A/N: Here's chapter ten. It's the longest one yet. I think they're getting longer from now on, but that's no guarantee. We are quickly approaching the fist turning point in the story, though. Anyway, in this chapter Aramis catches a bit of a break, he thinks.

Thanks to Issai for beta reading. Any remaining mistakes are my own doing.

A Slight Lull in Things

Aramis wakes on his own a few hours after closing himself off in his room. Porthos, Athos, and d'Artagnan are in the kitchen working on meal preparation that was cut short yesterday. Aramis wanders down the stairs, feeling a little more rested, his hand heavy and thick. The painkillers are still in his system, so he doesn't hurt but he still moves slowly, unconsciously favoring his ribs.

Just short of the kitchen, he stops, thinking about asking if he's allowed to step in the kitchen but he stops himself. The initial anger has faded.

"Aramis, you're up," d'Artagnan says. "Come sit down." He points to the stool next to him.

"How're you feeling," Porthos asks as Aramis takes a seat. Athos gets him a cup of water.

"Okay, I guess." Aramis thanks Athos for the water and takes a drink. "Sorry about earlier. My attitude and everything."

"It's okay. I'm sure Frice's orders were a shock."

"They were but they're reasonable. I don't think I'd be terribly good at work right now." He lifts his bandaged hand as evidence. "Can't say though that I'm looking forward to days spent idling away around here."

"What about staying at Sarah's during the day," d'Artagnan asks, remembering only after that they were leaving it up to Sarah to ask.

"I wouldn't want to barge in on her. I'll just spend the time here."

"Give her a call at least," Porthos says. "She might need some help looking after the kids and the dogs. It's the start of the semester and she has practicals to try to fit into her schedule."

"I don't know."

"She's going to need some help. Meg might be in school but it's half-day kindergarten. And you know she'd love to have you there for the week."

"It's been a while since I've seen any of the kids. It would be a nice break."

"Give her a call," Athos says, handing Aramis his phone.

There's a little hesitation on Aramis' part but he does make the call. The others do their best not to look like they're listening but from what they can gather, Sarah doesn't let it slip that they've spoken with her about this earlier.

"She said she'd be glad to have the help," Aramis says when he's done talking with her.

"You okay with that," Porthos asks.

"It's something to do." Aramis shrugs his shoulders. With his head down, running a finger idly around the edge of his glass, Aramis doesn't see the others look at each other.

"We were thinking of putting together some lunch," Porthos says. "You hungry?"

"Not really but I'm guessing that I need to eat something."

"Anything you feel like having?"

"No. Whatever you guys are planning is fine. I'm going to go watch TV in the den. Let me know when lunch is ready."

"That was quite the change," d'Artagnan says once Aramis out of the kitchen.

"Yeah," Porthos says.

"He's depressed," Athos says.

"Does he realize it?"

"We've talked about it. I think he saw some of the signs, but he doesn't want to admit to it."

"Should we start looking for a psychiatrist," Porthos asks.

"No. He knows what he needs to do and he has to do this himself. We'll help him, but just like last time, it was up to him to make the choice."

"You know I hate seeing him like this," Porthos says, worry clear in his voice.

"He's not alone. We know better this time. We're not letting him go that deep again."

d'Artagnan looks between them, trying to find a place in the conversation but he knows that Porthos and Athos are most familiar with Aramis' depression.

"Things will be fine, d'Artagnan," Porthos says. "This isn't the first time he's dipped back down. He's recovered each time. We just have to be there to support him with whatever he needs."

"Even if he doesn't realize he needs it," Athos adds.

Despite his fluctuating moods, the next few days go well for Aramis. Spending the afternoons with Meg is enjoyable and they only improve when Tim and Ben get home. His depressed mood isn't gone, but it is much lighter thanks to their presence. As he plays with them and helps them with their homework, even supervising them in the kitchen as they surprise their parents one evening with dinner and dessert, he forgets about the irritation, about the stalker that no one can find, and about the string of injuries that have put him on medical leave.

He's careful to rebandage his hand daily. The others help him to make sure that it's clean and neatly rebandaged. Later in the week, when he goes to see Frice about his hand, he asks when he can go back to work.

"We've talked about this, Aramis," Frice says, his voice slightly irritated. The wounds looked good and he's now rebandaging them.

