Cosette felt like she had been pacing nervously all day, she didn't know where her father was and worse she had no idea if Marius knew where she had moved too. Also she was worried about the fighting in the streets she had heard about, what if her dear Marius was involved in it, he'd surely be killed. She didn't know who to be more afraid for, her father or that dear boy who had stolen her heart.

By the time evening came around again she had started to become fearful that her father was never going to return at all, when suddenly she heard the door to their apartment open hurriedly.

Cosette raced into the hallway to be encountered with a shape she couldn't determine was human or not, it was covered in god knows what and the smell was so horrendous she clutched her hands to her face.

"Papa?" she said meekly, recognising the exhausted expression on the face of whomever or whatever was in her house right now.

The figure looked at her but then looked away again unable to look at her, but also because he didn't want her to see him like this.

"Papa what's happened to you" she said frantically, moving closer to him, although the smell was so bad she really didn't want to get too close. "Where have you been all day? I've been so scared….."

"Not now please Cosette" Valjean said breathlessly, "Just let me alone for a while. Everything's going to be fine I promise" And with that he simply walked past her and locked himself in his room to get out of the filthy clothes he had been in.

Later that evening Cosette was waiting nervously in the parlour for her father, she was dying inside with worry over her Marius, but she couldn't speak to her father about him, he would be heartbroken if he knew his daughter had been seeing a boy behind his back, and even after all their years together she still couldn't bear to know she had disappointed him. But still….she couldn't bear to live without Marius either.

When her father finally entered the room she stood up anxiously, he looked at her for a moment with a strange expression, one she hadn't seen before; he looked almost disappointed in her. He walked over to the fire before Cosette could stand it no longer and she spoke.

"Please papa, tell me what happened to you, where have you been all day?" She said nervously

Valjean inhaled deeply before he began, "There was fighting in the streets Cosette, I was there. People were killed, men, children. I got away though, barely".

Cosette gasped to hear that people had been killed, her eyes filled with tears as her mind was filled with images of her beloved being shot and bleeding in the streets. She clutched her hands to her face again which did not go unnoticed by her father, he knew exactly who she was thinking about at this moment.

"I know about the boy you've been seeing Cosette, I know everything" he said sadly "This Marius…..he was there".

Cosette walked slowly backwards to a chair, looking like she was going to faint. She just knew her father was going to tell her Marius was dead.

Thankfully Valjean finally put her out of her misery, "He was wounded Cosette, but he's alive".

Cosette breathed out in relief and a few tears escaped as she collapsed down into a chair, burying her face into her hands as she cried even more. Marius was alive, that was good. But he was hurt, perhaps even terribly and she couldn't bear to think of him suffering.

Valjean also couldn't bear to see his daughter suffering. Although he was disappointed in her, heartbroken even that she had been lying to him, seeing this boy behind his back and possibly acting immorally he just couldn't be angry at her. He made a promise years ago to love her unconditionally.

"I'll take your bad days with the good, walk through the storm I would. And do it all because I love you".
He thought those words to himself, he had spoken them years ago when she was a child and he still meant them.

He went to her and kneeled down in front of her, taking one of her hands in his. He put his other hand on her cheek and made her look at him. Her face was tear stained and she looked so terribly sad. Valjean had never wanted to see her sad ever again, she'd had enough of tears when she was a child to last a lifetime.

"You love him don't you?" he said

"Yes" she nodded tearfully, "I do papa. I'm sorry I kept it from you; please don't be angry with me. Please don't hate me; I swear we never did anything immoral".

Valjean believed her when she said that, although he was unsure whether or not she really knew what immoral behaviour with a boy was, he was sure that she wouldn't lie to him about something like that.

"I don't hate you my child, I could never hate you" Valjean told her, which took a huge weight off Cosettes mind. "I just wish you could have told me about him".

"I'm sorry" Cosette said once again

"It's alright" Valjean said "Come here" He brought her in close and held her tight and she cried against his shoulder even more.

"He'll live Cosette, he'll need a lot of time to heal but he's going to live" Valjean told her

Cosette wiped her face but kept holding tight to her father as she summoned up the courage to say what she wanted to say next.

"I want to marry him Papa". Cosette said, with her face still buried into her fathers shoulder.

Valjean sighed deeply, he knew that was coming yet he still wasn't prepared for it when she said it.

He broke away from her and looked into her eyes, his heart was breaking over the fact that he was losing his daughter to another man, but he was also feeling old and tired and he knew he needed to give his daughter to someone who would love and care for her as he did before he was gone forever.

"Does he make you happy Cosette?" he asked her, even though he already knew the answer to that.

"Yes papa, he does" she said sincerely

"Then I promise when he's healed you can see him again, and you'll have my consent to marry". He told her, and he meant it even though his heart was breaking to know he was losing her.