Evening My Lovelies

Just FYI we've skipped a few days a head now, it is mentioned but figured I'd give you a heads up here as well :)

Notes On Reviews:

Deana: Thanks for the review - Glad you liked it, Aramis doesn't fully believe them but it's a start. Enjoy the new chapter! x

Katie (Guest): Thanks for the review - Yay I'm glad you thought so. Athos was causing me to worry because he was talking a lot and I wasn't sure if I was keeping him in character the entire time. The ending of today's chapter might make you smile as well, its a bit of a cute one :) Enjoy the new chapter! x

pallysdeeks: Thanks for the review - Yay I'm glad you liked it. I figured that as Aramis clearly respects Athos and the man's pretty much the leader of the group that any talk about the medic's guilt kinda needed to come from him. D'Art will probably be telling Athos the secret in either tomorrows chapter or the one after. Today's chapter shows a lot of D'Art so hopefully you'll like it :) Enjoy the new chapter! x

FierGascon: Thanks for the review - *joins in cheering* :D Enjoy the new chapter! x

watlocked: Thanks for the review - We've got some more cute moments today so hopefully you'll enjoy them :) Yeah your thoughts on Athos are similar to mine which is mainly why I was worried about how I had written him, though people seem to really like it so I'm guessing I didnt mess it up :D Worry not we'll be getting a proper puppy pile soon, I just need D'Arts injuries to heal a bit more first. Enjoy the new chapter! x

criminally charmed: Thanks for the review - I'm glad Athos wasn't too out of character for you, I was really worried I might have gotten way off track in my writing for him in that chapter. Enjoy the new chapter! x

Debbie (Guest): Thanks for the review - Unfortunately that one conversation wont be enough to remove Aramis's guilt, though it will help a little bit. Enjoy the new chapter! x

f1gymnast: Thanks for the review - Phew! Glad Athos wasnt ooc for you, I was worried I'd messed up with him but I liked his speech too much to change it and it didnt seem right coming from Porthos. Unfortunately one conversation wont be enough to completely remove the guilt but its a start :) Enjoy the new chapter! x

Issai: Thanks for the review - Worry not my friend I had no intentions of having Aramis's guilt magically cured after just one conversation, it's much too serious for something like that. It did serve to give him something to think about though which is a start. As for who to bring over to my next story I've already worked out a good point for at least two of them to show up so I'm sure I can work them all in somehow... plus it means I don't have to stress over coming up with names for them all lol :D Enjoy the new chapter! x

Lilac Lavender: Thanks for the review - Marcel's final words definitely didn't help the medic's guilty conscious that's for sure. Unfortunately one conversation isnt going to be enough to completely remove the guilt from Aramis's shoulders, though it is giving him something to think about which is a start. I have a few ideas which might help ease some more of the guilt but I don't know if its something he could ever get rid of completely, though his brothers will be making a serious effort to 're close to a puppy pile but D'Art's wounds are still pretty tender and sore which would make a puppy pile quite painful for him so we're waiting until he's a bit better so he can properly enjoy it :D Enjoy the new chapter! x

Yorokobi Asahi: Thanks for the review - Worry not D'Art will be awake today :) Enjoy the new chapter! x

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

Love you all!

Enjoy!

xxx

Chapter Ninety-Eight: Troubled Sleep and Pleasant Surprises

"Do I really have to do this?" whined D'Artagnan as he looked towards Aramis, part of him not entirely sure if this wasn't just the medic having gotten bored and so deciding to mess with him.

"Yes D'Art," sighed Aramis, frustration leaking into his voice at the boy's hesitance to do what he was asked. "It's been proven to help in other cases and both myself and doctor Moreau think it will work for you."

D'Artagnan still didn't look totally convinced, his friends could see it and Aramis knew why. The solution he and Moreau had suggested seemed a bit ridiculous upon first hearing but as D'Artagnan's nightmares still plagued his sleep, they were beginning to run out of options.

"Can't hurt kid," shrugged Porthos as he tried not to wince in pain as Aramis finished up his nightly examination of the larger man's injuries.

Porthos and the other inseparables could see the hesitance in their young friend's eyes and they couldn't help but feel partially responsible for it being there. They had all but promised the Gascon that talking about the nightmares hounding his sleep would help ease them off, or at the very least slow down their appearance rate.

Unfortunately they all failed to realize that talking about them would also bring the nightmare and its content to the forefront of the Gascon's mind and as such D'Artagnan suffered from a particularly violent nightmare shortly after he had finished his explanation and passed out in Aramis's arms.

The nightmare had been terrifying enough that the few days that followed had D'Artagnan, more stubborn then ever, refusing to sleep. This had spurred Athos into summoning Moreau and setting him up with Aramis so the two healers could try and work out a plan to help stop the dreams.

They suggested and tried several different methods but D'Artagnan's growing fear of what he would see when he closed his eyes made it difficult for him to calm down enough for them to be of any help.

The only method they had found to be of any help was a sleeping draught powerful enough to send the recipient into a deep enough sleep that he couldn't dream.

