Evening My Lovelies :)

Hope you've all had a good day and that you're ready for another chapter :D I'm currently really happy as you lovely people have made it so this story has over 100 reviews! :D Thank you xxx

On a slightly more annoying note... I'm so hating having writers block at the moment... I swear I've been working on an upcoming chapter for three days now and it's still not done :( In my head I know exactly how I want it to go but it's just working out how to write it all down :( Hopefully I'll snap out of it soon so it wont affect my updates. It's not an immediately needed chapter so we're alright for a bit if it doesnt.

Notes On Reviews:

Deana: Thanks for the review - Things keep going from bad to worse for our boys... I'm such an evil person lol. Enjoy the new chapter! x

romirola: Thanks for the review - Glad you liked it :) Enjoy the new chapter! x

Tidia: Thanks for the review - I did warn about the cliff-hanger :D D'Art's pretty much not eaten in at least 4 days by this point plus he has quite a few more injuries then we've seen so far so it didnt seem likely that he would have the strength to overpower a perfectly healthy Ortiz. Enjoy the new chapter! x

CaroH: Thanks for the review - Aramis does seem quite angsty at the moment but each of them is feeling guilty in some way or another... And it's only going to get worse because I'm evil :D Enjoy the new chapter! x

Debbie (Guest): Thanks for the review - Greetings miss 100th reviewer :D haha Yeah D'Art's having the worst luck. I figured D'Art's suffered quite a bit so it was time the rest of our muskys joined the whumpage... Things are going to get pretty painful for our boys in a few chapters time :D Enjoy the new chapter! x

pain in the mikta: Thanks for the review - :D Enjoy the new chapter! x

Issai: Thanks for the review - I'm glad you thought so :) I quite like what you think he's stolen... personally I think they're better then what I've chosen. I know exactly what i want it to relate to but struggled decided on something appropriate that would work that he could steal... Hopefully it works. As for who's been shot dont worry you'll find out straight away :) Enjoy the new chapter! x

Lilac Lavender: Thanks for the review - I know :D 100 reviews! *happy dances* and I still have SOOOOOO much more planned for this story. Glad you liked Aramis's breakdown... It's becoming quite fun to write as he's quite angsty in this story. I dont think he's handling not being able to help his brothers that well. I think if they could have reached him they would have smacked him upside the head for his panic... or hugged him... or both who knows :) especially with what's coming tomorrow... Dont worry too much about who's been shot, it's the first thing addressed here pretty much so you wont be waiting long. Oooh and we get a snuggly musketeer moment today! :D Enjoy catching up on reviews as well as the new chapter! x

A reader (Guest): Thanks for the review - Welcome back my friend :D Glad you liked it. Enjoy the new chapter! x

To you amazing people who got this to 100 reviews I love you all and thank you!

To everyone else who still supports this story by following/favouriting/reading Dont worry I love you all too :D Thank you!

Enjoy!

xxx

Chapter Twelve: Pain, Guilt & Stolen Secrets

"YOU STUPID BOY!" Roared Ortiz, backhanding D'Artagnan so hard the wounded Gascon was sent careering across the room. "Last chance boy" sneered the Spaniard, kicking D'Artagnan hard in the ribs to get him onto his back, ignoring the cry of pain he continued, "I'll give you till morning to make the smart decision. Next time I wont miss"

With that Ortiz stormed out of the room and the cell was filled with the panting of musketeers.

"…'Mis?" whispered D'Artagnan weakly, his whole frame trembling as he struggled to turn to face the musketeer who's body had curled in on itself.

"Mon Dieu that hurt!" hissed the medic, forcing himself to uncurl so he could assess the damage done by the bullet. He could tell exactly were Ortiz had been aiming… Had D'Artagnan not tried to push his arm up at the last moment the bullet that had struck him would have hit him directly in the heart.

"Don't piss off the guy with the gun in the future then" deadpanned Athos, though a slight smirk emerged at the glare Aramis sent his way

"Bite Me," hissed the medic, though it lacked any real heat as he realized that his brother was merely trying to distract him from the pain.

Shaking both from pain and the near death experience Aramis pulled his shirt away from the wound. D'Artagnan hadn't been fast enough to divert the bullet completely but his actions meant it had hit his shoulder instead and despite the now throbbing pain in his arm he much preferred it to being dead.

