Ah, pauvre Bigrenaille :D I really love the dark humour of this story, and Javert's deconstruction of Bigrenaille's superstition makes the ending even funnier than it already would have been :o)

My only nitpick is the use of "buddy", which is an anachronism (the words dates from 1850) and (but this one is my personal opinion) a bit of a departure from the tradition of translating Les Mis into *British* English. I'd go it with "mate" and the age-old copper's phrase "You're nicked, mate!" But maybe it's just me :o]

Great little story!

FINALLY! My internet stopped dropping out for long enough to allow me to review! Thank you, Lord of the Internet.

Ahem. Review: In short, I am still sniggering.

"Watch out for the brick."

That's nearly as good as "perhaps you'd like to borrow my hat". Ah, I love Javert when he's being himself.

Hahaha. Brilliant! I love your take on Javert, I think that it fits him perfectly. Thank you!

All right, Javvie; tell me what I'll be doing tomorrow! :D

Nicely done, and hilarious, of course!

hbpm

fantastic! You really are an amazing writer I love how you write Javert!

that brick...I LOVE THAT LINE...it is so Javert-esque!

I first read this about 2 years ago ... and it is one of my very favorites of all the Javert stories. I've come back to it several times, printed it out, even shared it with my school age children (who I kinda raised on musicals, especially Les Miserables, one of the first phrases my youngest ever sang was the beginning of the confrontation - "Val Jean, at last, we see each other plain,...") The kids also loved the subtle humor of this story. You've nailed the character of Javert ... the inspector who doesn't fit in, too clever, too smart, a little unsure of himself - not that he'd let anyone know.

thank you.

...more people need to notice this side of Javert. Adorable story, wonderful characterization. I adore your writing, and frankly, you are one of only two authors that made me want to write Les Mis fiction almost enough to stop being afraid of messing it up. But no, seriously, this had me giggling out loud, especially the end.

Had me laughing the whole time through! It was sarcastic, funny, and perfectly in character. Well done! Thank you for portraying Javert as he is, not some two dimensional villan. Love your stories!

letting the reader decide for themselves was a nice choice

That ending was probably one of the best endings to any fic on this website. Very amusing.

HILARIOUS! I love the last bit...the brick...I'm trying to squelch my laughter right now so I won't wake anyone up!

lo, javert is a badass!

Cool! :D

Thank you for the mention of Javier's gypsy background; it always strikes me as odd how pale he is whenever I see Les Miserables on stage.

Oh, and despite felix-hortensio's confusion over the term, I give you many metaphorical cookies for using 'bemused' correctly, since it means 'puzzlement, bafflement, etc.' instead of 'quietly amused' or some such rot. It's one of my pet peeves, and I greatly appreciate the handful of writers who bother to use the term correctly.