Cosette had loved her father with all her heart, but it was not until she was fully grown and had become a wife and mother that she really began to realise what unconditional love was, and what her father had meant by it all those years ago.

When her children were babies Cosette would sing them to sleep with her beautiful soft voice. She would hold them close to her chest, right over her heart and sing those same words her father had said to her all those years ago when she was a child.

"Unconditional, unconditionally, I will love you unconditionally".

She and Marius had six children altogether, three boys and three girls as luck would have it and Cosette loved them with all her heart. My God though they could be trying! And that was putting it politely. All of them were adorable, lovely, playful and curious, but they could also be mischievous, noisy and overwhelming at the same time.

None more so than her middle child, her son Courfeyrac. That fair haired little lad whom they named after Marius's best friend could be such a lovely boy when he wanted to be, but he could also be the most boisterous little terror as well.

Whenever he teased his sisters, pulled one of their plaits, stole a doll from them to make them cry or fought too harshly with his brothers he would teach Cosette exactly the meaning of unconditional love. Despite how naughty he was sometimes, and how he could test her patience to the maximum, Cosette knew she would love that boy forever, just like her father had loved her.

There was one particular incident when he was seven where he pushed his parents almost to the edge with his behaviour. He got into a fight with his brother Jean over a silly childish game and then he dared to back talk his father when he tried to make him apologise.

"Your brother wasn't cheating" Marius had said to him that day, "Now stop making a fuss and settle down".

"No!" the young boy had shouted at his father, stamping his feet in defiance. Courfeyrac was a born rebel just like his namesake, and had little fear sometimes; unfortunately not even Cosette could save him from a thrashing that day.
She didn't approve of beating children under any circumstances but she also didn't approve of her son acting like a brat so she sided with Marius and was silent as Courfeyrac received his beating. He only got three strokes of the cane, but Cosette felt terrible as she watched him get sent to his room afterwards.

Later on that evening before the childrens bedtime Cosette went to check on Courfeyrac. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him being all alone in his room when the rest of the family were enjoying themselves together after dinner; also she wanted him to know she wasn't angry at him.

Well, she was a little cross with him for misbehaving, but she didn't hate the boy. She could never hate him, he was her little boy and always would be and she loved him unconditionally.

"Courfeyrac?" she said quietly as she entered his room. He was sitting on his bed reading one of his favourite adventure books; he looked up briefly to scowl at her before turning back to his book.

"Now now, don't give me that look" she said sternly to him as she walked over to him and sat down at the edge of his bed.

"Sorry maman" Courfeyrac said quietly, still looking down at this book.

"Good boy" Cosette said to him. "Now….I'm not here to tell you that your father was wrong to punish you, or that you weren't behaving horribly, I just wanted to make sure you're alright".

Courfeyrac didn't look up at her, or say anything; he just turned the page of his book and continued reading, so Cosette reached out to take his hand.

"Sweetheart, don't be cross with me" Cosette said gently.

Courfeyrac snatched his hand back, annoyed that she was trying to be nice to him. He snapped his book shut and sat back against his headboard.

"Why did you let papa cane me?" he asked angrily and with a hint of sadness too

Cosette looked at him sadly, she wasn't going to apologise for standing by her husband, but she did feel awfully sorry for her son right now.

"You know perfectly well why, you can't behave like that and expect to get away with it". She told him straightforwardly.

Courfeyrac looked sadly away from his mother and folded his arms across his chest. A few tears escaped from his eyes as he spoke his next words.

"Does papa hate me?" He asked quietly, fearing her answer.

"What?" Cosette asked incredulously. "Don't be so silly, your father loves you. And I love you too; even when you misbehave. We'll never stop loving you, I promise".

Cosette moved a little closer to her son and put her hand under his chin to make him look at her again.

"Just be the little gentleman I know is inside you a bit more often" She said with a smile, and Courfeyrac couldn't help smile back at her.

"Yes maman" he said, and smiled again and Cosette kissed his forehead gently and brought him in close for a cuddle.

Courfeyrac put his arms around her and let her hold him, she ran her fingers through his soft hair gently and just enjoyed the feeling of his warmth next to her skin; it was just like when he was a baby. To Cosette it felt like he would always be her baby, no matter how badly he behaved he would always be hers to love.

"Please don't ever think that your father or I don't love you" She said after a moment of silence between them. "I could never stop loving you, even when you behave like a terror I still love you. My love is unconditional".

She paused for a moment, realising that might be a very complicated word for a seven year old.

"Do you understand what that means?" she asked, looking down at him

"Not really" Courfeyrac said

"Don't worry, you will one day" Cosette said with a faint smile. And as she sat there with her son that evening she sang softly to him those words that her father had told her all those years ago.

"Unconditional, unconditionally, I will love you unconditionally. There is no fear now, let go and just be free, because I will love you unconditionally".

The End