"But, Captain, it's just a broken arm!"

Athos and Porthos exchanged glances as they approached Aramis' room at the garrison and overheard Aramis bemoaning the fact that Captain Tréville refused to return him to active duty until the aforementioned broken limb had a chance to heal properly.

"It's not up for discussion, Aramis," they heard Tréville reply, and they hastily moved away from the door when they heard footsteps moving toward it.

"Captain," they greeted as the man emerged from the room and closed the door behind him.

"Gentlemen," Tréville responded. "I don't care what it takes, but you need to find something he can do to occupy him until he's fit for duty."

Porthos grinned from ear to ear. "Isn't that your job?"

Tréville only answered by placing his hat on his head and stalking off to his office. Athos raised an eyebrow, and Porthos shrugged his shoulders before they entered Aramis' room.

There on the bed sat one thoroughly displeased looking Aramis, his right arm bound in a sling and his head leaned back against the wall in a display of unadulterated boredom. When he heard the door open, he cracked an eye to see who was visiting, and he perked up when he saw Athos and Porthos.

"Porthos! Athos! Will you do me a favor?" Aramis poured every ounce of hope and charm he possessed into his words.

"No. We will not convince Tréville to return you to duty before your arm can heal," Athos stated knowing exactly what Aramis was about to ask of them. Aramis' mouth fell open.

"You forget how well we know you," Porthos added with a smirk. Aramis released a long sigh which turned to a moan when it neared its end. "We could…play a game?" Porthos offered thinking it probably would receive an eye roll and a groan but nothing more.

Aramis rolled his head to face Porthos properly and considered his brother for a moment. "What game?"

Porthos looked to Athos for help because surely, coming up with the idea was enough of a contribution. Aramis joined Porthos in staring at Athos, and Athos began to feel cornered.

"Uh, we could, um…" Athos stuttered, suddenly unable to come up with any game worth playing.

"We could play cards?" Porthos suggested.

"Porthos, you won the majority of my funds last night. My purse cannot handle any further losses." Aramis offered a small smile making Porthos chuckle in response.

"I'm sorry, but all I can think of is hide-and-seek," Athos said and rubbed his hands across his face. Aramis and Porthos looked to each other to gauge one another's acceptance of the game.

"Sounds fine to me. Aramis, do you think you can play with that arm?" Porthos teased and was met with one of Aramis' more amusing than intimidating facial expressions.

"Of course I can! Athos, since hide-and-seek was your idea, you can count first."

It was Athos' turn to let his jaw drop. He was about to protest but then closed his mouth, confident that he could find his brothers quickly and thus not be the seeker for long.

"All right, we need boundaries," Porthos reminded them.

"Stay within the garrison," Athos stated. Porthos and Aramis took a moment to consider the space they would be restricted to, and then each nodded in turn.

"Fair enough," Aramis conceded as he rose from his bed. "Count to….60?" He glanced between his brothers in search of objections or amendments. Once again all were in agreement.

Athos settled himself on Aramis' bunk to count in comfort while Porthos and Aramis moved to stand by the door.

"No peeking!" Aramis said just to have it said.

"Or any other cheating," Porthos tacked on.

"Like what?" Athos asked for the sake of clarification.

"No moving once the count is up."

"No asking for help."

"From bystanders or players?"

"Both!"

"No….tricking people into coming out," Aramis said as though he had fallen prey to this particular method many times before.

"What do you mean?" Porthos inquired.

"No faking emergencies."

"Or pretending Tréville needs to speak with us," Athos added. It seemed to Porthos that his brothers must have been tricked many times before with those very tactics.

"Satisfied?"

"For now," Aramis said although he was still trying to recall all the ways he had cheated and been cheated in games of hide-and-seek.

"One." Athos laughed when Aramis and Porthos hastily scrambled to the door. Porthos jerked the window curtain closed while Athos turned his back to the door and called "Two!"

"Close your eyes!" Aramis demanded, and then Athos was left alone to count in silence with closed eyes and the slightest of smiles.

Athos took his time reaching sixty. He'd learned from his experiences playing with Thomas that the longer the count drew out, the greater the urge to change hiding places became.

"Ready or not, here I come," he whispered and left the room. After all, there was no reason to go shouting about hide-and-seek all through the garrison.

First he checked his room and Porthos' although he did not expect to find either brother there. It was a precaution, nothing more. Satisfied with emptiness of their living quarters, Athos made his way down the stairs to search the common areas of the garrison. When he was nearly halfway down, he paused and looked toward the door to Tréville's office. They never said the captain's space was off limits. He turned, ascended the stairs, and walked to Tréville's office. He took a deep breath and knocked.

"Enter."

Athos was immediately greeted by the sight of Porthos sitting in front of the captain's desk. Clearly he'd thought Athos was unlikely to search there so soon if at all.

"I'm not…"

"First to be found? You most certainly are," Athos chuckled and grinned as he turned to seek out Aramis, the sound of Porthos' grumbling following him out of Tréville's office.

Fairly certain Aramis was not also hiding somewhere on the second floor, Athos descended the stairs.

"If I were Aramis, where would I hide?" Athos wondered quietly. Behind him, he heard Porthos mutter something about skirts and the beds of beautiful women. Athos shook his head in amusement and headed for the infirmary and from there he systematically made his way around the garrison. When at last he found himself standing outside of the armory, Athos found he was desperately hoping to find Aramis inside. Otherwise, he would have to search the rooms of the other Musketeers, something he was not looking forward to explaining.

In a back corner of the armory, Athos came across several barrels that seemed to create a convenient wall to hide behind. He craned his neck around one and found Aramis lounging behind the barrels while munching on a piece of bread.

"Hullo, Athos," Aramis beamed as he made his way from his hiding place.

"Aramis," Athos returned the greeting with a dip of his head.

"Ah, Porthos! I see you've been found first!" Aramis cried with delight as he patted the large Musketeer's shoulder. "Well, you know how this goes. Up to my room with you then!" Aramis pushed Porthos in the direction of the armory door and then the stairs.

"But I hate having to find people! Aramis, can't you just be the seeker?" Porthos whined.

"Porthos, you're no fun when you complain. You were found first, so deal with the consequences and hide better next time!"

Athos smirked, Aramis stuffed the remainder of his snack into his mouth, and Porthos gloomily made his way back to Aramis' room where he began the count.

"ONE!" he moaned and flopped down onto the bed.