Athos joined Aramis and Cosette in Treville's office as soon as he had been sent away by one of Porthos' friends. He just couldn't believe that Porthos wouldn't want any help from the brothers that abandoned him to the executioner's block. Though Athos, Aramis, and Treville all knew he worked harder than all of them to become Musketeers, Cosette didn't. However, they knew him longer.
Athos looked, seeing Cosette's pained expressions. Usually, he would have her follow them on their missions, but based on the fact the victim was 18 or 19 like d'Artagnan, he wouldn't force him to continue.
"D'Artagnan, you do not have to continue, if you don't want to."
"Why?" Cosette asked.
"Because, the boy was your age, and if it upsets you..."
No, Cosette thought.
"No!" Cosette cried. Athos looked at her. "Porthos needs us, and If I'm to be a Musketeer, then I have to get used to something like this."
Athos stood before giving her a brief smile and patting her rather affectionately.
They ride down to the Mauvoisin house, where the valet let them in. Athos, Cosette and Aramis informed Emile de Mauvoisin of his son's death, as Cosette handed back Jean's locket. However, she withheld the key from Emile. Besides, they still might need it to find the door that the key belonged to. After visiting Jean's father, he sent her and Aramis to visit the building down at Rue Calbert that Jean lodged at. when they got there, it was totally ran down. Paint was chipping off the walls, wood off the door, and the windows were broken.
"Bit down-market for a de Mauvoisin," Cosette muttered. She didn't realize that she had just blurted that out until after Aramis responded to her.
"The family's bankrupt, been living off borrowed money for years."
They approached the apartment that Jean had been lodging at. Cosette took out the key and placed it in the lock. However, when she tried turning the key, the door remained locked. She shook her head.
"No," Cosette said. She immediately moved out of the way as Aramis took his pistol and pointed it at the lock. He fired, causing a large bullet, as well as gunpowder laid out on where the keyhole used to be. Cosette shook her head and looked at Aramis.
"You could always try knocking,"
"That's true," Aramis agreed.
The boys and Cosette entered the room, upon which, Aramis picked up the bullet he used on the door to save it for another day. Of course, the room was a complete mess, paper fallen and scattered on the floor. With Aramis doing his side of the room, he saw a masked man in the mirror. Before Aramis responded, he took out his pistol and fired at the assailant. Cosette jumped out of her skin as they struggled against their unknown enemy. He had already been gone when Cosette and Athos reached the bottom floor to find he had been gone.
The trio went back upstairs, to look at the pages that had been nearly destroyed.
"Whoever he was, he was keen to cover his tracks," said Aramis. He was leaned up against the doorframe, looking through the pages like Athos and Cosette were. "Most of this is burned beyond recognition."
Reading through his pages, Athos held one page up for his comrades to see.
"A page from a Protestant hymnal." Athos explained.
"What would a Catholic like de Mauvoisin want with that? " Aramis asked. He snatched the paper from Athos.
"Never mind about that," Cosette said. She revealed what she had in her hand. "What would he want with 6,000lb of gunpowder? Bought from a mill outside the city three weeks ago." She handed it to Athos. "It carries his signature."
"Sermons and Prayers by Pastor Ferrand," Aramis' comment caused Athos and Cosette to look at him.
"Who's that?" asked the young woman.
"A well-known Huguenot preacher."
"Jean's father is known for his hatred of the Protestant faith," Athos added. "Perhaps the boy was a radical. He was planning to blow up this pastor's church."
"People have done worse in the name of religion."
Ararmis and D'Artagnan had been sent by Athos to deal with their Pastor friend. However, Cosette found it extra creepier than the building that Jean had lived in. Before they were more or less kicked out of the church by the Pastor, Aramis had paid a contribution to the church's community chest. Cosette also felt disturbed by the Pastor's strange personality.
"He's definitely hiding something," Cosette muttered. "There's something strange about that man."
"Maybe your accusation made him uneasy,"Aramis said. "Honestly, you are getting more and more like Athos every day, I'm starting to worry about you."
Cosette shook her head, knowing he was referring to how Cosette coldly told Paster Ferrand that Jean was dead and accused him of killing the boy.
"I just wanted to see how he'd react. He's hiding something, 'Mis," Cosette said. "You know I'm right."
Aramis nodded.
"Let us go find Athos, and tell him what we've found," Aramis said, patting Cosette on the back before they made their way to Athos.
Finally making their way to another room that Jean would have had access to, Athos attempted to open the door but found it locked. "Try that key..." Athos began but looked at Cosette who already had unlocked the door. "Again."
Cosette shrugged with an amused smile as she and the Musketeers entered the room.
"A bomb-making factory?" Cosette asked. This was a room she had not seen before.
"No. A printing press," said Aramis, his fingers rubbing against the printer. Cosette was looking at the stacks of barrels.
"Hey," Cosette said. Aramis looked to her. Aramis took his sword and poked a whole in it, with black liquid spilling from the keg.
"It's ink," said Aramis.
"Not in this one," said Athos. He took his own sword and followed Aramis' advice. Gunpowder spilled out.
"There's the gunpowder," he simply said, Cosette's mouth and eyes were ride upen. Before anything could be done with this new evidence, the boys and Cosette were cornered by the Pastor. Athos, Aramis, and Cosette took out their swords and pointed it at the pastor, who had a sword himself.
"There are three of us, Pastor," said Athos.
"Then you are outnumbered," said the pastor. "I have God on my side."
"Oh, I do hope he's good with a sword," Cosette said sarcastically, earning a couple of huffs of amusement from Aramis.
