Evening My Lovelies

God did this chapter take ages to write! I thought I was on a roll for a while then I went to check the word count and it was something really pitiful (which was slightly disheartening) but I'm putting it down to the fact that a lot of this chapter is dialogue so it looks longer in my word document then it actually was.

Hopefully regardless of that you all enjoy it :)

Notes On Reviews:

Deana: Thanks for the review - I had kinda forgotten about Aramis's chest wound so thanks for the reminder, we're addressing that a bit today so hopefully that'll help clear up things. Enjoy the new chapter! x

Keesha: Thanks for the review - Yay I'm glad you thought so :) Enjoy the new chapter! x

Debbie (Guest): Thanks for the review - I was really pleased to get your review as your really not far off. I hadn't really had any nightmare moments so far this story and I really couldn't resist putting one in, plus it let me show how D'Art's suffering which appeased my evil mind's desire for whumpage :D I don't this Athos is really in any condition to be going up against our poisoner (whose identity we're learning today) but knowing Athos that wont stop him from trying. Enjoy the new chapter! x

criminally charmed: Thanks for the review - Gotta love Athos in his protective moments :D And yeah, definitely not a friend with the knife. Enjoy the new chapter! x

watlocked: Thanks for the review - I'm sure they'd appreciate the gesture if things werent so dire and needing their attention :) As for being noticed... wait till the end of the chapter, we'll be getting to that point then :) Enjoy the new chapter! x

AllForOne (Guest): Thanks for the review - Yay I'm so glad you're enjoying the story so far :D Haha I know what you mean, we'll be addressing their lack of guards in todays chapter though as for anyone being around to save Treville... you'll have to wait until tomorrow :) Enjoy the new chapter! x

Helensg: Thanks for the review - Aw don't ruin my whumpage fun with your logic! lol But yeah I agree our boys seriously need some recovery time, which is why I've changed how this whole bit is going to go down so they can get started on that by the end of tomorrows chapter. Enjoy the new chapter! x

Issai: Thanks for the review - Not far off actually, I've changed how this whole bit was going to happen so our boys can get some recovery time in sooner but I'm actually liking this new idea more so hopefully its all going to work out :) Glad you liked the nightmare bit, I can't resist D'Art having nightmares... Its like Aramis's rants of Treville's papa-bear mode, I have to write it at least once in a story now lol :D Enjoy the new chapter! x

Maryg (Guest): Thanks for the review - Yay I'm glad you liked it :) You'll be finding out who the man is and what part he played in D'Art's poisoning today...as for his motives of showing up now, we'll be addressing that more tomorrow. Enjoy the new chapter! x

f1gymnast: Thanks for the review - Not quite with Treville (you'll see today). D'Art's nightmares are always something I enjoy writing so I'm really glad they were so well received by everyone :) Athos in protective mode is too cute not to include so he had to be there and poor Aramis is going to collapse again if he keeps this up. Enjoy the new chapter! x

Lilac Lavender: Thanks for the review - God knows what's going on with the site and reviews at the moment but I'm just glad they still all seem to be coming through to my email, I always get a little giddy whenever I see a review has come through and everyones thoughts and comments are really helping to shape the story so I think I'd be a little lost without them. Yeah drinking from a water-skin you're not completely sure was there before was definitely not D'Art's smartest move (maybe another thing he could get lectured on) We seeing some more of our baddie today so hopefully it works well. Your comments about the nightmares totally have made my day :D Nightmares are always a favourite of mine to write (mainly for the comfort scenes that follow) so your lovely words regarding them really made me smile :D You'll be finding out fairly quickly if your idea was correct. Enjoy the new chapter! x

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

Enjoy!

xxx

Chapter Forty: Poisoned II

"Hello Captain…"

Treville froze as the knife was pressed ever so slightly harder against his throat, he felt the tip pierce the skin and a small amount of blood began to trickle down his throat.

"Daviau," acknowledged the Captain, his eyes locked onto where his men were rushing around in the main part of the camp. He head seen what Daviau had done to his men and he wasn't about to let him get his hands on anyone else under his command.

"Don't worry I'm not here for them," stated Daviau casually as he noticed the wary look the Captain sent towards his men.

"Evidently," responded Treville with a bored voice that didn't quite fit with the threatening atmosphere Daviau was trying to create, much to the man's irritation.

