Evening My Lovelies!

I'M BBBBBAAAAACCCCKKKK! Did you all miss me? :D

So here we are with another long story. I think I've well and truly learned my lesson about estimating how long the story will be after my last one ended up being about 60 chapters longer then originally planned lol.

To those of you new to my work: First off HI :D and secondly expect lots of whumpage, evil cliffhangers and cute brotherly moments.

To those who are familiar with my stories: Welcome back and I hope you enjoy this as much as my other works.

Please Note that there will be some returning characters from my last story as you all seemed to love them quite a bit. This is NOT a sequel to it though so please don't be confused.

As usual I'll be updating daily and reviews, comments, questions and constructive criticism are more than welcome :D

... Well that's enough rambling from me!

Enjoy!

xxx

Chapter One: Trouble

"CORINNE!" screamed a voice, barely audible over the screams and sounds of battle though the voice persisted, continuing to call the same name until his name is screamed in response.

Ducking low to dodge a sword swipe that could have killed, or at least seriously injured him, the young man kicks out, his foot colliding hard with his attacker's shin, sending the man down on to one knee. This was the outcome the man had been hoping for and without waiting another moment he plunged his own blade deep into his attackers chest, waiting only to be sure that his attack had been fatal before removing his sword and rushing to head to where the scream of his name had come from.

"Corinne!" he exclaimed again, although this time his voice was full of both panic and anger as he saw the young woman struggling to fight against the burly man who had her pinned against the wall with one hand, the other working its way under her clothes.

"CHARLES!" cried the woman, terrified tears streaming down her cheeks as she struggled against the brute holding her, a scared whimper escaping her when the man's hand reached under her skirt to grip the skin of her thigh.

D'Artagnan's eyes narrowed and his face contorted in fury at the sight and it was only the thought of what the man could do to the young woman before he reached her that stopped him from charging blindly at him.

"Let. Her. Go!" snarled the young Gascon with an anger completely unnatural for his character. His grip on his blade tightened as he stormed towards the man, who had turned to face him, a smirk on his face as he tightened his grip on the young woman's thigh.

"Well if it aint the musketeer brat," sneered the man, seemingly unbothered by the dark look of barely contained anger on the musketeer's face.

D'Artagnan glared, his mind barely registering the fact that he had been called a musketeer despite not currently wearing the pauldron that would have identified him as such. "I won't ask again," growled the Gascon as he stalked forward, his blade rising to rest against the man's throat before he could react. "Get your filthy hands off of her."

Moving quickly when she felt the man's grip on her loosening in his surprise Corinne brought her knee up to land hard against the man's crotch, darting out of the way swiftly when he dropped his grip on her to instinctively cover the sensitive area.

With the woman out of immediate danger D'Artagnan wasted no time in eliminating the man, barely giving him a second glance as he moved to bring the now shaking woman into his arms, nestling her tightly against his chest and resting his chin on the top of her head.

"Breathe Corinne," he said softly, all traces of his early anger gone as he ignored the sounds and commotion around them, his entire focus on the terrified woman in his arms. "You're safe, I've got you."

For a few moments Corinne could do little more than sob into the bare chest of the young musketeer, but it wasn't long until she recovered enough to speak. "Wh-What's going on Charlie? Why is this happening?"

D'Artagnan sighed, subtly moving the pair of them behind a wall when he noticed the sounds of battle increasing in volume. "I don't know," he admitted tiredly. "I need you to run Corinne," he said a moment later, barely managing to pull his head back in time for when hers shot up, her eyes wide with fear and stubbornness.

"I managed to get a few people to safety but I can't abandon the rest," explained D'Artagnan as he knelt slightly to pull a dagger out of his boot, pressing it firmly into the woman's hand.

"But –"

"You need to run Corinne," stressed the Gascon, physically flinching when he heard a distant scream. "Head to the caves we played in as children, if I'm not there by morning I need you to head to Paris. Find Captain Treville, or Athos, Porthos or Aramis if they're back from their mission. I trust them with my life, they'll help and protect you I promise."

"But –"

"No Rin," interrupted D'Artagnan, shaking his head. "You don't wait for me and you definitely don't come back here. If I'm not back by morning you head straight to Paris do you understand?"

Corinne stared at him with wide, terrified eyes though it didn't take her long to see how scared he was about letting her go off alone where he couldn't protect her and she knew there was nothing she could do to persuade him to come with her, not when there could be people who needed help. Swallowing her fear she tightened her grip on the dagger he had given her, nodding stiffly.

"Straight to Paris if you're not at the caves by morning and I'm to seek out Athos, Porthos, Aramis or Captain Treville," she said quietly, her voice gaining strength the more she spoke.

D'Artagnan smiled proudly as he saw her fighting against her fear. Without wasting another moment he pulled her in for another tight hug, sending up a silent prayer for her safety as he whispered for her to run.

Waiting a moment to ensure the young woman made it to the tree line D'Artagnan turned back to the attack, his eyes widening in both shock and terror at the sight of flames now consuming much of the village.

