"Is my mummy really here?" Cosette asked, awed by the size of the house. It was by no means a mansion, but it was far larger than anything she'd ever imagined actually living in.

"Tha's right, lassie. And now yer gonna live here, too." The tiny blonde gasped, looking up at the woman.

"Really?" Marceline smiled at the little girl, flipping her reddish-brown hair behind her.

"Yep." She leaned down. "The ready to see yer mam?" She asked. The nine-year-old smiled and nodded excitedly, and Marceline scooped her into her arms, causing the girl to squeal in delight. She noted Francis standing unsurely by the carriage and rolled her eyes, calling out to him,

"You gonna come in or no'?" He smiled in relief and nodded, following the two of them into the ornate house.

"Yeh want something to eat, lassie?" Marceline asked. The blonde shook her head, but was interrupted by the sound of her tiny stomach growling, blatantly disagreeing with her. Cosette blushed and looked down. "Bein' hungry ain't something to be ashamed of, lass." She looked at Francis. "You hungry?"

"I could eat." He admitted. Marceline smiled at the answer and looked at the child in her arms.

"Yeh see? Now come on. I'm feeling a bit peckish meself. Let's go get some dinner." The trio, led by the house owner, walked to the kitchen. The delicious smells reached them from three rooms away, causing the youngests' mouth to water. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a decent meal, or even been comfortably full. When they entered the kitchen, she gasped at the size of it. The whole place was impeccably clean, despite the seemingly consistent cooking.

Two women, one in her early forties and the other a mere fifteen, bundled around, preparing what looked like pies. Pies by the dozens. Meat pies, mostly. A few were filled with cherries, some with sliced apples and cinnamon. Cosette had to swallow to avoid drooling.

"Nelly?" Marceline spoke kindly to the older of the two women, who turned and smiled.

"Yes dearie?"

"Do yeh think yeh could whip somethin' up for our guests?" She asked, gesturing to Francis and readjusting the child in her arms. The older woman smiled at her, then in turn at Francis and Cosette before turning back to Marceline.

"Of course, dearie. Just let us finish u-" she was interrupted by Cosette's stomach snarling at her. The women laughed and Nelly retrieved one of the meat pies, holding it out to her. Cosette took it shyly and thanked her. The younger kitchen worker, Phoebe, handed a pie to Francis, who thanked her profusely and made her blush.

.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. Timeskip sponsored by Grantaire's ale .,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.

When they had finished eating, Marceline sent Cosette into a side room to pick a new dress and prepared to bid Francis adieu. They stood in the doorway awkwardly for a moment, avoiding eye contact.

"Thank yeh. Fer coming with me. I really appreciate it." She told him, smiling. He smiled back, bowing back and lifting her hand to his lips.

"It was my pleasure, madamoiselle Angevine." He smiled charmingly as he pressed his lips to the back of her hand. She managed to avoid blushing until a second sentence left his lips.

"I'd like to see you again." Although she had turned beet red at this, Marceline remained confident.

"How about next Thursday? Say, five?" He beamed and nodded at this, and she closed the door. Both figures turned and collapsed against the door, sighing dreamily.

"Miss Angevine?" Marceline snapped to attention at the little voice and looked up to see Cosette in a beautiful blue gown. It was very simple, white lace only taking up edges of the bodice and the hem of the skirt. The young girl had her hair half tied up in a light blue bow while the rest hung down her back. Marceline squealed in delight and scooped her up.

"Oh Cosette, yeh look beautiful!" She informed the girl, twirling her in her arms.

"Thank you, miss Angevine."

"Ah ah ah. We're kin now. It's Marceline. Aunt Marcy, if you like." The little blonde smiled and hugged her around the neck. Marceline hugged back and carefully slipped toward the hall.

"Well, Cosette. You ready to see yer mam?" Her eyes lit up and she nodded excitedly again. Retracing her steps, Marceline returned to the door where she'd left Fantine, placing her hand on the knob.

Hello, my ducks! (Jace: Where?!) Glad to see you've all returned. And a few new faces in the audience; how delightful! Hope you've all enjoyed thus far. Reviews are love. And they taste good, too. *nom*