Author's note:Thank you for your patience with my slow updates, and I hope that this latest chapter makes up for it. Not much happens in this chapter but things will start snowballing soon.
Chapter 4: Cope
The door was ajar and Aramis cursed himself for not thinking of Athos when he was yelling earlier. He knocked lightly on the door but didn't wait for an answer before entering.
"Athos? It's Aramis, can I come in?" He wasn't surprised to find the bed empty and the little boy nowhere in sight.
Making his way towards the closet, Aramis slowly lowered himself on all fours and pulled the door open slowly. Sure enough, Athos had cocooned himself in a blanket at the far end of the small space.
"I'm coming to see you alright?" The huddle of blankets nodded. Aramis crawled in and encircled the small huddle in a loose embrace. "I'm sorry Athos, I didn't mean to yell." After a moment the top blanket was pulled aside revealing a mop of disheveled brown hair and a pair of piercing blue eyes.
"Are you mad at Porthos?" The voice was barely a whisper but to Aramis' ears it was the loudest noise he had ever heard. From the kitchen he could hear Porthos moving around and was instantly reminded how easily sound carried in their apartment.
With a steady hand, Aramis brushed the stray strands of hair from Athos' face. "No, I'm not mad at Porthos. I could never be mad at Porthos. "
Athos seemed to be studying him and the teen simply allowed him, for once not trying to hide behind one of his famous grins. Slowly, Athos raised a small hand to the side of Aramis' head, tentatively touching the scar. "Was your father a bad man too?"
Aramis swallowed back fresh tears. Athos was always quiet and rarely spoke thatit always caught him off guard how much the kid really noticed and understand. "No, my father wasn't a bad man. He was really nice."
Aramis felt as if the dam had finally been broken and there just was no hiding anymore. "He loved me very much, me and my sisters. He always played with us when he got home from work even though he was really tired." Pulling back more of the blankets, Aramis pulled Athos unto his lap holding the small child tightly.
"What happened to them?"
"They had to go away; God called them." Aramis quietly answered, doing his best to keep his voice level. "For a long time I hated them for leaving me alone, but now I know it wasn't their fault." He instinctively hugged his little brother tighter trying to hide his shaking arms.
For years, Aramis had pushed down any thoughts of his family. His mind had been unable to cope with what happened and the major concussion he sustained hadn't help. Though he knew the gist of what happened from the news and police reports, he couldn't actually remember any of it. His memory of that night and the months that followed were fragments that haunted him at night. He could still hear his sisters' screams long after he woke. "I miss them"
Athos was quiet for some time, working out this new information in his mind. "My mother went away too. I miss her a lot. Everything was different before." Athos pulled out of Aramis' grip to turn and face him. "Promise me you won't go away too."
Bringing his hands to either side of Athos face, Aramis looked straight into his eyes. "There is nothing on this planet that would ever make me leave you, little brother."
Athos let out a shaky breath as tears slowly streaked down the side of his face. With his thumb Aramis wiped them dry. "Come on, Porthos is waiting for us, he's made some hot chocolate."
After mentally collecting themselves, the two made their way towards the kitchen. Porthos greeted them both with a warm smile offering them both a cup of hot chocolate. He quickly caught Aramis' attention, his gaze quietly assessing the teen. Content with what he saw, he nodded to the teen, clasping him tightly on the shoulder. "Come on, I think we need a movie to go with these hot chocolates."
Porthos had been staring at his computer screen for 20 minutes now. He had gotten as far as typing the name René d'Herblay in the missing children search database but hadn't been able to hit enter.
He wanted to know, it was the only way he thought he could actually help him but part of him didn't want to know. Aramis had gone to great length to bury that part of him and to do this as if he was betraying his trust, even though he was the only to tell him his name in the first place.
"What's up?" D'Artagnan glanced over to his partner, trying to gage his mood. The other man seemed to be on edge these last few days and everyone seemed to find it best for their own safety to just avoid him. When the other man didn't seem to have heard him, he loudly cleared his throat. Eventually Porthos tore his gaze away from his computer screen, blinking away the confusion from his eyes.
"What?" Porthos hadn't heard a word his partner had said but by the way he was currently looking at him he knew he had asked him a question.
D'Artagnan wasn't irritated or annoyed in the least. "I asked you what's wrong. You've been starring at your computer screen for 20 minutes now."
Porthos didn't answer right away. His defacto answer was that everything was fine but after last night's events, he wasn't so sure anymore for either one of them. He knew Aramis had his buried demons and that it really was just a matter of time before they worked their way out. He had just not been expecting to have to help both boys at the same time.
