Author's note: Whew! These chapters will give me carpal tunnel. Anyway, here's chapter 2 for you. Thanks to Lady Eponine for reviewing!
Within a week, Nicole had escaped again. No one was surprised, and just took it in stride. Javert, on the other hand, was furious that she had managed to escape. He had interviewed the guards, even secured the firings of some people, however it was all for naught.
M. Chabouillet had been surprisingly congenial about the escape. He had expected her to get out the first time, and it showed Javert just who he was dealing with. He had spoken with Javert and reassured him that he would not, in fact, fire him for this. Javert was not comforted.
"I should have been more cautious," said Javert. "I didn't think the stories of her virtually undetected escapes were true."
"Don't beat yourself up over it, Inspector," Chabouillet said. "I appreciate your fervor, but she's beaten some of our best men. If you wish to be reassigned to a more regular post, I can do that."
Javert sighed. "No," he said, "I won't give up just yet. Give me one more chance. This time, if worst comes to worst I'll guard her myself."
Chabouillet reluctantly allowed him to continue, and Javert returned once more to the St. Rochelle neighborhood, this time alone. He considered going plain-clothed, then changed his mind. He had gone there so recently that they would most likely remember him from before and not be fooled.
He left the fiacre with the driver guarding it in the same place he has left it before. This time Javert looked closely at the faces around him. Chances were that she hadn't attempted to disguise herself, but it never hurt to make sure. He looked down a short alleyway, and didn't see her, so he began to continue down the street. Suddenly he felt someone grab him from behind and pull in into the alley. He didn't shout out, because no one, because no one would come to help him.
Javert was thrown to the ground, his face facing the broken pavement. He turned over to see his attacker, and the man put his foot on Javert's chest.
"For your safety, Inspector Javert, I would suggest that you stop chasing my sister," said the man.
"I assume you're speaking of Mademoiselle de Thorbeau," Javert said calmly, ignoring the anxiety that had unconsciously bubbled up.
"Of course I am, you impudent fool," he said. "Now listen to me. No matter where you are, I will know the place. When you're least expecting it, I will come. Stop chasing her, while you value your life."
How clichéd, thought Javert involuntarily. "Might I inquire as to the name of my threatener?" he asked.
The man leaned down and slapped Javert. "That's for your impudence," he said. "But I'll gladly tell you my name: Panchaud. Do not forget me, Inspecteur. If you take Ma'mselle de Thorbeau to jail, your life will be severely shortened.
Panchaud took his foot off Javert's chest, than kicked him. Javert winced slightly and closed his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened them, he saw a figure standing at the entrance to the alleyway. Seeing the person, Javert stood up hastily and walked to them. As he got closer, he saw that it wasn't Panchaud like he had thought, but Nicole.
He stood directly in front of her. "Ah, so it's you," he said. "I've just been told not to capture you."
"Fine, then, don't take me," said Nicole. "I'll just go with you willingly." She paused. "By the way, I apologize for my brother's behavior. He's one of the bad criminals."
"There can be no distinction between 'good' or 'bad' criminals. Their title of 'criminal' implies that they are bad, ergo it is hypocritical to call one of you good, and it is repetitive to call you bad. I will grant you that some criminals are worse than others, but this is true for all descriptions. There are some better politicians than others."
"There are some policemen better than others." She laughed. "But your rejection of 'good' and 'bad' is wrong. The word 'criminal' is a word used to describe people who break the law. But whether you follow the law or not does not define if you are a good or bad person. I, for instance, have broken the law. I openly admit this, because while many laws are just, there are some that most certainly are not. But such is human nature. We are flawed, there's no getting around that. That is why I believe in the spirit, not the letter of the law. Society does not need laws, but we need to understand that the laws that are made are not perfect."
"You're being rather hypocritical today," said Javert. "Now, from what I understand of this argument of yours, you're saying both that people should follow the law, and yet not follow it. How can you take the law in moderation? You can't accept some of the rules and ignore the others—you can't pick and choose which ones are right and which are wrong. That is, unless you are either a king or another person with the power to revoke laws. And anyway, what does the righteousness of laws have to do with criminals?"
"Because they are the ones most affected by the faulty system," she said. "And since I believe that it is, in fact, faulty, that brings me back to the concept of a 'good' or 'bad' criminal. Some of the laws that are in place now are wrong, and since there are flaws in the system, you cannot judge a person by it. And that is why I originally said that Panchaud was a bad criminal. He is a criminal, and he is a bad person. However, there are people who break the law who are, by nature, good people. Had they not broken the law, you probably would have argued with that interpretation of them. What right does the law have to damn a person for life?"
