Evening My Lovelies! :D

Holy Crap! We're at chapter 90! This story is easily 2-3x longer then I was originally planning but I'd be lying if I said I regretted making it this long XD Part of me is tempted to see if I can ring out another 10 chapters so I can finish on 100 but I don't know if that's going to be possible.

On another awesome note we're ridiculously close to reaching 70k views as well!

Notes On Reviews:

Deana: Thanks for the review - Yeah poor Aramis definitely should be resting not working right now but don't worry he'll be resting soon :) Enjoy the new chapter! x

watlocked: Thanks for the review - Wow your comments totally made my day, what an amazingly sweet thing to wake up to thank you so much! I'm really happy you think so highly of my work :D x Right onwards to comments about the chapter :) Porthos is more teddybear then actual bear in this chapter he'll probably be having at least one more incident like that happening before the end of this story. D'Art's awake a bit today though lucid enough to join in with the banter? probably not. Glad you liked seeing Constance, she'll probably return once more before the story's over. Enjoy the new chapter and thank you again for such lovely comments! x

Debbie (Guest): Thanks for the review - Worry not D'Art will definitely recover, it'll just be a long recovery for him. Constance is going to show up again once D'Art's doing a bit better as our lovely Captain is a man of his word. Aramis will be feeling the effects of pushing himself too hard today unfortunately but our boys will be there to take care of him :) Enjoy the new chapter! x

Maryg (Guest): Thanks for the review - I'm just ecstatic you deem my story worth reviewing so don't worry about not being able to do it every day :D D'Art will be waking up a bit today though I can't guarantee he's totally totally lucid :) Constance will be returning before too long but I agree that our boys need to just be together for a bit with no distractions. Enjoy the new chapter! x

criminally charmed: Thanks for the review - We get some more brotherly moments today so hopefully you'll like them :) Constance... she was in love with him from the first time he kissed her I think :D Enjoy the new chapter! x

f1gymnast: Thanks for the review - Aramis is definitely going to collapse... very very soon :D Yeah Constance really didn't need to see him like he was, she'll be back when he's doing a bit better though. Enjoy the new chapter! x

Issai: Thanks for the review - Yeah Constance is not happy and she'll tell D'Art this when she comes to check on him later when he's doing better lol :D Porthos is probably going to have another incident like that before this story is over but our boys will calm him down and help him :) Our muskys + pup are definitely not going to be happy with Aramis for pushing himself so hard when he collapses :D Enjoy the new chapter! x

pallysdeeks: Thanks for the review: Haha don't worry she'll be coming back to check on him when he's doing a bit better and is lucid enough to reassure her that he's okay. Oh yeah Athos's isn't going to pleased with our lovely medic :) Enjoy the new chapter! x

MicheeO: Thanks for the review - That she does... though she's still going to yell at him for worrying her I think :D Enjoy the new chapter! x

Lilac Lavender: Thanks for the review - I couldn't resist calling him a puppy so I'm glad you liked it :D We've got a couple more moments of banter today which I quite enjoyed writing :) Poor Aramis wants to be bossy and get them to rest but he also understands they want to be there should anything happen with D'Art so he's kinda trying to find a middle ground... bossy-lite if you will :D We've got a few comfort moments today, particularly one with Athos which I quite like, hopefully you'll enjoy reading them too. I LOVE your idea for the return of Constance! That is definitely happening :D Thanks for the suggestion! Enjoy the new chapter! x

Cookies, Cakes & Wine to you lovely people who follow/favourite/review/read

Love you all!

Enjoy!

xxx

Chapter Ninety: Progress

"Hey Athos can you give me a hand?" Aramis asked, taking a moment to stretch out his back and to wipe away the beads of sweat on his forehead.

Athos paused in the card game he was reluctantly playing with Porthos to look up at his friend, concern instantly settling in his eyes at how exhausted the medic looked.

