Athos had felt bad for having asked Aramis and Porthos to leave before d'Artagnan's belongings had been returned to him, especially since the two men had played such a pivotal role in recovering the items. Fortunately, the Gascon surprised him yet again by demonstrating that he somehow knew of Aramis' and Porthos' actions on his behalf, and he thanked them immediately the following morning. It was a testament to the strong relationship that the men had forged that the young man didn't even need to specify what he was thanking them for, and Aramis and Porthos had simply grinned in reply.

That day also marked Athos' and d'Artagnan's return to light duties, and Treville ensured that their assignments never left the Gascon alone, the Captain recognizing that animosity towards the young man still lingered among the ranks of the regiment. d'Artagnan did his best to ignore the sometimes pointed and very hostile stares he received, just as no one commented on the occasional appearance of a Musketeer sporting a blackened eye or bloodied nose, courtesy of the young man's friends.

On the eve of their return to full duty, the Inseparables decided to celebrate by heading to a tavern; it would mark their first such outing and was meant to increase the Gascon's confidence since they were more than likely to cross paths with others from the regiment. In truth, their return to duty scared the three friends just as much, or possibly more than it did d'Artagnan; all of them worried about the possibility of being deployed with others in their ranks who might wish the young man harm. Their outing was just as much for them as it was for the Gascon, sending a clear message to the rest of the regiment that the young man was not to be touched.

They picked a table in a back corner, allowing them to have walls at their backs and providing them with a full view of anyone approaching. Though it was doubtful that anyone would try anything with all four of them seated together, caution still won out. Early on, they found themselves approached by Aubert, the Musketeer moving slowly to their table, his posture non-threatening and his hands loosely swinging at his sides. "Good evening," he greeted the foursome, and the men responded, Aramis and Athos verbally, while the other two men simply nodded, waiting for the new arrival to explain the purpose for his presence.

Fortunately, Aubert was a no-nonsense man and he turned his focus immediately on the Gascon. "d'Artagnan, I wanted to commend you on your conduct, both while you were assigned to me for training and during the past weeks. I have no doubt that you are a fine addition to our ranks." With a tip of his head to the others, he withdrew, leaving the young man slightly stunned at what he'd heard. Aramis and Porthos wore matching expressions of pleasure, while Athos' face was a mix of pride and fond amusement, d'Artagnan once again having surprised them with his mature attitude.

Porthos was reaching for his horse's bridle, while Aramis held his dagger in his hand, ready to receive the piece of tack and make some minor adjustments to the stitching.

"No." The voice that interrupted them was unexpected, and made both of them startle before they turned to face d'Artagnan, the young man standing several feet away with his arms crossed. "Put it back," he said, as he looking pointedly at the bridle that Porthos now held in his hands.

The two friends exchanged slightly confused glances before Aramis responded. "Don't worry, d'Artagnan, it's just some simple stitching; easily fixed."

"That's not the point; now put it back," the Gascon repeated, his stance firm.

"There's no harm in it," Porthos countered, trying to convince the young man to approve of their mischievous handiwork.

With a huff, d'Artagnan strode forward, pulling the tack from the larger man's hands and hanging it back in its place on the wall. "Come on," he ordered, leading the way out of the stables and trusting that his friends would follow. He didn't stop until they'd crossed the courtyard and stood near their usual table. He faced the two men and kept his voice low, but the steel in his tone was impossible to miss. "A few torn stitches here, some soiled hay there, but it's alright – it's nothing less than Paseur and Cellier deserve." He stopped for a moment, the frown on his face deepening. "Well I'm telling you that it's not alright."

"But, d'Artagnan, I'm certain you endured something similar while you were assigned to help in the stables," Aramis pointed out.

"Exactly," the Gascon spat. "The number of things that were mysteriously broken had me up until midnight some days just so I could repair the damage and avoid additional punishment. It was a shameful thing for the others to do, and because of that, I won't stand for you doing the same to Paseur and Cellier."

