Disclaimer: I don't own anything belonging to either Alexandre Dumas or his descendents.



Chapter Fifteen: Reconciliations

The tent was bare save for a lamp and two low cots. It was, however, spacious; enough so that even Athos could stand upright in the center. Elizabeth moved from the entrance to lower herself onto one of the cots, gingerly.

"Are you alright?" Athos asked concerned, moving to sit next to her.

She held a hand to her ribs, "They still hurt."

"I'd forgotten," Athos apologized. "With everything else that's happened, I'd have-"

"I know Athos." She interrupted, "That's why I didn't say anything."

He smiled ruefully, "I understand."

It was silent in the tent.

"Would you mind-" She jumped when he turned to her suddenly, but continued, "Would you mind looking at my arm, it aches. I think it might be bleeding." She faltered, "I'm afraid it might be infected."

Athos cursed a blue streak at himself and ducked out of tent. He shouted for a couple of items then returned. "I'm going to need to see the area." He gestured at her.

Elizabeth attempted to pull her sleeve up but couldn't raise it far enough. Athos sat again. "It'll probably have to come off."

Her eyes flew to his.

"The sleeve not the- the-" He waved a hand, at a loss for words at her assumption. She nodded and looked away when he drew his knife and slit her left sleeve to her shoulder. Aramis entered with a bowl and a stack of cloths and bandages. He looked taken aback to see Elizabeth in the tent alone with Athos, but had the tact not to say anything. He nodded at her, then retreated.

"It doesn't look infected." He said after a moment, then hesitantly brought a cloth up from the heated water, "This'll probably sting, a lot."

Elizabeth sucked in a breath through her teeth when the cloth touched her arm.

"My heart stopped, you know." Athos said softly as he was cleaning her wound. She turned her head to him. "When I saw the bullet hit you," He clarified ad swallowed hard. "I thought I'd lost you."

She looked away and remained so until he had finished and tied the bandage tight on her arm. He cleaned up and hesitated before sitting on the cot across from her. "May I tell you a story?"

She nodded, pulling her feet onto the cot under her.

"A time ago, there was a man, a nobleman," Athos laughed sardonically at this, "who met a woman, and fell instantly in love with her. No, not with her, but with her beauty, her fire. She convinced him that of all the things in the world, nothing mattered but her." Athos swallowed and bowed his head. "And the poor fool, he believed her. He married her against the wishes of his family. Later, when she fell from a horse, appearing to be injured, the man discovered that his love, his wife, had been branded- for stealing from our Holy Mother Church. Being the ranking noble in the province, he did his own justice and hanged her. But, then, she was still his love, and he could not stand to watch her suffer, so he left her there to die."

Athos looked up then. "She didn't. Years later, she came back to haunt him, threatening the lives of his friends, his king, the very foundations of his life. Although, with help, he managed to thwart most of her plotting, it was not without sacrifice. A woman, loved by one of his friends, paid the price of his cowardice with her life."

"What happened to her?" Elizabeth heard herself asking.

"Anne murdered her for daring to love someone she hated."

She shook her head, "No, the woman- Anne, what happened to her?"

"The man and his friends brought her to justice." Athos looked into her eyes before continuing. "Anne murdered Constance because d'Artagnan loved her. And she took who knows how many other lives… because I didn't have the courage to watch her die."

Without thinking, Elizabeth went to her knees in front of him, taking his face in her palms.

"I loved her," Athos choked out, his voice clogged with emotion, "I couldn't make myself put a finality to it, and she betrayed everything I was. And when he told me that you had betrayed me as well, I couldn't see reason…"

Elizabeth dropped her hands at the reminder and leaned back on her heels.

Athos looked into her face and the realization it him. He was in love with her. Desperately, madly and irrevocably in love. But could he tell her?

"That night," Elizabeth swallowed and tried again, "That night back in Auvergne, you said something I'm not sure you remember."

Athos lowered his eyes to the floor. "What did I say?"

"Right before you… before you… took me," Athos cringed, "you said 'for you Anne'." His gaze lifted to hers. "I've been wondering, wondering what meant so much to you to make you say that. But it was your revenge wasn't it, your revenge on her." Athos opened his mouth but she held up a hand. "Don't bother, I know it's true." She took a deep breath. "And I can't hate you for hating her."

Silence descended on the tent yet again, until Athos broke it with a whisper, "Could you… do you think it's possible for us to…" His composure shattered. He was going to have to risk everything. He dropped to his knees in front of where she kneeled, gathering her hands in his own, his head bowed. "I love you. I love everything about you. And I am forever grateful that God saw fit to give me a second chance at love, even if I abused it- abused you." He faltered and brought her hands to his lips, "I will always regret what I've done to you Elizabeth, and I could never- I will never forget you."

They stayed that way for a long moment; his face bowed over her hands.

Elizabeth could feel the tears sliding down her cheeks against her will. She didn't want to forgive him, it would be so much easier to carry the vengeance in her heart. But this was a human being in pain, and she could not turn away from him. He needed her.

