A.N. Have I mentioned how much I love this series... :)... This is a tag to the episode 4 of Season 1 "The Good Soldier". The inspiration for it came from the fact that Athos never defends Treville after Aramis asks him if he passed on the orders, but he doesen't help Aramis either. Those two are my favorite characters and I wanted to explore what would happen if there was actually friction between them because neither Porthos nor Athos do much to help him. I may continue this or I may not but for now this is a one-shot... I hope you all enjoy this.

"Would you have taken your own advice if it was me?" there was an intensity to Aramis' tone which made Athos hesitate. Something he did not do often, if ever. Aramis wasn't just angry. He was over the edge and Athos was scared. Oh not scared for himself. He knew Aramis well enough to know that the younger man would never hurt him. Not physically at least. However Aramis had gone far enough to doubt Athos' loyalty towards him and that scared him more than any physical wound could.

"Why is this so important to…" he tried to sidestep the question but he wasn't allowed.

"No I need to know what you would do. I need to know if you'd still walk away Athos".

Athos sighed. It didn't look like the marksman was going to let this go. "Aramis I…" he began only to stop. After all what was there to say.

"No Athos. I. Want. An. Answer. Would you have walked away if I was part of the dead men of Savoy?" At that Athos looked up sharply. "You're not", was all he could think to say.

"I was meant to be", came the retort right back.

"Don't you understand", continued the younger man almost yelling now "Marsac saved me, he saved me and I let him walk last time. I can't", he gulped before swallowing and continuing "I couldn't do it this time. Yes Treville is my captain but those twenty dead musketeers were my comrades. They didn't die doing their duty they were murdered slaughtered like pigs in a butcher's clutches. You don't understand and you never will. You were not there. I love you Athos and I did not intend to deliberately mislead you or Porthos, but I owed it to Marsac and the others to find the truth. I had to", he finished voice far away.

Athos just sighed again suddenly feeling incredibly old and sad. As a soldier he had seen his fair share of death and destruction, but he acknowledged that Aramis was right. Savoy was and always would be something different. Something infinitely worse than anything conjured on a battlefield. Men massacred wantonly. So many lives destroyed. All to further some political ambition.

And Treville, their honourable captain Treville seemed to be right in the middle of this mess. And what had he and Porthos done. Instead of supporting their friend, their comrade, their brother, they had chosen to take sides. The question of sides should have never occurred, Athos told himself. It should never have come to this. Aramis should have never been made to feel alone. Instead that was exactly what had happened.

Athos remembered well the look on Aramis' face when Porthos had in fact said the exact same words. That they'd take Captain Treville's side. He had looked angry yes, but also saddened. And it should never have come to that Athos thought guiltily. They should have never allowed their brother to walk away angry like that. Instead that was exactly what they had done and by the time they had come back from hiding Cluzet Aramis had been, from what he could understand, attacked by Marsac at the Bonacieux house and then had been placed in the position of having to shoot one of his oldest friend's to help save the life of the man who had given away the position of the Musketeers in Savoy. For in that at least Athos had no doubts. The captain had done it. Aramis was right. His face had said it all. And Athos like a coward had stepped back and let Aramis walk away.

And now here they were with Marsac dead in Treville's office and the other Musketeers actually happy about the fact. They had all considered Aramis a hero for saving the captain's life and Athos had dragged him away to his rooms before he could do something stupid, like punch them.

Athos still had no idea what to say to his friend. After all Aramis had every right to be angry with him, with the both of them. In fact D'Artagnan seemed to have been more loyal towards Aramis during the entire time helping him hide Marsac. And what had his two best friends done. The ones who had actually seen and experienced the aftermath of Savoy. They had walked away. Or worse they had straight out told him he was on his own. In a way he realised that the two of them had been no better than Marsac. Whilst Marsac had left Aramis out in the cold with a wounded head, Athos and Porthos had left him all alone in their home with a wounded heart. He felt his throat go dry at the comparison.

And then there was Aramis' original question. Would he have, could he have walked away if Aramis himself had died that day and he had had the proof that Treville was involved. He already knew the answer to that one. Which logically meant that he should have been able to step up earlier when Aramis needed him, needed his help to figure out this mess. And Athos had walked away. He wondered if he'd ever be able to forgive himself for that.

Before he could say anything at all to voice his thoughts, to explain himself or ask for forgiveness, a knock on the door interrupted them and the captain himself walked in. And Athos coward that he was seemed grateful for the interruption. And when the captain asked for a moment alone with their medic Athos let himself be walked out without protest.

After all what was there to say