A/N: Thanks to anyone still reading this. Reviews and con crit are always appreciated here though so please leave some feedback. Some trigger warning here for mentions of runaways, missing kids, and implications of abuse.
Chapter 11: Anything for the Girl
Summer is always a season for adventure, as far as Courfeyrac is concerned. After all there is enough daylight and moonlight for spur-of-the-moment road trips with his colleagues, for outrageous performances in cafes and boulevards, or meeting new faces within the labyrinth that is the metropolis. 'Whoever thought that a living room floor could be more challenging?' he finds himself thinking one day just after breakfast as he's on his hands and knees, following Alexandra in her first attempt to crawl from one end of the room to the other. "Come on Alex, you can do it!" he whispers when he sees the little girl hesitate and look around anxiously. He scoots over so that he is next to her, and somehow the sight of him has her giggling. "Daddy will be with you. Want to race?"
A cough sounds from the next room. "Say cheese you two!" Azelma calls as she holds up her phone. She laughs as she shows her husband the picture she has just taken, complete with his surprised expression coupled with Alexandra's gleeful grin. "It's so cute, you two are in Hawaiian prints!"
"Blame the weather," Courfeyrac retorts. It's just as well that he is not expected at the office till afternoon, since he can have more time to lounge about in a t-shirt and a colourful pair of shorts. "I like the aesthetic it requires," he adds, smiling appreciatively at the sight of Azelma wearing her favourite pink sundress.
Azelma rolls her eyes as she reaches over to pinch his rear. "We're going to end up giving Alex a sibling if you keep looking at me that way," she whispers.
"I thought that breastfeeding was supposed to help space things?" Courfeyrac asks.
"That only works up to a certain point in time. It's been seven months, and it's probably not going to work as well anymore," Azelma points out. She grins when Alex crawls up to her and sits down, holding out her arms to be carried. "Tired out already, baby?" she asks as she scoops up the child.
Courfeyrac sighs at having their playtime cut short, but then again it's only been a few days since their daughter discovered she could crawl in lieu of just rolling around the floor. "We're not through yet, kiddo," he says, pressing Alex's nose lightly just to make her laugh again. "Now that she's crawling we have to cover everything like the electric sockets."
"Then next step, the stairs-I give it a month till she starts pulling herself to her feet and cruising," Azelma says proudly. She turns at the sound of the doorbell ringing. "Could you get that?" she asks.
"Alright boss," Courfeyrac drawls, earning him another pinch that he cannot quite dodge before he goes to the door. It's all he can do to keep a straight face when he sees who's visiting. "Hi Florence. I thought you'd be on vacation."
"I was out for a week-mountain climbing-but something happened last night and it has to do with Daniel," Florence says in a tone that is both anxious and excited. Even her glasses can't quite hide the giddy look in her eyes "I want to talk to Enjolras and Eponine about it too, but I know they're both at work, so I figured I'd run it by you first."
"You're a grown woman, Flor, and you suddenly sound like a teenage girl," Azelma says amusedly as she walks up to them, still bouncing Alexandra in her arms. "What's he done to you?"
Florence doesn't say anything at first but she pauses to ruffle Alexandra's hair before quickly going to sit in an armchair. She sets down her handbag as Courfeyrac, Azelma, and Alexandra all pile onto the sofa. "Daniel and I were talking last night, and suddenly the subject of moving in came up," she says slowly.
"Moving in together? That's great!" Azelma exclaims happily. "You are going to do it, aren't you?"
"I don't know, really. It was mentioned and it's not as if he asked," Florence replies, now all red and flustered. "Maybe he was leading up to it before things got awkward."
"I hope he was. It would be a first," Courfeyrac remarks. 'For everything we all say about Bahorel's flings, Navet never being able to get a date, Gavroche never wanting a date, or even the continued ménage a trois, Combeferre is still the one with a phobia of commitment,' he notes silently. "You should ask him yourself," he suggests.