"You lied to us," Aramis said. "You were in a conspiracy with Jean de Mauvoisin."
"Conspiracy? I have a large congregation. This printing press is the only way I can stay in touch with them."
"Do you use gunpowder instead of ink?" Athos asked.
The Pastor looked at Athos, totally at a loss for words.
"As God is my witness," the pastor said, as he had been forced to sit down on the bench by Athos and Aramis, "this has nothing to do with me or my church. I preach reconciliation, not hatred."
"Someone intended to blow up your church, probably during a service," said Aramis.
"Catholics?"
"Is it possible Jean was lying to you about his beliefs, that he infiltrated your church in order to destroy it?"
"Jean was no turncoat and he was a gentle soft-hearted boy, not an assassin."
"Then why did he need a dozen barrels of gunpowder?" Athos asked, holding the page that Cosette had found in the apartment. The pastor took the page from him. However, the pastor looked at them.
"This is Jean's name. But it's not his handwriting. It's his father's."
The whole thing was a total mess. When they confronted Emile, he revealed there would be an attack at midday. Cosette tried effortlessly to kill anyone who dare attack her brothers. When they found Porthos, he was nearly killed by a man who must have been a former friend of his. Charon's death was at the hands of Aramis, merely just because he was defending his friend. Truth be told, during the whole ordeal, Cosette had worried about nearly losing Porthos, as if she lost her boys again, Cosette would feel like she would be losing her father all over again. Cosette hoped that Aramis and Porthos wouldn't try and kill each other because of what just happened. Aramis finished patching Flea up.
"There," said Aramis. "In a few days, you'll be be all healed."
Flea nodded. "Merci, Monsieur Aramis." Aramis nodded to her.
"D'Artagnan, could you watch over Flea for a while?" Aramis asked. Cosette was wary of Flea, because the young woman continued looking at her. However, she wouldn't let that get to her.
Aramis walked over to Athos and Porthos. Shame, she wasn't in a conversation that didn't involve her, as she had been tasked to stay next to Flea as she was lying. Aramis had patched her up.
"Aramis does a good job," Cosette said. "Because of that, you'll be alright sooner than he tells you.""That's very brave of you to say, especially with what you do, Mademoiselle," Flea said. Cosette knew that woman was suspecting her of something.
"I'm not sure..." Cosette began. However, Flea cut her off.
"Don't try lying to me, I know a girl when I see one," Flea said, quietly that "And by what I saw, Porthos doesn't know and neither do the other Musketeers of yours. He never really did see what's in front of him. You hide a big secret, Mademoiselle. Though I'm pretty sure you have your reasons. Now who are you really?"
Cosette took a deep breath.
"Cosette D'Artagnan," she answered.
"Well, you Must be at least what? 16," said Flea.
"15," Cosette corrected.
"Impressive," Flea said. She looked at Porthos, who was standing with Aramis and Athos. "Do me a favor Cosette?" She grasped the young woman's hand. "Promise you'll look after Porthos? He needs another woman to look after him since I cannot and you're the best one so far to do the job. Even though he doesn't know it, you're the most important woman in his life now. "
Cosette never really thought of that for a second. She nodded.
"And if you need anything, you're always welcomed in the Court of Miracles," Flea said. Cosette nodded, appreciated by the young woman's offer.
A few days after Flea was healing up, Cosette was relieved to hear that there had been a confession signed by Jean's father. However, the not so pleasing thing to hear was that the man had committed suicide rather than answering to his crimes. However, the other good news was that Porthos had been free of all charges.
Now, after this ordeal, there was no way that Athos, Aramis nor Cosette would ever let one or the other go home drunk ever again. Returning to the garrison, Porthos and Cosette were alone, playing cards (their daily routine again) with Athos and Aramis getting dinner.
"Porthos, I'm glad you are okay," Cosette said. "I never doubted you for a second."
"I know you didn't, d'Art, but I heard how much you worried about me."
Cosette stood there in shock, as she blinked her eyes.
"Is that what you three were talking about in the Court of Miracles when we were tending to Flea?" Cosette asked. "So much for trust between all of us."
"Now, it's not like that kid," said Porthos. "I'm grateful that you worried about me. But why?"
"I don't want to talk about it," Cosette said. Porthos looked at her.
"Why not?" Porthos asked. Cosette closed her eyes, trying to keep the tears from falling down
"Truth be told, I thought I was losing you like my father all over again. You know, Aramis told me how we were all brothers. And I couldn't bare it if I lost either one of you three. I know it sounds silly...and that I must sound like an idiot..."
"You're not acting like an idiot, d'Art. It's natural to feel like that, for that is what I fear every time we're on a dangerous mission and to lose a parent. As you know, I lost my mother when I was five years old."
Cosette looked at him rather sympathetically.
"Yes," Cosette said. "I lost my mother when I was ten years old."
Porthos nodded too. That was one thing they had in common: they lost a mother at a very young age.
"I miss her every day too," Porthos said. It was true, he had held her in the highest regards. "You've nothing to fear, D'Artagnan, for we're not going anywhere any time soon, even with your training complete. And as long as we're around, there will always be time for brotherhoods, wine, women and song."
Cosette couldn't help but smile at that. She would keep her promise to Flea, that she would look after Porthos and take up the role. Even though he didn't know it, Cosette WAS the most important woman in Porthos' life and she would keep to that, even after her secret is revealed.
That's it for this week. Thanks to those who had their time to read this fan-fiction.