She is not exactly sure what to expect when she finds him sitting in that dirty tavern. He looks slightly worse than she remembers. By the dark look in those captivating eyes, a pair of slumped shoulders and that nerve-wrecking tension in his entire body, she can tell something is very wrong with this man. She eyes him warily, trying to read his eyes, but they tell her nothing. His gaze is blank, glassy, unfocused, his hands are busy clutching a mug in a tight grip. So tight that his knuckles are white as a sheet. There are dark bags under his eyes, suggesting he hadn't slept well and his hair is unkempt and disheveled. She has to admit she doesn't like what she sees, but she won't let her disappointment show. At least not now.

Truth to be told, she found herself slightly thrilled when he asked her to meet him in that tavern. She is still not entirely comfortable with it. God knows what is cooking in his head. He knows her secrets, knows everything about her and can do anything he wants. Somewhere deep inside her heart she knows it's stupid to worry about that. After all, she knows he still loves her (she can bet her own life on it) and will never do anything to hurt her. At least, not intentionally, but still, she can't forget she needs to be extremely careful.

He stirs and lifts his eyes as she approaches the table. Their eyes lock for a moment and she can feel the pain radiating from them. Her heart clenches in her chest. Just for a second, a mere second, her brows knit together and her mouth forms a tiny grimace, but she composes herself before he can notice the change in her expression. As much as she loves him and hates seeing him like this, she still needs to be careful and control herself.

She grabs a chair and snatches the mug from his hands, lifting it to her rosy lips and drinking slowly, all the while keeping her eyes fixed on him.

"I don't have much time. What do you want?" – She asks finally after setting the mug down. Her words come out sharper than she intends but she doesn't care. She knows being with him is always risky, so she needs to deal with it as soon as possible. He doesn't answer immediately. Instead, he lets out a sigh and runs a hand through his hair, while debating in his head whether to tell her what he wants or not. She notices his struggle but keeps quiet, letting him collect his thoughts. She knows it's not easy for him. Asking the woman who killed your brother for help can be hard for anyone. She is a hundred percent sure he would have never done it if it wasn't an emergency. But still, she is a bit curious to find out what he might need from her.

"I need a favor" – He says finally, his eyes lowered, gaze fixed on the table. She can tell it takes him all his willpower to talk and she doesn't like it. It hurts, but she shrugs the feeling off.

"I can't sit here and drag the words out of your mouth all day, Athos. What do you want? Just spill it out!" – She knows he is not a man of words. Athos has never been good at talking or expressing his feelings openly. And she knows what she said was rough but she did it to help him, to ease his struggle and it seems to work. She can see a flicker of life enter his eyes and tries her best to keep the corners of her mouth from twitching upwards.

"Aramis is held captive. I need you to rescue him and bring him back to us safely". – She can't help but smirk at his laconic speech. Straight to the point, as always.

At first she doesn't fully understand his words but when they sink in she finds herself in a real mental battle which erupts rather suddenly and is completely uncalled for. Still, she is torn. On the one hand, there is Anne, the old Anne she used to be, the woman her husband adored, the woman who still adores him and wants to help him, even if it costs her life, but on the other hand there is Milady who always does her best to survive, to somehow drag her body and soul towards another day which brings nothing but pain, nothing but struggle. And yet she never gives up or runs away, she keeps fighting until she is drained out of energy. Milady has nothing to do with Athos. He is a stranger to her and there is no place for him in her heart, but Anne… Oh, she is a tough one, too. She will do literally anything to ease her husband's pain. She will rather die than see him in any kind of pain. Milady knows that. She knows it is not easy to fight with Anne, but she tries anyway, doing her best, measuring the possible consequences of her possible actions, trying to persuade her stubborn second self to just stand up and leave the damn place, but Anne is standing on her ground very firmly. She is debating, measuring, thinking, analyzing… If she gets up and leaves, Athos will be disappointed which means he will lose whatever respect or something like that he has for her. Aside from that, she will lose a chance to save someone's life and do something good for her soul. Not that it will erase all her sins, but doing good never hurts as long as it is not dangerous for you. Oh, but both Milady and Anne know it is dangerous… Very, very dangerous. She might get caught. What then? They will capture her and will not hesitate to kill her. Rochefort hates her anyway, so he will get rid of her gladly. But if she stays and helps… Maybe, just maybe, she can get the opportunity to win her husband's heart. She knows he will need time, but at least he won't push her away anymore. She has a great chance to gain his love and respect. For a second she catches herself getting excited, her heart speeds up at the thought of having the love of her life back, but then Milady kicks in and she is forced to calm down again. What if it doesn't work? Ok, she will stay and help but what if it doesn't bring the desired results? She can't forget that Athos has friends who hate her with a passion, so they won't let him get back to her, afraid she will hurt him again. She will never do that. She can't live in a world where there is no Athos. But they don't know it yet, do they? Even Athos himself doesn't know it. Should she risk it all? Or should she refuse?

"Please" – His voice is so quiet that for a second she thinks it was the trick of her imagination, but when she lifts her head to meet his eyes, she freezes on spot. She sees a glimpse of hope and eagerness in his eyes, as if she the only one who can help him and she knows she is. It can't be good. Athos never pleads, but now his eyes are pleading, too sorrowful to care about dignity. She lowers her eyes for a second and bites her lip, trying to gather her thoughts. Suddenly she feels something warm on her hand. Her gaze travels towards it to find his own hand resting atop hers.

