Athor's note: Now we get to see the fallout from last chapter's bombshell. Let me know what you think.

Chapter 8 – Brave

Porthos did his best to carry on as normal, but both Aramis and Athos were much too observant of their surroundings to not notice the change. Every once in a while, he would catch one or the other staring at him suspiciously, but thankfully neither one voiced their thoughts.

They had had the meeting with the lawyers, Monsieur Cornet and Bertrand, and though they were very nice and considerate, they were honest with Porthos about their chances. The best outcome they could hope for was for Monsieur Gabriel de la Fère to loose custody of Athos. Since they didn't want Athos on the stand any more than the kid wanted to be, they were trying everything they could to avoid that possibility. Unfortunately, the defence lawyer was calling into question the allegation that her client physically abused Athos at all. It seemed his dad was denying all charges against him and the only witness was Athos. If they wanted to keep him in jail, Athos would have no choice but to face his father in court. Porthos just hoped Ninon's testimony would be enough.

After that long meeting, Porthos and Athos headed to the hospital for their next appointment. They got there just in time and were placed in an examination room to wait for the nurse and doctor.

"Hello Athos," Constance smiled warmly as she pulled the curtain aside, "are you ready to get this off?" She indicated his cast and waited patiently until he answered, nodding to her slowly while his gaze searched the room.

After weeks, it was finally time for Athos to have his cast removed. It was their luck that Constance was working a shift today and that she was going to assist the doctor. As soon as she had met them in the hall, Porthos could see Athos visibly relaxing.

"Alright, let me just get some of this other stuff out of the way first," she slipped on her gloves and pulled a movable cabinet closer. Athos watched her every move closely, and Constance was more than aware of the fact. She moved cautiously yet with obvious purpose, narrating as she went along and keeping up a warm stream of conversation.

She took his blood pressure and his weight, marking her findings in the chart. She was nearly finished when Athos' shoulders tensed at the arrival of a new person in their small space.

"Hello there," the man smiled warmly nodding to Athos and Porthos as Constance moved to the side. "I'm Dr Lemay." He pulled a stool closer to sit in front of Athos at eye level. Constance had given him a little heads up about Athos when she had seen his name in Dr Lemay's appointment schedule.

From the way the child was watching him now, he was thankful for the little advance warning. He took the chart and glanced over what Constance had noted, nodding in approval "I see you've gained some weight, that's wonderful. Everything else is looking normal too, so what do you say we take a look at that arm." He handed the chart back to Constance before reaching out for Athos' arm.

Athos tucked the limb in closer instinctively, and fixed Dr Lemay with a very cold stare. Both Porthos and Constance moved closer as a result, ready to intervene.

"It's alright," Dr Lemay spoke calmly, well aware of Porthos positioning himself behind Athos. "I'm sorry Athos, I should have asked you first. May I please see your arm?"

Athos continued to stare at the man in front of him, distrust evident in his tense shoulders. With a little encouragement from Porthos, Athos did eventually hold out his casted arm to the doctor.

"Thank you Athos."

Dr Lemay examined the arm at both ends of the cast, checking for any discoloration or tenderness, before nodding again and letting the arm rest on the side table Constance had just positioned. He took the small hand saw from her slowly.

"This is a saw, and I'm going to use it to cut through the cast." He watched as Athos' gaze shifted from him to the saw in his hand. Oddly enough, it didn't stay long on the saw before his gaze traveled back to him. "Now it's going to make some noise but I need you to be very brave and keep very still. Can you do that?"

Athos nodded, though his gaze did not leave the doctor's face. Dr Lemay started the saw, letting it run for a few seconds in mid-air, before moving towards the arm that lay on the side table. Porthos saw the way every muscle in Athos' body tensed when the doctor moved closer, and so he reached for Athos' other hand, hiding a wince when the small fingers closed tightly around his. But Athos sat perfectly still.

With steady hands, the doctor skillfully cut through the cast in an impressively straight line. Dr Lemay had done this countless times and he was nearly confident in his skill to do it blindfolded. But this time he felt a little nervous. It wasn't until he was almost done that he realised why.

In all his years of experience of working in pediatrics, never had a child stared at him while he was removing a cast; all children stared at the saw as if they were paralysed by fear.

Athos, however, was staring straight into Dr Lemay's face in a calm and calculating manner, as if he was well aware the biggest danger to him was not the saw, a simple tool, but the man who held it. This was wisdom beyond the normal comprehension of a five year old, and Dr Lemay even knew some adults who had never come to that conclusion.

When the cast had been cut through, Dr Lemay turned off the saw and set it back on the tray beside him. It wasn't until the saw was safely returned to the tray that Athos turned his attention to his arm. He watched as Dr Lemay freed his arm, slowly testing the flex of his fingers. Finally a small smile pulled at the side of his mouth and Porthos was able to relax.