Florence starts to tap her feet uneasily. "Should I? I might scare him."
"The fact he mentioned it at all is a big thing, so you have to follow through," Azelma chimes in. "Maurice is right; it would be a first, and it better be an only."
"If I'm going to do it, I'm going to edge the matter in gently," Florence says thoughtfully. "Maybe mention the fact that I have more housing options since I have tenure."
"That's a start. Dragging him to furniture stores might help too," Courfeyrac suggests.
"I think that's a bit much; I may as well ask him in neon lights then," Florence laughs. "You think he'd say yes though?" she asks a bit more hopefully.
"As sure as the sun rises," Courfeyrac replies. He notices Azelma motioning for him to follow her into the kitchen. "Well this is good news!" he says cheerily.
"It is, but you'd better keep it under your hat," Azelma warns as she adjusts her hold on the baby. "You can't just go around telling everyone about it, or he'll back out!"
"What if it's the push he needs?" Courfeyrac asks. "If everyone knows-"
"It's putting their relationship on display!" Azelma hisses. "Come on, I know we had this talk with him about hiding stuff but this is another ball game. He needs time."
He sighs, knowing that his wife has a point. "Alright, I'll be discreet."
She grins and gives him a sloppy kiss on the lips. "Don't mess it up," she whispers. She laughs when Alex gurgles and waves her hands. "See, she agrees with me."
"I am helpless before you ladies," Courfeyrac drawls dramatically even as he hears his phone begin to ring. 'This is more than speaking of the devil,' he realizes when he sees that it's Enjolras calling him up. "Hey, the weekend isn't over till after lunch!"
"Courf, there's been a development," Enjolras says urgently. "We'll meet at the Fauchelevents' house in half an hour."
"What sort of development?" Courfeyrac asks. "Didn't we prosecute some of the people who were holding our witnesses at the sweatshop?"
"We finally have an ID on our escapee from the pier."
'So the trail isn't cold anymore,' Courfeyrac realizes, allowing himself to finally feel some hope. Six weeks is far longer than most people would give in a search for a nameless girl, but then again he, his family, and his friends are not most people, and this is certainly not an ordinary case. "Who found her?" he asks but then the cellphone connection gets choppy and he is forced to hang up. He looks to see Azelma giving him a serious, knowing look. "I have to go in, now."
Azelma sighs deeply. "I'm going to tell my dear brother-in-law that he ought to wait a few more hours. It's the weekend."
"Zel, we have a breakthrough on that case we've been trying to solve all summer. You know that Enjolras wouldn't call if it wasn't desperately urgent," Courfeyrac explains.
"His definition of urgent is sometimes questionable," Azelma huffs.
Courfeyrac laughs weakly. "It is. But that girl we've been tracking, well she's been found."
Azelma's jaw drops. "So she's alive? I thought you guys were dredging the river."
"We always thought she's alive, but we just wanted to cover all bases." He clasps his wife's arm gently. "She's someone's daughter too. I want to make sure she gets home
"Oh Maurice..." Azelma trails off as she glances down at Alexandra and then back at him. "Fine then. As long as you're back here in time for dinner. You promised to help me feed her something new today."
"I'll make sure to insist," Courfeyrac promises her. Thankfully it's become far easier to negotiate these matters with his colleagues, especially after the events of earlier this year. He sighs before kissing Alexandra's forehead. "We'll race again later, Alex. In the meantime, you watch your Mama and your Aunt Flor for me, okay?" he says. Of course his daughter coos and reaches for him, and it takes all his resolve to step away after giving her a last pat on the head.
He manages to arrive at the Fauchelevent house a few minutes earlier than he expects, which is just as well since he immediately catches sight of Marius looking quite shell-shocked on the doorstep as he's trying to take a call. "Who's in there, Pontmercy?" Courfeyrac asks him by way of greeting.
"Enjolras, Feuilly, Bossuet-and for some reason Blakeney and Ffoulkes too?!" Marius whispers, clearly flabbergasted and overwhelmed. "How did this happen?"
