Evening My Lovelies

Hope you are all having a lovely Christmas and because I love you all here is the first chapter of a new story as a present for you all :)

I'm a bit nervous to publish something new after my last story got such an amazing response. Thanks to you all we managed to end it with over 400 reviews and 40K views so thank you so much for that *bows deeply*

Anyways this story originated all out of a devilishly evil cliff-hanger idea that came to me that had me sitting down to work out a story that could then lead up to it happening.

The first couple of chapters are a little short but they'll get longer when we really get into things so stick with me :)

As always with my stories expect lots of whumpage, comforting musketeers and snuggly moments :D

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

xxx

Disclaimer: I dont own the musketeers... just the odd characters I have created

Chapter One: Waking Up

As he slowly returned to consciousness the musketeer was distinctly aware of just how much pain his body was in. Every single part of him hurt, so much so that there was a part of his brain that wanted nothing more than to return to the blissful, painless oblivion that unconsciousness promised.

The only upside to the pain the musketeer reasoned was that it told him he was still alive… Although given the events of the past couple of weeks he wasn't a hundred percent sure that that piece of news was good.

He was glad to be alive, being so meant that there was still a chance for him to get vengeance for the pain he and his most beloved brothers had endured…

Brothers! That single thought spurred the musketeer further back into the waking world. He needed to protect them, they had suffered greatly and he had been powerless to stop it and although the pain ricocheting through his body told him that he would be a pitiful excuse for a guardian, he just couldn't sit there and listen to their pain.

As his still muddled thoughts were solely focused on protecting his family it took a few minutes for the musketeer to realize he was not in the cold damp cell he had been previously.

This realization sent a shockwave of fear through the weakened musketeer as his hazy mind worked overtime to try and put the pieces together… The last thing he remembered had the four of them, 'the inseparables' as they had come to be known, together in the cell. If he had been separated from his brothers he needed to find them fast before they suffered even more.

With this in mind the injured musketeer began to will his battered body to move; for his heavy eyelids to open, for his bruised hands to move, for there to be any sort of movement in his body. It was during this mission that he realized he was laying on something… familiar.

Moving his fingers gingerly he felt the all too familiar texture of infirmary sheets and if he strained his ears enough to push past the pounding in his head he could make out the sounds of a busy infirmary.

Realizing that he must be back in the garrison's infirmary the wounded musketeer allows himself to relax slightly, having unknowingly gone tense when he realized he wasn't in the all too familiar cell. Unfortunately relaxing his tense muscles brought the pain of his many numerous injuries back into the forefront of his mind.

Hissing in pain the musketeer tries vainly to curl into himself – an inbuilt reaction to pain. Only to then be stopped by a voice he knew well.

"Easy" the voice soothed, the owner of it placing his rough hands on the musketeer's shoulders in an attempt to both ground him and reassure himself that he was awake. "You'll make it worse if you do that"

Instinctively recognizing the voice as someone to be respected the musketeer complied with the suggestion and forced his battered body back into the position it had been in before he moved.

"C…Captain" wheezed the musketeer, his voice hoarse and weak, though whether the overuse came from pleading to both his captor and his brothers or from screaming from his and his brother's pain he didn't know. As he spoke he finally managed to open his heavy eyelids, meaning he did not miss the relieved smile Treville sent his way and nor did he miss the clear signs of tiredness and exhaustion that were evident on the Captain's face. The typically well put together Captain was now sporting clear bags under his eyes and his clothes were ruffled enough to tell him that the man had spent at least the last few days wearing them. There were also a few specks of blood on the Captain's hands that the musketeer prayed were from their captor and not one of his brothers.

"I am pleased to see you awake" Treville spoke, a small smile still on his face, though it became progressively more sad as he watched his soldier attempt to get into a more comfortable position. "How are you feeling?"

The musketeer fought the urge to snort at the Captain's question, having decided that if he looked even a fraction as bad as he felt then the answer to Treville's question was clear. Deciding to take pity on the Captain, who was looking ready to face palm himself for asking such a stupid question, the musketeer tiredly responded that he was in pain but would live.

After saying this however, a wave of pain shot through his body and he was forced to screw his eyes shut as he worked to breathe through the pain. This meant that he missed the flash of fear that passed across Treville's face at his words.

Almost as if the pain reminded him of why he had woken in the first place the musketeer shot his head up with such speed Treville wouldn't be surprised if he had hurt his neck, raising a questioning eyebrow and forcing himself not to let the mess of emotions he was feeling show on his face Treville waited for an explanation.

"T…The" the musketeer coughed, nodding gratefully when Treville helped him sip some water, the cool liquid doing wonders to soothe his throat. Trying again the musketeer looked at his Captain with pleading eyes and asked, "The… others?"

Treville sighed, having known that the question would come up sooner rather than later and he took a moment to decide how best to answer it.

In the Captain's silence the musketeer could feel the near overwhelming fear and panic for his brothers build within him and knew that if Treville didn't answer him soon he was going to get up and find out… Injuries be damned!

"C…Captain" the musketeer called, filling his hoarse voice with all the authority and determination he could while his eyes pleaded with the man before him to tell him of his brothers fate.

Shaking his head fondly at the bond that existed between his four best men Treville stood and moved slightly out of the way. Giving the injured man an unobstructed view of two unconscious figures he knew and loved resting on the beds next to his. Both men looked to be covered more in bandages than clothes but to see their chests rising steadily helped the conscious musketeer placate his fear at seeing them in such a state.

"They have yet to wake" Treville informed, a small smile appearing on his face at the look of pure joy and relief that had grown on the injured musketeer's face. "Their wounds were numerous and will trouble them for some time but the physician was confident that barring infection, they will fully recover"

Smiling at the news the musketeer reached over with a shaking hand and lightly stroked the hand of his unconscious brother. The smile faded quickly when the musketeer's still somewhat hazy brain picked up on the fact that only two of his three brothers lay beside him. Turning his head to face the opposite bed, thinking that he had just been placed there instead, the musketeer felt dread build within him, as the bed was empty.

"He's in there," stated Treville, answering the musketeer's unasked question with a nod of his head, gesturing to the room at the end of the infirmary. The door to the room was closed but every now and then they could hear something that alerted them to the fact that something was going on

Before anyone could say anything further the door to the room opened and a haggard and weary doctor emerged, drying his hands on a small rag. Upon seeing one of his patients awake he wiped the weariness from his face and approached the pair.

"Bout time one of you woke up" he commented lightly, checking the musketeer's many wounds for any signs of infection, sighing in relief when he wound them inflamed but clear of infection.

"How is he" the musketeer demanded tiredly, his energy was leaving him fast and both Captain and doctor doubted that there was anything other than the need to know his brothers were safe that was keeping him awake.

The small smile that had grown on the doctor's face quickly vanished at the question, filling both Captain and soldier with panic and dread.

"I have done all I can" the doctor stated grimly, guilt at the pain he was causing the men before him was clear to see. "Whether he makes it… That's up to him now."