"It's Only Love"
A/N - Hey everyone. I haven't written a dramatic fic in the longest time and I've been dying to do one. Don't worry. I have the parody fics coming out at lightening speed, but I'd like to do something really "deep" as it were. Now, a word to the weary. I'm going to get extremely upset if I have to keep reminding people, but this is FanFic. Anything can happen, and I'm not asking you to agree with what I write, but I want you to respect it. If you don't like it, don't read it, or give me constructive criticism, but don't flame me screaming about AU and how it isn't right.
THIS WILL BE AN AU FIC THAT SOMEWHAT FOLLOWS THE STORY WITH A VALJEAN/FANTINE PAIRING
I'm giving you fair warning. Don't like it? Fine.
Thanks in advance to Jenna for helping me once again on my 15th fic.
Chapter 1
Fantine pulled her child close, fighting back tears. She had to be strong for the two of them. If Cosette became frightened and began to cry, Fantine feared she may never be able to leave the little girl. Her daughter remained calm, unaware of what was happening to her. She kept looking past her mother's shoulder at the two little girls playing in the yard.
"Cosette, listen to me, sweetheart. Mommy has to go somewhere."
"Can't I come to?"
"No, sweetheart," she said with difficulty. "You can't come."
'Why does this have to be so hard?' she screamed inside. 'I shouldn't care what people will think ... but I do. I want my child to stay with me, but I couldn't endure all the taunting, the rumors, and the scandal... Even so, Cosette can't come with me. It would be selfish. She'll be happy here and well cared for. I'll return for her soon enough.'
"Mama, when will you come back?"
"Very soon, I promise."
"You won't forget me?"
"Never, sweetheart." She grabbed the locket around her neck, the locket Cosette's father had given Fantine. "Remember this locket? You used to play with it when you were a baby. I'll never take it off, and it will always remind me of you."
Cosette frowned. "How will I think of you?"
'I won't cry,' Fantine told herself. She looked at the doll Cosette was holding.
"Your doll, of course. I made her for you when you were very small. You'll sleep with her by your side every night and pretend she's me."
"But I will be alone without you!"
"No, never. Eponine and Azelma will play with you, and you'll have so much fun together. Madame and Monsieur will take care of you, and I'll write to you. Everyone will love you, Cosette. You'll never be alone."
Cosette handed the doll to her mother. "Will you say goodbye to her?"
"Yes," she said reaching for the doll. "Goodbye." She hugged the doll with as much love and affection as any child would. She handed it back to her daughter. "I have to go now, Cosette."
Cosette flung herself in her mother's arms, hanging on as if she never would let go. Fantine couldn't help it, and she started to weep. Cosette pulled back and touched her mother's tears.
"Mama, I've never seen you cry before. Please don't be sad."
"I'm not. Everything will be all right."
"Right it will, Mademoiselle. She'll be in capable hands with us." Madame Thenardier came over and took Cosette by the hand. "I don't mean to be so insensitive to your goodbyes, but if you want to make it as far as Monseuil-Sur-Mer before nightfall, the only time to go is now."
"I know that, Madame. It's just ... I've never been separated from her before. Not ever. It's very hard."
"You'll see her again in no time," Madame reassured.
"Yes..."
But deep down inside, Fantine didn't know what the future held. Whether or not she found a job would determine how long she would be away from Cosette.
"Mama?"
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Will you always love me?"
"Of course."
"And never ever forget me?"
"Never, and I'll be back before you know I'm gone."
"Goodbye, Mama."
"Goodbye, Cosette."
She squeezed her daughter tightly and kissed her forehead.
"Be good. Be brave."
She walked down the road, aching to look back, but knowing that she would never be able to leave if she did. She heard Madame call to her daughters to play with Cosette. She wiped the tears away and grabbed her locket.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I don't understand, Monsieur le Mare."
"What isn't there to understand? I'm creating job opportunities."
"I'm afraid that we don't have the budget to hire any more workers at this time, Monsieur."
"Then write up a new budget."
"Monsieur, it simply isn't done like that."
"Then I shall pay new workers out of my own pocket."
"Monsieur le Mare! Have you lost your mind?"
"I make more than twice what these poor workers do, and for what? Sitting in my office all day while they sweat blood?"
"Monsieur, besides the fact that you are an elected official, you are entitled to your leisure. You built this business with your own two hands."
"And I would get down beside each and every worker if I could!"
"Among those ruffians? Those dirty, vile, back-stabbing..."
Valjean bolted from his seat. "What makes you any better than they are? What are you implying? It has nothing to do with profession! A person could be well off and content, but he could be the blackest, most cold-hearted man ever. Is that correct?" he asked, sneering at the man he called his friend and assistant.
"Monsieur, it is not respectable to take a place beside one's workers."
"Respect? I have their respect! If you recall, I came here with nothing, did I not? Look at me now. Honestly, do you expect me to believe that you didn't think of me when I first arrived here the same way you think of my workers today?"
"Monsieur..."
"As your mayor and employer, I charge you to give me an honest answer."
"I did, Monsieur," he said after a pause.
Valjean sat back down as another worker appeared at the door.
"Yes?"
"A young lady is inquiring about a job, Monsieur le Mare. Shall I turn her away, or will you see her?"
"Monsieur will turn her away."
"No, I will see her, thank you." The worker left the room, rather confused.
"Well?" Valjean asked.
"Monsieur, we cannot hire any more workers at this time."
"We can, and we will."
The man sighed. "Very well, Monsieur. Very well."
