I'll Cover You

Chapter 22

Suddenly, all of the anxiety that had built up within Cosette's head was released. She shot up immediately at the mention of these words. They were the words that held a suffocating grip upon her throat for the past few hours, finally liberating her. Her tears of sadness had dried as new tears of happiness and relief began to flow. She smiled lightly in relief, and piped up, "Really? H-he is?"

Gillenormand nodded, his relief as well rushing over him. This moment had given him the opportunity to evaluate the way that he had been acting these past few weeks. He had realized how insensitive he had been to both Marius and Cosette the last time he had spoken to them. He now frowned upon his own actions towards them, seeing how blind he had been. He had been so blinded by Cosette's addiction that he could not see the happiness Marius felt towards the young woman.

His blindness towards the situation had also led him to misjudge her as well. All Gillenormand had seen the last time he spoken with the girl was a drunken fool, even if she had not taken a sip of alcohol. The idea that she had actually been trying hard to get her life back on track, especially the fact that it was for his grandson, had completely escaped his mind. It was not until the moment Cosette reached his door with Marius in tow that he had realized all of these things, and he had cursed every moment he spent in the darkness of his own cruelty.

They both stood there together in a moment of silence, both praising God for having someone that they loved returned to them. Cosette and Gillenormand shared a look, and it was a moment of clarity. A moment of understanding. There was no more tension between them. Nothing needed to be spoken for them to comprehend that. Cosette gave him a small smile to show her contentment with this realization. This is what she had wanted. She did not wish for them to see eye to eye on everything, just for some understanding.

Gillenormand broke the silence, "He has to rest for a couple of hours, and he is still a bit beaten up. Still, after that, he should be back to normal."

"That's fantastic," Cosette exclaimed elated, "will I be able to see him?"

"He is sleeping right now. In a few hours though he should be up."

Cosette nodded, and put on her jacket. She started heading towards the door. However, she was soon stopped by the man. He raised an eyebrow, "Where are you going?"

"To the barricades," Cosette answered as if it were an everyday phrase. She tried once more to exit, but the man was soon in front of her again.

"You do realize what a horrible idea that is, correct?" Gillenormand thought that the girl was insane. He thought that the last thing Cosette would want to do was to return to the place where Marius had nearly been killed. What was she thinking?

"I understand. However, things seemed to be in such gruesome condition before I left. I want to see if there is anyone else I can help."

Gillenormand still wasn't so sure about letting her go. If she left, and didn't return, he knew that Marius would be crushed. Cosette gave him a reassuring look, "The battle has to be over by now, monsieur. I'll be back here as soon as I can." This time she did not wait for Gillenormand to stop her. The door snapped shut behind her as she walked through the summer air.

The first thing she noticed as she made it to the barricades was that her foot was soaked with blood. Cosette looked down at her foot in horror, trying to ponder how much blood could really come out of a few people. Then, she realized it. The only way there could be this much blood... was if every last person upon that barricade had contributed to the pool. Her eyes widened as she sprinted closer and closer to the ruins. Sure enough, her fears had been confirmed.

The sight of the fallen barricade was atrocious. The cobblestones had been stained crimson beneath her feet, and surrounding her were the bodies of now wandering souls. Hanging from the cafe was the body of young blonde man, his hand clutched tightly upon a tattered red flag. Clenching her fists, Cosette took more steps that inched her closer towards the café. After entering, she prayed she hadn't. More bodies were splayed across the ground, each one looking more gruesome than the last. Her gaze had even been placed upon the bodies of a young woman and child. As she made her way up the wooden steps, her eyes began to summon up storms at the body at her feet.

Cosette placed her hand gently upon the pale face of the curly black haired man as she kneeled down beside him. A flood soon appeared on her face as she mourned the death of Grantaire. He was doing so well. His life was going to go somewhere after all of this. Grantaire had deserved so much more to be living on in bliss than she currently did. After kneeling there for a few minutes more, she wiped the tears away from his face. Even though he would not be able live here happily, he would be able to carry out his joy into heaven. Before getting up, she kissed his cheek gently, and whispered to him, "Be at peace Grantaire." As she got up to leave behind the ruins, she felt as though she could feel someone smiling down upon her.

Cosette returned to Gillenormand's after making a stop at her home to change. Once she had arrived there, a thought that hadn't occurred to her before finally hit her. If she had been hurt by the death of Grantaire, a man that she knew so little about. How would Marius react to the death of a group of men that he had grown close to? She had to find a way to break it to him easily, and soon. He had the right to know.

Gillenormand opened the door to Marius's room, and called towards Cosette softly, "Good, you're back. Marius is awake. You can see him now."

Cosette thanked Gillenormand, took a deep breath, and walk through the door. Her eyes met Marius's, and she couldn't help but smile at him softly. His kind eyes brightened as she entered the room. Cosette focused mainly on those bright eyes as she made her way towards the chair next to him because she knew her heart would break if focused on anything else of his current state. One of his arms was captured within a sling, and his face was lightly scarred here and there. Yet, even with said injuries, he still had an air of happiness surrounding him. As Cosette sat down next to him, he reached for her hand, only to grimace back in pain. The girl sighed, and placed her hand gently upon his. She spoke softly, "You should really be more careful."

Marius chuckled softly. Cosette had to stop herself from cringing. She couldn't crush this. His eyes interlocked with hers as she managed to force a smile upon her face. He gave her a small smile, "Sorry, I can't help myself when it comes to you."

Cosette couldn't help but blush at this comment. She smiled, "Even when you're injured, you still manage to be charming... How are you feeling?"

Marius gave his best attempt at a shrug. "I'm doing better," he responded, "still hurts a lot though."

She gave Marius's hand a gentle squeeze, "I am so sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Marius smiled at her, "Cosette, you saved my life."

"You remember that?"

Marius took a strand of her golden hair in his fingers, and played with it gently. He answered, "You aren't exactly a master of disguise."

"Oh," Cosette chuckled, "I hope you're not mad at me."

"I could never be mad at you my love." Marius became somber for a moment, as if the reality of the situation had finally hit him. He asked Cosette with a quivering voice, "Cosette... H-how are the others?"

The smile that had come upon Cosette's face faltered. She had to tell him. It was now or never. She took in a deep breath, "Marius... Th-they're gone... Everyone else has passed."

Marius's eyes widened. He was speechless. His friends were dead. Every last one of them. Tears filled his eyes as Cosette wrapped her arms around him softly. All of them... Gone... This couldn't be true... They had to be there.

He should have been one of them.