They took another x-ray just to make sure everything was fine, and Dr Lemay gave Athos a temporary brace to wear whenever he played sports or other physical activity where he could potentially hurt his arm. He explained that because Athos was so small for his age, he didn't need to explain he really meant malnourished and neglected, he just wanted to make sure his arm would heal with no lasting effects.

They said goodbye to Constance, and Porthos was surprised when Athos gave her a quick hug before heading back home. In the car, Athos sat there staring at his arm, turning it over and testing the strength, almost as if he didn't really trust it's ability yet.

Life carried on as normal for a little while; Porthos went to work, Athos and Aramis went to school, Athos visited Ninon once a week but always for his individual visits. But they all knew it was the calm before the storm, since the ominous court date was fast approaching. Suffice it to say, neither one of them slept well the night before and they all woke, ate and dressed in silence.

The drive to the courtroom was much the same, and they weren't surprised to find both D'Artagnan and Treville already there and waiting for them. They had decided that Aramis and Athos would sit outside in the hall and only come in if Athos needed to testify. Porthos had wanted to wait outside with them, but Aramis convinced him he would be more useful inside since he was the only one who would probably understand what was going on.

"Don't tell me she's the defence lawyer," D'Artagnan whispered to Treville, as a beautiful dark haired woman strode towards them. She smiled coyly as she approached the two men.

"Gentlemen," she acknowledged as she past them both and headed inside to meet her client.

"Who was that?"

"Milady de Winter," Treville answered as he turned to face Porthos. "She's one of the toughest defence lawyers in town. She'll take any case, no matter if it's right or wrong."

Porthos had heard the name around the office, but he had never met her. She was notorious for representing known criminals and she was very successful at it. It was also publicly known she had ties with Sarazin's gang, often representing its member in court, but she never did anything illegal. She was a lawyer and they paid her for her services.

D'Artagnan continued to stare in the direction she went, tuning out the rest of the conversation. Eventually, he excused himself and headed inside the courtroom. It didn't take long for him to find her; she was calmly taking out her folders and papers from her brief case, organising them neatly in front of her seat.

He was sure she had heard his footsteps approaching but she didn't acknowledge him, instead keeping her back turned to him as she kept her hands busy.

"How can you defend him," he asked plainly, "after what he did to that boy. I know you're smart enough to know what kind of person he is." D'Artagnan tried to keep his voice low, fully aware of all the people mulling into the courtroom.

She stopped, straightening her back and lifting her chin before turning to face him, her green eyes as cold as ever. "It's a job, D'Artagnan. A client pays me to represent him, and I do my job. And what happened to the whole innocent until proven guilty?" Tough her tone was light and playful; there was no mistaking the edge to her voice.

"Anne," D'Artagnan moved closer, keeping his voice low and trying to appeal to the girl he once knew, "you're better than this."

"Not all of us can afford that high moral road you're on," she spat back, her shoulders tensing back as her back went rigid. "I do what I have to do to survive. I always have." She fixed him a second longer before turning back to her papers, the conversation clearly finished.

When the proceedings were about to begin, Porthos made sure Aramis and Athos were alright. The two had found a bench near the door but just off to the side. Aramis struggled to sit still and babbled nervously while Athos was the complete opposite. He sat perfectly still on the bench and hadn't said a word to anyone. At one point D'Artagnan had taken him aside earlier and crouched down in front of him to be at eye level. Porthos hadn't heard what the older man had said, but he had seen the difference it made in the child.

He made his way to sit next to Treville as D'Artagnan joined them with a grim nod. His gaze searched the room for one person in particular; Gabriel de la Fère. The man was tall and well-built, but he was also small in size. His hair was long and his beard, though grown in, was well groomed. Staring at his profile, there was no denying this was Athos' father.

Porthos had never really hated anyone, but this man came close. He had never spoken to him but there was something about him that Porthos just didn't like. Every time he looked at his face, all he saw was Athos cowering in that cold attic, trying to protect his broken arm, and it just made his blood boil. No, this man wasn't fit to be anyone's father.

The entire proceedings took less than an hour, but to the two sitting outside, it seemed to be taking all day. Athos and Aramis were the only two in the hallway, with the occasional office dressed adult walking passed with a leather suitcase. Aramis had long since abandoned trying to engage Athos in conversation, and so the two sat quietly side by side in the quiet hallway, waiting.

Porthos was the first out of the courtroom and by the look on his face, Aramis knew it wasn't good. The teen reached for Athos' hand, sensing the child's tight grip as the two stood to meet the older man.

"I'm not letting them take him," Aramis growled as Porthos stepped closer, the teen placing himself in front of Athos.

Porthos let out a sigh, taking in a deep breathe. "Athos is staying with us," he looked down at Athos to make sure he was listening as well. "You're staying in foster care and they say you are staying with me for the foreseeable future."