"Thank you" he said whole-heartedly as he looked into the fearful eyes of his little brother. He was going to say more when he noticed the atrocious condition of the boy.

When he had been taken into D'Artagnan's cell it had been too dark to see much but their cell was kept well lit so D'Artagnan's injuries stood out for all to see. He inwardly cursed at not having noticed some of the injuries he now saw, like the bruises in the shape of fingerprints around D'Artagnan's neck.

He was also slightly concerned by the fact that D'Artagnan appeared to be wearing a new shirt that was not his own. Normally this wouldn't be too much of a concern seeing as how the boy did have several shirts that were too large on him thanks to Porthos jokingly giving them to the Gascon with the tease that he'd 'grow into them.' But Aramis could tell this wasn't one of D'Artagnan's own and was easily two sizes too big and most alarmingly… covered in blood.

"How bad?" Athos asked, diverting the medic's attention away from D'Artagnan who was now struggling to sit up, worrying all of his brothers with how much pain the simple act seemed to be causing him.

"Through and through" informed the medic, his tone somewhat sharp thanks to the pain he was in but he fought to keep it as light and unbothered as possible, "It'll need cleaning and stitching but shouldn't be life-threatening" Seeing his brothers visibly relax at this he couldn't help but smile fondly at the men before him. Though the smile began to vanish when he added, "I don't know how helpful it'll be in a fight though," he admitted, cursing the fact that it was his dominate arm that had been injured.

"My swordplay isn't as strong as yours with my left I'm afraid mon ami" he elaborated, a slight grimace gracing his face when a sharp stab of pain shot through him.

Athos hummed in agreement, a frown on his face as he watched his friend attempt to bandage his shoulder with the sash he was wearing around his waist as a belt.

"Porthos?" Aramis grunted, his words slightly muffled as he used his teeth to help tie the sash around his shoulder.

When no reply from their friend came all eyes turned to the slumped from of their brother who lay unmoving against the wall.

Both Aramis and Athos paled at the sight, though it was difficult to tell if D'Artagnan paled as well given how ashen his typical tanned skin had gone.

"D'Artagnan" called Athos, his voice and expression stoic as he spoke. Once D'Artagnan had managed to lift his head to look at his mentor and brother he continued, "Can you get to him? Neither of us can reach"

Athos immediately regretted his words when he saw the young man's face scrunch up in pain as he attempted to get to his feet. He knew that even with just the leg injury alone that it would be difficult for D'Artagnan to walk so he hated to have asked such a task from someone so injured as he was but they needed to know that Porthos was okay.

In the end it took D'Artagnan several minutes just to get to his feet and when he did he was swaying so dangerously that both Athos and Aramis, who had finished bandaging his arm and was now watching on with concern, were sure he was going to fall over at any moment.

Moving agonizingly slow D'Artagnan began to shuffle over to where Porthos was lying. His injured leg gave out on him just as he reached his brother and he let out a shout of pain as he fell to the floor.

"D'ARTAGNAN!" cried Athos and Aramis, guilt filling them for having to force their brother to move when he was in such a state.

"…M'good" slurred the Gascon as he pushed himself back up into a sitting position, his whole frame shaking from exertion and pain as he did so.

Without waiting for his brothers to say anything else D'Artagnan pressed a couple of shaking fingers on Porthos's throat. Silence reigned for several moments as the musketeers waited to see if Porthos was still breathing.

"…J…Just unconscious" D'Artagnan wheezed out, breaking into a short coughing fit before trying to check Porthos out for injuries.

"How's he look D'Art?" Aramis asked hesitantly, his fingers were itching to check over both of his friends and he found himself almost growling at the fact that he couldn't.

D'Artagnan didn't respond however as Porthos chose that moment to wake up and with his last memory being of getting attacked he reacted violently, his flailing limbs causing D'Artagnan to fall onto his back, crying out in pain as his body hit the stone floor.

"Shit sorry whelp!" cried Porthos, slurring his words slightly as he tried to get his sluggish limbs to help his brother who was lying on the floor, eyes screwed shut in pain and breathing deeply

"…Dese'ved it" grunted the Gascon as he struggled to get up, letting out a shout of pain as Porthos attempted to help him up.

