As always I don't own the characters you recognise.

The garrison had changed little in the years they had been away.

There were still men wandering about dressed in the familiar blue cloaks, heavier now that winter had set in, and shouting at one another across the snow covered yard as d'Artagnan followed Aramis inside, with the others riding behind them; a long line of cold, battle weary soldiers returning home from a war that had lasted too long; a constant fight that had lost France so many good men and won them little more than another uneasy truce with Spain.

Silence fell as the men in the yard realise that their friends and brothers had returned before a loud cheer rose and they start to applaud; the older men who had stayed behind to protect Paris leaning down to explain to the younger recruits who these people were and what they had done for their King and country. Men began spilling out of the shelters, uncaring of the falling snow as they joined in.

Although it was a cheerful sound, d'Artagnan cared little for their applause and cheers. After spending almost two years fighting a war and seeing more death and destruction than he had ever wished to see, he wanted nothing more than to wash the smell of battle from himself, drink himself stupid and crawl into a warm bed he would hopefully be sharing with his wife for many years to come.

He had hoped she would be here to welcome him back; her wide, cheerful smile would be a balm for the weariness he had been unable to shake over the final few months of the war but he was disappointed not to see that familiar flash of red hair amongst the gathered crowd.

"Welcome home boys. And Merry Christmas." Captain Treville called from his spot overlooking the garrison yard and another cheer went up. He nodded at them before turning away in a clear indication that they were to follow him.

d'Artagnan allowed one of the younger stable boys to take his horse, and smiled at the nervous looking youth before turning to follow Athos as he led them up the wooden stairs and into the captain's office.

Treville sat behind the table as he always had, but he stood with a smile and gestured for Athos to take the spot before motioning to the tall man behind him, dressed in the blue cloak of a Musketeer.

"This is Marius, our newest recruit. He rescued the Queen and one of her handmaids from an angry citizen a few months ago. The King granted him a commission immediately."

There was something in Treville's voice as he spoke that put d'Artagnan on edge immediately and he knew, even before he caught the captain's eye, exactly which handmaids had been involved but he followed his friends' example as they greeted the smiling man amiably, shaking his hand and smiling at him.

"I have heard much of the Inseparables during my time at court." Marius spoke pleasantly. "My darling Constance speaks fondly of you all and there is no higher praise in my eyes. I understand you have helped her out on a number of occasions; and the Queen as well, of course – they are both trouble makers, are they not?" He chuckled as he spoke and d'Artagnan found himself tensing at his casual affection and the look in the man's eye as he spoke of his wife. He did not realise that he had stepped towards him until he felt Porthos place a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Marius, perhaps you would go and inform the Queen that the Musketeers have returned? She asked to be notified immediately and she will appreciate it coming from you." Treville suggested.

There was something calculating in Treville's eyes as Marius passed them, his gaze lingering on Athos, and they remained silent until they heard his horse leave the yard.

"He has been placed in the Musketeers by the new head of the Red Guards. The attack on the Queen was set up by the Marquis de Feron. He hired a few under fed boys desperate for money and neglected to inform them who they would be attacking; Marius was supposed to rescue them but it turned out the Queen's handmaid was more than capable of defending them both. Marius turned up at the end and put a bullet through one of the assailants and killing the second with his sword, claiming the victory. The Queen and Constance allowed him this because they did not think it was a good idea to advertise that a ladies' maid is so skilled with a sword. The Marquis thinks we are not aware of his part in the plot, but the idiot of a boy is more than half in love with your wife and told her everything while he was drunk one night."

"What was he doing with my wife at night when he was drunk?" d'Artagnan demanded, feeling his temper finally snap. This was not how his return to Paris was supposed to go. He wanted to see his wife; to touch her and kiss her and reassure himself that it wasn't all a dream – they really had married before he'd left for war and she was finally, completely, his. He wanted to be with Constance, not standing here discussing another man's apparent affection for her.

"She visits often; helps out in the garrison with things. She's helped a few of the new boys with their reading and writing, and the Queen sends her for news of the war. She has been here helping cook and mending uniforms and it would be unwise to underestimate her influence on the Queen. She convinced her to provide for a large quantity of food and prepared a Christmas meal last week for us all, since most of us will have to be on guard in the Palace on Christmas Day. I won't lie to you; she has been a godsend on some days and Marius is not the only new Musketeer half in love with her; he is just the only one daring enough to try and do something about it."

"That doesn't explain why he was with her when he was drunk." d'Artagnan snapped again. Treville sighed wearily, rubbing his forehead before facing him again.

