Mr Bonacieux sat across from me, looking rather displeased. I had never see him so upset.

"Do you know why I'm here?"

I felt like a child again, getting in trouble by my father.

I shake my head.

"I have invited you for Dinner multiple times in the past few weeks. You have declined every single one. How is an Old man suppose to take that in any other way besides, you simply wish not to visit."

"It's not that, I promise. I enjoy our visits, truly. I just have been busy. My shifts have been upped in these past weeks."

He isn't much convinced but doesn't pry.

"Well I talked to Treville. He says you've finished your shift of the day, so you will come tonight. Constance is coming tonight as well."

"I wouldn't miss it."

We get up from the picnic table, and he gives me a hug before limping off.

As he goes, I catch a rare sighting of Athos. He's dragging himself on from his shift, trying to scurry to his room.

"Athos!" I shout. He ignores me.

I run over and stop in front of him.

"So you're ignoring me now?"

"Not now Daria, I'm tired." He tries to go past me but I put my hand on his shoulder to stop him. He shakes it off.

"Not now!" He shouts at me. The venom of it causing me to jump back. He tries to step towards me, as if to to apologize. I step back again.

"I don't know what going on with you. Or what you're hiding. But I am done with the secrects. I care about you Athos, we all do. Aramis and Porthos have been worried sick about you. You walk around here drunk most days, and when your not drunk your hiding away in your room. If you are gonna drink yourself into the grave, I will not sit around and watch you. I am done with the secrects." I stomp away.

I felt bad about what I said. Maybe it was harsh, maybe it wasn't harsh enough. I didn't see Athos again for the rest evening. After putting on a decent dress and cleaning up. I step outside of my room. Porthos and Aramis sit, drinking at the tables. I stroll over to them.

"Another dress? Daria, you're scaring me." Porthos jests.

I do a spin for them. As much as I loved my uniform, it felt nice to free myself from the hot leather once in awhile.

"Date night?" Aramis inquires.

"Dinner with The Bonacieux's & my brother. What about you two? Any plans?"

"Just this." Porthos lifts a mug up in the air before bringing it to his lips.

I nod, rocking on my heels.

"No, Daria. We haven't seen him."

"I wasn't gonna ask that."

"No but you were thinking it. We are worried about him too. We've never seen him this...distracted? He's always been pretty self destructive but this level is new to us."

"Most of us don't talk about our past to some degree. The person you are before you become a Musketeer, is a wildly different person. But Athos doesn't say anything about his past. Hell, he won't even tell us his last name." Porthos adds.

"That isn't strange to you?"

"Athos is a strange man. But he's loyal and someone I trust to fight beside me without stabbing me in the back when I'm not looking. He's a survivor like us."

The worry in the pit of my stomach doesn't ease at the information.

"Don't stress yourself out too much. He'll come around. I'm sure of it." Aramis tries to ease the dread I feel. Though he doesn't says it to assuredly.

I leave them to their drinks and head to Mr Bonacieuxs.

When I knock on the door, instead of the old man, Constance's vibrant round face greets me.

"Daria! It's so good to see you!" She throws her arms around me. Squeezing the life out of me.

"We see eachother often Constance." I say through small gasps.

He twines her arm into mine, and walks me inside.

"We may see eachother, but we don't get to see eachother. You are always at the Kings side and I the Queens. I'm sure you're aware they rarely exchange many words, let alone stay in the same room more than an hour."

"True enough."

When we walk into the drawing room, my brother also pulls me into a giant hug. We exchange a few pleasantries and then go to eat our dinner. The four of us catch up as the night goes on. Everything is warm and relaxing, the dread pushed to the back of my mind.

Then there is a light knock at the door. The converstaion stops. The old man goes to get up but I stop him.

"I'll get it. Don't trouble yourself."

He smiles and the three go back to talking as I head to the front door.

When the door swings open, a hand is up in the air, as if to knock again.

"Athos? What are you doing here?"

He looks more disheveled than usual. He looks sobered up but still has that dazed look in his eye. He looks exhausted.

"Daria, I'm sorry to interrupt your visit. I-I just really needed to talk to you. To see you." His lips curl into a smile, one that doesn't reach his eyes.

"Would you like to come in?"

He shakes his head "it's such a nice night, would it be okay if we spoke out here?"

I step out and close the door behind me. He doesn't move from the door, so now we are an inch from being chest to chest.

He looks into my eyes, searching for something.

"What is it Athos?"

"I'm sorry for how I've been treating you lately. How I've been treating everyone. You don't deserve that." He grabs my hands in his. His thumb caressing them as he continues.

"You are one of the strongest women I've met."

"Thank you."

He pauses before saying the next part. "One of the most beautiful too."

"What?" the question leaves my mouth in shock. He's complimented me before of course, but being so close to him, his hands on mine. It felt more...intimate.

He presses closer, moving his hands to hold my waist. He gripped some of the fabric of my dress, as if he was afraid I'd turn away from him. But I was stationary. The air between us felt so different, so charged. He tilted his head to look down at me.

"You're right, about me keeping secrects."

"I was upset, I shouldn't have blew up on you."

"I deserved it. I needed to hear it."

"I need to remind myself you're a private person."

"I am. But there is one I can tell you, right now."

His face inches closer to mine, which is drifting towards him. We are nose to nose before I know what I'm doing, but I don't move, and neither does he. For a moment we just look into each others eyes, studying eachother.

"What's that?"

He doesn't say anything though, just presses me close and  tenderly brings his lips to mine. Then he pulls back a bit, looking for any sign of my retreat. Missing the feeling of his lips on mine, I wrap my arms around his broad shoulders. Claiming his lips in mine once again. This time it's feverish and heightend. He quickly returns back the kiss. We move in a perfect tandem. His harm enclose around me, lifting me slightly in the air, closer to his mouth. For a few frantic minutes, every sound of the city dissipates. The only sound audiablr is our shallow ragged breaths. A new hunger seemingly growing between us. Then abruptly he pulls away. He sets me down, but doesn't move away just yet.

"I'll see you later." His voice seems hallow now.

My face is flush, and my lips feel almost numb from the friction against his only a moment ago. My eyebrows knit together. He grabs the side of my face with his larger, rougher one. He kisses my cheek and then hurries away.

I'm left confused, in many ways. I don't chase him, I don't yell for him. I just stand there for a few seconds collecting myself.