"Aint your fault whelp" reassured the larger man affectionately, but he could see in his little brother's pain-filled eyes that his words had little effect on the guilt the boy had placed on his own shoulders.

D'Artagnan said nothing in response and instead turned his focus to internally gauging if he had the strength needed to reset Porthos's shoulder.

While their youngest was musing the three elder musketeers each shared a look, though Porthos's quickly turned to shock when he saw the sash tied around Aramis's shoulder and how it was slowly turning red.

"How are you mon ami?" the Spaniard asked, smiling and nodding at his friend to let him know that he was okay.

"Coupla ribs broken" grunted Porthos unhappily as he fidgeted trying to find a way to sit that wouldn't cause his difficultly breathing; one hand was pressed lightly to his chest as he moved. "Shoulder's out and my head feels like the morning after I tried to outdrink Athos," he added with a smirk towards his other friend who looked at him with a mix of amusement and sympathy.

D'Artagnan's head perked up again at Porthos's words, his whole face a picture of guilt as he explained he doubted he had the strength to reset the joint and even if he did he would need the use of his left hand and that was in no shape to be used.

"And you didn't think that was worth telling me about earlier when I asked about injuries?" chided the marksman; though the guilt and worry in his eyes counteracted the almost exasperated tone his voice had taken on.

D'Artagnan shrugged… or attempted to though he had to abort the action half way through when it caused him too much pain. "…Left no splints" he grunted, wrapping his injured hand around his waist, hiding the damaged limb inside his tattered jacket so the guilt in Aramis's eyes wouldn't intensify further, "didn't see the point… n'thing you could do"

"That's what we told him whelp" smiled Porthos, lightly smacking D'Artagnan's back as he did so, though from where he was sat he missed the pain that flashed across the Gascon's face, something the others did not. "And don't worry bout the arm, if both me and 'Mis move we should be able to get close enough for him to reset it"

"Sorry" D'Artagnan mumbled as he and Athos watched Aramis reset Porthos's shoulder.

"Whelp" Porthos said soothingly, though his voice was slightly breathless from the pain, "'Mis told us what you told him… This" he said pointing to he shoulder, "aint your fault"

"Though we would appreciate knowing what it is you actually stole," Athos added, his voice full of worry as he saw how much D'Artagnan's body was trembling.

Before D'Artagnan could respond Porthos also noticed just how badly his brother was trembling. "Shit D'Art" he cursed, "Come here" he added, gesturing to the spot beside him. He knew that in the boy's condition that he should really be getting seen to by Aramis but he very much doubted the boy had the strength to stand let alone move all the way to Aramis's side right now.

Once D'Artagnan had painfully shuffled over to Porthos's side the larger musketeer flung his good arm over the boy's shoulder, gently pulling him into his side so the boy could rest against him. D'Artagnan's skin was warm to the touch and Porthos sent a worrying glance to Aramis whose sad expression told him that his friend was already aware of their brother's deteriorating condition.

"Here" Porthos instructed, holding out a small water skin to D'Artagnan, who looked upon it with such longing in his eyes it broke his brothers' hearts. "Small sips though or you'll bring it all back up"

Once he had finished drinking the water and was once again snuggled safely into Porthos's side D'Artagnan began to explain what it was that he had stolen and the impact it would have should it be returned.

FLASH BACK

Sneaking into Lupiac without anyone noticing had been almost too easy D'Artagnan noted as he moved through the shadows of the village to reach the house where he knew Ortiz resided. The servant who had stolen the document would undoubtedly have been working for the Spaniard who pretty much owned everyone and everything in the village now, so he had decided to forgo looking for the pet when the master held the documents he was after.

It was painful being back in his hometown once again and knowing that neither his father nor his home remained to welcome him but he forced himself to push those thoughts aside as he tried to focus on the job at hand.

D'Artagnan had spent much of his childhood avoiding people in the village so he knew how to travel through the village unseen and as such it took him almost no time at all to reach Ortiz's estate.

Looking at the house D'Artagnan was filled with such anger and contempt for the man who resided within that he had to shake himself to get rid of it before he searched for a way in.