"Athos-"

His eyes lifted to her face and his heart nearly broke at the tears he saw there. He hesitantly lifted a hand to wipe them away, but was instead frozen by what she did next.

Her hands lifted to his cheeks, and she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, "I forgive you." She whispered, looking into his eyes. At his dumbstruck look she felt that she should reiterate, "I forgive you Athos."

Her face was mere inches from his, and he couldn't help himself when he leaned forward and captured her lips with his own. She drew in a quick breath, but it was he who pulled away.

"I should not have-" He began.

But this time, it was she who crossed the small space between them to press her lips to his. It was a kiss meant to seal her forgiveness, a kiss meant to heal; and Athos took it with all the greed of a dying man. Their lips touched, held, and lingered interminably.

It might have only lasted a moment, it might have been an eternity. Neither of the two could have told you one way or the other. But it was with deep-felt regret when Athos withdrew his lips from hers. "We should- we must stop now." He lifted her to her feet and gently maneuvered her to the cot. When she was lying down he leaned forward and kissed her again, "Sleep well."

He had reached the entrance to the tent when her voice stopped him.

"May I tell you a story Athos?"

He paused in his tracks, agreeing by his silence.

"When I was a little girl, I used to believe that there were things, hiding under my bed." She began in a small voice.

"I had old pairs of boots under my bed, what was under yours?" He quietly asked.

"Monsters." Elizabeth breathed softly, "Horrible ones with long arms and dripping fangs." Athos turned to her; she was laying sideways, not even looking at him. "I used to lie in bed, terrified, until I couldn't stand it anymore. Then I'd rip back the sheets and look." She paused, "There was never anything there, no monsters."

Athos smiled ruefully, even as a girl she'd been brave. He waited while she seemed to collect her thoughts.

She tipped her face up to his, "I don't want to lie here tonight, afraid of what's lurking in my bed." She held out a hand to him. "Stay with me tonight, Athos."

For the life of him, Athos couldn't think of a reason to refuse her. He knew better than to think she was searching for more than comfort, but he would not deny her it. He slipped onto the cot next to her and pulled her into his arms, tucking her head under his chin. She fell asleep almost immediately; he, however, did not.

Elizabeth woke slowly the next morning. She was lying on her back and stretched languidly before turning her head to see Athos lying on his side next to her, his head propped up on one hand.

"Good morning." She whispered huskily.

"Only barely." Athos nodded to the entrance to the tent where the first rays of sunlight were just beginning to show. "Sleep well?"

She smiled and nodded, "I had the most wonderful dream…" She closed her eyes at the memory.

Athos didn't need clarification. He knew full and well what she had dreamed, and he also knew full and well that he was the cause. He might have been able to keep himself from making love to her in the middle of the night, but he had had no control over his hands when they began to roam over her body; first her breasts, then down between her legs. His body grew hard again at the memory of her heat and the way she'd moaned his name, even in her sleep.

"It wasn't supposed to be that way was it?"

Athos was startled out of his reverie, "What was?"

"In Auvergne, it's supposed to be different isn't it?"

Athos closed his eyes in silent remorse, again. "Yes."

"Show me?"

His eyes flew open. "What do you mean?"

"Show me what it's supposed to be like."

"Are you-?" He hesitated.

"Make love to me Athos." She asked him quietly.

He might have needed to be asked twice, but Athos wasn't about to let this opportunity pass him by. He rolled his body halfway onto hers and captured her lips, thrusting his tongue gently into her mouth. He groaned silently to himself when she met it with her own. His hands divested her of her shirt. Her hands skimmed up his back and he shuddered.

"You undo me."

Elizabeth began to shake. Athos looked as her confused, but then she began to laugh.

"I undo you?" she giggled.

Athos sighed and propped himself up on his elbows. "I'll have you know, it sounded very romantic in my head."

She reached up to run her fingers through his hair and pull his lips back to hers, "Leave the pretty words to someone else, Athos, I don't need them."

He felt his lips curve in a smile against hers. In one sentence, she had managed to banish any qualms he might have had left about what was going to happen. He heard her curse softly as she tried to pull his shirt over his head, then gasp as their flesh met. His lips lowered to her breast and he nearly did come undone when she moaned his name.

Elizabeth, for one, was in heaven. Words couldn't describe how Athos used his tongue, teeth and lips to pleasure her; and when one of his hands slipped between her thighs, she nearly arched off the bed.

"Athos-" she gasped, as his fingers plucked and played within her.

"Yes?" he raised an eyebrow as he lifted his head and watched her climax take her.

She screamed. He moved upwards to cover her lips with his just in time, never ceasing the movements of his hand. They certainly didn't need company just because someone thought she might be in trouble.

When she opened her eyes again, Athos had settled himself between her thighs and was slowly pushing his way into her. She groaned, but whispered "Don't stop" when Athos did just that.

He sheathed himself inside her and took a moment to marvel at the warmth and tightness of her. When he began to move, she was instantly with him and when he slipped his fingers between her legs again, she tightened around him and chanted into his ear.

"Oh Lord, oh Lord, oh Lord…"

Athos couldn't have put it better himself.