He had tried to help the man multiple times over the last several hours, after returning from speaking to Treville. Unfortunately for the swordsman however, his brother was vehement in his denial, insisting that Athos needed to rest his leg and that he was okay.

This continued argument ended when Porthos, who had gone from amused to annoyed at the pairs bickering, had literally pulled the swordsman over to him before picking up the pack of cards resting on the bedside table, his eyes daring his brother to back out and deny him.

Whilst he had been basically forced to play Athos couldn't deny that the game had done wonders to help him relax and to stop obsessively worrying about the Gascon next to his brother in the bed. It also helped that Porthos's usual habit of cheating was greatly hindered by the man's injuries, meaning that Athos won a lot more hands then he usually did.

"What do you need?" he asked gruffly, biting back a yawn as his eyes flickered from the medic to the unconscious Gascon in the bed. The boy practically smelled like a brewery with the amount of alcohol Aramis had been forced to pour over his wounds to ensure they were clean, though even from where he was sitting Athos could still make out the clear signs of infections in several of the stitched wounds. Aramis had been relentless in his attempts to stop it before it got worse but he was having little luck so far.

"I need to move him so I can look at his back," explained the medic, pausing for a moment to take a long needed drink of water, all while doing his best not to react to the minute tremors he could feel shaking his hands. "I can't do it on my own though so I could do with your help."

Athos nodded, thankful at the news as it meant that they had made significant progress in treating the youngster's wounds.

Without another word Athos moved to help his brother while Porthos shifted slightly so he could offer them some aid in getting the boy comfortable when he was moved.

Getting a grip on the Gascon, Athos couldn't help the surge of anger that shot through him at the amount of stitched wounds that littered the young man's skin, as well as the small, almost inaudible whimper of fear and pain that escaped the unconscious boy as soon as he was touched.

"…'Mis," Porthos said, his eyes fixed on the bed as the tone of his voice caught Aramis's attention.

"What's wrong?" Aramis asked, slightly panicked as he began thinking the worst.

"Whelp's back's bleeding," informed the larger man as he pointed to a stain on the sheets the Gascon was lying on.

Aramis looked guilty then; like the bleeding was his fault and that he had made some sort of mistake by focusing on the brutalized front of the Gascon.

Seeing that the medic wasn't about to make a decision on how to proceed as he was too lost in his imagined guilt Athos stepped up.

"Porthos," he said, instantly gaining the larger man's complete attention and focus. "There are some clean sheets in the chest there can you get them?"

Porthos was both relieved to be getting out of bed and eager to be of help to his brothers so he nodded quickly before moving to follow the request, pausing briefly once he was standing while he waited for a brief dizzy spell to diminish.

"Aramis," Athos said, placing his hand on the medic's arm as he spoke to snap the man out of the daze he was in. Once the marksman was looking at him he continued. "I can hold D'Artagnan if you and Porthos can quickly remake the bed." Aramis looked ready to protest the idea, no doubt in concern for Athos's health but the swordsman silenced him by continuing. "Do we need more pillows and cushions? Treville said to request anything we needed and I can't imagine D'Artagnan will be too comfortable lying on his front while you work on him."

Aramis mulled over the question for a moment before nodding, swallowing the lump in his throat that had appeared when Porthos mentioned the blood. "If we could get a few more we should be able to brace him enough that his entire weight isn't pressing on the worst of his wounds."

"I'm on it!" exclaimed Porthos almost jovially before putting the clean sheets down on the bed and exiting the room, leaving both Athos and Aramis to stand there slightly stunned at how quickly their injured brother moved.

By the time Porthos returned several minutes later, arms laden with pillows Aramis had completely stripped the bloodstained sheets from the bed and was in the process of remaking it with fresh sheets.

Porthos blinked in surprise, slightly confused at the lack of D'Artagnan in the bed until he noticed the adorable scene going on behind Aramis.

