fantine" he said quietly. "You're welcome to stay in my room as long as you need it." Then he hastily scribbled something on a piece of paper he grabbed from his pocket. "This is my address, if you ever need anything just come by. My housekeeper will let you in."

He then walked me home, the first time I walked with him in silence. When we reached my door he awkwardly kissed my cheek. Then blushed and hurried away.