Just Thinking
A modern AU Musketeers story
By Deana

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Aramis placed a tray of eggnog on the coffee table in his living room, chuckling when d'Artagnan snatched a cookie off the plate that Porthos placed next to it.

"Hey," Porthos said. "Can't even wait long enough for me to put it down?"

"Nope!" d'Artagnan said, his mouth already full.

Aramis took a cookie and sat back with his eggnog and contentedly watched everyone. It suddenly occurred to him that if recent events had ended differently, his friends would be gathering on Thanksgiving without him.

An elbow suddenly jabbed into his arm. "Are you gonna eat that or hold it forever?" Porthos asked.

Aramis bit his cookie. "I was just thinking."

"Anything but that," Athos drawled.

"Should I call the bomb squad?" Treville deadpanned.

Aramis chuckled. "No...I'm just sitting here thankful."

Everyone's expressions changed when they realized that he was serious.

"I'm thankful to be alive," Aramis told them. "And here, with all of you."

They all knew what he was referring to...the car accident which had introduced them to d'Artagnan had nearly killed him*, as well as an accidental interaction between cold medicine and his thyroid pill.**

"I'm thankful for that every day," Porthos said, wrapping an arm around him and giving a squeeze.

"And I'm thankful to have met you all," said d'Artagnan, raising his eggnog in a toast. "Even though I wish it had been a different way."

"I'm thankful to have such excellent employees," said Treville, raising his own. "Whom I can also call good friends."

Everyone looked at Athos.

Even though he always felt awkward expressing emotion, Athos raised his glass and said, "I am thankful...for family."

Everyone knew that his parents and brother had died, so it was obvious who he meant.

All five of them raised their glasses higher. "To family," they all repeated.

"And the Grinch!" said d'Artagnan.

Surprised faces looked at him as he got up and headed over to Aramis' TV, which had the dvd of the original 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' cartoon sitting on it. "Can we watch this?" he asked.

Aramis smiled. "We watch it on Thanksgiving every year!"

"Sweet!" said d'Artagnan, opening it up and popping it in.

Everyone settled down with their eggnog and cookies, and Aramis looked around at every face again, thanking God that he was there with them to enjoy another Thanksgiving.

THE END

*'Backfired', story id 12486920

**'Trapped', story id 12613288