Jean Valjean sat at his desk by the window, running through some municipal papers. He paused between future waste disposal plans and a kind old woman's complaint on a certain individual to stare outside longingly.
Who knew being mayor would be this difficult?
But he didn't regret a thing. Had he not left his convict name for that of a respected "M. Madeleine", he would be in jail this very second.
The streets of Montreuil-Sur-La-Mer were just starting to wake up. Shop lights were flickering to life, pedestrians groggily walking down the sidewalks, drunks of the night before retreating to their alleyways.
Valjean, or M. le Maire, jotted down a note and was closing the godforsaken portfolio when he heard a knock on the door.
"It's open," he called out without turning around. Valjean heard the door open and close, as well as the click of heeled boots on the creaky wooden floor.
"Monsieur le Maire," said a gruff voice Valjean recognized without difficulty.
"Inspector Javert."
The Inspector was a long-time fiend of Valjean's. The former had always suspected M. Madeleine of some surreptitious affair, and Jean Valjean knew he would not last forever.
Javert said nothing for a while, and a silence loaded as a gun held unsaid thoughts suspended in the thick air.
"Javert, pray speak," said M. Madeleine calmly. The Inspector cleared his throat and stood a bit straighter.
"M. le Maire, I have come to formally apologize. I am ashamed to admit that I had suspected you of being another man. That is... I suspected you of being a former convict of the name of Jean Valjean."
M. Madeleine sucked in a deep breath. "And what changed, Inspector?"
"Well," replied Javert, with an unsettling smile creeping up his lips. "Jean Valjean, the real one, has been apprehended late last night. Embarrassingly enough, I was wrong. However, this is not about me. The good news is, he's been found. To clear my conscience, I have come to set things straight."
Though the room was spinning slightly, "M. Madeleine" managed to get some words out.
"Your feelings do you credit, sir. I appreciate your coming to me. Would you like some tea, perhaps?"
Javert lifted his cap off his head and bowed.
"I could not, as there is more news. I found myself unable to trust my own mayor, lest my suspicions be confirmed. This has made me think I am not cut out to be the man I wish to remain, for this man would need to be able to fully trust his superiors. I have disrespected you, Monsieur le Maire. Therefore, for these reasons, I resign. And how could a commoner have tea with the mayor?"
The Inspector's face showed remorse and reverence intermingled, and this touched Valjean's heart.
"Javert, if you were to resign, our town of Montreuil-Sur-la-Mer would suffer greatly. I insist that, even if you chose to leave your post, you stay for tea with me this morning," Valjean said with conviction. He knew he was wandering into treacherous waters, but his gut feeling would not leave him.
"Very well, but only if you insist," said Javert, taking a few steps towards the empty chair at the table where Valjean was sat.
"Please."
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Stolen Moments - A Valjert Fanfic
FanfictionWho is this man, what sort of devil is he? Javert had always been suspicious of "M. le Maire", and he could not push the doubts from his mind. Valjean, weary of being caught pretending to be another man, nearly fears the self-proclaimed servant of G...