"Marguerite's doing. She's the one who brought us all on board," Courfeyrac explains.
"I know that part, but this is a bit much," Marius groans. "Just listening to Enjolras and Blakeney argue has given even Elodie a headache."
Courfeyrac clasps his shoulder sympathetically. "I'm sorry. So what are they doing here?"
"Apparently Dad-meaning Cosette's dad was able to enhance some video footage and something there confirmed the identity of a girl who was taken to Saint Michel this morning," Marius says as he wipes his forehead. "She's Musichetta's patient."
Courfeyrac nods before leading his friend back into the house. He has to stop to take in the scene that greets them: for one thing it's been years since he's seen Feuilly fuming for being at the wrong end of Percy Blakeney's joking. Some paces away, Andrew Ffoulkes, Bossuet, and Mr. Fauchelevent are peering at something on a computer screen."So who is it?" Courfeyrac asks as he finds a seat next to the coffee table.
"Her name is Clara Gardner, or at least that was the name she gave," Andrew supplies. "Last seen at the pier, and now today too at Saint-Michel."
"As Musichetta's patient?" Courfeyrac clarifies as he gets a look at a screen capture from the pier. The frozen frame shows clearly the image of a young girl who is probably about seventeen years old, with short brown hair and wild, frightened brown eyes.
Mr. Fauchelevent nods grimly. "She was rescued from a certain sort of establishment."
Courfeyrac feels as if something has socked him in the gut as it dawns on him what they are referring to. The fact that Percy has stopped laughing only confirms the matter. "Then what happened?"
"It seems as if Chetta got to her in time to save her life," Bossuet explains. "It was grisly. I can't even look at the pictures."
"Speaking of pictures, where is Bahorel?" Courfeyrac asks.
"We can't get to him," Feuilly mutters. "His phone just keeps ringing out."
"Maybe he's asleep-that's the result of dirty living for you," Percy quips.
"It's not like him to miss the action," Courfeyrac points out. 'If it is indeed that sort of caper that has him still abed, then it must be a good one,' he decides as he looks to see Enjolras walking in from the lanai, apparently in the middle of a video call.
"Two hours in post-op then?" Enjolras asks. He frowns at the answer he hears. "Then observation for a whole day...can't it be any sooner? The ones behind this are still at large." He sighs and nods after a while. "Fine. I won't start the inquiry till tomorrow. Good thing you've got some training in this department. I understand, you won't admit her into the psych acute care ward unless you absolutely need to. That's good. Thank you, Eponine."
Courfeyrac rolls his eyes as he goes up to clasp Enjolras' shoulder. "Giving my sister-in-law again a hard time?" he asks.
"I'm trying not to," Enjolras says in an undertone. He holds up the phone. "Look who's here."
"Hello Courf!" Eponine greets cheerily from the other side of the video call. She's still in her red scrubs, and as loose as these garments are they cannot hide the now obvious bump of her middle. "How are Zel and Alex today?"
"Good-and not exactly pleased that your husband hauled me out of home to here," Courfeyrac informs her. "So this is a bad case?"
"Very bad. She's lucky to be alive," Eponine says. "Combeferre and Chetta are helping me type up the medico legal report. I'll get them here on the line too."
Courfeyrac smiles when he sees Combeferre, Joly, and Musichetta crowding around Eponine. All three of them are also clad in scrubs, and in fact Musichetta is using a mask as a headband. "Good job guys," he greets.
"Always happy to help," Musichetta says. Her voice is croaky and exhausted but she is definitely grinning from ear to ear. "You boys had better take good care of her, okay? She's still pretty much a kid."
"Seventeen still counts as paediatrics," Joly informs him. "So this is one of those 'referred to the universe' situations since it's rather complex. She's also got a bit of a bug and other things going on, so that puts her on my deck as well."
"Ouch. So who's the doc in charge?" Courfeyrac asks.