"You can't possibly want to make things easier for them," Porthos protested.

"Of course not," d'Artagnan replied. "But I won't sink to seeking revenge, or have anyone else seek it on my behalf." His voice grew even softer as he finished. "That's what started this whole mess in the first place."

The parallels between the situations was unmistakable once the Gascon had pointed them out, and Aramis and Porthos couldn't help but nod, agreeing that they would do nothing to make the two men's punishment worse than it already was. As d'Artagnan gave them a smile of thanks, none of them were aware of Treville's and Aubert's presence on the balcony above, both of whom had caught enough of the conversation to recognize the honour in the Gascon's actions.

"Wonder how he knew," Porthos mused aloud as he watched Aubert's retreating form.

Aramis shrugged as he replied, "No idea, but it's good that people are starting to come around." Athos and d'Artagnan couldn't help but agree; they were relieved to see that the younger man was beginning to find some allies among those in the regiment who were still disgruntled about everything that had transpired.

Aubert's appearance had helped lighten the tone of their evening. Soon they were surprised to find that it was past midnight, and they'd consumed several bottles of wine throughout the night. Fortunately, the alcohol was spaced out over several hours, and none of them felt anything more than a faint warmth as a result.

"Time for us to head to our beds, I think," Athos stated, rising to make his intentions clear.

Porthos smiled ruefully, turning away from a card game in the corner, as he agreed with the older man's sentiment. "Wouldn't do to make Treville mad on our first day back on full duty." Although he was grinning as he said it, all of them knew that the Captain would be less than patient with them if they were hungover for morning muster.

Aramis raised an eyebrow at d'Artagnan who was the only one of their group still seated. "Coming?" he asked.

d'Artagnan gave an easy grin as he replied. "Go on ahead. I just want a few minutes by myself before I head back."

Athos' face turned more sombre as he asked, "Are you certain? I could wait with you."

The Gascon shook his head. "No, it's fine, Athos. I just want to relax a few minutes longer, and then I promise to head directly back to my room." The young man held his mentor's gaze as he silently assured him that all would be well.

Athos finally gave a dip of his chin, satisfied with whatever he found in the Gascon's gaze. "Alright. We'll see you at breakfast."

True to his word, d'Artagnan stayed at the table for another fifteen minutes, savouring the last few swallows of his wine before deciding to depart. He'd been anxious when they'd arrived, due to the prospect of returning to full duty the following day and about encountering one or more of the Musketeers who still held a grudge against him, but their night had been surprisingly calming. It was enough to almost make him look forward to the following day.

He made his way around the tables and exited into the cool night, the crisp air refreshing after the staleness inside the tavern. He'd travelled barely more than a dozen steps when voices coming from the alley alongside the bar got his attention. A part of his brain warned him to simply move along, but he'd been bored during his convalescence, and his adrenaline had spiked immediately at the thought that someone needed help. His feet quickened and brought him swiftly to the mouth of the alley, where the surrounding lanterns illuminated three men crowded around a fourth who was already on the ground.

d'Artagnan easily recognized the uniform of the Red Guards and announced himself, even as he closed the distance between them. "What's going on here?" he asked in a loud, commanding voice.

The men turned around at once, their surprised expressions morphing almost immediately into sneers when they noted the distinctive pauldron adorning the Gascon's shoulder. "None of your business, Musketeer; not unless you want to join your friend here." The fourth man's upper body and face was in shadow, making it impossible to discern his identity, but the fact that he was a fellow Musketeer was more than enough for d'Artagnan.

He smoothly drew his sword, and threw himself into the fray, two of the Red Guards meeting the Gascon's blade with their own. During his recovery, d'Artagnan had been forced to limit his physical activity, lest one of his broken ribs shifted. That had left him with more hours than he cared to count to work on his forms, and the practice he'd had was now paying off, as he easily parried and blocked the strikes aimed at him. While he was engaged with the two men, the Musketeer on the ground had taken advantage of the distraction to pull his dagger, thrusting it into the leg of the third soldier.

