A/N: This time there isn't that long between my drabbles for once. Yay. Good job myself. Though with school starting tomorrow again, i'm not sure when the next one will be up. That can either be soon because of my life getting back in to a rhythm again or everything will get too busy so I might have less time to write. We'll see how it turn out. For now: a big thank you to all of you. Without me noticing the last chapter was number 20, which makes this 21 and I also had my 75th review thanks to you guys, so I'm all happy now. For now I'm going to leave you to read this and myself to watch the Musical Sing-a-long on Dutch tv. Have fun reading this thing about Bahorel this time.

Disclaimer: Les Mis is Victor Hugo's, so are the characters.

"You still have to chase the monster from the closet dad!" Bahorel looked up from the window where he was closing the curtains. He had just read his four year old son a bedtime story, but apparently the little kid had come up with another thing to keep him from actually going to sleep.

Bed time with four year old Max was always a challenge. First he had to drink something, then he wanted to play-fight with his dad, after that his mom needed to give him another kiss, then there was a bedtime story, often his favorite teddybear was lost (and of course always hidden in the same place which made clear the kid hadn't actually lost it) and the newest addition to the list of excuses was the monster in the closet.

Bahorel didn't mind. He just always started early with putting the kid to bed and enjoyed this time with his son. Bedtime was at seven, so they went upstairs at a quarter past six. That way on a good day the kid was actually in bed before the clock hit seven and on days like today where every excuse was used, it would just be a little past seven when he closed the door to the small boys bedroom.

"Oh really? Is the monster back again?" He asked the boy in a playful voice and Max nodded heavily. "Hmm, can't you chase him yourself? You won when we fought earlier, so you're definitely the strong one here." "But you're scarier dad, you're big. And i'm not that much stronger." Max hugged his teddy close and looked expectantly at his father from under the blankets. And indeed, Bahorel was a big guy. He had always been, but with his job as a sports instructor his muscles had only grown bigger.

He walked to the closet and opened the door. With a serious voice he told the monster to leave and for the effect he knocked the walls of the closet a couple of times with his fist. From behind him Bahorel heard Max gasp. The whole ordeal was apparently exiting for his son. He spoke another threat to the closet monster and then turned around to Max, who had his face hidden behind his teddy now, but was still peeking from behind the fluffy body.

"Well, I don't think he's coming back." Bahorels voice had turned soft again when he sat on the side of his sons mattress. Max came crawling from under the blankets and threw his arms around his fathers neck, ear of the teddy still stuck in his tiny hand. "Thanks dad, you're the best!" Bahorel wrapped his arms around the kid and he felt the little head hiding in his neck.

"Dad?" The kid's voice sounded suddenly serious. "You'll always protect me, right?" Bahorel hugged the kid closer and his voice was trembling, barely audible when he answered "Sure little one." Max apparently didn't notice from his hiding place in Bahorels neck, so he kissed the crown of the kids head and rasped his throat. "Come on Max, it's really time to go to bed now."

That night he tucked the blanket extra tight around Max. "Sleep well." "G'night dad." He dimmed the light so the room wasn't entirely dark, just how Max liked it and then he closed the door. With a sigh he leaned against it, because how was he ever going to tell this little boy that he wasn't. That he couldn't protect him forever. How did you tell a young boy like that that the monsters in the closet were a lot less life threatening than the monsters that would kill his dad from the inside out? That it was only a matter of time? How?