"Me, but if you're going to go medico legal, then that's Eponine's part," Musichetta explains.
"So what exactly happened? They say she was found," Courfeyrac says, noting now that little Elodie has now wandered into the room to pester her adoptive grandfather.
"Police raid downtown. Incidental." Eponine sighs. "The officer found she didn't have an ID so he checked the missing persons' desk and came across the file that you boys made."
'At least the police are getting better at their job,' Courfeyrac thinks."So how's the kid doing-I mean your kid specifically?"
"Great. I can't feel the baby move yet but at least I'm not retching all the time," Eponine says. She bites her lip as she checks something on the desk. "I'll get back to you guys in a bit," she says quickly.
Courfeyrac nods before handing the phone back to Enjolras and then retreating to the sofa. As soon as he's there Elodie springs over to sit next to him. "What have you been up to this summer?" he asks her.
"Watching cartoons all day!" Elodie says cheerily. She bounces on the sofa. "I'm going swimming later with Mama, Papa, Uncle Grantaire, Uncle Jehan, and Darren."
Courfeyrac looks to where Cosette is sauntering in, carrying two tote bags. "Seriously, Cosette? Your husband is like a cat where water is concerned."
"Really? He's the one who was hogging the shower this morning," Cosette says as she passes by the seats. She kisses the top of Marius' head. "Ready to go?"
"In a while," Marius says. He pulls her down to sit in his lap, which elicits snickering from everyone else except from Elodie. "It's a really bad case, sorry."
Cosette nods and slips her arm around Marius' shoulder. "Do you need some help there, Papa?" she asks Mr. Fauchelevent.
"I'll be fine here," Mr. Fauchelevent says amiably. "Where's your mother?"
Cosette gestures to the lanai. "She's still working on that pine bonsai."
"Remind me to take her shopping for a new pair of shears later," Mr. Fauchelevent mutters.
"She'd like that. Is anyone staying home at all today?" Cosette remarks.
In the meantime Courfeyrac turns his attention back to their friends. Trying to call Bahorel now?" he asks, seeing Feuilly bring out his own phone.
"I think he has a sock on the door," Feuilly mutters.
Elodie looks at him. "What for?"
Feuilly pauses to look at her. "He's making a mess, that's all." He puts the phone on speaker mode. "There, he gets to join the party."
Courfeyrac sits back to listen to the phone ringing once, then twice. Suddenly there is the click of someone taking the call. "Hello?" a distinctly female voice greets.
The silence only reigns for a split second before Courfeyrac can't help the laugh that escapes his lips. Bossuet, Percy, and Andrew have forgotten all discretion as they guffaw uproariously; Mr. Fauchelevent and Cosette are chuckling, while Marius, Enjolras, and Feuilly trade long-suffering looks, more so when laughter comes from the still ongoing conference call with the doctors.
Elodie tugs on Feuilly' sleeve. "Uncle Feuilly, what's so funny?"
"Nothing, your Uncle Bahorel is just in big trouble," Feuilly says in a singsong tone. "Feuilly speaking. Officer Hooper, I presume?"
"Yes, that's me," the lady replies awkwardly. "Remy, I'm sorry, I meant Bahorel, can't come to the phone just yet—"
"That's not the only thing that's come that's for sure," Bossuet cackles. "So how was last night?"
"Bossuet! My daughter is still in the room!" Cosette calls reprovingly.
"Hey Karen, who are you talking to-oh snap. Now?" Bahorel's voice chimes in. "Feuilly, it's a summer Saturday, what the hell are you calling for?"
"Case work. We've got a lead," Feuilly says. "That's for your benefit too Officer Hooper."
Enjolras rolls his eyes as he ends his own conference call, and then picks up Feuilly's phone and switches off the speaker mode. "I'll take it from here," he says before going off to the stairs to continue the conversation more discreetly.
"Too demmed serious after all this time," Percy remarks as he shakes his head. "Perhaps the felicity of the married hasn't set in yet."
