modern au | Cosette and Valjean’s first Christmas on Rue Plumet
Valjean remembered the dirty, shivering creature in that sorry orphanage whose delight had been so palpable a year ago when he had brought her the doll (who now sat by the handsome fir tree with her, their hair in matching red ribbons). This Christmas Eve was just as bitterly cold, but the little house was warm. It smelled of cinnamon and chocolate. Last year, they had been strangers. This year, they were a family, tiny and fragile, but a family nonetheless. When Cosette fell asleep beneath the tree, Valjean lifted her up and carried her to bed, tucking Catharine in beside her. In the morning, there would be toys and dresses enough to make up for the years she had spent in the orphanage and more. As he closed her door, the thought made him smile. "Joyeux Noel, ma chere,” he murmured as he stepped back and closed the door.
