I know, it's been too long since my last update. Since I write my stories during my breaks and spare time at work, I sometimes don't have time for several days, depending on my work load. The beginning of the month is my busiest time, but I had a lull in the action so I was able to work on this chapter yesterday and today. Yay! Just want to say thank you for sticking with me and for the comments I have received...you guys are the best! And now I'll let you get to the story :)

XXX

Chapter 4

Milady attacked d'Artagnan's neck with fervor, her hands ripping at the shirt he wore, her breaths coming out in quick pants as desire raged through her. She wasn't sure exactly why she felt the way she did for this boy. Maybe it was because in a way he was forbidden, the protégé of her husband, that drove her desire. True, he was a handsome young man and the night they had spent together at the inn was most enjoyable, but she had spent many nights with many handsome men, what made this one so special? A wet behind the ears farm boy from Lupiac…how insane was she? But, she could not deny what she was feeling. She had never wanted another man like she wanted this one…not since Athos at least, though none could compare to how she had felt about him. It had to be because of Athos, she surmised since she hadn't truly given d'Artagnan much thought until she had found out that he had joined up with the musketeers and had been taken in by none other than the man who had tried to have her killed. The man she had once loved with all of her heart. It was this thought that forced her to stop her attack on the unconscious young man. She pulled herself from his lap and stepped back, looking down on the bound Gascon with a troubled frown.

"Not much fun with only one participating," Milady mumbled as she turned and went to the table that held the wine. She poured herself a glass and downed it in one gulp, hoping to calm her breathing and her nerves. She took several deep breaths then quickly left the parlor, returning a few minutes later with a basin of cold water. She dumped the water over the Gascon's head and smiled when he jerked awake, his dark eyes squinting as he tried to determine what was happening.

"Wh-wha'," the young man stammered, his lean frame beginning to shiver from the cold water that soaked his hair and what little clothing he had on.

Milady bent down and caught the Gascon's gaze. "We cannot have you sleeping, now can we? You have an offer to agree to and I have better things to do with my time than to watch you sleep," she said, a sneer on her lovely face.

"Was not sleeping…knocked out," d'Artagnan whispered, voice slurred from pain and exhaustion.

"Details," Milady murmured with a shrug of her shoulders. "So, you say yes to joining the red guard and the both of us can get on with our lives," she added nonchalantly.

"Never," d'Artagnan hissed as he lifted his head in defiance.

Milady sighed, though she expected the answer the young man gave. "We both know that in the end you will say yes, so why not save us the time and energy," she said.

"I will say this only one time more…I would rather die than join the red guard. My loyalty lies with the musketeers and only with them so…"

"But they abandoned you!" Milady barked as she began to pace the floor in front of her prisoner.

d'Artagnan's eyes conveyed all the pain he felt as he watched the woman pace. Try as he might, he could not hide his heartbreak. "They had their reasons, I suppose," he whispered brokenly.

Milady stopped and turned on the young man. "What reasons!?" she questioned, eyes flashing with anger. "Because you slept with me, not knowing who I was? That is a reason to abandon you? Throw you to the curb like a mangy dog? You did not even know Athos when we met. How can you still defend him? He does not care about you! He has never cared about you, and his friends will always take his side!"

"You think you know what is going on, but you do not. This has nothing to do with you," d'Artagnan spat, eyes wide with anger.

"I saw him," Milady said, eyes watching as the young man flinched.

"What do you mean?" the Gascon asked.

"Last night, when I gave you your gift…Athos was there. He saw us. He slipped into the shadows, but not before I caught sight of him. He watched the entire time, until I rode away. That is how I know why you were abandoned. He feels betrayed, though he should not. You did not betray him, d'Artagnan…he and his friends have betrayed you."

"No…"

"Join the red guard, d'Artagnan…give yourself over to Richelieu. That will be the ultimate pay back for what they have done."

"I will never betray my brothers!" d'Artagnan screamed, his face turning red with rage. "I may never again fight alongside them, but I will never fight against them. Richelieu wishes to destroy the musketeers. It does not matter what happened, I will never allow him to hurt them!"

"Like they hurt you?"

d'Artagnan swallowed against the emotion that flowed through him and glared up at the woman before him. "I will never betray my brothers, no matter what they have done."

Milady looked down at the boy and shook her head. "Richelieu will not be denied, d'Artagnan. If you do not join him, he will have you killed, but not before he has caused you much agony," she said, an almost caring tone to her voice.

"Better that than to turn my back on my friends," d'Artagnan said.

Milady threw her arms out in frustration as she stared at her prisoner. "Why do you insist on defending them? I do not understand this devotion you still have to them."

"I would not expect you to understand devotion," d'Artagnan answered coldly.

"Do not question…"

"Why does the cardinal want me? What could he possibly gain from me joining his guard?" d'Artagnan interrupted.