"You couldn't kill me before what makes you think you could do it now without incurring the wrath of every musketeer here?" Treville added, Daviau's failure reminder only serving to irritate the man further.

"I will admit I was very surprised to hear you still lived," remarked Daviau though the irritation he felt at that was clearly evident in his voice.

Hearing the irritation Treville couldn't suppress his smirk, "my men are very good… Shame the same couldn't be said about yours."

Part of him regretted taunting the man, especially when the knife was pressed even harder against his skin causing him to involuntarily hiss in pain.

"Your luck can't last forever Captain," spat Daviau as he glared at the musketeer, despite knowing the man couldn't see it due to his current position.

"True," acknowledged Treville, feeling no fear as he calmly addressed the man, "You could slice my throat with that blade of yours and that would be the end of it… Though considering you haven't done that I'm assuming you need something else instead."

"Smart man."

Treville shrugged, his eyes zeroing in on D'Artagnan as the boy once against screamed, clearly in immense agony. "I try."

Despite being behind him Daviau saw the look and a smirk of his own formed. "What I need," drawled the man, the tip of his knife now pressing against Treville's chin, "Is for you to come with me… without alerting your men."

Treville scoffed, quickly biting back another hiss, as the knife was pressed harder against his skin, "What makes you think I'm going to do that?"

At this Treville felt the blade being removed from his skin as Daviau moved so he could look in the Captain's eyes.

"How fond of the little runt are you?" Daviau asked with a knowing smile that had Treville tensing and his eyes narrowing.

"He has great potential," admitted the Captain, his voice betraying the bad feeling now settling within him, "Many of my men already consider him a brother-in-arms."

"Then how would you like to save them the pain of burying a brother?"

Treville's eyes, which had returned to D'Artagnan's form following another scream from the boy, quickly flashed back to Daviau, focusing on the man's one good eye as they narrowed into a vicious glare. "What?"

"It was oh so easy to get to him," taunted Daviau, "for a while I thought I'd never get one of your men alone and then out of your camp he stumbles, all tears and panic. I did think I might have lost my chance when he lost consciousness in the river during his panic attack but I suppose the boy has some brains in that head of his."

Treville's worry-filled eyes flashed briefly to D'Artagnan, guilt filling him as he remembered that it was by his order that D'Artagnan was left alone.

"What are you getting at?" growled Treville as he tried to push the guilt to one side, he could address it once both he and the boy were alive and safe.

With an ever-growing smirk Daviau plucked a small vial out of his pocket, "All you have to do," he drawled, "is come with me and I leave the antidote here."

"How do I know that's even the antidote?" snarled Treville but he could feel the desire to do anything to obtain the vial growing within him, "You poisoned him in the first place! For all I know that will just guarantee his death."

"As I told the boy, death is a guaranteed thing should his musketeer friends not follow orders." Treville visibly flinched at the thought of D'Artagnan dying, something Daviau took great pleasure from. "What he's feeling now… The pain? It's only going to get worse, your medics wont be able to keep fighting it for long and I promise you… By the end… Your boy will be begging for death."

Treville felt his blood go cold at the threat, it had been hours since D'Artagnan had been poisoned and the Captain could see how the lack of progress was draining the men.

Aramis, who could usually remain cheery even when injured, was beyond snappish and Treville could see the man was no longer bothering to hide the pain his wound was causing him. He had seen D'Artagnan stitch the wound well but the location of it would pull at the stitches whenever he moved meaning the marksman was in constant pain. Add the man's evident exhaustion into the mix and Treville was worried it was only a matter of time before he collapsed again, only that this time they would find the damage the sharpshooter had managed to do to himself would be greater then any of them initially realized.

Porthos had gone silent, the anger and worry was rolling off of the larger man in waves yet to everyone's surprise he was keeping it all contained, no doubt saving it to unleash on Daviau when he learnt that it was him who poisoned the boy.

Treville could tell how much pressure the musketeer was putting on himself though and it was worrying the Captain to no end. He knew, that being the least injured of the quartet, which would be a surprising thing to note should you actually look at the beaten and bruised man, Porthos saw it as his duty to do all the running around, to be the one searching for clues and supplies. This extreme level of dedication the man was exhibiting would be touching if it weren't so worrying.

