A span of heartbeats taken by force. Not given willingly.

But he knows well he is not impervious. He has been called emotionless in his life; it is not true. He laughs when he is amused, and takes joy in the hunt; he appreciates the warmth of a stove on a cold day, and the pride of appreciation from a superior over a job well done. He gets angry, and puzzled, and annoyed, and it hurts when he is betrayed. Just as it does now, with the numbness having subsided; just as it did when Madeleine was unmasked as Valjean.

But these emotions are not what this creature is talking about. They do not seem to matter. Because there is no love, he is seen as lacking. He does not know what to do about that, and cannot fathom why it is so important to everyone else.

'You asked the wrong way.'

He looks him over. He looks as close to defeated as he has ever seen him. But he has no doubt he will rise again.

'But I do not believe there is any way you could have asked, that would have made me say yes.'

He will never be like him. Ever.