The sound of someone screaming woke Ellie up suddenly. She groaned, looking around blearily. Brujon was half awake next to her, the two squashed onto Ellie's old bed.

"Oh, this is weird," Ellie said tiredly, standing up and pulling on her trousers and Brujon's shirt. "Old room."

"It's too small," Brujon mumbled, moving into the middle of the bed and pulling the blanket up over him.

"That's because it was just me," Ellie replied, leaning down and kissing his head. "I just hope that wasn't Clairmont stabbing himself again."

Ellie walked down the corridor, towards where she thought she'd heard the scream, and into the dining room, stopping short when she saw Bonnaire lying on the table, bleeding everywhere, Porthos on top of him and Athos and D'Artagnan sharing a bottle of wine.

"When I said, 'kill him', I didn't mean it literally," Ellie said, announcing her presence, leaning on the door frame.

"For once, I didn't actually do it," Porthos said raising his hands up.

"Wine?" D'Artagnan asked, handing the bottle to her. Ellie shrugged and took a swig, passing it to Athos.

"So, you get the diamonds?" She asked, sitting down backwards on a chair, leaning on the back of it.

"Yup," D'Artagnan said, nodding, leaning against the wall.

Bonnie groaned. "Please, get Aramis, I beg you," Bonnaire whimpered as Porthos ripped open his shirt.

"Aramis isn't here," Ellie said simply, smirking. "No idea where he's gone."

Bonnaire lifted his head slightly, glaring at Ellie, before dropping it down on the table again.

"Don't worry," Porthos said, getting comfortable. "I've watched him stich men up many times." Porthos smirked as Athos handed him a needle. "This is going to hurt me a lot more than it will you."

Bonnaire turned his head to look up at Porthos hopefully. "Really?"

"Nah. Hold him down."

Bonnaire caught sight of the needle and immediately passed out, his head hitting the table with a loud thud.

"Did he just?" Ellie asked, pointing at him, trying not to laugh.

"Yep," Porthos said, chuckling. "Turns out he's been in England the past five years. Jumped off the ship as soon as we left him."

"Son of a bitch," Ellie gaped. "Wait, England?"

"Trying not to get infested with lice," Athos added, a hint of a smirk gracing his lips.

Ellie hummed, snatching the bottle of wine off Porthos and taking another swig. "So, how many more diamonds?"

"One more, I believe," D'Artagnan said, sitting down on the floor next to her. He looked down at her shirt, frowning. "Is that a new shirt?"

Ellie froze, the bottle of wine halfway to her lips. "Yes," she said, trying to think of an excuse, "I got a hole in my other one that I couldn't fix."

"Huh," D'Artagnan said, nodding. "It's nice."

Ellie frowned. "Thank you?" D'Artagnan reached over and snatched the wine off her again, taking a swig of it. He handed it back to Ellie and leant his head against her leg. "Are you just going to fall asleep there?"

D'Artagnan shrugged. "It's comfy."

Ellie stared at him; eyebrow raised. She sighed, shaking her head. "Of course."

~ 0 ~

Ellie glared at Athos' back as he walked down the stairs.

"Why have I got to guard him?" She asked, following after him, ignoring Brujon laughing at her from behind.

"Because, unlike Porthos, you won't kill him," Athos said simply, stopping on the bottom of the stairs.

Ellie stared at him. "Athos, I held a dagger to his throat…a dagger."

Athos sighed, giving Ellie the look. "Stay here, guard Bonnaire, we'll be back in a bit."

Ellie swore quietly as Athos headed over to his horse, ignoring Ellie as she grumpily walked to where Bonnaire was locked up.

"Ah, Constance!" Ellie exclaimed as she spotted her friend emerging from Bonnaire's room. "Are you keeping an eye on him?"

"I doubt he needs someone to guard him, Ellie," Constance said, shaking her head. "He was stabbed in the back."

"Good, so I can go do literally anything else?" Ellie asked, crossing her arms.

Constance chuckled. "Go find Brujon." She pushed Ellie out into the courtyard with a laugh. "And find a shirt that belongs to you!"

Line break

Ellie threw an apple at Clairmont, her friend catching it without looking.

"Hello," Clairmont said, picking up his knife and slicing the apple into quarters. "How was Brujon?"

"Oh, shut it," Ellie replied, smiling as she nudged him. "Since when was my love life Garrison gossip?"

Clairmont smirked. "Since Eddie walked in on the two of you doing it."

"He told you?!" Ellie exclaimed, slamming her hand on the table.

"Lizzie, he told anyone who would listen," Clairmont replied, chuckling. "Not them, though." Clairmont paused, looking at Ellie. "Are you ever going to tell them?"