"She was leaving after dining with me one evening a month or so ago, and he stumbled into her and stopped her. I heard the story from Serge who said she was going to slap him before he started talking. He told her all about his high and powerful friends and what a good life he could provide for her because the newest member of the court of King Louis was in his debt. She listened and then she came and told me. She has been trying to stay away from him ever since but he is a favourite of the King and she cannot avoid him completely, especially at this time of year; you know how many balls the King insists on and how large a guard he requests – some of the younger boys are good but we sent the bulk of our strength to the boarders and we've had to make do with what we have, which includes Marius. When they meet, he stays as close as possible to her. She is uncomfortable with the attention, but she has learned some interesting information that we would not have known otherwise so I have not warned him away."

"He doesn't know she's married to a fellow Musketeer?" Aramis questioned, exchanging an angry look with Porthos. It was one thing to take another man's wife as a lover but only a man with no honour would knowingly set out to seduce the wife of a fellow soldier while he was at war.

"The marriage is not widely known – only a few know about it and most of them were off fighting with you and the Queen, I have heard, has found the whole affair to be extremely entertaining. He asked around and was told the story of Monsieur Bonacieux being murdered in the palace, and I believe he thinks the ring on Constance's finger was put there by him. I admit I did not disabuse him of this notion as I was rather looking forward to seeing the look on his face when he saw your reunion."

There was a smirk on Treville's face and d'Artagnan felt himself slowly relax as the others laughed.

"We will speak more of this later, and I will ask Constance to tell you everything she has learned from Marius but for now go and get cleaned up, boys. There is to be a pre-Christmas celebration in the palace this evening; I have no doubt the King and Queen will be requesting your presence any moment now and a war is no excuse for appearing in front of the court in the state you're in."

d'Artagnan followed Aramis and Porthos out, leaving Athos and Treville to discuss what would happen now to the camps set up around the boarders and the soldiers who remained there.

"Don't look so worried, d'Artagnan. You know Constance adores you." Aramis spoke softly as they set off across the yard again.

"And I her." He agreed. "But I do not like the idea of the Captain using Constance to spy on this man. If the Marquis de Feron is as dangerous as we believe, I do not want her getting involved. Last time she got involved with court politics, she almost lost her head – I won't allow that to happen again."

"I dare you to tell her that." Porthos chuckled.

"Do it while we're present, would you? I do need some amusement right now." Aramis joked as he followed them. "And there is nothing as amusing as watching Constance shouting at someone else."

They were clean and dressed in new uniforms by the time the summons arrived. They followed Treville to the throne room, bowing low at the sight of their monarchs and nodding in thanks at the polite applause that greeted them. It was neither as sincere or as heart warming as the cheers had been in the garrison and d'Artagnan knew the people in this room had barely been touched by the war and would never fully appreciate what they had gone through as soldiers.

"Well done, Musketeers." Louis greeted them with a wide smile. "with all your hard work and dedication to your country, we certainly showed the Spanish that France is not a country to be trifled with, did we not?"

"Indeed, your majesty." Athos replied smoothly. "All the men who fought for France were brave and selfless; they all deserve such praise."

"Yes, yes." Louis agreed mindlessly and d'Artagnan exchanged a disgusted look with Porthos; it wasn't up to them to question their King but it was grossly unfair that the common soldiers, who hadn't been invited to the palace, would receive nothing for their own hard work and dedication to their country.

The King continued to speak, introducing the newest members of the court to the infamous Musketeers, including the new leader of the Red Guard who stared at the Musketeers coldly as they greeted one another.

After the introductions, d'Artagnan blocked out as much of the chatter as he could. He looked around the room as subtly as possible, his breath hitching as he finally caught sight of her behind the Queen's throne. She wore a new dress, and there was some type of red flower twined through her hair. She was, without question, the most beautiful woman in the world and he would thank God every day that he had been allowed to return home to her.

Marius was standing next to her, far too close to be proper, and he was leaning down to murmur something in her ear but the quick flash of possessive jealousy he felt vanished as he realised she wasn't paying any attention to the other man; she was too busy staring back at him with that beautifully wide smile on her face.

He paid little attention to the rest of words spoken by the King or the Cardinal, and he barely heard the female soprano who was singing Christmas hymns for their enjoyment. He could hear his friends murmuring beside him but did not join in their conversations. He was greatly relieved when the Queen announced their departure.

