Chapter Thirteen

A/N: Thank you to Guest, TheDoctor24601, MissFiyerabaMeponineSherlock, Alex-samsprout, Guest and Guest for reviewing the last chapter.

Marius turned the key in the lock of the pretty house at the end of Rue Plumet, the place Cosette called her home, and had insisted he call his as well. 'It was so lovely of her to invite me to share her home.' he thought, a smile dawning on his face at the thought of seeing his beloved after a whole day with her absence. 'It meant, at least, that I could get away from the thieving and the danger of the Gorbeau building.'

Suddenly, his smile turned to a slight frown, as he remembered that it was not only murderers and thieves and conmen and rapers he had shared the building with; it had been his dear friend 'Ponine, as well. He wondered for a little while if she had managed to escape the clutches of the criminals at the Gorbeau as well. He hoped so. 'She deserves a chance to make her own way in the world, without her father using her as a petty pickpocket for the rest of her life. She deserves a chance to be herself, to be a good person, and not just another typical Thénardier.'

The sudden light of the hallway illuminated his face, and seemed so harsh after the blackness of the night that Marius squinted his eyes together to try and lessen the pain. It seemed strange to him that the light and warmth of a dozen candles could seem harsher than the breeze and blackness of the outside world, especially when it never had done before; all the world seemed changed in every way now and the man could think of a million reasons why.

Just as his eyes became accustomed to the hearty glow of the flames, they were blocked from his view by a shadow cast across the doorway. It took him another moment to recognise the face of the woman and once he had done so, it took a long while after for the smile to appear on his face.

"Cosette." he greeted, hurrying into the doorway and placing a hasty kiss on the woman's cheek, sensing that she was displeased with him in some way.

"Marius, where have you been?" she asked, her sweet voice laced with a hint of anger, something he had never heard from her before. Cosette had always been a kind, loving soul, for all the time he had known her. Admittedly, that had not been long, but he had always known the young woman to have a gentle disposition. He had never once seen her this way.

"I was delayed on my way home. An incident with the Guard in one of the alleyways; I thought I could help to solve the problem." Cosette's stare was steel and iron, so Marius, who had never coped well under questioning, decided that the truth was the best path to take. At least then he had a chance of being believed.

"And what was this incident about?" she asked. The anger was gone now, but there was a strength in the woman's voice that still made Marius recoil from her a little, like a bed of flowers concealing a nesting viper. He clasped his hands together to try and hide the fact that they were trembling.

"It was nothing, Cosette, I swear to you." he told the woman, feeling the lie pierce his throat. He had never once referred to his dear 'Ponine as nothing, nor had he ever intended to do, but some things could not be helped. He did not want her asking any more questions, especially when there were some questions he could not answer without causing her heartache.

Cosette opened her mouth to speak again, but thought better of it, instead stretching her lips to form a smile. However, this smile was not like the ones she had given him when they had first met in the garden; it was forced and it did not quite reach her eyes. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Marius moved to drape his coat over the bannister, for their housekeeper, Madame Laroux, to collect later.

"And what was this I heard about a young woman being restrained by two Guardsmen in the lower streets?" she asked him, her voice a veil of sweetness hiding a sharp metallic core, like a blade concealed in a jar of honey. "Just a wretched street girl, I heard, but quite spirited. It would have made for quite a fight, on the Guardsmen's side at least. I wonder what she did."

Frowning, Marius turned to face the woman. Upon seeing the expression on his face, Cosette's smile faded slightly and her eyes flashed momentarily with a touch of fear. When he spoke, he enunciated clearly, ensuring that the young blonde could not miss a single syllable of his question. "You have been in the house all day. You have no friends to speak to you or to convey messages, and your father is away on business, so he could not have told you either. So, tell me, Cosette... how did you know that Éponine was captured by the Guard?"

In the third second that passed, Cosette's expression was one of pure shock and sadness, her hand pressed to her chest, as if the news had caused her pain. However, Marius had been watching her closely, and the first two seconds as she schooled her features were evidence for him.

The man did not meet her eye as he swept out of the room, heading for the bedroom Valjean had provided for him, until such a time as he married his daughter. Valjean was dead now, so Cosette had once suggested that he could sleep by her side if he wished, but Marius had declined the offer, wishing instead to uphold her late father's request. This was one of the first occasions he had been glad of his decision, as it meant that he would not have to face his betrothed knowing what she had tried to do to his dearest friend.

He could not believe that Cosette could have been so heartless as to send the National Guard to capture 'Ponine when she had been sat by the side of her deceased little brother, the only one of her family she had truly loved. It was not something that he would ever have thought the woman capable of; then again, perhaps he did not know her at all.

As he changed into nightclothes and climbed into his bed, Marius thought of his poor friend. It was likely that the Guard may have come back to search for her, but 'Ponine was clever; she would never let herself be caught.

For the first time in the recent weeks, Marius fell into slumber not thinking of the horrors of the Barricades or of the joys of his wedding to come, but of the peaceful image of himself and Éponine lying on the grass beside the Seine, the sparkling of her smile in the sunlight the last thing he saw before darkness claimed him.

A/N: Trouble in paradise for Cosette and Marius. Fingers crossed, Meponine has a chance! Please review!