A/N: God, it's been so very long. I kind of dropped this story, then stumbled upon it and decided to pick it up again. Much fun!

Sorry 'bout the formatting problems, this quickedit thing is being weird.

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Madeleine stood on the step of her house, biting her fingernails and watching as, down the street, Monsieur and Madame Pontmercy spoke with the police. Cosette was in disarray, leaning on Marius as though she would collapse.

Any thoughts of revenge and hate had flown from Madeleine's mind the instant she had run to the Pontmercy's residence and told them everything she knew. She was truly concerned for her dear friend, and only regretted that she couldn't have convinced her otherwise. Mathieu was trouble and she had known it from the very beginning.

But she had no idea where Ariadne was, and had already told that to the police.

Madeleine turned around and felt a chill run up her spine. Next door, the investigators from the police were picking through Monsieur Gautreau's apartment. They had removed the body earlier that morning. She had been watching and remembered the utter horror that had gone through her body. The combined shock from seeing that and knowing that Ariadne, too, could be dead somewhere in the countryside had made her vomit.

A carriage rolled up the street and stopped in front of the Pontmercy residence. Madeleine watched Ariadne's mother and father climb into the carriage. Virginie the housemaid was standing on the front step as they rambled off toward the police station, holding a kerchief to her mouth and looking frightened.

Madeleine sat down on the front step and sighed. She didn't know what to do.

Ariadne was taken from her cell early the next morning so that the doctor could remove her bandages and redress the gunshot wound on her arm. She sat in an enclosed room silently while the elderly gentleman cleaned her wound.

"A lucky mad'moiselle, you are. The bullet grazed your arm, that's all."

Ariadne did not reply. She was looking out the window at an old factory, apparently long abandoned. Windows were shattered and the front door was ravaged by wind and rain. The brick facing was chipped and in disrepair.

"What is that place, Monsieur?" she asked quietly.

The doctor glanced over his shoulder. "Long out of business, that place. A factory for the women folk of the city. Good Monsieur Madeleine, he was the one who ran it. A good man."

Madeleine...... Ariadne thought. She thought briefly of her friend, and wondered if she knew. She wondered if she even cared.

"But he's gone now. He ran off, people said he was a convict on the run. Guess his past caught up with him." The doctor continued disinterestedly.

Ariadne nodded her head slowly.

The doctor tied her arm in new bandages and stood, showing her to the door. Outside was a guard, waiting to take her back to her cell. As they walked the hall of the police station, however, there suddenly came the sound of frantic shouting and profanity.

There was a crash, that of furniture being flung to the ground, and in the main foyer where all prisoners were held to testify their sins, Ariadne saw Chaumérey being hauled into the station by two gendarmes. He was giving up a fight and showing the two strong men what he was worth. His protests were frantic and desperate.

"You haven't got me! You can't have me! Patron-Minette will live on!" Chaumérey was shouting. When he realized that this tactic would gain him no ground, he started his excuses anew. "I didn't shoot the old man! I am innocent! Mathieu shot him!"

Ariadne stiffened at the mention of Mathieu.

The two gendarmes were struggling to keep Chaumérey in check. "You may not have shot him, but you were involved in an armed robbery, Chaumérey Brujon." One said.

Chaumérey spit on the closest gendarme. They had him on the ground in an instant. On his stomach with his hands behind his back, Chaumérey spotted Ariadne at the end of the hall.

"Her! Tell her!" he shouted.

The guard that was holding Ariadne started to pull her away.

"He's dead, girl! He never loved you! You were bait, that's all!" Chaumérey continued.

Ariadne tripped and had to be helped up by the guard. He pushed her into the cell and snapped the barred door shut. She felt dizzy and fell to her knees, covering her ears to block out Chaumérey's lies. A sob came to her lips and she wept openly.

It wasn't true. Mathieu loved her, he had told her so. He loved her!

Cosette and Marius stood up as soon as the head inspector entered the room. They had been waiting there almost a whole day; it was close to midnight now.

"We have her location, Monsieur." He said to Marius.

"Tell me where my daughter is." Cosette begged. She was clutching Marius' arm.

The inspector looked at her. "The driver of the mail car that took them had given us some information. He followed them."

Marius' patience was spent. "Just—" he paused, regaining his composure. "Please, Monsieur. Where is our daughter?"

"Your daughter is in Montreuil-sur-Mer, Monsieur." The inspector said. Cosette muttered something that sounded like "Dieu"—it was her place of birth, the place where her adoptive father had been mayor. "She has been shot, but not fatally. She is fine and residing in a jail cell until further instruction. She is, of course, innocent, but has nowhere else to go."

Cosette hid her face in Marius' jacket and he stroked her hair, sighing.

The inspector gave them a moment. "I can send word to have her brought here by carriage."

"No," Marius said. "We will go to her."

The inspector nodded his head finally. "Very well, Monsieur. I will have a carriage provided." He turned and left the room.

Cosette looked up at her husband. Perhaps there would be some hope.