Disclaimer: The Musketeers are not mine. I'm just borrowing the concepts and characters for a little while.

Spoilers: 1.03 Commodities.

A/N: Anyone want to guess what song I was listening to when I came up with the title to this story?

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"You should trust Athos to handle his own affairs." – Aramis to d'Artagnan, 1.03 Commodities.

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The farther he got away from la Fère, the more he felt like he had to go back there. He couldn't shake the notion that Athos should not be left to deal with things on his own.

Normally he would trust Athos to handle his own affairs, but d'Artagnan could see how much being home was hurting the older man. Misery seemed to have dug her claws deep into him though he was doing everything he could to not show it.

From his reluctance to acknowledge the house even existed despite the seriousness of Porthos's injury to the pain he'd heard in Athos's voice in the portrait room, it's obvious to him that this place is the source of most, if not all, of his friend's demons and the reason for his fall-down drunk nights.

Whatever had happened there at the estate was enough to break one of the bravest, most skilled men he's ever known. It had been the catalyst for him to abandon the only life he'd ever known, a life as one of the nobility, and led him to eventually become a Musketeer. He'd gone from a life of being served to one in service to the King.

He understands why the others can't quite see it; they have all been distracted by Porthos's injury. Though Aramis commented about the number of servants, he has been primarily focused on aiding their wounded friend. Porthos's reasons are much more obvious for not catching on to Athos's distress. He's just tried to make himself useful while helping to keep an eye on Bonnaire, which has put him in a position to see his friend's ongoing suffering.

Perhaps it's because he is relatively new to their company and is not influenced by so many years of common experiences that he sees it more clearly. Or perhaps, the others see it and feel it is none of their business or that they should not interfere. It's just as likely that they do know how much Athos is hurting and know there is nothing they can really do about it.

But he just can't let it go.

When his father had been murdered, he'd had to deal with his initial grief all on his own. Working with Aramis and Porthos to save Athos and find the truth about his father's death had helped to alleviate some of the loneliness he'd been feeling at the time. The least he could do was be an unobtrusive presence that served to remind the older man that he was not alone.

Despite their inauspicious beginning, Athos has supported him in his desire to become a Musketeer, and trust has slowly been building between them. He'd been humbled that the older man had been willing to extend the hand of friendship towards him, giving him the opportunity to make up for his mistakes. How could he not stand by his friend when Athos was so noticeably not himself?

And that more than any other reason is why he turns around and heads back to la Fère.

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When he'd seen the unnatural glow to the night sky, he began to fear that he was going to be too late to help Athos.

It could only have been a miracle that he wasn't too late and that he'd somehow managed to save the older man from a gruesome, excruciating death.

But it was what he'd learned about Athos's life before the Musketeers that had made his heart ache for his friend. It hadn't been explicitly said, but it seemed likely that Athos's wife had murdered someone close to him. And, if he had to guess, it was likely the younger brother, Thomas. Given how much his friend seemed to have loved his wife, he could only imagine just how soul-crushing doing his duty must have been.

It all made sense to him now, and he wondered at the strength it took to keep going in the face of so much tragedy. He understood now why Athos drank so much wine; it was a way for him to cope when life became too much for the other man.

D'Artagnan couldn't help the numerous glances towards his companion on their way back to Paris. If he had not followed his instincts and gone back to Athos's estate, then he would have lost what he suspected could be one of the most important friendships of his life. And, if he felt that way after only knowing the other man for such a short time, then he could only imagine how devastated Aramis and Porthos would have been. An involuntary shudder coursed through him and he felt cold at the thought that he'd almost been too late, of his friend almost dying.

The action caught Athos's attention, and the other man glanced at him in concern. His friend said nothing and was obviously content to keep conversation to a minimum, yet d'Artagnan had the distinct feeling that Athos knew exactly what he'd been thinking about.

Not long after that, Athos asked him to not say anything to their friends about what had happened. When he gave his word to the other man, he vowed to himself that he would do all he could to be worthy of the Athos's trust and friendship.

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The end.

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A/N: I'm not sure I like how this turned out...

Just a reminder: The episode I'm watching on BBC America is one that has been edited down for time. I have no idea what I'm missing, so I hope you'll forgive any inaccuracies of plot and character.

I had no beta for this story and apologize for any lingering errors.

Thanks for reading!