A/N - Hey everyone. I haven't written a dramatic fic in the longest time and I've been dying to do one. Don't worry. I have the parody fics coming out at lightening speed, but I'd like to do something really "deep" as it were. Now, a word to the weary. I'm going to get extremely upset if I have to keep reminding people, but this is FanFic. Anything can happen, and I'm not asking you to agree with what I write, but I want you to respect it. If you don't like it, don't read it, or give me constructive criticism, but don't flame me screaming about AU and how it isn't right.
THIS WILL BE AN AU FIC THAT SOMEWHAT FOLLOWS THE STORY WITH A VALJEAN/FANTINE PAIRING
I'm giving you fair warning. Don't like it? Fine.
Thanks in advance to Jenna for helping me once again on my 15th fic.
Chapter 1
Fantine pulled her child close, fighting back tears. She had to be strong for the two of them. If Cosette became frightened and began to cry, Fantine feared she may never be able to leave the little girl. Her daughter remained calm, unaware of what was happening to her. She kept looking past her mother's shoulder at the two little girls playing in the yard.
"Cosette, listen to me, sweetheart. Mommy has to go somewhere."
"Can't I come to?"
"No, sweetheart," she said with difficulty. "You can't come."
'Why does this have to be so hard?' she screamed inside. 'I shouldn't care what people will think ... but I do. I want my child to stay with me, but I couldn't endure all the taunting, the rumors, and the scandal... Even so, Cosette can't come with me. It would be selfish. She'll be happy here and well cared for. I'll return for her soon enough.'
"Mama, when will you come back?"
"Very soon, I promise."
"You won't forget me?"
"Never, sweetheart." She grabbed the locket around her neck, the locket Cosette's father had given Fantine. "Remember this locket? You used to play with it when you were a baby. I'll never take it off, and it will always remind me of you."
Cosette frowned. "How will I think of you?"
'I won't cry,' Fantine told herself. She looked at the doll Cosette was holding.
"Your doll, of course. I made her for you when you were very small. You'll sleep with her by your side every night and pretend she's me."
"But I will be alone without you!"
"No, never. Eponine and Azelma will play with you, and you'll have so much fun together. Madame and Monsieur will take care of you, and I'll write to you. Everyone will love you, Cosette. You'll never be alone."
Cosette handed the doll to her mother. "Will you say goodbye to her?"
"Yes," she said reaching for the doll. "Goodbye." She hugged the doll with as much love and affection as any child would. She handed it back to her daughter. "I have to go now, Cosette."
Cosette flung herself in her mother's arms, hanging on as if she never would let go. Fantine couldn't help it, and she started to weep. Cosette pulled back and touched her mother's tears.
"Mama, I've never seen you cry before. Please don't be sad."
"I'm not. Everything will be all right."
"Right it will, Mademoiselle. She'll be in capable hands with us." Madame Thenardier came over and took Cosette by the hand. "I don't mean to be so insensitive to your goodbyes, but if you want to make it as far as Monseuil-Sur-Mer before nightfall, the only time to go is now."
"I know that, Madame. It's just ... I've never been separated from her before. Not ever. It's very hard."
"You'll see her again in no time," Madame reassured.
"Yes..."
But deep down inside, Fantine didn't know what the future held. Whether or not she found a job would determine how long she would be away from Cosette.
"Mama?"
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Will you always love me?"
"Of course."
"And never ever forget me?"
"Never, and I'll be back before you know I'm gone."
"Goodbye, Mama."
"Goodbye, Cosette."
She squeezed her daughter tightly and kissed her forehead.
"Be good. Be brave."
She walked down the road, aching to look back, but knowing that she would never be able to leave if she did. She heard Madame call to her daughters to play with Cosette. She wiped the tears away and grabbed her locket.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I don't understand, Monsieur le Mare."
"What isn't there to understand? I'm creating job opportunities."
"I'm afraid that we don't have the budget to hire any more workers at this time, Monsieur."
"Then write up a new budget."
"Monsieur, it simply isn't done like that."
"Then I shall pay new workers out of my own pocket."
"Monsieur le Mare! Have you lost your mind?"
"I make more than twice what these poor workers do, and for what? Sitting in my office all day while they sweat blood?"
"Monsieur, besides the fact that you are an elected official, you are entitled to your leisure. You built this business with your own two hands."
"And I would get down beside each and every worker if I could!"
"Among those ruffians? Those dirty, vile, back-stabbing..."
Valjean bolted from his seat. "What makes you any better than they are? What are you implying? It has nothing to do with profession! A person could be well off and content, but he could be the blackest, most cold-hearted man ever. Is that correct?" he asked, sneering at the man he called his friend and assistant.
"Monsieur, it is not respectable to take a place beside one's workers."
"Respect? I have their respect! If you recall, I came here with nothing, did I not? Look at me now. Honestly, do you expect me to believe that you didn't think of me when I first arrived here the same way you think of my workers today?"
"Monsieur..."
"As your mayor and employer, I charge you to give me an honest answer."
"I did, Monsieur," he said after a pause.
Valjean sat back down as another worker appeared at the door.
"Yes?"
"A young lady is inquiring about a job, Monsieur le Mare. Shall I turn her away, or will you see her?"
"Monsieur will turn her away."
"No, I will see her, thank you." The worker left the room, rather confused.
"Well?" Valjean asked.
"Monsieur, we cannot hire any more workers at this time."
"We can, and we will."
The man sighed. "Very well, Monsieur. Very well."