Chapter 7

Adam, Belle, and the rest lived in Toronto for another 18 years or so. During this time life was good for them, they had a few more children, Adam's business dealings prospered, they made new friends, but all the while Belle still thought back to her former France. Belle's father Maurice married Mrs. Potts and they moved with Chip to Nova Scotia, and eventually as Chip grew up he got a job working in a cannery that was started up in Charlottetown, and thus eventually married a girl from the small town of Avonlea, who wanted to stay close to home, so that's where he moved to.

Adam and Belle's children were growing up, and since Belle's had instilled the love of learning from an early age, it was only fitting that their oldest son Marius, had wanted to attend university in Paris France.

Adam was a bit reluctant to see his son travel back to France, especially after all they had observed in their brief visit to Paris during the French Revolution on the late 18th century. He questioned his son's decision, but Marius assured him of the fact that some of the troubles had eased somewhat since the days of revolution. Assured of this idea, Adam and Belle allowed their son to return to France.

A bit of time passed, and soon Belle and her husband decided that their children should be able to return to France, mainly based on their son's missives he'd sent which lead them to believe that perhaps the troubles had lessened, plus they both also desired for their other children to acquire a level of culture that wasn't available to life in Toronto in those days. Still though Belle thought she read a note of concern for the citizens of France hidden between the lines in her son's letters, and that troubled her to no extent, though she didn't express her concerns to Adam.

And so they traveled back to France on a ship, and such the voyage was rather uneventful, and except for a few bouts of seasickness, it went as well as possible.

When they got to France though, both Adam and Belle realized that there was still an aura of oppression among the poor along the coast. Belle was a bit appalled at the audacity of some of the women on the shore who were seemingly plying their trade in front of everyone. She tried to shield her children from some of it, but she feared it was probably to no avail. When they stayed at a small inn, and learned of the snide price gouging one innkeeper and his wife were charging people, they just rolled their eyes and realized that some things had never changed.

When they got to Paris, they finally met up with their son, Marius, but he seemed a bit distracted around them and said that despite buying them tickets for the opera, but he had promised to meet his friends at a club that night. They also noticed that he was checking out a girl across the way, but when Belle commented to her husband about it, Adam just laughed and told her that it was nothing and certain not unusual for a young man like their son to be checking out girls.

They then went to the opera, and afterward they were walking back to the house they'd rented. At one point though, Adam has to leave Belle for a moment, and at that moment Belle sees a waifish girl in a long cloak and a pageboy hat, standing by a bridge along the river, seemingly singing to herself. Belle approached the girl, hearing her sigh and sing of a lost love, and with concern said this;

"Oh I'm sorry to interrupt, but I can't help but notice that you're a bit troubled. If you want to you can talk to me."

The girl turned to Belle and said "I'm sorry Madam, you don't have to worry about me, my troubles are of no concern to you."

"Oh I don't know, I have a compassionate heart, you can talk to me. My name is Belle, what's your's?"

"Oh my name is Eponine, but you don't have to worry about me madam...it's just...oh I'm in love with a boy but he's in love with someone else...then my father wanted me to reveal to him and some of his cronies where Marius' girlfriend lives because he's wanted by the authorities or something...but I just want him to notice me!" she replied in a rather hurried manner.

"Well it seems that you do have a problem there. I don't know about how to solve your problem with your father, but as far as the guy you love...well I'd say go to him and don't let anything hold you back before it's too late. I almost learned that back when I was about your age, when my husband almost died." Belle explained.

"Almost died! Oh no! That could happen now that I think about it! Oh tonight I will stop just pretending and go to him because I love him, and this time hopefully not just on my own! I've gotta go!..." Eponine said as she hurried off down the street.

At that moment Adam suddenly came back and escorted Belle down the street, back to their house.

"Belle who was that?"

"Oh just a young girl I met...she seemed so sad, pining over a lost love, poor thing, although I do feel for her...I hope she doesn't get hurt."

"Well I hope not either...and I hope we don't either..."

Suddenly there was a volley of shots in the not too far distance.