The first time they used it D'Artagnan had almost cried in relief when he had woken up almost twelve hours later, rested and nightmare free. Unfortunately the draught was quite potent and neither Aramis nor Moreau were comfortable using it as an everyday treatment for the boy's nightmares.

D'Artagnan looked up at his friends, guilt churning within him as he saw the dark circles now adorning all three of their faces. He knew he had woken all three of them up on more than one occasion as he himself woke up screaming from the terrors in his mind. He hated himself for being the one hindering his friend's from getting the rest they needed to recover from their own wounds.

Athos had picked up on the young man's guilt fairly quickly and had wasted no time in ensuring that the Gascon knew none of the inseparables held the effects of his nightmares against him. Aramis had chimed in then as well, a sad smile tugging at his lips as he told several stories of what he had forced the other two men to endure during the bad days that followed Savoy whilst ignoring the exaggerated commentary from Porthos as he spoke.

"Just try it D'Art," pleaded Aramis, pulling the focus back to what they had been discussing earlier.

Sighing D'Artagnan hesitantly nodded. Porthos was right, it wasn't like whatever Aramis had in mind could really make his nightmares worse so he didn't really have anything to lose, and if he was being honest with himself the prospect of sleeping more than an hour or two at a time was something he was willing to try almost anything for.

Before Aramis could begin his explanation of what would be required they were interrupted by a knock at the door, though as they had been expecting it they were able to let the arrival in without any overly protective and aggressive moments from Porthos.

"Captain," blinked the larger man as he stepped away from the door to let Treville and Moreau in. "We were only expectin' the doc."

"Well if you hadn't kept yourselves locked away for the last few days, denying visits from anyone but Moreau I wouldn't be surprising you to give you a simple update." Scolded Treville lightly as he raised an eyebrow at the men.

"I'm sure Moreau explained what we are dealing with," stated Athos as he sat straighter in his chair, ready and willing to defend his decision to keep himself and his brothers isolated from the rest of the regiment

"At ease Athos," said Treville kindly as he lifted a hand to signal the man to calm down. "I may not appreciate being kept out of the loop, I do understand needing to put your brothers first."

"So what's the update?" enquired Aramis as he directed the conversation back on track.

"After you," nodded Treville as he looked towards Moreau, knowing that the information he had to tell them would ease some of the worry in their hearts.

"Corbett's fever broke this morning," announced the doctor with a pleased smile on his face.

"That's great!" exclaimed D'Artagnan, a bright but still slightly weak smile lighting up his exhausted face. Both Porthos and himself had been extremely worried at the state the musketeer had been in the last few days as both men felt slightly responsible for his condition having been powerless to prevent the injuries that led to his infection.

"'E awake?" asked Porthos eagerly. They had all been informed that Corbett had been placed in a drug-induced sleep to prevent him from hurting himself in his agitated state and they were now very eager to see their friend and comrade awake.

Moreau shook his head, "Not yet, we've started weaning him off of the drugs keeping him asleep but it'll be a few more hours before we see any signs of him waking."

"Can we see 'im?"

"I imagine that would do him some good," mused Moreau as he contemplated the idea, "Providing he doesn't react poorly upon waking we can most certainly look at getting you down to the infirmary for a visit."

Porthos beamed at this, having wanted to check on the man ever since his friends' wounds had all been treated. Part of him felt extremely guilty for putting it off as long as he had but another part of him reminded the other that Corbett would have insisted he stick with D'Artagnan and Aramis anyway.

"And you Captain?" asked Athos curiously, his intrigue only growing as he saw the man watching the Gascon with a smug, knowing grin.

"I've had reports from several of our men on patrol in the city about a certain Madame who has been relentless in her demands for answers about her lodger."

The inseparables couldn't help the chuckles that escaped them at the bright red blush that instantly flushed the Gascon's cheeks along with a goofy looking grin that lit up his face.

"She was asking about me?" asked D'Artagnan quietly, his heart warming at the thought of Constance's concern over him.

"Aye," nodded Treville with a smile. "She came once shortly after you and the others were brought back. Unfortunately given your precarious health at the time I was forced to send her away."

"And our lovely Constance has been hounding the men for updates ever since?" finished Aramis with a teasing grin as Treville nodded in confirmation.

"I sent a message to her earlier," added Treville, instantly gaining the full and complete attention from the Gascon, who had previously been lost in thought over the redheaded beauty that had stolen his heart.

Chuckling lightly at the over-eager expression on the boy's face as he waited for him to continue, Treville decided to put him out of his misery and finish what he had been saying. "I told her you were well enough for a short, and I do mean short D'Artagnan, visit and that she could come to the garrison in the morning to see you."

The beaming grin on the Gascon's face at the news was enough to warm the hearts of every other man there as they all waited to see what his reaction would be.

To their great amusement and surprise though D'Artagnan's head quickly turned to face Aramis, a wince of pain barely visible past the clear excitement in the younger man's face as he announced "I need a shirt." His expression serious as his eyes pleaded for the man to help him out.

"A … shirt?" blinked Aramis, having not thought that that would have been the first thing out of his friend's mouth at the news.