"Please, Anne". – He whispers, squeezing her hand ever so lightly. Their eyes lock again and that's when she knows Anne is the winner.

"Fine" – She says softer than she intends. He stares at her for a second and then lets out a sigh of relief. She can tell he looks a bit happier and the knot in her stomach eases slightly. She gives him a small smile in return.

"What will you give me in return?" – She asks a moment later, cursing herself for it but she can't forget it's not only Anne living inside her body. There is Milady, too, who needs to survive.

"My undying gratitude" – He reaches for her hand again but she takes it back before he can grab it.

"I prefer your undying love" – The words come out of her mouth before she can realize. Damn it! She only meant to ask for money but ended up getting herself in a stupid situation. "You, silly woman, his undying love can't fill your stomach, can it?" – Milady screamed in her head and she almost flinched but held herself back.

"You already have it". – Her head shots up at his words. Did he really say that? Or was it her imagination? She is not sure at first but when he reaches for her hand and brings it to his lips, she doesn't pull away. Her eyes get watery, but she is too stubborn to cry in front of him. She won't let him show the effect his words always have on her.

"Do I really have it?" – She whispers back, entwining her fingers with his.

"My heart is yours, Anne" – He says softly and she can see honesty in his eyes. – "It has always been yours and it will always be" – He adds a moment later, looking at their entwined fingers.

"I…" – She begins but doesn't really know what to say? She is too overwhelmed to express her feelings for him. She needs to settle herself down. Hearing those words from him was shocking. She is shocked but happy at the same time. Still, she is careful enough to control her words.

"I will help you" – She says finally and gets up to leave. His gaze follows her as she reaches the door, gratitude shining in those blue eyes. Her hands grab the doorknob but before she leaves she turns her head back towards him and adds: "You don't need to pay me".

Rescuing Aramis turns out to be surprisingly easy and before she can blink they are in Constance's old house. Aramis is surrounded by his friends immediately. Athos kisses the marksman's cheek as he lets them in, Aramis pats his back fondly and mingles with the others. Milady goes to the next room, choosing to give them some privacy. She is not stupid enough to believe she belongs there. And she is not naïve enough to believe they will accept her and love her the way they love Constance. And yet she finds herself somehow content when she sees gratitude in their eyes. They might not accept her as their friend, but at least they acknowledge her huge role in rescuing their dear marksman. It is enough for her. But what about Athos? His expression showed no love or respect. He just nodded his head in thanks and that was it. It can't be enough for her. Not by any means. She wants more than his gratitude or respect. She wants his heart, his love, him in general and they both know it but she is not fool enough to believe her help can change anything. Or to say, she shouldn't have believed she had a chance to prove her love for him. Athos can be grateful, but there is no way he can accept her back in his life. She is sure of that. Or is she? If he still loves her, why can't he get back to her? She can build a new life, become a new person, who can live a simple life as a musketeer's wife and help her husband and his friends when they need it. Will he agree?

She is pushed out of her thoughts when Athos enters the room, holing a mug in his hands. He extends it towards her, but she refuses to take it. He sighs and sets the mug on the table, before moving towards her and capturing her lips in a soft but passionate kiss. She is taken aback, clearly not expecting it, but she relaxes soon and kisses him back, wrapping her arms around his neck and playing with his hair. Kissing him is a pleasure and relief at the same time. She feels complete, she feels safe, she feels at home. He is her home, her soul and her heart, everything she has ever asked for. She will always love him no matter what.

"Thank you for saving him" – He whispers against her lips when they pull apart. His eyes are full of fondness and her heart speeds up again.

"Perhaps I was saving myself" – She whispers back, stepping away from him.

They are silent for a few minutes, both lost in thoughts, before Athos finally decides to break the silence.

"What will you do now?"

"Start new life?" – She shrugs, trying to appear nonchalant. – "In England, perhaps" – She adds a moment later.

"It rains a great deal in England. And the food is… Pfff" – He says, staring at the floor.

"Would it matter to you if I went?" – She asks, doing her best to keep her voice from cracking.

"You are free to do as you please".

"I am not free". – She answers, voice heavy with pain. She can never be free, neither can he and they both know it. – "I am bound to you as you are to me". – She adds and waits for him to understand her words.

"If I ask you, will you stay?" – He asks after about 5 long minutes of silence. She is not sure if she heard him right, but her heart starts beating faster anyway and her hands get sweaty.

"Wh… What?" – She stammers, not believing her ears.

"Stay with me, Anne" – He repeats in a low voice, reaching for her hand.

"But your friends…" – She begins but he cuts her off.

"As I said before, my heart is yours. I can never love another woman. I will talk to them. They are my friends but it's my life, it's my choice and they have no right to interfere". – He says and the firmness of his tone surprises her. After all these ears he finally gets the guts to put her first and the feeling it gives her is incredible.

"I love you, Anne" – He whispers softly, lifting her chin up.

"I love you too" – She whispers back, not really trusting her voice. – "I've always loved you. My heart is yours, too and I can't love another man". – She adds, eyes shining with happiness. His eyes are radiating the same happiness.

"Does it mean you will stay?" – He asks and she sees the same spark of hope in his eyes. Is he fool enough to believe she will still choose to go after gaining him back?

"Of course, I will stay, you, idiot!" – She chuckles and kisses him.

She has everything she has ever wanted and she will be damned if she lets the love of her life go again.

The End