Despite the seriousness of the situation D'Artagnan couldn't stop the next thought that entered his mind. Captain's going to kill me for this.

FLASH BACK

D'Artagnan sighed as he made his way from his rooms to the garrison courtyard, sending up a multitude of prayers that he could have one day where he wasn't summoned to the palace.

Deciding he was off to a good start when he managed to make it to his usual table without Captain Treville or a messenger calling out to him the Gascon set his weapons down, having decided to do a bit of maintenance on them before starting training. Athos had shown him a new move shortly before the trio had left on a mission and the Gascon was determined to be able to pull it off flawlessly by the time they returned home.

He was just in the process of putting away his whetstone when a messenger called his name. With a quiet curse under his breath the Gascon turned to address the man, only to be surprised and somewhat relieved when it turned out to be a letter delivery rather than a summons to the palace.

Thanking and paying the man D'Artagnan settled himself back down on the bench to read the letter, his brows furrowing in confusion as he immediately recognized the handwriting.

Moments after finishing reading the document the Gascon was on his feet and moving towards the stairs that led to the Captain's office.

"D'Artagnan," greeted a musketeer, the sound of his name breaking through the Gascon's determined haze just in time to stop the boy from walking into him.

"Reynard," smiled D'Artagnan, though both he and the musketeer could tell it was strained.

"Is everything okay?" asked Reynard, his brows furrowing in concern as he observed the boy. He and the others in the regiment knew how stressed the younger man was at the moment and as the rest of the inseparables were out on a mission they had taken it upon themselves to watch out for their newest and youngest commissioned brother.

"Yeah," nodded D'Artagnan, though his words sounded hollow to his own ears, "I just need to speak to the Captain, is he in?"

Reynard didn't look like he believed him but equally looked pleased that he wasn't trying to handle whatever was troubling him alone. "He's in his office," nodded the musketeer, "Just come from there myself. He's got a bunch of paperwork and planning for all these events the King wants organized so he might not be in the best moods but he's there."

"Thanks Reynard," nodded D'Artagnan before he moved passed the still clearly worried musketeer to head to Treville's office.

"Are you sure about this D'Artagnan?" asked Treville once the Gascon finished briefly explaining the situation to him as well as making his request.

D'Artagnan had been eager and motivated to become a musketeer since he had first worked with the three men known as the inseparables to clear Athos's name and despite it taking him over a year to get noticed by the King even with the countless missions he had taken part in, the young man did now have his commission, which was why Treville was now questioning the timing and seriousness of the Gascon's request.

"Yes Captain," nodded D'Artagnan as he fiddled with the letter in his hands, something that was not missed by the observant Captain.

"There is no way this issue can be solved with you still in Paris? You have no one who can act under your instruction for this?" asked Treville, his stern and slightly stressed countenance softening ever so slightly when he noticed the Gascon's obvious nerves. To lighten the mood Treville added, "The King will be most displeased to lose his newest musketeer so soon after granting his commission," only to then chuckle when D'Artagnan let out a barely audible groan, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment when he realized it had been heard.

Not that Treville blamed the boy for his reaction, he would react in much the same way had he been in the young man's shoes. King Louis, upon seeing how spectacularly his musketeers had been during the competition with the red guards, had taken it upon himself to show them off at every opportunity, paying special attention to D'Artagnan, the young man having been the unexpected champion of the competition.

This had led to the young man being forced to remain in the city whilst his three brothers were sent off on an important mission, much to his annoyance.

It didn't help matters when Aramis and Porthos learnt of the true reason behind their brother being left behind as both men had taken a great deal of joy in teasing the Gascon, even going as far as to mercilessly fuss over his hair and clothes whilst claiming he needed to look the part if he was going to play trophy and champion to the King.

Thankfully for the Gascon he had not been forced to endure the teasing for long as Athos, ever the source of sensibility for the group, had stepped in, putting a stop to the relentless teasing by reminding them they had a mission to prepare for.

"Unfortunately not Captain," sighed D'Artagnan as he pushed aside thoughts of his brothers. "My uncle wrote asking me to return, he would not do so if it was something I could handle from here."

Treville's eyebrows rose slightly at the conflicted look that flashed across D'Artagnan's face at the mention of his uncle. The Captain was already on edge at the thought of sending one of his men, a newly commissioned one at that, off alone so the look did little to ease Treville's mind.

"D'Artagnan?"

D'Artagnan sighed, cursing internally that his instinctive reaction had been so obvious to the Captain.

"We… are not on the best of terms, my uncle and I," stated the Gascon as he lowered his gaze to the letter in his hand, scowling slightly. "My father and he had a falling out not long after I was born, neither ever told me why but because of it he has always acted… cold towards me. He never wanted anything to do with me if he could help it, so for him to contact me now…" explained D'Artagnan, his heart clenching in pain at the thought of his beloved father, though he ignored it in favor of continuing to scowl at the letter as if it could explain his uncle's sudden actions.