Ellie frowned. "They know I'm with him," she replied.

"I meant the other thing."

Ellie sighed. "Maybe. I don't know, Clairmont. Telling them anything about my love life terrifies me because of…you know who." Ellie shrugged, picking a thread of her doublet. "I am surprised they don't know that Brujon and I are –"

"Bonnaire's escaped!"

Ellie shot up off the table as the cadets began running around, searching for Bonnaire.

"I thought you were guarding him!" Ellie yelled at Constance as she marched across the courtyard.

"He was chained to the wall; I didn't think I had to!" Constance yelled back and Ellie groaned, following after her friend.

"Athos is going to murder me," Ellie muttered, stepping out from under the stairs. "Oh, I found him."

Constance growled, snatching Ellie's pistol out of her belt and marching over to where Bonnaire was being intimidated by three horses and the three riders sitting upon them.

Ellie chuckled, following after her as Constance stood behind Bonnaire, pistol pointed at the man's back.

"Make one move…" Constance warned as Bonnaire backed into her pistol, stopping suddenly.

Bonnaire slowly turned around, smiling meekly at Ellie and Constance as they glared at him.

~ 0 ~

Bonnaire groaned as D'Artagnan threw him onto the floor, the floor squeaking underneath him.

"Your Majesty, your diamond and your thief," Athos said, handing the diamond to Henrietta.

"My gardener!" Henrietta exclaimed, staring at Bonnaire in surprise.

"Gardener?" Ellie whispered to Porthos, stifling a laugh at Porthos' unimpressed face

"Forgive me, ma'am," Bonnaire said, looking up at Henrietta. "I am the thief. But I am also the principal agent in the jewels' return."

"Hang him," Henrietta said firmly, turning away.

"I could double your money for you."

"Hang him now."

"Surely," Henrietta's lady – in – waiting began, stepping forward, "if he could accomplish that, ma'am…"

Louis held up a hand, opening his mouth to say something but Athos shook his head. "Don't trust him. Every breath is a lie."

Louis quickly shut his mouth, settling on just watching the scene unfold in front of him.

Henrietta's lady – in – waiting, Caroline, spoke up again. "He must have the money he made from the sales."

"Yes!" Bonnaire exclaimed, pointing enthusiastically. "Yes, I do. Now you have the diamonds back, you might sell them…again. Thereby all but doubling your money."

"We'd better send for your partner, then," Porthos said coldly.

Louis frowned. "Partner?"

"He has a partner," D'Artagnan said, sighing, looking at Athos.

"The partner has the money," Athos finished, and Louis shook his head, clearly done with the whole debacle.

"There shall be no bargaining," Henrietta snapped, holding out a hand and walking over to Athos "give me your sword and I will execute him myself."

"Wait, wait, wait," Louis said, standing up from his throne. "Look, double the money means double the arms for soldiers. And I, for one, would like to see you win your war, Henrietta Maria."

"He betrayed me."

"Hm. And yet he has the means to keep England safe," Louis reminded her.

Henrietta sighed. "Show me this partner."

All eyes turned to Bonnaire, who, for once, was silent. He stared down at the ground, shaking his head. "I fear that is something I cannot do," he said quietly.

Louis sighed as his sister turned back to Athos. "Give me your sword."

"Emilie you fool," Caroline said suddenly, running over to Bonnaire.

Ellie stared between the two, eyes wide with surprise. Bonnaire never failed to surprise. Louis just sighed and turned back to his throne.

"Caroline, it is you who are the fool, my love," Bonnaire said tenderly, stroking Caroline's face. "What have you done?"

"What is happening?" Ellie whispered. D'Artagnan shrugged, clueless.

"This was my plan," Bonnaire said, holding Caroline close to him. "My idea. I was only trying to make a better life for my wife."

Louis, who had sat down on the steps of the throne, was very clearly done with the entire thing, groaning and running a hand over his face in despair.

"You're married?" Henrietta gawked. "Without my permission?!"

"Hang me twice over, but not Caroline," Bonnaire said, crying as he spoke, clinging on to his wife as if she was a lifeline. "Please, I beg of you. She kept your favourite ring. That was her idea, not mine."

"Bonnaire," Louis spoke up, "do you have the money?"

Bonnaire nodded. "I do, it lies hidden."

"Musketeers take him and retrieve it," Louis said as if it was the most obvious solution. Which it was.

"Louis!" Henrietta exclaimed, glaring at her brother.

"Look, don't let your anger outwit your good sense," Louis replied, sighing.

As Porthos and D'Artagnan practically dragged Bonnaire from the room, Caroline tried to crawl after him, sobbing.