Athos was sat in a chair with his arms protectively wrapped around the sleeping Gascon curled up in his lap. Athos's face was tilted downwards and given the man's moving lips Porthos surmised he was whispering soothing words to their resident pup.

Smirking at the scene Porthos couldn't help but waggle his eyebrows teasingly at the swordsman when he looked up at who had entered the room, a quiet laugh escaping him as Porthos watched him scowl at him.

"You good there 'Thos?" teased the larger man as he moved to Aramis's side, passing the medic pillows and cushions while he placed them in the best positions.

Scowling at his brother Athos turned to Aramis, "Are you ready for him?"

Aramis had a similar smirk as Porthos on his face, though his was significantly weaker due to his exhaustion. "Yeah, just be careful putting him down… I've done enough stitching on the boy to last a lifetime."

It took a few minutes but eventually the three men were able to get the young Gascon settled on the bed and then even longer to gently wipe away the dried and fresh blood staining their friend's skin.

Once D'Artagnan's back was clear enough of blood for Aramis to properly examine the medic couldn't stop the furious string of Spanish curses that flew out of his mouth, making both his brothers raise their eyebrows in question.

"I recognize some of those words from when you went off of me," remarked Porthos warily, doing his best not to actually mention Vivienne's name as he remembered the incident when Aramis had just found out his friend had shot Athos and Porthos hadn't told him. Porthos knew that whilst Aramis had something to focus on, in this case tending to D'Artagnan, then he wouldn't be wallowing in guilt and grief. He also knew however that mentioning the source of that grief and guilt could very easily pull his friend back into his downward spiral. "I'm guessing it's bad?"

Aramis nodded sharply, practically biting his tongue to stop the curses that wanted to fly. Instead he pointed to the bottom of their friend's back. "They made it so he wouldn't be able to move without being in immense pain," snarled the typically mild-mannered medic as he glared at the cuts on the boy's back.

Overall D'Artagnan's back had sustained significantly less damage then his front, most likely because he would have passed out by then and so would be providing little in the way of 'entertainment' for his tormentors.

The worst of the cuts were the two long gashes that stretched from the base of his neck to the top of his breeches on either side of his spine and a long cut that intersected both, going from his left hip to his right.

"Even when I've stitched these," explained Aramis, his breathing heavy as he tried to force himself to calm down. "He wont be able to bend without pulling these," he said pointing at the mirrored gashes down the length of his spine. "And he wont be able to twist without pulling this," he spat, pointing at the cut connecting his hips.

That news only intensified the anger the musketeers felt towards the now deceased Marcel and his men and they had to give themselves a minute before they were thinking clear enough to move on. Without another word on the matter the three of them picked up tweezers and set to work clearing the wounds, both Athos and Porthos silently deciding to ignore the exasperated looks Aramis was sending them for pushing their wounds.

With the three of them working in unison they were able to get all of the wounds on D'Artagnan's back cleaned quickly and to their joint relief none showed signs of infection.

"Put it down," ordered Aramis without even looking up from where he had begun stitching one of the wounds. When nothing followed his instruction he tried again, putting more command behind his voice this time. "I'm serious Porthos put that down before I stab you with it."

"You'd attack a wounded man?" queried his friend, mock hurt in his voice as the larger man put his hand over his heart.

Aramis glanced up from his work, a teasing yet still somewhat serious look in his eyes as he said, "D'Artagnan's suffered enough, let's not make him endure your atrocious needlework too."

Porthos turned to Athos, looking from support from his other friend, only to find him watching him with a similar look to Aramis's on his face.

"Fine," grumbled the larger man, though there was a faint upwards tug on his lips that negated any actual offense. "See if I offer to help again if that's how you're gonna treat me."

Aramis laughed, his eyes twinkling with mirth at his brother's childish actions and pout. "Oh mon ami, I'm sure you'll live."

With the tension in the room alleviated by the last round of banter both Aramis and Athos were able to make quick work on the few wounds that marred their friend's back.