Maybe they would be better off somewhere else with someone more qualified to handle those kinds of situations.
"You remember what I told ya when you took in Aramis?" D'Artagnan waited till Porthos nodded before continuing. "You knew you needed to do something to help him but you doubted yourself. Didn't think you were the right person to help him."
Porthos remembered those first weeks all too well, and the fact that he couldn't help but to compare that experience with his current situation meant he was constantly playing it back in his mind. Though no one at the precinct said anything to him directly, he knew they were all talking about him taking Aramis in. D'Aratagnan, however, had been supportive from the start.
It had all happened around the same time he joined the force. D'Artagnan had been a cop for only a few years himself and had instantly bonded with the new recruit. At first Porthos had been uncomfortable with the easy friendship, his life experience had taught him that no one was ever that kind. Over the next few months however, he began to rely on the other man. And then when he took in Aramis, his partner had been a constant source of support.
"What you've done for those two is beyond words. You my friend have a heart that can't be measured." D'Artagnan waited till those words sunk in. "So, stop looking like someone kicked your puppy."
D'Aratagnan had a knack for reading people and gaging situations. His skills had more than once helped calm an otherwise dangerous situation on the field and Porthos was grateful to have the opportunity to learn from the man.
"Porthos, my office." The booming voice of Captain Treville had him on his feet before he knew it. A quick glance at his partner told him he had no idea what it was about.
Putting his hands in his pockets as he entered the office, Porthos wasn't really sure if he should be ready to apologize or not. The Captain was notorious for keeping all emotions from his voice and so you could never really gage what mood he was in.
Deciding to stand near the chair opposite the desk, he greeted his Captain. "Sir?"
"Close the door and have a seat." Now Porthos wasn't sure what to expect but he did as he was told.
Treville waited till the other man took a seat before looking up to meet his gaze. "Porthos, there's no easy way to tell you this. Olivier's father is pleading not guilty to the physical assault charges against his son. The case won't stand without Olivier's testimony in court." Porthos felt like he'd been punched in the gut; all the air having escaped his lungs. "The lawyers will be in contact with you to arrange a meeting with Olivier to be able to plan their defense."
"They want Athos to go and testify against his father in court? Hasn't the kid been through enough already?" Porthos' hands were shaking but his police training helped him keep his voice even.
"That's what he's hoping for. He knows Oli… Athos,"Treville corrected himself, "won't testify in court and he's expecting the charges to be dropped. That way he also maintains parental custody of the child."
This didn't make sense. Why would a man who beat his child want to maintain parental custody? It was obvious the man had paid little to no attention to Athos before so why want him back?
"We found Athos' mother's will." Treville continued as if reading Porthos' thoughts. "It seems her family was very wealthy and left her a considerable sum. Upon her death, all her inheritance was transferred over to Athos. The money is locked in a trust fund until Athos turns 21 and I believe that's the reason why his father will do everything he can to maintain parental rights."
Porthos clenched his fist at his side, wanting nothing more than to lash out at something. Everything Athos was going through was because of money.
He could barely contain his growing anger. Porthos had grown up an orphan with nothing to his name, being shuffled from one home to another, and no one to really cared about him. Despite all that, and comparing himself to Athos, it looked like and had been giving the better deal. How different would Athos' life have been if he too had nothing to his name.
"The lawyers will be in touch with you," Captain Treville continued, as if sensing the other man's anger. "They promise to do everything they can to keep Athos safe. I would suggest however, that you ask Dr. de Larroque for her professional opinion." Porthos snapped his gaze up to meet his captain's eyes, understanding dawning on him. "Good, now if there's nothing else, I have work to do."
Porthos nodded to his captain at the clear sign of dismissal. He was still angry at the thought of Athos standing in court in front of his father, the man who had caused him so much harm. In just the few weeks that Athos had been living with them, he felt like they had helped bring the boy out of his protective shell, a shell that Porthos had no idea how long he had been hiding behind.
The last thing he wanted was to see that small boy close into himself again.
Porthos was half way to his desk before he noticed Aramis slouched against his desk, his arms draped protectively over Athos's shoulders as the two listened intensively to something D'Artagnan was saying.
His gaze immediately wandered to Athos. He seemed enthralled with whatever tale the other man was saying, a small smile pulling at his lips, and he didn't seem to be bothered by all the activity around him. Although he was also sure that Aramis' protective embrace had a lot to do with that.