Treville's eyes filled with understanding as to why the Gascon had ignored the swordsmanship training he had been so desperate to fit in, even with everything going on with the King, to come and immediately make his request.

"How long do you need?" he asked, a smile tugging at his lips at D'Artagnan's surprised reaction, clearly the boy had not expected for his sudden request to even be considered let alone approved.

D'Artagnan's face scrunched up as he mentally calculated how much time he would need, he doubted his uncle would prolong things once he was there but stubbornness was a family trait so speed was not something he could guarantee. He cursed himself for not having all this already prepared before speaking to the Captain, though all it took was a quick glance at the now crumpled letter in his hands to remember why he had acted without thinking.

He hadn't been lying when he said that he and his uncle didn't get on and he knew that anyone who knew the truth about the state of their relationship and had seem how they acted towards each other would understand why the sudden letter had put the Gascon out of sorts.

Having decided to take pity on the young soldier Treville glanced at the schedule on his desk. As the King had been adamant that his champion appear at every event he had been hosting, Treville had decided that it would be simpler to simply take D'Artagnan off of the normal duty rotation for a time, which in this instance meant that his absence wouldn't cause many issues with the upcoming missions planned for the regiment.

"Is ten days enough time to get this whole affair sorted out?" he asked, raising his gaze from the duty schedule to look at the Gascon.

A grateful smile lit up D'Artagnan's face as he nodded enthusiastically at the Captain's words. He had been expecting a few days, maybe a week tops but ten days gave him plenty of time to travel to Lupiac, deal with whatever problem his uncle had found or created before heading back home.

"That should be plenty Captain, thank you."

Treville nodded, a small smile curving his lips upwards. "The King has yet to request your presence today so I would head off today if I was you."

"I'll do that," grinned the Gascon. "Thank you again Captain."

"D'Artagnan," called Treville, his voice causing the Gascon to pause right by the door to his office. He hadn't meant to call out to the young man but in the time he had known him Treville had realized that D'Artagnan had an almost unnatural ability to find and attract trouble so sending him off alone wasn't sitting right with him and he found himself cursing the fact that he needed the rest of the men here to handle the security of all the events the King was planning.

"Sir?" asked D'Artagnan, his head tilting to one side as he twisted slightly to look at his commanding officer, curious as to why he had been called back.

"I don't suppose I can ask you to wait for the return of Athos's group?" Treville asked, though he already knew the answer.

D'Artagnan blinked, surprised and warmed by the concern he could hear in the Captain's voice. He was about to shrug off the concern and make a flippant comment when he caught the seriousness in Treville's eyes and reverted back to the mindset he had when dealing with easily offended nobles that had him instinctively minding his words.

"… You could order it sir."

Treville sighed resignedly, he had known what the boy's response would be before he had even asked the question.

He also knew that the Gascon was eager to get going as soon as possible. D'Artagnan had been vague as to what the exact issue at his family's farm was, either due to its personal nature or because he simply did not know the specifics himself, something that did little to comfort the Captain's worrying mind. Either way Treville knew how hard the decision had been for the younger man to leave the farm behind once his father had died to focus on pursuing his dream of becoming a musketeer. Now he had achieved that and earned his commission, news of his farm being in trouble was a lot harder to ignore.

D'Artagnan wasn't wrong in his words that Treville could order him to wait and it was something he would seriously consider doing if he had any idea as to how much longer it would be until Athos and the other inseparables would be returning to the garrison. As the last update he had received had only stated that the mission was progressing smoothly Treville was hesitant to issue the order to the obviously worried musketeer in front of him.

"I could," acknowledge Treville, not missing the pleading look that entered the Gascon's eyes. "But I wont. I will however insist on word being sent as soon as you reach the Gascon border and then again once you've safely made it to your village. Patrols are rarely sent that way so pack wisely and know I will send men after you if I fail to receive word."

D'Artagnan nodded, picking up on the silent order to ensure he had sufficient weaponry and ammunition on him before he left.

"Then you're dismissed," nodded Treville. "Speak to Jacques so he can be saddling your horse while you pack and don't forget to pick up some rations from Serge before you go. I don't want to be sending men out after you only to find word was delayed because another fainting incident happened to you while on the road."

Once again D'Artagnan's cheeks flushed in embarrassment as he remembered the incident Treville was talking about.

It happened a few months after he had decided to stay in Paris. He had found himself desperately short on money and his pride stopped him from asking his friends for help or even mentioning it to them. He had known from the start that Monsieur Bonacieux would not hesitate to kick him out of his home if he failed to make payment on his rent so the Gascon had ended up sacrificing food money in favor on ensuring the rent was paid and he did not end up on the streets.

Unfortunately this ended up causing him to pass out several weeks later from hunger after not eating more than a bowl of stew a day when he would eat with his friends at the garrison.

After that the inseparables, as well as many of the regiment's other members, had taken to keeping a more watchful eye on the boy to ensure it did not happen again.

"…Understood Captain."

Treville couldn't help but chuckle at the Gascon's embarrassment. "Get going then D'Artagnan and do try to stay out of trouble."