"I petition the queen!" Bonnaire yelled as he was dragged. "I demand immunity from prosecution."

"You demand?" Henrietta snapped.

"Petition…to demand," Bonnaire corrected. "Not a penny crosses anyone's palm…till you let Caroline and I walk free."

Henrietta paused, clearly not wanting to agree to the terms. She pursed her lips and sighed. "Agreed. But you shall never set foot in England again."

"I can promise you, ma'am, that will never happen," Bonnaire said, bowing deeply. "God save you!"

Ellie rolled her eyes as Caroline ran after Bonnaire, tears still falling down her face as she tried to catch up with her husband.

"Please, never be like that," Ellie muttered to Athos as they walked out the room. "I don't think I can bear it."

Athos chuckled, smiling as Ellie shivered in mock disgust at the thought.

~ 0 ~

"You having fun down there?" Ellie asked, squinting against the sun as she looked at Porthos.

Bonnaire had admitted that he'd hidden the money when they'd spotted him the other day, hiding it amongst the dead bodies on the wagon he'd hidden on.

The dead bodies which were now in a rather large mass grave.

That they were now searching through.

Ellie was just glad she'd called guarding Bonnaire and Caroline. Not that they were going to try anything. Still, it made her feel good to causally point a pistol at Bonnaire, picking at the grass underneath her with her other hand.

"You could help," Porthos grumbled, his voice muffled by the scarf he'd tied around his face to try and reduce the stench.

"Nah," Ellie replied, shaking her head, smirking when Porthos gave her the dirtiest look possible.

"Down amongst the dead men," Aramis said as he approached them. Ellie looked up, smiling as he stopped behind her.

"Look at it all." D'Artagnan sighed longingly as he stared at the pile of money. "You could live like a king."

"What of us?" Caroline asked suddenly, looking at Bonnaire.

"We have the Queen's pardon, Caroline," Bonnaire reassured.

"But not theirs," Caroline pointed out, flinching slightly when Ellie moved her pistol an inch. "Who would know if we ended up in this grave?"

Aramis pulled his pistol out, clicking the safety off. "Are we doing this?"

"Comrades," Bonnaire began.

Athos glared at him. "Don't push it."

"Much as it pains me to say, he did save my life," D'Artagnan said, shrugging.

"Assuming he wasn't aiming at you." Athos turned to look at Porthos. He'd been unusually silent during the entire conversation, sullenly sharping his dagger. "Porthos?"

Porthos paused his sharpening, contemplating what they were about to do. His answer wasn't in words. He simply put his dagger into the mud and that was it.

It was enough for Bonnaire and Caroline, however, who both sighed in relief.

They both quickly scrambled up, moving on to the grass away from the musketeers.

"Well, that's that…gentlemen, Elizabeth." Ellie tipped her hat to Bonnaire. "All that remains to say…all for one?" Bonnaire asked, putting his hand out. He was met with four unimpressed faces and sighed. "Yeah, run."

Ellie watched as Caroline and Bonnaire disappeared, hopefully to never be seen again.

"Love makes people do weird things," Ellie said quietly as she stood up.

"Agreed." Aramis looked down sadly and Ellie reached up, squeezing his hand.

"Drinks?" She asked, giving him a cheeky smile.

"Only if you're paying," Aramis countered, and Ellie smacked his arm.

"The cheek of you," she muttered as Aramis laughed, his eyes creasing up.

~ 0 ~

"That's your third cup," Porthos said, slightly impressed.

Ellie nodded as she poured herself a fourth. "Yup. My tolerance has really increased. I'm like Athos, rarely get drunk."

Athos scoffed. "I can get drunk."

"After about four bottles," Ellie countered, leaning back in her chair as Athos glared at her. "And I'm not a grumpy drunk, I am a happy drunk – "she cut herself off as she leant too far back in her chair, nearly falling backwards. Athos sighed, reaching out to catch her chair and push it forward onto all for legs.

"Good," D'Artagnan said, shoving another bottle towards her, "have some more."

Ellie shook her head as she swallowed the end of her fourth cup. "Nope. I can't be seen getting drunk – bad example."

"To who?" Aramis asked, chuckling.

"The cadets! I'm always tell them off for…for getting drunk…and fighting."

D'Artagnan nodded. "Right…"

"They never stop," Ellie mumbled, slumping against Athos as she waved her cup around. "Always problems…no solutions."

D'Artagnan watched, not at all surprised, as Ellie passed out, falling sideways into Athos, Aramis rescuing her cup before it spilt everywhere.

Athos sighed, catching her and moving her head so that it was leaning against his shoulder.

"She never ceases to amaze me," Porthos said, shaking his head in amazement.