They had just finished wrapping the Gascon's wounds in bandages, the resulting effect making the young man looking more bandage then boy, when a soft groan caught their attention.

"D'Art?" called Aramis softly, placing a hand gently on the back of the boy's neck, his thumbs running small, soothing circles over his skin.

The musketeers tensed as they waited for another sign from their young friend. None of them wanted to push the matter; especially as the last time he looked like he was waking he had actually been suffering an intense nightmare.

When another pained groan escaped the stirring Gascon, Aramis tried calling his name once again.

"…'Mis?" came a slurred and pained response, though the musketeers could care little about that as they were too relieved at the sight of their friend awake.

"Yeah it's me D'Art," smiled Aramis as he brushed a lock of hair out of D'Artagnan's eyes. "Porthos and Athos are here too."

"How you doing whelp?" grinned Porthos, reaching out to ruffle the boy's hair, a chuckle escaping him when he saw the attempt at a scowl D'Artagnan tried to send his way.

"…'Thos?"

"I'm here D'Artagnan," said Athos softly as a fond smile tugged at his lips. The swordsman then noticed his protégé was trying to move to better see him so he quickly moved to the other side of Aramis, biting his cheek against the pain as he settled himself on the floor; his head now level with D'Artagnan's own.

"…Thos…" smiled D'Artagnan weakly, the smile growing when Athos reached over and took his hand in his own.

Athos was about to say something when a look in D'Artagnan's slightly glazed eyes stopped him, leaving him and the others to wait and see what the boy was going to say.

"…Thos," slurred D'Artagnan, "…Did y'u know… 'Mis could sing?"

The three men blinked, completely surprised by the random and bizarrely timed statement from their friend. Aramis himself blushed slightly as everyone turned to look at him, each having heard his Spanish lullaby to the Gascon when he had woken from the nightmare.

Used to dealing with random, fever inspired questions, which he assumed this was given the glazed eyes and warm skin, Athos was the first to recover.

"He has been known to sing on occasion," nodded the swordsman, not reacting to the snort of laughter that escaped Porthos at the seriousness of his expression when he was talking and the increasingly embarrassed expression Aramis was sporting.

"…s'pretty," mumbled D'Artagnan as he leaned into his mentor's touch, the man's hand having once again found its way into the Gascon's hair.

An amused grin tugged at Athos's lips as he listened to the boy sleepily mumble, what he assumed to be, praise at Aramis's singing. Part of him knew he should be concerned, given the fact that it was an infection driven fever that prompted this bizarre attitude from the young man, but the larger part of him was simply relishing the sound of his friend's voice and the sight of him awake after so long.

"I'm going to see about getting him some weak broth or something," announced Aramis suddenly, the man limping out of the room before either musketeer could stop him, though the embarrassed blush on his cheeks had the pair of them chuckling at their brother's expense.

D'Artagnan frowned at the medic's sudden departure, his mind too overwhelmed by fever and pain to really understand what was going on.

"…Did I do something?" he asked quietly, his words slurring slightly as exhaustion and pain plagued him.

Both Athos and Porthos's expressions sombered instantly at that and both men reached out to offer comfort and reassurances to the slightly out of it youth.

"Nah whelp," smiled Porthos, "'Mis is getting you food, he'll be back soon."

That seemed to appease the Gascon as he weakly nodded, a small whimper escaping him as his injuries flared up.

Outside Aramis took a moment, leaning heavily against the bannister, to collect himself and let the relief he felt run its course.

Once the moment was over Aramis furiously wiped his eyes and limped towards the stairs, occasionally shaking his head in hopes of dispelling the trouble he was having with his vision.

Just as he reached the top of the stairs his vision span dangerously at the exact moment that he put a bit too much of his weight on his injured leg, sending an overwhelming about of pain through his body.

The last thing he registered were his hands flying out to blindly grasp the handrail before pain and darkness overtook him.