"Funny, I don't remember a lot of talking going on. It was more of being told what I couldn't do." Aramis can't keep the anger out of his words.

"Do you trust me?" Frice stops his work to look Aramis in the eyes.

"Yes," Aramis answers without hesitation.

"And do you trust that I have your best interest in mind?"

"Yes."

"Then trust me when I say that you're not ready to go back to work. You're already in a far better mood after less than a week off and it's no doubt helped with your wounds."

"Porthos and the others talked Sarah into having me babysit the kids this week while she gets adjusted to the semester. They think I don't know what they did." Aramis smiles at the memory of hearing them talk about how well their plan was going. They were quite pleased that he was doing better.

"You like looking after the kids, though." Frice continues his work on Aramis' hand.

"I do and it has been fun. Last night they wanted to surprise their parents by cooking dinner. They're all quite good in the kitchen, even Meg. Don't worry," Aramis says quickly, anticipating a complaint from Frice. "I just supervised them. My hands didn't even touch a utensil. I don't think they would've let me anyway, not after finding out what happened. Meg even made sure the boys were very careful in cutting things up."

"I think your week has done you good. Why don't you spend next week doing the same?"

"I can't impose on the Trevilles for another week."

"I don't think they'll mind. You're looking after the kids so they don't have to worry about what they're getting into or finding a babysitter for them. And, the kids love you, don't they?"

"Yeah, but I'd really like to get back to work."

"Let's see how your hand is on Wednesday. I'll re-evaluate it then and we'll see about work. But I'll warn you that the most I'll allow are half-days. Nothing more. You still need to rest your body, so it can heal and it won't do that at work."

"You do know that I'm going to run out of time-off if I have to take many more days off."

"Then see if you can get some days donated. I know they've done that before for officers in need."

"I'll talk with the Captain." Before Aramis leaves, a nurse gives him another set of materials for bandaging his hand. It's enough to last him through the start of next week. After a week at the Treville's, he's looking forward to a weekend at home.

d'Artagnan suggests going out to a movie when they're sitting down for dinner that night.

"I'm okay with it," Porthos says.

"I could go." Athos shrugs his shoulders.

"You three go, I'll stay here," Aramis says.

"We can see something else," d'Artagnan suggests.

"It's fine. I just don't feel like going out."

"You've been talking about this one for a bit. I thought you'd want to see it once it came out."

Aramis takes a steadying breath. "I know, but I don't want to now. I don't feel like going out."

"Oh."

"I am fine with whatever," Athos says. He sees behind Aramis' words. Part of his recovery was learning not just the signs of depression but also of when a panic attack might be coming on. Lemay had taught him to realize when he might be more prone to them, so he could avoid triggering situations. It was useful during the first couple years, letting them know when they could all go out to do their shopping or when Aramis was best off staying at the station instead of going out with them for investigations. Now it's very rare that Aramis feels himself in such situations but he's always more prone when he's dealing with depression or PTSD.

"You and me can go out," Porthos suggests to d'Artagnan.

"No, that's fine," d'Artagnan says.

"d'Artagnan," Aramis begins, catching the younger man's attention. "Go, see the movie. You've been talking about it for a few months now. You all can go see it and leave me here. I'm perfectly fine with that."

"Well, if it's alright with you, I'm just going to stay here," Athos says, a hint of humor in his voice. "Sitting next to strangers who are munching away mindlessly on popcorn isn't my ideal way of spending a few hours of my time."

"You sure you want to go," d'Artagnan asks Porthos.

"I wouldn't've said so if I didn't mean it. Find a time and we'll go."

The next day, while d'Artagnan and Porthos are at the movies, Aramis and Athos sit in the den. Athos is watching college football which Aramis mostly tunes out as he works on some sketches.

"What're you working on," Athos asks, turning the TV volume down. The game is still on, but he's curious about what's been keeping Aramis so busy. Given last night's conversation, he expected him to lounge around much of the day on the verges of a mood.

"Some designs for Halloween," Aramis answers idly.

"You remember the restrictions, right?"

"Yes, I remember the restrictions," Aramis half parrots back. "I was at the meeting, too." In the past, their HOA hadn't allowed lawn decorations for any holiday. This is the first year they'll be allowed but they have to fit certain rules which are designed mostly to keep out tacky decorations like inflatables and an over-abundance of decorations.

