Brief Parting, an albert the fifth musketeer fanfic

Disclaimer: I do not own Albert the Fifth Musketeer or any canon characters. I also do not own Albert's wife, she is not an OC but my friend.

Notes: I am still not very well-versed in 17th Century French weddings, so I skipped to the honeymoon. This idea would not leave me alone though, so here it is.

This was written for my friend's birthday, similar to the others I have done over the years. As such, this contains Albert x My Friend (whose name is omitted for safety reasons). There are mentions of mature conduct but it's not graphic so it's nothing too bad to have to hike up the rating. Characters might get OOC at times.

Mon amour = My love.

I hope you enjoy this!

(Linebreaks hate me, so I will use AV.)

A couple of days had passed since their wedding. Albert sat contentedly beside his wife, holding her hand in his and using his thumb to stroke it tenderly. They were still considered on-duty, so they couldn't go far for their honeymoon. Instead, since the weather was so perfect for it, they had visited a quiet spot in the country, using a caravan for shelter.

The first night and the day following had been full of passions shared and boundaries explored, something they'd agreed to save until they had been officially declared husband and wife.

But, that day was simply for relaxing and quiet times, similar to how they were when they first started courting. It was a good thing that was the case, something was about to come up.

"Albert? Albert!"

Albert blinked out of his lovestruck trance and turned to the door. "That sounds like D'Artagnan..." he muttered. He gave his wife a peck on the cheek. "I'll see what it is he requires." He released her hand, got to his feet and made his way to the door of the caravan. He opened it and, yes, it was D'Artagnan standing there. "Hello, my friend, what brings you here?"

"Sorry to bust up the honeymoon, but we have a mission." He removed his hat and bowed when he noticed Albert's wife was approaching them. "I'm terribly sorry for the interruption, my dear." Just as he considered Albert to be like his brother, he had come to think of the woman before him like a sister.

She smiled and shook her head. "We are still on-duty, after all. I can take this time to return to the Louvre and see how Her Majesty is faring."

Albert looked up to his wife. "Though I have yet to be briefed on the details, I am certain this mission will not take us too long. I shall join you in the gardens of the Louvre upon my return, mon amour, of that, I promise you."

"I'll give you two a minute. How about I prepare your horse and mule?" D'Artagnan offered.

"That's quite thoughtful of you. Thank you. I shall be with you momentarily." Once D'Artagnan had moved to do exactly that, he closed the door. "Mon amour, it seems we shall be apart for some time..."

Albert's wife shook her head, still smiling tenderly. "My gallant Albert, we knew this was to happen."

"We did, I agree. It does not make it much easier though." He frowned sadly before moving to change into his uniform. "Every time we're apart, I always miss you. This time is no exception..."

She, too, had moved to change into her personal uniform, the one she'd been gifted by Albert's comrades and Captain. "I always miss you too, Albert. But, my love, you must know that you're always in my heart."

He nodded. "Just as you are in mine, mon amour. You will be forever."

"As long as we know that, though the distance may be great, we're not truly apart. I vowed to be your wife not two days ago, my love for you encompasses the furthest distance, the darkest night, the deepest ocean..."

"I feel that same way." He only had to put on his hat, but that could wait. He noticed that she was also sans hat, but otherwise was ready to go. "Still, after this parting, I shall long once more to hold you in my arms, share the sweetest of kisses and..." He blushed lightly. "...and express in the most physically intimate way just how much I've missed you."

She was also blushing slightly but let out a quiet laugh before approaching him. She noticed he'd brought out his collapsable stool, an invention he'd made so he could stand at her eye-level instead of her having to bend down. "My gallant Albert..." She placed her right hand on his cheek, feeling him lean into it. "I will miss you, but this is not farewell."

He nodded, placing his left hand on her cheek, his right holding her shoulder as he leaned in and allowed their lips to meet, tilting his head slightly so their noses wouldn't bump.

D'Artagnan was not normally a patient man. If it was anybody else, he'd be demanding they stop stalling. But, because it was Albert and his wife, he decided to hold his tongue. He'd seen many times just how much Albert pined for his beloved when they were apart, even when they were courting, so he expected they'd be sharing a heartfelt and emotional parting. He almost jumped upon seeing the door open and the pair evacuating the caravan, hand-in-hand.

The female of the party approached her horse and patted its muzzle. "Ready for a ride back to Paris?" she whispered. Upon hearing a whinny, she got into position to mount. Within seconds, she was sitting high in the saddle. "Albert, I shall meet you in the gardens. D'Artagnan, it's been good to see you again."

D'Artagnan smiled and nodded. "You as well. I'll make sure Albert returns no worse for the wear!"

"I'll hold you to that. I shall see both of you upon your victorious return." With a wave, she pulled back on the reins, kicked her heels into her horse's sides gently and galloped off towards Paris.

Albert was calling for her to have a safe journey until she was out of sight. He then turned to D'Artagnan. "I am ready for us to leave now, what is this mission?"

"I'll brief you on the way. Let's go!"

The pair of Musketeers rode off in the opposite direction to Albert's wife.

It took a day and a half, but the mission was accomplished. They were on their way back to Paris.

"Coming back to Paris with us, Albert?" Porthos asked.

The petit Musketeer nodded, looking cheerier than he had since he and D'Artagnan had joined the original Three Musketeers. "She took this time to return to the Louvre and resume her duties to Her Majesty."

"We're sorry we had to interrupt the honeymoon, but don't worry, you can get back to it soon," Aramis remarked in one of his rhymes.

"Indeed, and I couldn't be happier to do so!"

While medal presentations took place inside the palace, Albert stood in the royal gardens awaiting his reunion with his beloved. He heard some footfalls and turned to face the owner. He beamed and ran up to the person.

Anybody watching would've seen the newlyweds meet up on the path and throwing their arms around each other. They would've seen kisses being shared (though Albert's beloved was on her knees that time), heard words being exchanged and seen them leave the grounds, hand-in-hand, ready to resume their honeymoon.

After-notes: Happy birthday, my friend, I hope you enjoyed this! I hope the rest of you readers enjoyed it too! There were references to past fics in this arc including Elevation and Happy Birthday.

Thanks for reading! You don't have to review, but if you do want to say something, please don't flame. Constructive criticism is welcomed as always.