"Now this is incredible." Louis said as he looked down at the scenery below.

Corinne smiled as she leaned against the edge of the basket "Never gets old." then she glanced over at Louis and smiled "Everything you'd dream it'd be?"

"Definitely." He answered, returning her smile "Thanks to you. How did you know that hot air would work?"

Corinne chuckled "I didn't, to be honest." then she looked out at the surrounding clouds, a wistful expression coming over her face "I never would have dreamed this up."

Louis watched her curiously "Then how did you know?"

She glanced down before she looked over at him "I had this friend." she bit her bottom lip then continued "A really close friend. He dreamed of flying." she looked back out at the sky "Most thought he was crazy. Maybe even slightly insane." she heard him laugh softly and that made her smile "But he wouldn't give up. And he discovered that... hot air rises. And it can carry stuff with it."

Louis nodded slowly "Sounds like a nice guy."

"He was." she could feel the moisture starting to build up behind her eyes again and she tried to blink it away "And at one time I thought..." she shook her head "Thought that we'd..."

Louis stepped closer to her "That you'd what?"

She looked up at him "That we'd always be together." for a moment their eyes locked "But fate has a way of changing things." she let out a large breath of air "And only time will tell whether it was for the better or worse."

Ever so slowly, Louis slid his hand along the edge of the basket til it covered hers and he smiled encouragingly "I believe for the better."

~*~*~*3-Musketeers*~*~*~

"Where did Corinne disappear to?" Renee asked.

"I think I saw her head outside." Viveca answered "Maybe she's weeding the garden."

Aramina bit back a grin as she nonchalantly dusted a figurine sitting on a small table "Or maybe she took to the skies with the handsome, and currently single, young prince."

"What!?" the other two gasped.

Aramina shrugged "Oh, it's just a guess."

"And why would that be a guess?" Renee asked as she crossed her arms.

Aramina fluttered her eyelashes "Oh I dunno."

"The flying machine is gone." Viveca said from the position at the window "Maybe she did take off with the prince in his flying machine."

"There is no telling with that girl." Renee huffed "Does anyone else get the feeling she knows more than she's letting on?"

"Now there's a scary thought." Aramina said "She knows about the threat. She knows about the wedding. She knows we'd make a good team. If she knows more... she's psychic!"

"Yeah-huh. Suuuure." Renee rolled her eyes "Come on. We've got to go meet Helene." but as she walked around a corner she suddenly came face to face with Bertram and three of his men.

A smirk crossed the one eyed man's face as he held a dagger out towards them "Hello, Ladies."

Renee took a small step back. Aramina and Viveca were just a few steps behind, also slowly inching back.

"Now, let's not get difficult." the man sneered "This can all go down nice and easy."

"Or..." Renee said "It can be hard!" she snatched the large figurine that Aramina had been cleaning and heaved it at the men "Run!"

The men quickly split to avoid being hit bit the large porcelain object then took off after the fleeing girls, taking no thought to the broken glass spread all over the floor.

"What do we do?" Aramina gasped.

"Two choices." Renee responded as they tore around a corner "We either lose then or fight them."

"But what about the odds?" Viveca asked "There's only three of us."

"Three is an odd number." Aramina pointed out.

Renee rolled her eyes "I know. We do need to even the odds." then she grinned "I think I know where to go. Come on!"

~*~*~*3-Musketeers*~*~*~

"We're running out of fuel." Louis said sadly "I'm afraid I'll have to bring us down."

Corinne nodded slightly "Alright. Just do it gently." then she grinned "And don't tip over."

"No promises."

She watched as the ground came closer "We're going to tip." she said to herself "It's complete unavoidable." then something caught her attention. Something running towards them. More like three somethings followed by five somethings. Then she realized it was her friends being pursued by Philippe's goons.

About that time, the balloon suddenly scraped bottom, and with her extra weight leaning against the side, the basket capsized a lot harder than usual.

Corinne cringed as her hands slammed to the ground and not even a second later, Louis slammed to the ground beside her... flat on his back.

She looked over at him and smiled slightly "You should try to fall forward. It doesn't hurt that much."

"Ha ha." he said sarcastically.

She pushed herself to her feet "Wait here for a moment please. I'll be right back." then she shot off.

~*~*~*3-Musketeers*~*~*~

"Alright!" Bertram barked breathlessly "Enough with the games!" he held his dagger out towards the three out of breath girls.

"Don't worry." Viveca waved at him as she tried to catch her breath "We couldn't... keep up the game... if we wanted to."

"But I can!" Corinne suddenly sprang from the trees, her right foot instantly catching Bertram across the chest.

Aramina, Viveca and Renee suddenly straightened up. Any trace of breathlessness gone.

"Oh wait." Viveca said with a grin "We do want to keep up the game!"

