Disclaimer: The Musketeers are not mine. I'm just borrowing the concepts and characters for a little while.
Spoilers: 1.06 The Exiles.
A/N: I wanted to write something fluffy about Aramis and family, but then my brain decided to latch onto another idea today and would not. let. it. go.
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"But that was before I had a brilliant plan." – d'Artagnan to Constance, 1.06 The Exiles.
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Aramis had been quiet for the return trip to Paris with none of his family able to draw him out. It was only when they'd retired to Madame Bonacieux' home for a meal that he began to be more himself and join in the conversation.
They each related the experiences that led them to their reunion at the building where Henri had been kept and how Constance had become involved with their schemes. Aramis shared only the barest of details, letting d'Artagnan do most of the talking for their part in the whole sordid mess.
It wasn't until Madame Bonacieux told her story that Aramis really became interested in what was being said. When she glossed over her confrontation with the man who had stolen Henri, Aramis broke in and described her "brilliant" sword fight down to the smallest details, sounding equal parts amazed and proud.
Constance began to blush and protest that her skills were not so great, but the sharpshooter wouldn't let the matter drop. He once again asked where she had learned to fight with a sword, but the Madame refused to respond.
Nevertheless, it was d'Artagnan's reaction to the question which told them all they needed to know. Porthos and Aramis immediately began to tease them, of course, and even Athos got into the act with a pointed comment or two.
D'Artagnan defended his actions by saying that had he not been instructing her that things might not have turned out so well, that they might not have saved little Henri and by extension, his mother Agnes.
Seconds after he finished his spirited defense, Constance smacked him on the shoulder and says, "Don't look so smug."
Athos, Porthos, and Aramis began to laugh but immediately stifled it when the lady of the house glared at them.
With an exasperated gesture towards d'Artagnan, she continued, "Do you know what this idiot said to me when he first saw me again in that place?"
The three older men shook their heads in sync, while d'Artagnan hid his face in his hands.
"I had just killed a man in order to save a little baby and instead of asking if I was alright, he stupidly says, 'Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?' I shoved the hilt of Aramis's sword as hard as I could into d'Artagnan's gut and walked away."
The reactions of the four men varied, but in the following months and years, that part of the tale became a source of ridicule for poor d'Artagnan, much to his chagrin. Though, on that particular night, the youngest brother did not mind, because he could see the relief in everyone's eyes that Aramis was being lifted out of his melancholy mood.
Over the years, the tale was repeated and retold with dramatic flair, eventually becoming something of a family story passed down from generation to generation.
It was one of many tales of the four Musketeers that was handed down to their descendants.
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More than 300 years later, a group of soldiers are in training.
They have been split into two armies – black versus green – for a war games exercise. Their goal: to be the first group to overrun the "enemy" outpost and capture the flag. The two armies were pitted against each other, and if tagged by someone from the opposing team or by an "enemy," that soldier was eliminated from the game.
Not only was the honor of winning at stake, but so were the next pay packets of the two men chosen to lead the armies. They made a bet as to who would win, and to sweeten the pot, added a round of beers for the winning side the next time they had leave.
Many soldiers on both sides were "eliminated" from the game, but the ranking officers observing the exercise thought that the Black Team was going to be the clear winner.
Afterward, during the debriefing, the Black Team commander was still at a loss as to how he'd been defeated by the Green Team. One second they were meters away from capturing the flag and the next they were being eliminated by the Green Team, watching them take the flag and the victory out from under them.
When the flag was captured, the commander of Green Team smiled wide and declared, "Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?"
The soldier experienced a sense of déjà vu after his declaration and a shiver ran down his back.
It wasn't until he was lying in his bunk that night, that he recognized that the source of his déjà vu was the stories his grandfather used to tell him of a French ancestor who had been a soldier of the King's elite regiment. His statement earlier in the day was something that was said once, long ago by one of four brothers when they had saved a very important, yet secret baby.
He had always loved those stories and had demanded they be told at every opportunity when he was a child, growing to learn every detail by heart. It was those stirring tales of those men which had spurred him on to becoming a soldier.
In the years to come, he would adopt that phrase and make it all his own – I love it when a plan comes together – often lighting a cigar right after saying it.
In spite of everything that would happen to him, John "Hannibal" Smith never forgot the phrase's origin and made sure to tell his team, his family, all of the old stories of the Musketeers.
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The end.
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A/N: For those of you not familiar with The A-Team (TV or film versions), Hannibal Smith's catchphrase was "I love it when a plan comes together." When I first heard d'Artagnan say something similar to Constance in the episode, I immediately thought of the TV show I'd watched as a kid. I had no idea at the time that I would come up with a way to mesh the two ideas.
As a reminder, I've only seen the first six episodes, so I have no idea when/if/how it becomes known that d'Artagnan has taught Constance about sword fighting. If you know, please don't spoil it for me. I'm also ignoring the books in regards to descendants…
Note re Team colors: I originally chose red and blue before I realized that those colors would not be very stealthy in most climates, hence the reason I switched to black and green. If someone has a better idea, feel free to let me know. Thanks!
No beta; all mistakes are mine and you can't have them. :)
Thanks for reading!