"What was that? Surely there's not..." Belle asked.

"Oh there seems to be some sort of political demonstration being led by some of the people on the square and the police seem to be taking care of it now...let's just hurry on." Adam explained as he escorted Belle over to their house.

"Oh but Marius is still out. I hope he's not involved with it!" Belle exclaimed.

"I hope not either...we can only pray that he's safe." Adam commented, although he knew that their son's club & friends may very well could be involved.

They went up to the second floor, and suddenly heard more shots. There daughter called them over to the window, where to their amazement they could see the barricade, the battle, and the students involved.

To their horror, they could see their son Marius right in the middle of it, bending over a girl in a long cloak, who seemed to be bleeding in the rain. If she listened close enough she could hear them talking and singing to each other and to her sicking horror Belle realized that the dying girl who sang of the rain making the flowers grow, was the selfsame girl who she'd spoken to only a bit before! When Belle saw the girl die in the arms of her son, she screamed, realizing she may have caused the girl to go to the barricade, that it was her son she'd loved...and that her son had just a bullet! At that, Belle promptly fainted away.

Adam saw Belle faint and was quick to catch her, and he carried her to bed, and let their daughter minister to Belle, while he let his concern turn to anger, and so he stormed out of the house and down toward the barricade to look for his son and bring him back to safety.

Somehow being in amongst all of the chaos, and with his relative size, age, anger, and presence, the authorities mistook him for someone else and promptly arrested him, bringing him to their headquarters. They wrapped Adam in chains and brought him to a small room with sparse furnishings, save for a table and chair.

As he seethed in anger, a man in a uniform came in. This man was smaller than him by a bit, but he exuded an air of haughty confidence along with his oily hair.

Without backing down, Adam looked him straight in the eye and asked

" Who are you? May I ask what is the meaning of this? Why is it necessary for the chains?"

"Ah I've reveled in this day for the past twenty years! I've finally caught you, at last! Oh yes I told you to not forget my name when I gave you that yellow ticket oh so many years ago! Well I will see you go to your grave by the hand of Inspector Javert, Jean Valjean!" the official cackled wickedly.

"What?! Who is this Jean Val jean? It certainly isn't me!" Adam growled.

"Oh you're up to your tricks again, aye Valjean, just like before with that other man! Well I'm on to you now, unlike then! I know you were down at the barricade, I have evidence to the fact! This time Val jean you are mine!" the man laughed.

"I was down at the barricade because of my son!" Adam growled.

"Ah more like future son-in-law. I know about how your daughter was leading on that poor schoolboy, and about being the 'mayor' and about how you 'acquired' your daughter for a few pieces of silver...a daughter that was the child of a woman of the night! Unlike before, I know it all 24601!" Javert spat out, his eyes bulging out!

"What are you talking about? AND WHY ARE YOU BRINGING MY DAUGHTER INTO THIS?!" Adam growled lividly, almost busting his chains, and vaguely wishing he was a beast once more, if only to battle this insipid man.

"Oh getting testy aren't we now 24601? Ha ha, just as I thought you would do someday, deny yourself for who you are and all of your crimes, well this time you will pay for your crimes with the rest of your days chained up like a slave!" Javert laughed.

"Why do you insist on calling me by that number?" Adam questioned.

"It is your identity, the only one you deserve! The one tattooed to your breast. I disgust to say 'Jean Val jean', that name is like a bitter herb on my tongue." Javert spat out in disgust.

"I have no such number tattooed to me anywhere!" Adam shouted.

"Oh I'm not falling for that one! But if he insists on testing me, officer open his shirt and reveal him for the liar he is." Javert gloats.

The officer proceeds to open his shirt to expose the part of his chest where most former convicts' identification tattoos usually were, but on Adam there was no tattoo, much to Javert's astonishment.

"What?! It has to be there! I can not be mistaken yet again! Oh why?! Javert moans.

"Ah so now what do you have to say now, Inspector Javert? This proves my innocence, doesn't it now?" Adam smugly replied.