He had tried to know as little of Ortiz as possible when he still resided in the village, wanting nothing to do with the man, but one thing he did manage to learn was how Ortiz would have meeting with the village's most important people as well as his own men at the end of every month. The meetings would often involve a lot of drinking and go on to the early house of the following morning.

This tidbit of information came in handy as he realized that there would be one such meeting going on tonight.

Counting himself lucky D'Artagnan scoured around the side of the house as far away from the meeting as possible for an entryway.

It didn't take long for him to find and enter through an open window on the first floor. He paused when he entered, only relaxing when he heard the faint tell tale signs of the meeting going on through the floor. When he realized no one had noted his entrance he set to work finding Ortiz's study, deeming it to be the most likely place for Ortiz to have stashed the documents.

It took him several agonizing minutes but eventually he found the study and began work riffling through the drawers of the desk in search of his objective.

So focused on his work he was he didn't hear the creaking of the stairs as someone began climbing to the floor he was currently searching. He had just pulled out a box, which upon first glance seemed to contain the documents he had been sent to find, when the person, clearly drunk, stumbled on the stairs.

Panic rising in his chest D'Artagnan placed the box in his jacket and ran to the window, quietly opening it and slipping out, hanging onto the branch of a nearby tree so he could then shut it and erase his presence in the study.

As soon as he was clear of the house D'Artagnan run flat out into the woods, a favourite place of his to explore as a child the Gascon knew it like the back of his hand and didn't stop running until he came to a perfectly concealed cave that had become something of a secret hideout for him as a young boy.

Once he had caught his breath and calmed his racing heart D'Artagnan opened the box, his heart soring when he saw the familiar royal seal on the first few documents. Elated that, provided he rode hard, he would be back at the garrison in time for his brothers' return D'Artagnan couldn't help but grin.

The grin quickly faded when he continued flicking through the documents and found a few in Ortiz's own hand that had him paling in shock and fear.

The original documents were quickly put to one side as he turned all of his attention to the letters in his hands. He didn't know whether to be thankful or not for his father's fascination with codes and hidden messages growing up as it allowed him to recognize the coding method that had been used to obscure the details contained in the documents. It took him a couple of hours to decode them all but he grew gradually more horrified with each line he unveiled.

Most seemed to be to an official D'Artagnan was sure he recognized from his time at the palace and several were to a contact in Spain.

It was the contents of the letters that worried him however as they outlined plans to not only assassinate the King but to also remove several of his key supporters such as Cardinal Richelieu and Captain Treville. He felt his heart clench at the mere thought of loosing someone he respected as much as Treville to a man like Ortiz.

The letters also hinted at plans to cause 'distractions' throughout Paris for these events to be carried out but the 'distractions' would come at the cost of a great many lives.

D'Artagnan realized that Ortiz must have stored further information somewhere else in his study. Whilst the letters and documents were enough to implicate the Spaniard in the coming events and would most likely be enough to convince even the Cardinal that the threat was real they didn't go into detail as to when it was all supposed to go down and what the 'distractions' would actually be.

Scowling as he came to the conclusion that he would have to risk breaking in again D'Artagnan made quick work hiding what information he had taken at the back of the cave before stealthily setting off back to Ortiz's house

END FLASH BACK

"Mon Dieu!" Aramis breathed once D'Artagnan had finished explaining. Now they all understood why their brother was so determined not to give anything up to Ortiz.

"Where are they now D'Artagnan?" Asked Athos quietly having noted that the boy refused to speak of where he hid the documents in his story, eyeing the door suspiciously as he spoke.

"…Safe" came a tired reply from the Gascon. Everything that had happened had left his entire body completely drained and now he was under Porthos's protective arm and encompassed in his warmth his eyes were struggling to stay open.

"Sleep whelp" chuckled Porthos, having noticed the youngsters trouble. "You'll be safe tonight" he added, placing a kiss on the top of D'Artagnan's head and as soon as the words had left his mouth D'Artagnan was asleep against his side, the Gascon's head resting lightly on his chest. The weight of it was slightly uncomfortable given all the bruises he no doubt had on that side of him but after everything their brother had been through he was willing to put up with the discomfort if it meant the boy could get a few hours undisturbed rest.