The Red Guard's cry caught the attention of another, and d'Artagnan took advantage and struck him in the head with the pommel of his sword. When his remaining opponent saw his two comrades defeated and on the ground, he acted in true Red Guard fashion and ran down the alley, planning to exit from the other end. With an amused snort, d'Artagnan sheathed his sword, extending a hand to the Musketeer on the ground. As he pulled the beaten man to his feet, the Gascon finally got a proper look at the man's face – Garon.

The Musketeer's face showed obvious signs of the abuse he'd suffered at his attackers' hands, and he looked both wary and uncomfortable as he stared at his rescuer's face. Hiding his shock, d'Artagnan took a step back to give the other man some space. "Are you alright?" the Gascon asked.

Garon gave a shaky nod, aborting the movement a moment later when it exaggerated the throbbing in his head. "Yes," he replied, still uncertain what to expect given his part in protecting those who'd conspired against the Gascon. "Why," he began, his voice trembling. Garon paused, attempting to pull himself together before trying again. "Why did you help me?"

d'Artagnan considered the man for only a heartbeat before he answered, "Because it was the right thing to do." Tipping his head, he said, "Good night." He turned and began to walk away, when Garon's voice stopped him.

"d'Artagnan." The young man looked back at the Musketeer, waiting to hear what the other man had to say. "Thank you," Garon finished softly.

The Gascon nodded, this time with a hint of a smile on his face, before resuming the journey back to his room.

His anxiety from the previous night had returned, and d'Artagnan stared at the garrison gates for several long moments before steeling himself enough to enter. As expected, he received cool nods from the men guarding the gate, but forced himself to stand tall and continue walking confidently toward the Inseparables' usual table.

As he continued to move through the courtyard, he began to sense that something had changed, and some of the glances in his direction held a modicum less hostility than in the past. The feeling was odd and unexpected, and d'Artagnan found himself having to focus far more than normal on maintaining his casual outward demeanor. He'd nearly reached the table when it happened, and he found himself immediately on his guard, wondering if anyone would actually be so bold as to attack him out in the open.

Rodier's gaze was pinned firmly on the Gascon, making the young man tense as he recalled the taunts the other man had thrown at him as he'd trained under Aubert's tutelage. By the time that Rodier finally came to a stop in front of the young man, d'Artagnan's hands were sweaty and clenched tightly into fists, as he waited for the inevitable to happen. The Musketeer looked at him for several moments and the Gascon prayed that the man couldn't hear how quickly his heart was pounding in his chest. Finally, the silence between them was broken. "d'Artagnan, I heard about last night." The young man waited for Rodier to find fault with his actions, leaving him with some excuse to lash out. "Good work," the Musketeer said before turning and walking away.

d'Artagnan's knees were weak as Rodier's words echoed in his head, and he fumbled blindly for the table, easing himself to the seat before embarrassing himself by crumpling to the ground. Stunned, his vacant gaze scanned the area for his friends, eventually settling on Garon, who stood on the opposite side of the wide courtyard. As their eyes met, the other man nodded, and something in d'Artagnan's chest eased. A minute later, his friends arrived and took their seats, the conversation between Aramis and Porthos already in full swing. As d'Artagnan relished the comfort of their familiar banter, he realized that his actions the previous night might have had a ripple effect, causing some of the other Musketeers to revise their poor judgement of him. With a soft smile on his lips, he acknowledged that confronting the Red Guards was not another unfortunate mistake and that, perhaps, things would be alright after all.

End.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who read this story, and special thanks to those of you who reviewed, favorited, and followed, as it was wonderful to be able to see the reactions to this fic. Thanks also to AZGirl who offered a great deal of invaluable advice and encouragement, and was willing to proof chapters on my sometimes very crazy schedule.

I hope to be back with something new in a couple months, and hope you'll give it a try. Until then, have a happy and healthy holiday season and I'll see you in the new year!