"So, what are you thinking?"

"Maybe a ghost, a pumpkin, a scarecrow, and something that says Happy Halloween. I'll cut out holes in certain places to stick string lights in."

"Made of wood?"

"Yeah, if I can ever get back out there to work."

"You will. You just need to give this time."

"Athos, please understand this from my perspective. I am not allowed to do anything. I can't work. I can't bake. I can't work in my workshop. I can only sit here, draw, and watch college football."

"I understand that you're frustrated but the rest is allowing your body to heal. If you kept working, your recovery time would be longer."

"Logically, I know that. But you know I've never enjoyed downtime. None of us do well at it."

"I know."

There's silence for a while, the game commentary low in the background.

"As much as I don't like it, the time off is helping and not just with the injuries," Aramis says, keeping his eyes on his work.

"And the kids are enjoying having you there?" As much progress as they've made in five years and as much as they stress honesty in terms of their health especially, Athos knows what it took for Aramis to admit to the time off being the right thing.

"Yes, and they're excited to know that I'll be back for at least part of next week, probably all seeing as how even if I am cleared for duty, it's only half-days. I think they're planning out a more extravagant menu for Monday's meal. Tim is coming to be quite a good cook and he seems to really enjoy it. When I left yesterday they were all on Pinterest looking up recipes."

"The Captain may not let you come back to work after two weeks of looking after the kids," Athos jokes.

"We haven't cooked every night, but they like surprising their parents. I think Monday's meal might not be so much of a surprise though. Those kids aren't too good about keeping their voices quiet."

"Hmm. We'll have to work on that." Athos doesn't want the kids to keep secrets from their parents, but he does want them to know to keep quiet in case of emergencies. He and the others take a lot of comfort in knowing that the kids know how to act in emergency situations. He just hopes none of them ever have to put any of this into action.

"Another covert mission? They'll love that," Aramis says chuckling lightly.

"Once you're all healed up, we'll look at setting a date. Maybe we can get Constance involved too. She should be back from her vacation by then."

"She'll be back in a week." Constance had spent her summer in various classes to improve her fieldwork and tactical skills. After their first year, all cadets were sent to these classes. After three straight months of work on top of the first year of graduate studies, cadets were given a few weeks off from work to focus on school and have some downtime.

The rest of the weekend goes well with Aramis in a better mood. They don't forget about the depression, but it does slip to the back of their minds as d'Artagnan joins Aramis in planning the decorations and Athos helps Porthos do the prep work for the week. d'Artagnan also pitches in while Aramis sits at the island and kibitzes.

When Meg gets off the bus on Monday she hands Aramis a list.

"We need to get some stuff for dinner," Meg says. She's walking alongside Aramis as they go back home.

"This is quite a list." Aramis studies the list. "You sure that your parents don't have any of these things at home already?"

"Yup." She gives a confident head nod. "Ben, Tim, and me checked. I have our allowance money to pay for it."

"Well, once we get home and get some lunch, we can head out." Their list isn't very expensive, but Aramis doubts that between the three of them the kids have enough. It wasn't long ago that they all pooled their money to buy d'Artagnan a birthday present.

An hour later, they're at the store. Meg is happily picking out the items they need but she still remembers to move slowly so that Aramis doesn't pull on his healing ribs. It makes the shopping trip longer, but Aramis doesn't mind. It's slow and he's having a good time shopping with Meg.

It's when they're just about done, passing by an employee setting up a display of alcohol on their way to pick up some eggs that the peacefulness is ruined. Aramis sees the display rocking before the employee calls out to them and so when the cases of beer do topple over he's already pushed Meg out of the way. He's on his way out from under the collapsing tower when he's caught by a case of beer. It hits his shoulder and sends him off balance. Fortunately, he doesn't land flat on his back, just on his butt. It still hurts but not as bad as it could.

"Are you okay, 'Mis," Meg asks, coming back to see him.

"Yeah." He shakes his head a little to clear out the confusion from the fall and tests his old injuries as well as checks to see if there are new ones. His shoulder is a bit sore, but he seems to be fine except for the puddle of beer he finds himself sitting in. That's not so bad, he thinks, but then he sees his hand, the one he cut in the kitchen a week ago, soaked in beer. He holds back a curse.