"Percy, we are working on a case after all," Andrew points out.
"Though with him as a father..." Percy trails off. He looks to the rest of the group. "You've met Bahorel's fair lady too?"
"She's the cousin of a friend, but that's our only connection besides Bahorel," Feuilly says. He casts a glance towards where Enjolras is still on the phone. "At least Enjolras waited for Eponine to sign out of his case before he asked her out. Bahorel is dating on the job."
"It's a different story Feuilly, and the rules don't say he can't. Anyway I looked her up online and she seems pretty classy," Bossuet chimes in. "Perhaps we should invite her over for drinks some time?"
"Don't corrupt her. Bahorel doesn't need to be enabled," Feuilly grouses.
"He's got you anyway," Courfeyrac teases. He's not sure as to the beginnings of this entire thing of Feuilly being the straight laced one to Bahorel's being the personification of orderly chaos, but it's part of what makes their team work. 'How long will it hold though?' he wonders silently though. It's the first time that Bahorel has mentioned a woman more than thrice over the span of a month, or in this case, nearly six weeks.
In the meantime Cosette nods to Elodie and Marius. "Okay I think it's time for us to go; Grantaire did say we'd meet before lunch," she says.
Marius salutes to his friends as he gets to his feet. "Sorry my friends. We'll catch up next ramen night."
"At your place, am I right?" Cosette asks Courfeyrac. "I've got a good deal on a new kind of tofu that we could use then."
"Yeah, our place. Wednesday," Courfeyrac agrees. "Is it smelly tofu? Zel was asking about it."
"I think so, but maybe the reputation is exaggerated. I'll let you two know," Cosette assures him sweetly.
Elodie hugs her grandfather before going to give Enjolras a high-five. "See you soon!" she chirps, waving to everyone before she hops up to Cosette and takes her hand as they walk out the door, followed closely by Marius.
'It won't be long till Alex is at that age,' Courfeyrac realizes as he joins everyone else to continue reviewing the footage and making notes. While part of him still wishes that his daughter will stay a little baby forever, he is more excited to see just how cheeky, vivacious, and adorable Alexandra will turn out to be. He glances down at his phone, which has a new wallpaper that is a more recent picture of his family out enjoying the first day of summer in the park. He smiles, resolving once more to make good on his promise to his girls; he has reason to hope they will be done with work at a reasonable hour especially given how the pace has suddenly picked up.
By twelve-thirty, they all leave for their respective errands and casework. For Courfeyrac this means going out to the mall to pick up some groceries, a few things for Alexandra, as well as some coffee for himself. 'Then, the paperwork,' he decides as he finds a seat at a sidewalk cafe and opens up his laptop to begin organizing files in preparation for what he knows will be quite a storm. As he's sipping his drink he catches sight of a woman walking out to a table, blinking as if she is unused to the summer sun. In the moment before she slips on a pair of sunglasses, Courfeyrac recognizes her. "Aunt Ari!"
Ari Enjolras nearly drops her shades. "Courfeyrac, isn't it? I thought you'd be at work."
"I have a flexible workplace," Courfeyrac says, tapping his table. "Do Auguste and Eponine know you're in town?"
"Not yet. I just flew in. I was meaning to drop in later," Ari replies. She smiles when she catches sight of Courfeyrac's shopping bags. "I always knew you'd be a good father. How many months old is Alex?"
"She just turned seven months old," Courfeyrac replies proudly.
"Such a fun age, isn't it?" Ari says as she sets down her own large cup of tea as well as her sunglasses. "So is Azelma back at work yet?"
"It's summer, so she has a vacation at least till early next month," Courfeyrac explains. He waits for Ari to take a sip of her drink but the lady doesn't seem to be interested in it. . "Aunt Ari, what else are you doing in the city?"
"Seeing friends," Ari replies quickly. "Old friends from schooldays. Did you know I used to go to college here too; that's where I met Claude."