Milady drew back, angry at the interruption. She calmed herself, then shrugged. "I do not know, he tells me only what I need to be told and nothing more. I only know that when I mentioned your name after our first meeting at the inn, he acted like he had seen a ghost."

"What? Why would my name alarm him?" d'Artagnan asked with bewilderment.

"I do not know. It seemed as though…"

Before Milady could finish, the door to her parlor crashed open and four red guard stormed the room, going directly to the bound young man.

"What are you doing!?" Milady cried as she watched the guard roughly untie the Gascon's wrists and ankles and drag him up from the chair, the young man too weak from his treatment to be able to fight back.

"The cardinal sent us to retrieve the musketeer," one guard hissed as he yanked on d'Artagnan's arm, eliciting a short gasp from the young man.

"It has only been a few hours! He barely gave me time to…"

"The cardinal is a busy man. He does not have time to wait on the likes of you. You are relieved of your responsibility for this scum," the guard said. "His Eminence expects to see you at first light," he added with a sneer.

Milady could only watch, her hand moving to her throat, as the four men dragged the weakly struggling Gascon from the room. "Where are you taking him!?" she shouted as she rushed to the door.

"Where nobody can hear him scream," one of the guards called over his shoulder, the others breaking out in laughter as they disappeared out the front entrance to Milady's home, the door standing open to the cold night air.

"Damn it," Milady hissed. She pulled the door shut, then leaned against it, her fingers nervously playing with the ribbon around her throat. She couldn't explain the feelings that raged through her at seeing the young musketeer being dragged away, in all likelihood to his death. Why should she care? He meant nothing to her, right? He was a means to an end for her, nothing more. His death would ultimately destroy Athos, just as she desired. She knew that regardless of what had happened, Athos would never recover from the loss of d'Artagnan. She had been watching them for some time, had seen the way the boy had found his way into the hard man's heart. She should be happy, but she found that she was not. A knot had formed in the pit of her stomach and she realized that she did not want the boy to die. She still wanted her revenge, but not like this.

Milady went to the table and poured herself another glass of wine. She drank it down then poured herself another. She drank it as she paced the floor, her mind in a whirl on what she should do. Finally, she stopped at the table and set the glass down. She would go to the cardinal at first light, as had been requested. She would find out where they were holding d'Artagnan and then she would find a way to free him. After that she did not know what she would do with him. Both of their lives would be in danger at that point. They would have to run, find a place to disappear…possibly sail to England. The thought of leaving what she had built behind sickened her, but the thought of d'Artagnan's death sickened her more. What was happening to her? She had no answer to that question, but she could not deny her feelings. She may have to leave everything behind, but at least her main goal would be achieved…Athos would believe that d'Artagnan was forever lost to him and she had no doubt that it would destroy him despite what had occurred this night. She would have her revenge at last. Mind made up, Milady swept out of the room and immediately went to her bed chamber. She would need at least a few hours of sleep before her meeting with the cardinal. Her stomach knotted at the thought of what she was about to do, but she was a woman of conviction…when she set her mind to do something, she would not stop until she had achieved her goal. She went to sleep, sure in her mind that she would succeed.

M

Aramis and Porthos watched from their usual table as Athos walked toward them, a scowl on his drawn face. He sat heavily on the bench beside Porthos and heaved a heavy sigh.

"So, what did Treville say?" Aramis asked from across the table.

Athos looked up and shook his head. "We have three days to find him and if we do not, his commission will be withdrawn. As far as anyone knows, he is on a secret solo mission. We will have no help from the musketeers. We are on our own," he answered, his voice hoarse with exhaustion.

Porthos stood up and squared his shoulders. "Just the way I like it. Shall we get to it then?" he said, the big man itching to start the search anew.

Aramis looked up and smiled. "Sit, Porthos. First we must eat, then we get to it," he said.

Porthos stood for a moment, his gaze moving to the gates of the garrison before he finally gave in and sat down. "I wonder if d'Artagnan has eaten," he mumbled as he reached for a chunk of bread.

"d'Artagnan could be holed up somewhere not wanting to be found for all we know, Porthos. In any case, we need to keep our strength up if we are going to find him," Athos offered with a sideways glance.

"Do you really believe that? I for one do not see him hiding away," Aramis said with a slight shake of his head.

Athos looked at his brother and smiled sadly. "No, I do not believe he has hidden himself away. I hope he has, but I do not believe he has. I think we would have found him by now, or he would have shown up by now, ready to plead his case once he figured I had sobered up and calmed down," he answered. "We must eat and then we must find him. I do not want this to take three days."