"You're late!" Aramis' comment caught him by surprise. As if sensing his confusion, the teen added, "You said to meet you here at 4."
"Right. Sorry I got held up with something." He forced down the new information, hoping to hide his uneasiness, fully aware of Athos staring at him. Deciding to change the topic, Porthos plastered on one of his trademark grins. "Alright, we better get going then."
Both Aramis and Athos stared at him a second longer and Porthos knew that he hadn't managed to fool either one of them. He did however hope that neither one of them would ask him about it.
"I'll see you tomorrow D'Artagnan."
"See you tomorrow Porthos. Aramis stay out of trouble you hear?" He couldn't help the small chuckle as he watched Aramis feign innocence, acting like he didn't know what he was talking about. "And it was really nice to meet you Athos. You make sure that Aramis eats all his vegetables, alright?"
Porthos's heart warmed as Athos smile to the other man, nodding enthusiastically as Aramis made a face of disgust. It would seem that Athos was also not immune to D'Artagnan's easy charm.
"What's all this about vegetables?" Porthos instantly recognized Captain Treville's gentle voice. At first the teen had harboured an outward dislike of the captain but over time, it seemed that Aramis had come to trust the other man. Porthos always assumed Aramis thought Captain Treville would turn him over to child services or press him for personal information so when the older captain didn't, the teen began to relax a little more.
"Just making sure Aramis eats all his vegetables, he's barely skin and bones." D'Artagnan leaned back in his chair, grinning from ear to ear, clearly amused with teasing the teenager.
"I'm just lean and still growing, thank you very much." While the two continued their verbal contest, Captain Treville noticed the small pair of bright blue eyes staring up at him from the protective circle of Aramis' arms.
Porthos also noticed. "Athos, you remember Captain Treville?"
Athos seemed lost in thought. Finally his right hand lifted to his face, his fingers tracing over the area under his nose and above his lip.
Captain Treville laughed at the gesture. "That's right, I'm the one with the mustache that looks like a caterpillar." He was amazed that Athos remembered the description of him.
Porthos had told him that Athos didn't seem to remember everything about that night or the next day, but Dr de Laroque was not concerned, saying that it was to be expected. She had simply told Porthos to make a note of all the small things Athos did remember and try to fill in the gaps when needed, but more importantly not to press.
After waving goodbye to everyone, the three headed out to the parking lot. Once or twice Aramis had sent him a sideways glance which Porthos ignored. He was determined not to let anything ruin the surprise evening he had planned; both Aramis and Athos deserved it.
Porthos assumed Athos had probably not had a normal childhood, and the last three weeks had confirmed his suspicions. There were so many things Porthos and Aramis took for granted that had Athos staring at them wide eyed. Just the other day Aramis had spent nearly an hour passing the vacuum with Athos. Such a simple task had mesmerized the small child, his curiosity keeping him captivated and intrigued that Aramis hadn't the heart to end it, and so the two had cleaned the entire apartment from top to bottom, Athos taking extra delight when it was his turn to control the machine.
When they finally pulled into the restaurant parking lot, Aramis and Athos started a debate about who was better at checkers. The two had found an old board while they were cleaning out the spare room, and when Athos told him he used to play with his mother, Aramis had taken it on himself to play whenever the child wanted. Athos turned out to be a very good player, having a natural ability for strategy and being able to read his opponent's mind. One day, he would have to show him how to play chess.
The three headed towards one of the far booths, making sure to have a clear line of sight of the door for Aramis and out of the way for Athos. The two only paused in their debate when the waitress came to take their orders, or to be fair Athos had stopped talking the moment they stepped out of the truck, but regardless the two seemed to be in good spirits. Maybe this might work out after all.
"Alright Porthos," Aramis asked setting his soda down on the table a few minutes later. "What aren't you telling us."
Damn him.
Though Aramis was the one to ask, it was Athos' piercing blue eyes that tore through him. They both knew there was something and one look at the kid sitting across from him crushed any thought he had of outright lying.
"Maybe we can wait till after dinner," Porthos offered trying to shift the conversation. Athos continued staring at him, his face practically unreadable save for the slight raised eyebrow. "Let's just have a nice evening then we can talk about it later once we get home, alright. I promise."
After slight consideration, Athos nodded but Aramis wasn't so easily deterred, his dark brown eyes searching the older man for any clues. Following the kid's lead though, the teen thankfully let the topic drop for the time being, calling it a truce for the time being but in no way forgotten.
I know they would never have a child testify in court, but it's an option here.