"Auguste might have mentioned it." Courfeyrac pauses to wipe his sweaty forehead; he's pretty sure that the early afternoon temperature is approaching thirty-two degrees. He can see Ari's makeup beginning to melt, but oddly enough she is not making any move to wipe it off or even roll up the long sleeves of her knitted blouse. "Is Uncle Claude with you?"
"Of course not. You know the man and his business."
"How long will you be in town?"
"What did you say?" Ari asks, shaking her head as if he has just brought her out of deep thought. She glances down at her tea. "Are Auguste and Eponine busy later?"
"Hopefully not. We're all in the middle of a case, but I am sure they will make time. Bet you're excited to talk to Eponine especially?" Courfeyrac asks more brightly.
Ari nods more enthusiastically as she fiddles with the cuffs of her top. "Have they chosen a name yet?"
"Knowing them they'll be debating about it all the way into the labor room," Courfeyrac jokes. It is then though that he sees it; at first he thinks it's his eyes tricking him, but there's no mistaking the angry, reddened skin peeping out from under a bandage wrapped around the inside of Ari's right forearm. "Aunt Ari, what happened there?' he asks cautiously.
Ari looks down and her cheeks redden as she tugs down the sleeve of her shirt. "Had an accident while I was cooking."
Courfeyrac has to take a sip of his coffee as he watches Ari carefully. As far as he knows, Ari doesn't cook; he cannot remember her even fixing a snack or anything light to eat whenever he, Combeferre, and their high school friends would hang out in the Enjolras home. "To be honest it looks really bad. Have you gotten it looked at?" he finally says. "Eponine or Combeferre can help you there."
Ari shakes her head. "It's fine. It doesn't hurt. It's not infected." She tugs on her sleeve again and smiles a little too widely. "Besides I'm sure they have more serious cases to treat."
"You sure?" Courfeyrac asks, only eliciting another nod from Ari. Everything in his mind is screaming at him to ask more questions, to pull the truth out like he would do in any courtroom, but he knows deep down that Ari is pretty much done for the day. "Where are you staying?"
At last something like a smile crosses Ari's face. "The Peninsula Inn. That's not far from here." She gathers up her drink. "Nice talking to you, Courfeyrac. See you around."
"Aunt Ari-" Courfeyrac begins but Ari is already walking away quickly, not even looking back. He watches her take a turn towards the boutiques, where she disappears into the crowd. 'She's running,' he realizes, and this time he doesn't lose a moment to shut down his laptop, gather up his papers and his drink, and drive over to the law office where he knows his friend is hard at work.
As soon as he barges into the room he sees Enjolras look up from behind a huge stack of reports. "Hello Courf-" Enjolras trails off when he sees his colleague's harried expression. "What happened?"
"Your mom," Courfeyrac says, sitting on the windowsill near his friend's desk. "Your mom is in town."
"What? When-how...you saw her?"
"At the mall. She just got in."
Enjolras checks his phone and frowns. "She didn't tell me."
"She didn't tell you or Eponine, yet. It's not her fault," Courfeyrac says, holding up a hand. He wonders how his friend is going to take this discussion; it's just a hunch after all and Enjolras prefers to deal with facts but it's worth bringing up anyway. "She's not here with your father, and I think there's a reason for it. She's got this huge burn on her right arm, and she's not having it looked at. I offered to get Eponine or Combeferre to help but she said no."
All color drains from Enjolras' face. "Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"Did she say where she got it?"
"Cooking." Courfeyrac shakes his head. "She's staying at the Peninsula Inn. You have to contact her."
"I will," Enjolras says. He clenches his fists as he looks at his phone. "Did she say anything else?"
"No," Courfeyrac replies. "You've been worried for a while, haven't you?"
"Since the New Year, when she also came to visit." Enjolras picks up his phone to send a message. "Unless my mother has been taking cooking lessons, which is one thing she swore not to do, that burn cannot be an accident."