"I can't let her see me like this," explained D'Artagnan as he nodded down at the mass of bandages covering most of his body. "She'd worry more than she already is, please Aramis!"

"Easy whelp," chuckled Porthos, "I'm sure 'Thos has something you can borrow."

Unable to resist the begging look D'Artagnan was sending his way Athos nodded, with a slightly muffled groan, that the Gascon could borrow something of his.

Shortly after this both Treville and Moreau left, the doctor once again reminding them that the visit would be kept short and would not happen at all if the boy didn't rest.

Once D'Artagnan had calmed down enough from his excitement over the prospect of Constance visiting, Aramis walked him through the new plan to hopefully help his nightmares and once he was confident enough that he could at least attempt it the Gascon settled himself down to sleep, praying both for no nightmares and for a night of undisturbed sleep for his friends.

Unfortunately neither request was met but Aramis, who had been the only one woken by the Gascon's nightmare, noted a significant improvement to the boy's sleep. Not only had the dream not been violent enough to wake all three of them but, judging by the sky outside, the boy had also slept significantly longer before being woken by it.

"You good D'Art?" whispered Aramis softly as he pressed the shaking Gascon's head into the crook of his neck, letting his body heat reassure the boy and remove any remaining remnants of the nightmare.

D'Artagnan offered no verbal response, settling instead for nodding weakly as his tense body relaxed into Aramis's hold, his shaky breaths ghosting across the medic's skin.

"They won't last forever D'Art," reassured Aramis as he felt a few wet droplets land on his skin. "I can promise you that."

Both unwilling and unable to get back to sleep after his nightmare D'Artagnan remained awake for the remainder of the night, listening to stories from Aramis until the medic fell asleep again in the early hours of the morning.

"How's that feel?" asked Aramis as they finished helping D'Artagnan into one of Athos's shirts. The medic disliked the idea of the Gascon putting on a shirt, simply because it required movement which pulled on a great many of his painful and still healing wounds, though he also understood the boy's reasoning and as a romantic at heart he found himself unable to deny the boy's one request to spare his lady-love the gory details of the true extent of his injuries.

"It's fine Aramis," reassured the Gascon as he tried to blink away the tears in his eyes, it had not been a pleasant experience but for Constance he was willing to put up with it.

Fortunately before the Gascon could dwell on either the pain of his injuries or his growing nerves there was a knock on the door and moments later he was engulfed in a tight hug by his favourite redhead.

"Careful my lady," said Athos warily as he gently pried the now crying woman away from his frozen protégé, "D'Artagnan's body is still healing."

As Athos focused on Constance both Aramis and Porthos were discreetly trying to examine their young friend, both men knew that Constance's action undoubtedly ignited an inferno of agony for the boy, as she had not been gentle with her embrace.

D'Artagnan's body was frozen, completely tense as he tried to clamp down the screams of pain that were fighting to escape him, he could taste blood in his mouth and realized that in containing his screams he had bitten the inside of his cheek hard enough to draw blood.

While the rest of the room was focused on Constance's panicked apologies to D'Artagnan, Aramis quickly, and subtly, poured a pain draught into a goblet of water, lifting it up to the young man's lips with a look that silently told him what he had done.

D'Artagnan accepted the drink greedily, eager and verging on desperate for the draught to take effect as he forced his voice to appear as normal as possible when he assured Constance that he was fine.

"You had me worried you know," chided the woman as he furiously wiped away the tears staining her cheeks. "A good lodger's hard to come by these days after all."

D'Artagnan grinned weakly, hearing the underlying truth to her words. The warmth of her concern for him was a balm to the pain of his throbbing injuries and he honestly didn't know what he had ever done to deserve such a woman's attention.

The pair talked for a little while longer, both blushing furiously at the occasional teasing comment the musketeers would make as they watched the two dance around their feelings for each other whilst also observing the Gascon for any other signs of pain. D'Artagnan's body was still obviously tense but Aramis had sworn before Constance's arrival that, unless D'Artagnan showed he couldn't handle the pain of his injuries, he, and the others, would not interfere in any obvious way.

Before too long the time for the visit was up, neither healer wanting D'Artagnan to push his body too much when it still needed a lot of rest to heal.

Constance was about to leave when she paused just before the door, earning herself confused looks from the room's occupants. Three of those looks turning into smirks as she turned back around and approached D'Artagnan's side once again.

Without even thinking Constance lightly smacked D'Artagnan's arm, missing both the flash of pain in the Gascon's eyes as well as the obvious concern and desire to step in that entered the eyes of the musketeers.

"That's for worrying me," she scolded lightly, her blush deepening as she then quickly followed it up by cupping D'Artagnan's face and placing a soft, chaste kiss on his lips, effectively stunning the man into silence.

"That's… That's for coming back," she whispered before quickly turning on her heels and practically flying out of the room.

As soon as she had left the room Aramis was by D'Artagnan's side, inspecting the shaking Gascon's wounds without waiting for permission from the boy who seemed oblivious to the tears of pain now freely flowing from his eyes as he remained frozen in shock, a goofy grin teasing at his lips despite the pain as his mind registered the fact that she had kissed him…

Constance had kissed him…