"Now we're even!" Aramina added.

~*~*~*3-Musketeers*~*~*~

Smokey laughed as she popped a piece of popcorn into her mouth "Ooh, this is good! Am I recording this?" she pressed a button on her remote "I can't wait to show this to my friends in the twenty-first century!"

~*~*~*3-Musketeers*~*~*~

"Glad you made it." Renee mumbled to Corinne.

"Eh." the blond shrugged "I'd never miss a moment like this."

"So what do we do?" Aramina asked.

Corinne cocked her head slowly "Aramina and Viveca, stick together. Renee you stay with me." she glanced at the three girls "We'll take the two on the left you the two on the right. Bertram's the bonus."

"Got it." the three echoed, then they jumped into the fight.

"My boss is right!" Bertram growled "You girls are more trouble than your worth!" then he swung a heave fist towards Renee.

"Welcome to France." Renee retorted as she grabbed the man's wrist "But your schooling's a little late."

Corinne chuckled "Good ol' Renee." then she grabbed a guy's arm and threw him over her shoulder. Although she loved her sword, sometimes simple unarmed combat was funner. Way funner. Right up til one of the enemy pulls out a sword... like one guy just did.

Corinne ducked as the blade flew over her head, then she kicked the man's legs out from beneath him.

"Is it bad that's I'm having fun?" Aramina asked from where she was dodging a man's flashing fists.

"I'd suggest the fun for a few minutes later." Viveca gasped as he jumped out of the way of a flying dagger "What did we ever do to you?"

"Boss's orders!" the man snapped as he pointed his dagger at her.

"What'd we ever do to him?"

The man halted slightly "Uh..."

Corinne ran up behind the guy, grabbed his arms and twisted them around behind his back "It's what we're going to do to him."

"Why does this seem so right and familiar?" Renee wondered as she fought back a guy "Like we've done it a hundred times before." She cast a glance over to where Corinne was now fighting with Bertram, a slight smirk on her face "Why do I feel I can trust her? I don't trust anybody. And yet... oh it's too confusing."

Right about that time Corinne got Bertram to the ground "Alright." she whispered "Listen closely." the man fought to free himself but he couldn't budge "When you get back, you had better tell Philippe that I'm staying this time. And he's going to land right back where he came from. Because even the second time around, he's not going to win." Bertram was staring at her seriously confused, but she didn't care "Understand?"

He nodded slightly then she released him and he and his men took off.

~*~*~*3-Musketeers*~*~*~

Smokey leaned back into her seat "Commercial break." then she pulled a sleep-mask over her face and sighed contentedly.

~*~*~*3-Musketeers*~*~*~

"Well, I have to go." Corinne said to her friends.

"Thanks for popping up." Renee said slowly "I thought you might but..."

Corinne chuckled "That's what friends are for, Renee."

"And we're a team!" Aramina added "Did you see those... everything! We were awesome I mean, I didn't even know I could do that!"

"Tell me about it." Viveca shook her head "I'm not near as winded as I thought I'd be."

Corinne smiled "Well, running from one end of Paris to the other every other day or so builds up your endurance." then she said to the girls "I'll catch you back at the castle." then she turned and jogged away.

"I promise you," Renee said with a shake of her head "I am going to figure out everything that girl knows some day."

~*~*~*3-Musketeers*~*~*~

"Alright." Smokey straightened back up "Commercial over." then she snapped her fingers and a banana split popped up "Hmmm. Too small." then she snapped her fingers again and it grew til it covered her lap "Perfect." she leaned back into her seat and turned up the volume on the television "And back to our show!"

~*~*~*3-Musketeers*~*~*~

"She said What!?" Philippe shouted.

"I did not understand it myself, Sir." Bertram shook his head "But that's what she said."

Philippe slowly stood up from his desk then a second later swept every book and piece of paper off the oak top, sending them flying across the room "Those girls have pushed it for the last time!" he stormed over to Bertram and grabbed his collar "I want them dead!"

Bertram swallowed then nodded "I will not fail to again, Sir."

"You had better not. Or..." Philippe suddenly stopped then he shook his head "I'm not going to repeat myself. Get out!" then he slammed his fists into the wall and stomped over to a window to peer down to where Corinne and Louis were just entering the yard together "Watch your back, Corinne D'artagnon. Because I swear on the on the oath that I will someday own France, you... will... die."

(Well... that is the lamest chapter I've written in awhile. Oh yeah... HEY 'BODIEZ! Don't worry, the Aliens didn't capture me! Not yet anyways *looks around suspiciously* anyhoo... sorry for the terribly long wait. Mom's been feeling kinda depressed lately and we just haven't been anywhere with internet in... FOREVER! Well. Hopefully I'll be able to update sooner than... two weeks. :) Laterz Everyonez! (I've missed saying that) ;)