"Being a citizen of a country says that you must follow its laws. No country can be based on anything other than human laws, so that is the best we can have. If you don't agree with the rules set down by France's leaders, then leaves." He pointed his finger behind her to the street.
Suddenly Nicole laughed. "Ah, Javert, Javert," she said, "Maybe you should have been a politician." She paused. "Oh, wait; you couldn't do that if you wanted to, because of La Republique." She said 'republique' like it was a poisonous thing.
"Watch your mouth, girl," he said. "You're under arrest. Now I know you'll come quietly, and believe me, I appreciate that. But this time, if worst does indeed come to worst, I shall guard your cell myself."
Nicole held out her hands with her wrists together in preparation for being handcuffed. "Just do what you need to do, Inspector. It makes no difference to me. See, like you, I am willing to die for what I believe in, though I have a different way of going about it."
Worst did in fact come to worse. After a week Javert found himself doing guard duty, something he hadn't done for at least eight years. Nicole would occasionally try to start a conversation with him, but Javert would never respond. Then one day she asked him a question he couldn't ignore.
"Inspector, have you ever been in love?" asked Nicole when Javert passed by her cell.
Javert topped suddenly and looked at her, horrified. "What did you say?" he asked, stuttering. His first impulse was to think that she was trying to give him a distraction, so he have the hall a quick sweep with his eyes. Everything seemed normal, so he went back to the question at hand.
"In love. Have you ever loved a woman?" Nicole said. "Or a man, whatever floats your boat." She winked.
"A man?" said Javert, once more horrified. "What sort of man would like another man?"
"You sound rather paranoid, Inspector," said Nicole. "But forget me asking that. Have you been love, already?"
"Ro…" Javert began. Then he caught himself. "In love? Don't be a fool. No, don't be a fool." He began to walk away stiffly.
"Wait, what did you say before that?" Nicole called after him. "I didn't catch that name."
Javert walked backed to her cell and gripped the bars. "I didn't say a name," he said. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Then why are you so defensive about it?" Nicole asked sweetly.
With no response, Javert walked away again. This woman has no right to talk to me like that, he thought. Then he sighed. They had called her the bouton de rose, a rosebud, when Javert had known Rose. And everyone loved her. To know Rose was to love her.
A month passed, and Nicole was still in prison. The surprising thing was that Javert hadn't done guard duty for her for the past two weeks. It was both a surprise and a relief to Javert. He was surprised she hadn't escaped again, and relieved that he wouldn't have to guard her.
On one late October afternoon, Raoul Pontmercy had a friendly argument with Inspector Javert. Policemen had been coming to Raoul with some frequency now. They insisted that he give up the title of Baron, but he refused. This time it was Javert's turn to persuade him.
"Monsieur," said Javert, "why must you persist in calling yourself an incorrect title? Why does it really matter that you're not a baron?"
"Ah, Inspecteur, don't you understand?" Raoul said. "I am a baron. I was awarded that title by Napoleon himself. So how can you dispute my claim?"
"Napoleon is not in power any more, monsieur. You know that as well as I do. We need to break away from the past and look towards the future."
"But Inspecteur, we need to respect the past and understand its worth and value. If you don't believe in the past, than you will go nowhere in the future." He gave a puppy look with his big old brown eyes, than gestured to the scar on his face. "You see this, Inspecteur?" he said. "This is the most visible reason of why I won't abandon my title. I earned it on Waterloo, and by God, I deserved it. Do you understand me, at least?"
"Yes," said Javert. "I understand you. I don't agree with you, but I understand what you're saying. You say that I don't believe the past, but that is not so. I'm saying that past is past. You can't change what has already happened."
"But that doesn't mean that you can't remember and honor the past."
"You can indeed remember and…honor the past, but you shouldn't try to relive it. Not looking towards the future won't get you anywhere, believe me," Javert said. "You will fail if you lose yourself in memories."
"Do you even follow that yourself?" asked Raoul. "Who does not wish that some aspect of the past was still happening? Yes, it's already occurred, but even you yourself said that the past should be honored. That means that I should still be called a baron. You weren't granted the title of 'Inspector' today, so therefore it is in the past. So does that mean you shouldn't be called by that name?"
"No, because the people that elevated me to that rank are still in power."
"But does that really matter? In the long run, does it truly matter who's controlling the government?"
"Of course it will," said Javert, shocked.
"Are you sure?"
More fun random yet important conversations next chapter as well as plot development and fun stuff like that! I love reviews!