Aramis' eyebrow raised as he continued to watch the older man, waiting for what he knew was the bad news. "Gabriel de la Fère was granted bail and all charges of child negligence have been dropped against him."

There was a moment of silence between the three while the implications of that statement set in. As realization hit, it was like Athos' lungs had just deflated and all the air had left his body. Athos was too lost in his own thoughts to make out Aramis' harsh tone as he and Porthos argued above his head.

He watched almost transfixed as a beautiful woman exited the courtroom, the same women he had seen earlier entering it. His attention, however was pulled to the man walking next to her; a man he would recognize anywhere.

As Athos stared unable to look away, the movements around him seemed to slow and his hearing faded, tuning out everything. Gabriel sensed the attention and turned to meet the child's gaze, easily finding him amid the crowd of people who were filing out of the adjacent courtrooms. Noting the hint of horror and fear glistening in those small blue orbs, Gabriel de la Fère grinned, the corner of his mouth pulling up to show his teeth and he gave a quick wink.

Athos stood motionless as the colour drained for his face leaving him feeling cold and breathless. But still he found he could not tear his gaze away, and he watch the pair disappear down the staircase.

"Athos?" It was D'Artagnan who noticed him first. He and Treville had stayed behind to speak with their lawyers, and when they stepped out into the hallway, D'Artagnan easily spotted Porthos and Aramis off to the side having a rather heated discussion while Athos stood by Aramis, his focus somewhere else entirely.

It wasn't until he got closer that he noticed how pale the kid was. "Athos are you alright?" This got Porthos and Aramis' attention, and both pairs of eyes fell to the youngest member of the group. Aramis gave a small shake to Athos' hand to get his attention when it became apparent the kid was still in a trance.

Finally Athos gave a startle and turned towards the teen. Blinking a few more times, he turned to study the other two men who stood around him, his small chest heaving as if trying to catch his breath.

Both Aramis and Porthos exchange a worried glance over his head, not sure what had caused this anxiety attack. Athos was pale, more than usual, and it seemed like he was having a hard time catching his breath. Though focused, his eyes seemed to be unable to concentrate on anything or anyone. Eventually, Athos' gaze turned to meet D'Artagnan's.

"Thank you for trying," his voice was barely a whisper, as if all the life had been pulled out of him. D'Artagnan looked like he was going to say something but Athos had already looked away, his gaze returning to the top of the staircase.

D'Artagnan's heart ached at the sound of that small voice. The system had already failed this small boy twice before; when his mother died and when the school never did a followed-up on those bruises. He had promised Athos he would do everything he could to keep him safe from the one man he feared. And now he too felt like he had failed him.

Athos didn't say anything else after that. He was quiet and allowed Aramis to steer him towards the car, and the three headed home. Porthos knew they should be happy the judge denied Gabriel de la Fère any custody rights for Athos, but the fact that this man was now free overshadowed everything else. He hated himself for not noticing the change in Athos in the hallway and he had no idea what had happened.

Aramis also seemed to have retreated in on himself. He was distracted and detached, a behaviour that raised red flags in Porthos' mind. But as much as the teen's mood shift concerned him, Athos' return to silence was more worrying.

He hoped tomorrow morning they could all turn the page and forget the courtroom drama.

He could hear his mother screaming, telling them to run, but no one moved. Finally it was Helena who grabbed his arm and shoved him towards the stairs, before she did the same to Sophia. He stumbled, not really sure what was happening but made it to the top just as Sophia was stumbling up behind him. Two loud noises echoed through the home, adding to the confusing.

Next came different voices, voices he didn't recognise and he stood frozen in place at the top landing and few feet from the top step.

"Hide René." Sophia whispered urgently as she continued to scramble up to last few steps. Before she reached them, she was pulled away, letting out a gut wrenching scream that cemented itself in his memory.

Screaming and laughter filled his ears as he stood, still frozen in place. He tried to make sense of what he was hearing but a cold numbness was slowly taking over his body, tuning everything out.

When the hands reached out to grab him, he fought. He fought with everything he had as tears spilled down his face.

When Porthos woke the next morning, he found Athos sitting on the floor against the dresser in his room, a piece of paper clutched in his small hand. "Athos, are you alright?" When Athos didn't respond, Porthos leaned down to take the piece of paper from him. The sheet just slid out of his hands, and Porthos turned it over to look at it.

"Athos and Porthos,

I'm sorry.

I wished I was braver and could tell you this in person, but I don't think I would have been able to walk out that door.

For years, I've been hiding, not just from my past but from everything. Athos has shown me what true courage looks like and Porthos, you showed me strength, and it's time for me to deal with everything I've been running from. I need to say goodbye to my past and bury it once and for all, and there's only one way I can do that.

Give me time, but I promise you both I'm coming back. Just give me time.

I love you both, remember that.

Aramis"