Evening My Lovelies

I am SO FREAKING SORRY that I've left this as long as I have! Real life and work got in the way and then I just forgot about this. It was completely accidental I promise! I'm going to try to get a few more chapters out this week to try to make it up to you all so keep and eye out for them :D

Notes On Reviews:

beeblegirl: Thanks for the review - D'Art has definitely found something but he's got enough people making sure he can't run off to do anything on what he's found out so he'll behave for now. Enjoy the new chapter! x

pallysAramisRios: Thanks for the review - Our boy's aren't going to have long together but we'll see a bit of them today :) D'Art's clue will be explained in the next chapter. Enjoy the new chapter! x

WelshEssex: Thanks for the review - D'Artagnan definitely wanted to go but recognizes that Porthos needs to see his brother :) It's definitely going to do the boys good to see each other, even if it's only for a little bit. D'Artagnan has found something that's going to help them out but you'll have to wait till the next chapter to see what he found. Enjoy the new chapter! x

Again I'm very sorry that I've left you guys for so long!

As always much love and many thanks for following/favouriting/reviewing/reading

Love you all!

Enjoy!

xxx

Chapter Eight: Clandestine Meetings

"Aramis," breathed Athos in clear relief as he took several steps towards his now grinning brother before turning his head to send a similar look to his other brother, "Porthos."

"You've seen better days 'Thos," spoke Porthos, his tone light but his eyes hard as he took in his brother's dishevelled state, "They treating you all right here?"

"I'll survive," shrugged the swordsman before turning back to Aramis, who was now making no effort to hide his attempts to spot any injuries on the man. Raising a single eyebrow at the marksman Athos decided instead of wasting his time trying to get the man to stop his assessment he would ask the question that had been burning in him since he saw only two of his three brothers waiting for him… "The kid?"

"Safe at the garrison," answered Aramis as he finished his assessment, pleased to see that bar some minor bruising his brother looked healthy, though they all knew he was unlikely to stay that way the longer both he and the Captain remained locked up. "He's helping at the garrison to try and get to the bottom of this."

"But he's unharmed?" stressed Athos, remembering the grunt of pain his youngest had made as he hit the ground after the Red Guard's blow.

"Superficial," explained the medic calmly as he lifted one shoulder up into a shrug, "The boy's adamant he's been hit worse in training."

Athos let out a soft snort at that before the noise of a passing guard outside the room caught the group's attention and had each of the room's occupants freezing in place until they were sure they weren't going to be disturbed.

"I don't know how long Alain's friend can give us," spoke Porthos, his voice and expression deadly serious, "So why don't you tell us what you've managed to get yourself into 'Thos so we can get you two out of it…"

Meanwhile back at the garrison Etienne was waiting anxiously for D'Artagnan to return, the younger man having darted out of the room exclaiming that he needed to grab something to confirm his theory before he was sure he had found something that could help them.

After a few agonizingly long minutes had passed Etienne was all but ready to storm out of the office to find the boy himself, torn between needing answers as to what was going on and out of fear that maybe the younger man had decided to ignore his brother's orders and chase after whatever lead he believed he had found, when the door to Treville's office swung open with an almighty bang as a now panting D'Artagnan stormed into the room, a small leather-bound book grasped tight in his hand.

"I really hope I'm right about this," he panted as he moved to the desk, placing the book onto it as he began flicking through its pages, "otherwise Athos is going to hit me harder than that Red Guard for going through his things.

Etienne's eyebrows shot up as he looked down at the book in front of them, noticing that it seemed to be filled with mission reports. "This is Athos's?"

Not pausing in his search through the book D'Artagnan nodded, "Athos likes to keep his own records of the missions we go on, says it helps him know what we all need to work on in training to improve for next time."

Etienne nodded, this made sense and would not be out of character for the swordsman who, everyone knew, took training very seriously. The musketeer almost asked why this hadn't been mentioned as something to check when they learned that this whole situation had to do with a mission the lieutenant had been on before his mind caught up with him and he realized that a mission as secret as the one they had been on would not be something someone as careful as Athos would just write down.

"Ah ha!" exclaimed the Gascon, his joy brightly lighting up his face as he turned his head to grin at the musketeer beside him, "I was right, look."

"So that's why," breathed Athos as he finished listening to what his brothers had found out so far about the situation. "I figured it likely had something to do with that but…"

"And now His Majesty, thinks either you or the Captain is behind the reveal of the man's location so anything you can tell us to help us prove otherwise would be a big help 'Thos," finished Porthos with a pleading tone to his voice as both he and Aramis sent up silent prayers that their brother would be able to give them something that could help them.

"...We were followed at one point on the journey," explained Athos after a moment's thought. "Treville had me guard the Spaniard while he took out our pursuers and we were confident we got them all but it looks like we might have missed one…"

"Where?" asked Aramis, his thoughts going to identifying the men who had been trying to track the runaway Spaniard down as they would be their most likely lead to an alternate suspect to their brother and Captain.

However the musketeer did not get a chance to answer when a grunt could be heard from outside and the door swung open to reveal two Red Guards, who did not look happy to see the inseparables.

"Traitors don't get visitors," snarled one of the men before he grabbed hold of Athos's restraints and began to drag him out of the room as his companion kept the other two musketeers at bay with his blade.

Seeing his chance to provide information slipping away and very conscious of the fact that neither musketeer would likely be able to get in to see him, or Treville, again any time soon Athos wracked his mind trying to figure out what to say to give them what they needed without also sharing the news with the Red Guards.

"Le Havre!" he exclaimed looking both of his brothers dead in the eye before letting out a grunt of his own as the Red Guard manhandling him punched him in the gut, causing him to fold over. To his immense relief however he saw a look of understanding in both of his brother's faces as he righted himself, right before the Red Guard dragged him out of the room, the swordsman praying that the snippet would be enough.