Athos, now this was someone Treville truly feared for. The fact that the swordsman was lucid after just surviving a near fatal wound was beyond anything Treville had come to expect. He had been forced to have wounds cauterized before and so knew how much they hurt and how much it took out of the victim to endure, but none of those wounds had been on such a sensitive area like Athos's was. Treville had come to the decision, about thirty minutes into D'Artagnan's treatment, that Athos was using every single ounce of his strength of will to force back the pain that should have him unable to move let alone sitting up and talking, though this brought no end of fear along with it as Treville began wondering how Athos would fare when this was over. The musketeer already looked like anything more than and including a stiff breeze could knock him flat onto his back.

It wasn't just the inseparables he worried after either. Treville had watched Henri run himself ragged trying to keep the group together and things working as they should. The Captain was pretty sure the man hadn't slept more than a couple of hours at most since their initial ambush, whereas Issac, who was mentally strained from all his worrying over Favier, was struggling to stay on his feet. During Favier's unconscious time the musketeer had refused most food and water and obstinately refused to sleep, meaning that now he had very little in the way of reserves and those he did have were rapidly draining.

The rest of his men were also exhausted and running on fumes, it was one of the main reasons Treville had been pleased to hear additional men were on the way. The strain of having injured to watch over, criminals to guard, a camp to maintain as well as keeping a constant watch for potential ambushes had been weighing heavily on the men that had originally accompanied him and he could only hope that the new arrivals would help ease some of that and allow his men the rest they so sorely needed.

Despite the pain and exhaustion evident in every single one of his men Treville knew that they would all willingly endure all of it plus more if it meant they would not lose a brother and in the short time he had been with them that was exactly what D'Artagnan had become … a brother.

In the eyes of every musketeer present all the pain and exhaustion they were feeling seemed to pale in comparison to D'Artagnan if his agonizing screams were anything to go by. The young Gascon now seemed to be in a constant state of pain that neither Aramis's tonics nor Athos's actions could soothe. As the hours had gone by Treville had seen the growing fear in his men's faces as D'Artagnan's attempts to fight them when the pain became too much began to lose their energy. They could tell D'Artagnan's strength was failing him, the pain the poison was causing was draining everything he had and overriding any part of his mind that might have allowed the comfort the two men were tying to give in.

"What say you Captain?" spat Daviau, his voice pulling Treville from his thoughts. Waving the small vial in front of the musketeer's face Daviau couldn't help but smirk, "Your co-operation in exchange for the life of the pup?"

Treville glared, remaining silent as he hoped his men, who were gradually becoming more frantic as the frequency of D'Artagnan's cries grew, would eventually notice the intruder in their midst. He knew he couldn't really blame the men for the lack of security in their camp as he too had been distracted upon Henri's return with D'Artagnan but a part of him was already mentally preparing the lecture he was going to give his men when all this was over… Providing of course, that he still had his life.

After a particularly painful sounding scream for D'Artagnan, Daviau's smirk grew as his fingers gripped the vial tighter, bringing it closer to his pocket. "Well," he sighed, "if you don't want it."

Treville sat up straighter at this, fear in his eyes as the pain of his own wound was long forgotten.

Noticing the Captain's reaction Daviau's smirk only grew. "After all you've let men die before, why not now?"

As Daviau moved to stand Treville cursed under his breath, a vicious scowl on his face. "Wait!"

With a devilish grin forming Daviau turned around, "Yes Captain?"

"He gets the antidote if I leave with you?" the caution in Treville's voice was clear but so too was the hope and it was the hope Daviau was thoroughly enjoying preying on.

"Of course," he nodded, once again brining the vial out of his pocket.

Before he could change his mind Treville nodded stiffly, barely able to hold back a cry of pain as he forced his aching body to stand.

"You have a deal."

Daviau beamed, though the malice behind it caused a small amount of fear to settle within Treville.

The Captain watched with expectant eyes as Daviau placed the vial, with a note, right next to where Treville had been sitting, in plain view should someone come over.

"Lets go Captain," sneered Daviau as he grabbed Treville roughly by the arm, "Remember no alerting your men," he added with a growl as he noticed the Captain looking back over his shoulder at the flurry of activity, completely ignoring the blade that was now back pressing against his skin.

For a moment it seemed like they would be able to leave the camp without anyone noticing but then a voice cut through the air, bringing much of the flurry to a halt and causing both Treville and Daviau to freeze on the spot.

"One more step and I shoot you where you stand!"