M

d'Artagnan groaned as he tried the bounds around his wrists for the hundredth time it seemed. He had been dragged from Milady's apartments and through darkened alleyways, his captors taunting him relentlessly, calling him every name imaginable. He had received numerous hits along the way, his ribs aching fiercely from the abuse, his right eye bruised and swollen. Finally, they had come to a far corner of the city and he was taken into a stone and wooden structure. The inside was meticulously decorated and cleaned, a complete contrast to the outside of the building. The Gascon had been roughly shoved onto a chair and was once again bound by his wrists and ankles, much to his despair. He had been left alone after that, but he was sure that the red guard were still near, watching for any sign of escape. The young musketeer dropped his chin to his chest and let out a quick breath. He jerked his head up when he heard the door open, the Gascon sighing when the cardinal came to stand before him. Two red guard stood behind and to either side of the cardinal. Both wore gleeful sneers on their faces.

The cardinal eyed him critically for several moments before tsking and shaking his head. "I see you have received some additional injuries since our last meeting. My guard tend to be a bit playful when escorting my guests," Richelieu said with a small smile.

"Guest?" d'Artagnan snorted. "This is how you treat your guests? Beat them and tie them to a chair?"

"Only if they are of the unreasonable type like yourself," the cardinal responded with a wave of his hand.

"Why am I here?" d'Artagnan queried calmly, his level voice masking his uneasiness.

"You are here to agree to my offer. Join my red guard and you shall be given all of the comforts that they enjoy," the cardinal said.

d'Artagnan looked up at the man with anger flashing in his dark eyes. He remained silent.

"Still being unreasonable I see. I really do not understand your stubbornness. I am offering you what the musketeers obviously have not."

"What you offer is something I will never accept so you may as well save your breath for breathing," d'Artagnan hissed.

The cardinal's face reddened with anger. He stepped forward and glared down at the defiant young man. "You will join me, you arrogant little prick, or you will die," he ground out through gritted teeth.

"My, my…such language for a man of the cloth," d'Artagnan said with a grin on his face.

The cardinal took a deep breath and took a step back from his prisoner. "Is what I offer so awful that you would rather die than accept it?"

"What you offer me is Hell. To take your offer would be to betray my brothers and I will not do that!" d'Artagnan spat.

"What is this hold these Inseparables have on you? Why such loyalty to men you have only known for mere months?"

"They are my brothers, that is all. There is no need for further explanation."

"You will find new brothers with the red guard…"

"The red guard would slit each other's throats in a heartbeat if they thought it would benefit them!" d'Artagnan scoffed, a smirk on his lips as he glanced at the angry faces of the guards who stood behind the cardinal. "The musketeers have honor and would die for each other without a second thought," he added with pride.

"And yet here you are, cast aside like a used rag," the cardinal quipped gleefully.

d'Artagnan glared up at the man, but said nothing. It was true what the cardinal said, he had been cast aside, but he still trusted his former friends more than he could ever trust the cardinal and his guard. He would die proclaiming their glory rather than live cursing their name.

"You have nothing to say?" the cardinal asked.

"There is nothing to say. I will not join you so you may as well set me free or kill me now," d'Artagnan replied.

The cardinal sneered down at the boy and shook his head. "I should not have to kill you since you should already be dead, but good help is hard to find these days. I suppose I will have to supervise more closely this time. You will die, young Gascon, but not before I get what I want from you," he hissed.

d'Artagnan tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean I should already be dead?" he asked.

The cardinal smiled, a sparkle in his eye as he stepped closer to his prisoner. "Ah, of course, you do not know," he exclaimed.

"I do not know what?"

"Well, your father was not the only one who was supposed to die on his way to Paris you see. You were meant to die alongside him, thus ending his family line," the cardinal responded with a smile.

"Wh-What?" d'Artagnan asked, the color draining from his face.

"I suppose it would not hurt to tell you since you will soon be dead," the cardinal said. "Your father had been a thorn in my side for many, many years. Long before I came to the palace. His coming to Paris was not something I could allow to happen and when I heard he would have his only remaining family with him, I knew the time had come to rid myself of this annoyance. Unfortunately, the task was not completed and you survived, only to join up with that rabble you call the musketeers."

"You had my father murdered? It was all your plan?" The Gascon could not keep the tears from welling in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Fury filled his heart as he glared up at the hateful man before him.

"It was all for the good of France. If he had succeeded in his plan to destroy me, it would only prove detrimental to our country and our king. Without me here to guide him, I cannot bear to think what would happen."

"He was coming to request some relief from the taxes…"

"So he told you. I do not believe for one minute that was his intent."

"You are insane. Why would he wish to destroy you?"

"Like I said, there was no love lost between your father and I. You do not need to know the specifics. That past is buried with your father where it will remain."

"You had better kill me, because if you do not, I will certainly kill you. It may take years, but I will kill you," d'Artagnan threatened, his voice filled with venom as he glared up at the smirking man.

"Take him to the cellar and prepare him for interrogation," the cardinal commanded as he turned to his men. "Once he is secured, call for Gregoire. The sun is starting to rise, I have a meeting in my offices. You can tell Gregoire he can start without me."

"Yes, your Eminence," the men responded as they stepped toward the now struggling d'Artagnan.

XXX

So, yeah. I left it there. Yikes. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know :) Thanks for reading!

Cindy