"Mister, are you okay?" That's the employee who was setting up the display.

"I think so. But I do need to get cleaned up." As Aramis slowly gets to his feet, he feels his clothes soaked to his skin, the smell of beer permeating his senses.

"You can get cleaned up in the backroom, Aramis," a familiar voice says. It's the manager, Irene. Aramis and the others are here often enough that the staff know them. "We'll get your groceries taken care of."

"I need some bandages," Aramis says, following Irene back. Meg walks next to him.

"I can go get them," Meg says. "I know what you need." They stop in the middle of the walkway.

"Holly, would you take Aramis back to the break room. Let's go get the bandages," Irene says, looking down at Meg. The young girl is familiar with her and Irene knows that Aramis will feel better if Meg has company to go get the bandages.

"Here, Meg," Aramis says, taking out his wallet to pull some cash out that was only slightly wet on the edges. "This should be enough to cover the cost."

"Don't worry about it. The store will cover the cost. It's the least we can do and we'll settle out other things later. Let's go get the stuff we need so we can come back and get that hand taken care of." Aramis watches as Irene and Meg go off before following Holly back to the breakroom.

While they are gone, Aramis carefully unwraps the bandages, tossing them in a trashcan and does his best to dry out the wound and clean it up from any sticky residue. Irene and Meg return in minutes with the needed bandages and a new pair of pants. Aramis gives Irene a questioning look, knowing that the store doesn't sell clothing.

"I sent someone to the clothing store just down the road. It's nothing great, but at least they're dry," Irene explains.

"Thanks," he says with a smile to let her know that he appreciates the thought. He sets the sweatpants on the counter. When he has his hand taken care of, he'll change.

"You need help with your hand?"

"No, I think I got it. I'm pretty used to taking care of it by now." He's sure to keep the stitches turned away from Irene, knowing how the sight of blood, sometimes just the thought, makes her chest hurt.

"Here, 'Mis," Meg says, holding out the first set of bandages. Whether it's her age or because she's too used to seeing them injured in some way, Meg is comfortable around his injury. She's helped him a couple times last week to re-tape the bandages and once to completely re-do the bandage when part of it got wet.

After Tim and Ben get home they start in on getting dinner put together. Aramis sits at the breakfast bar watching and talking them through their cooking. He's showered the best he can and changed into some clothes he kept there. As he sits in the kitchen, he's careful not to move his hand too much or twist his abdomen as both ache still from the fall. Irene wanted to sort out the ramifications of the accident then, but he convinced her to wait. Later, when he wasn't hurting or smelling of beer, he'd get it settled. He knows there's a lawsuit there, but he doesn't care. It was an accident that could happen to anyone and suing the store would put them out of business very likely. He just needs to be in the right frame of mind to convince Irene of that and perhaps take Porthos or Athos with him as both are better at that legal talk than him.

They all convince him to stay for dinner, which is a pleasant surprise for Sarah and Treville. When he goes home that night, he's forgotten about everything that happened and finds himself rather happy. It's a strange feeling and it's really only then that it hits him, as he's lying in bed trying to sleep, that he had been sinking into depression. While a single evening or even week isn't enough to cure it, he knows, he does feel like he stands a better chance of fighting it now.

By Tuesday evening, after another day with the Treville kids, Aramis' good mood is wavering. His hand has a slight ache and he's feeling nauseous. Still, when the others come home with pizza from his favorite place, he forces himself to eat enough that it doesn't alert them to anything. With the time he's spent around the kids over the last week plus, it's likely, he thinks, that he picked up a cold from one of them.

A/N: In case you are unfamiliar with what an HOA is, it stands for Homeowner's Association. I'm not sure that they exist outside of the US. You typically find them in wealthier neighborhoods. Homeowners pay a yearly fee, the amount of which varies by HOA, required as a part of buying a house in the neighborhood. The money can be for any number of things but in general HOA's can make any number of rules for their neighborhood. For example, my parents recently moved into an HOA (their first time ever) and the HOA simply requires that all houses have a lamp post lit in their yard. Some HOA's are really strict while others are pretty loose. Athos bought a house in Lake Bluff, Illinois. Having gone to college in a town nearby, I can imagine that they would have strict HOA laws.