It took a while for the room to clear, as the King and Queen greeted people as they passed them, nodding at those who curtsied and bowed, and exchanging words with some of the more noble born.

He watched as the Queen stopped by Constance and reached a hand out to her. He was too far away to hear the exchange but he could see the Queen gesture in his direction and saw Constance's smile widen as she nodded in agreement. He could also see Marius listening intently but it was clear the other Musketeer did not understand what the Queen was talking about by the frown on his face as he looked between the two women and where d'Artagnan stood beside his friends.

Once the King and Queen had left, and their courtiers had followed, there was only d'Artagnan, the three Musketeers and Constance left along with the servants who would be clearing the room and Marius. He took a step towards her, suddenly nervous as she walked slowly towards him. It could not have taken more than 15 seconds for her to close the distance between them but if felt like an eternity as he waited.

"You are the most beautiful sight I have ever had the pleasure of seeing." He murmured as he stepped towards her. He ignored Marius' look of confusion and his friends good natured teasing behind him, and opened his arms just in time for Constance to throw herself into them. "Oh I have missed you."

She buried her face in his neck and he could feel the dampness of her tears as he blinked back his own. Her shoulders shook slightly and he tightened his grip on her, meeting the now cold eyes of the newest Musketeer. Marius no longer looked like the amiable, good natured man they had met that afternoon and d'Artagnan could not help his lips curving up in a smirk as he tightened his grip even further on his wife. He slid one hand into her curled hair and allowed the other to rest low on her hips; it would have been scandalous had they been in public but he could not bring himself to care as she pulled back slightly and met his gaze.

"I am so happy that you're home." Constance smiled through her tears, running her fingers through his hair and down his face, pausing at the scar on his jawline and shooting him a disapproving glare. "You look terrible."

"You should have seen us this afternoon." Porthos quipped, catching her attention and smiling widely at her.

"I am so happy that you're all home." Constance murmured again, reaching a hand out towards them without moving from his arms.

"We will give you and d'Artagnan this evening and catch up tomorrow, Madame." Athos told them. "I am sure there is a lot of news to discuss."

"Thank you, Athos." He muttered, before turning to Marius. "Monsieur Marius, I believe you know my wife?"

The other man straightened himself, flashing a small and insincere smile even as he met his gaze with cold eyes. "Indeed. It has been my great pleasure to guard Madame Bonacieux while you were away from home, though I was not aware that you were wed."

"It's Madame d'Artagnan, actually." d'Artagnan corrected with a smug smile. "And while I thank you for ensuring her safety, I am home now and your protection is no longer required."

He felt Constance tense and ran a soothing hand across the bare skin of her shoulders, stroking lightly until she relaxed again. He would pay for the protection comment, he had no doubt, but he wasn't going to allow Marius to see any discord between them, even if it was not serious.

"Indeed." Marius nodded. "And I will take my leave. Constance, I shall see you in the morning for the Queen's trip to La Rochelle?"

"Oh. Perhaps." Constance looked up at him suddenly before glancing back at Athos. "It will be up to the new Captain to assign Musketeers to the Queen's guard and I know she'll want to heard tales from the front line so it may be some time before we are reunited."

He looked as if he didn't know what to do with that news and d'Artagnan almost felt sorry for him then. He knew how it felt to be so enamoured with her that almost nothing else mattered but her love and approval and the unfortunate man in front them was never going to have either; it would be a bitter realisation for him.

"Well, then I shall bid you all Merry Christmas and take my leave."

They watched in silence as he left the room and d'Artagnan laughed as he felt Constance deflate against him.

"Thank God. If I had to listen to him talking about his 'friends in high places' one more time I was going to shoot him. No, I'm serious-" She protested as they laughed. "The Queen offered me a full pardon in advance. Athos, if you add him to the Queensguard, I will make your life miserable, see if I don't."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Madame. I don't think your husband would approve of your admirer having more access to you than he does." Athos replied dryly as d'Artagnan glared at him.

"Oh – you're not jealous, surely." Constance laughed. "He's an idiot. And a-"

"We know." Aramis assured her with a knowing smile.

"And he's working for-"

"We know."

"And he's trying to-"

"Yes, we know."

"Is there anything you don't know?" She was trying to sound cross but failed as she laughed and took d'Artagnan's arm. "Well, I believe you have been dismissed for this evening. Shall we go?"

d'Artagnan grinned and nodded, allowing her to lead him away from his friends.

Tomorrow would bring new troubles, he had no doubt, but tonight would be spent concentrating on nothing but his wife and their future.