Title: Good Reasons

WORDS: 491

TIME: About 1 hour

They sat next to each other, staring aimlessly down into the river that had nearly ripped them apart but instead had thrown them back together with a vengeance. Now they were linked and not likely to break apart anytime soon.

"Javert, whatever got into your head to make you throw yourself into the river?" Valjean asked, turning to look at his silent companion, who was thinking. The Inspector's eyebrows were lowered and his chin was propped on his fist. He stared out at the rushing water without truly seeing it, his lips scowling. "Javert?" Still no answer. Grimacing in annoyance, Valjean nudged the younger man, who looked up, recognition sparking in his eyes as he remembered what they had been discussing. He often got like this when they looked at the river, perhaps remembering what had given him the idea to jump into it in the first place.

"I suspect it was having my convictions changed." He replied slowly, lowering his hands back to his lap and folding them there. He gave a cynical smile, pain there. "However, I suspect it was simply realizing that the reason I had been chasing you about the country was not the reason I had though. I held no grudge against you for breaking parole, Valjean. I simply could not live without you. I could not live if there was no longer a reason to be with you. I thought that if you were a good man then I no longer had a purpose." The ex-convict blinked at this, surprised by how up-front Javert was about it.

"So you decided to throw yourself into the Seine."

"It seemed the best option at the time."

Javert's head was suddenly reeling as a fist connected soundly with his jaw. He blinked his eyes and raised a hand to rub the offended portion of his face, groaning in pain as he glared at Valjean, squinting. "What was that for?" He asked indignantly, and the older man beside him gave him his worst look.

"For causing me so much trouble!" The Inspector kept rubbing his jaw for a moment, and then sighed heavily, shrugging his broad shoulders.

"I suppose I deserved it, then." Valjean chuckled, leaned over, and softly kissed his companion's forehead, getting a grunt of annoyance and a hand shoving in the center of his chest. Javert would put up with him, but no public displays of affection. Valjean grinned to himself, smugly pleased, and rested his hand on Javert's face where he had recently sent a rather surprising punch.

"You deserve that and so much more." The Inspector grunted again, removed the hand from his aching jaw, and tangled his fingers with the ex-convict's. However, before they could return to that comfortable silence, Valjean pursed his lips. "But the next time you go jumping into any rivers, I'm going to do a lot more than just punch you."

That actually got a laugh out of Javert.

A/N: I'll admit—this was all just a reason to allow me to punch Javert. I just really wanted him to get punched.