"Check him again! Officer see if he didn't merely scratch it away! Check for a scar!" Javert pleads.

"I don't see any scars Javert, I checked sir! He's innocent..." the officer said.

While Javert was mulling over what to do next, more officers busted in and told everyone how the chaos was getting worse. This distracted Javert enough that he left the room with the rest of the officers, while one quietly unlocked Adam's chains, thus setting him free.

"Thank you, you don't realize how your effort was appreciated." Adam replied as he was leaving.

"Oh it was nothing, just remember my family and I in your prayers tonight. In my opinion, Inspector Javert has become more than a bit obsessed with capturing this elusive guy named Jean Val jean, who did little more than skip Javert's parole hearings. Twenty years for stealing a loaf of bread, ah such is France." the officer replied.

"Well I'd rue the day Javert finally captures Jean Val jean. God only knows what will happen then...Twenty years for bread? Yes what things have gotten to in France indeed!" Adam said shaking his head in regret.

The officer's comments made Adam ponder many things about his mother country as he walked back to his house.

A few days later, Adam and Belle heard from some friends that Marius had been found, wounded but alive, and was recuperating at the house of his girlfriend and her father. They went over to the house to collect him and were able to bring him home to finish healing.

Belle and her daughter tried to assail Marius with a barrage of questions, but other than learning that his girlfriend's name was Cosette and that she grown up with just a father, who moved her around throughout their past decade together, he was otherwise closemouthed about his involvement with the students' efforts at the barricade.

Adam chided Belle for her efforts and told her to leave him be since he'd had much to deal with within the past few days. Belle agreed then to let him be so that he could work it out on his own.

A few days later, Marius went to the Black & Red club where he'd last met with his friends before they defended the barricade. He then sighed as he walked among the empty tables, contemplating all of his friends who were no longer with them because they'd died defending a cause they'd assumed was right.

Out of concern for his son, Adam had followed him to the club and cleared his throat at his son's sigh.

"Oh hello papa, I didn't know you were there. I'm sorry."

"No son it's fine. I can guess that you have a lot on your mind." Adam replied.

Marius hesitated then said "Yes I do...Oh papa they're gone! My friends are all gone, leaving me feeling so alone! Even Eponine is gone, died right in my arms...that was hard too..."

"Did Eponine mean something to you son?" Adam inquired.

"As a friend, but only that. Not like Cosette. But still with the deaths of everyone...My world changed in an instant...You wouldn't understand..."

"Oh son, I think I can understand. Believe me, when I was only about your age my world changed in an instant and I lived in despair that nothing would change for me again...but it did when your mother entered my life...so I'd suspect if Cosette is the same way, then your life will change for the better too." Adam admitted to his son as they talked in that abandoned cafe.

Adam and Marius then went on to discuss life and the choices one must make in life, and thus Marius was inspired to do what was right in the way of his girlfriend, Cosette.

In a few weeks a wedding was planned for Marius and Cosette, hurried along mainly because both of the young people realized how fragile life was. The wedding was an interesting affair, especially when Eponine's money hungry parents appeared as landed gentry and all.

Belle and Adam were able to meet Cosette's father briefly, but then sadly soon after the wedding, her father died! Grief stricken, Marius attempted to console his new wife, and even Belle attempted to help, but the only thing that seemed to help her was the will and especially the letter her father had written to her, explaining many of the questions she'd had about his past as well as her own.

When Belle and Adam learned of who Cosette's father had been, that he was the same Jean Val jean whom that Inspector Javert had been so intent on capturing earlier. Adam was just pleased that Val jean had been able to not have to spend his last days in chains like Javert had wanted him to, while Belle just got to know her daughter-in-law better, learning that they had more than a few similarities in their desires for something more as children, getting lost in a wood, being raised by interant fathers, and so forth.

Adam, Belle, and the rest of their family spent a while in Paris and the outskirts, visiting with Marius and Cosette as they started up their household, and so forth. After awhile though they realized that it was high time that they leave Paris to travel back to their castle to check up on how things had faired there for the last two decades or so since they'd originally vacated the premises years earlier.