Hey, guys! English dub of the finale is finally out and now, season two has officially ended for real. I'm sad, for one, as I've just found a new meaning of life in the form of GabeNath. I really wish to see more of them in season 3.

Anyway, I'm writing this story to pour every theory I had about what is actually going on with the whole broken Peacock Miraculous business. I've taken inspiration from many theories going around in the fandom that I actually agree on, as well as mixing some of my own. Many of the theories I used as a base for this story is given to me by my friend, kisugreen on instagram, who has been a very good fangirling friend despite not being a Miraculer himself. He ships GabeNath as much as I do, though ;)

A heavy aspect of this story: the emotional disorder Nathalie developed after using the Miraculous, was inspired by the best GabeNath fanfiction I've read so far, Brand New Conditions by Reminiscent Lullaby whom I already asked permission to use their concept from. You guys got to check it out if you haven't. They have the best writing style, I swear!

I also recommend you guys to listen to Hallucinations by dvsn while reading. I started listening to that song halfway through writing chapter 3 and only searched the lyrics after finishing chapter 4, but it can be associated to this story in so many ways.

Without further ado, please enjoy this story I wrote with every ounce of love I have for this ship.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MIRACULOUS LADYBUG (GabeNath would be canon if I did)

Protector

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Chapter 1

Nightmare

Power. Control. Euphoria. Dominance. Freedom.

Pain. Restlessness. Pain. Paranoia.

Pain. Pain. Pain.

Nathalie snapped her eyes open when the blaring, ringing sound of her alarm clock echoed throughout the loft that was her bedroom. Her eyes adjusted to the real world. The white ceiling, the sunshine rays on her right side, peeking through the glass walls. Slowly, she reached to turn off the only source of sound in the modest-sized flat that was no bigger than Adrien's bedroom, ignoring the mild throbbing lurking around her arm as she did.

Closing her eyes again, she tried to remember and grasp every single fragment of the dream she was seeing before it came to an abrupt stop, stolen by the force that was her alarm clock. No avail. Only the feelings remained, stronger as ever.

The thought of maintaining her perfect work performance was the only thing pushing her out of bed. Her unrested body slipped out of the comforter before she smoothed it out in one swift motion.

She made it down the loft to the main room of her flat, the joint living room and kitchen, wincing and clenching her teeth at the blinding light that made her head throb harder. Robotically, she punched the buttons on her coffee maker and tossed two slices of bread into the toaster before slipping into the small bathroom just below the stairs to have a quick wash. She looked at her wet face reflected on the mirror and huffed bitterly.

She looked miserable. Big black bags under her eyes. Dry, broken lips. Dry, pale skin. She looked like a ghost. She hadn't been able to rest her body since that day. Since Heroes' Day.

It's been three days since then and while Gabriel insisted to give her some days off, she couldn't ditch him when the company was preparing for the spring line that was expected to be released in a month or so. Due to the recent supervillain development, Gabriel hadn't made much progress on his designs and if she wasn't there to back him up and make things easier for him. Oh, she couldn't even start imagining the chaos.

Nathalie dropped her toothbrush when she saw something in the mirror that wasn't supposed to be there. A blonde woman. A blond little boy. Smiling from ear to ear as they both were brushing their teeth and humming a kid's song.

She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head so hard her neck throbbed. When she looked at the mirror again, it was just her plain old face.

When she calmed down, it was when she finally felt the full potential of the throbbing pain persistently hugging her limbs and squeezing her neck as well as the shooting pain radiating from her head.

She reached for the mirror and flipped it open to reveal the medicine box behind it. She grabbed an orange bottle. Painkillers. She had them prescribed since two days ago when Gabriel practically screamed at the Gorilla to drive her to the nearest clinic because she couldn't even punch the right keys on her computer from the sheer pain.

Only one pill per episode, the doctor had said. But three wouldn't kill, would it? The last time she consumed just one, it didn't even stay for one hour before the pain revisited from its short vacation.

After her short bathroom session, she returned to the kitchen for her simple breakfast. She tried to let her mind go blank as she took bites of her plain toast and sips of her black coffee but when her eyes caught the calendar, she had one thing in her mind.

Adrien's birthday is in a week, she thought and was immediately baffled. She never remembered birthdays without looking at her tab for schedules. One quick check on her tab and she confirmed that she didn't remember wrong.

She reminisced when she first met the boy. He was only eight. A lovely boy, no less than he was now. A little ball of sunshine and energy who brought smiles and laughter wherever he went. Whenever he visited the office, every employee lit up with glee. The little darling would tackle everyone into a hug and shared the snacks he brought especially for them; his mother following with a smile behind his little throttle. Gabriel was a proud father. Proud and protective of the little angel. Emilie was a loving mother. Always there for her little boy. Always.

And Nathalie… where was she in all of that? Behind the boy? No, that was Emilie's place. Where was she? Where was she?

Nathalie jumped when her phone went off and immediately relaxed when she saw the displayed name: Mr. Agreste.

"Good morning, sir, is there a problem?" she went straight to the point. Because Gabriel Agreste do not just call his assistant for casual chitchat like some lovesick schoolboy. And she was about to go to work so what was so urgent that couldn't wait?

"…" She was only met with silence.

Nathalie decided to wait for a few seconds before asking again, "Sir?"

"We need to talk," he finally said. The phrase itself wasn't widely known as the harbinger of joyous news but his tone made it even more obvious.

Nathalie had a certain thing in mind that might be just what her boss was hinting at and she didn't like it. "And we are, sir. May I know the topic of interest?" Perhaps you'd like to fire me? That would be more bearable. She didn't add the last two but she might as well have.

Nathalie braced herself for the answer.

"You." Nathalie almost forgot to breathe, and he added, "Mayura."

She recovered quickly. "Perhaps you wouldn't want to discuss such topic over the phone, sir. I shall be at work in fifteen minutes." And she was about to get up and carelessly toss her dishes into the sink. Whatever it is as long as she could stall the man.

"Today is your day off."

"What?" She didn't even need to check her tab because Nathalie Sanceour do not have a day off, not even on Thanksgiving and Christmas. "I do not have the day off, sir," she stated the fact.

"Yes, you and me both."

She already said it just a few seconds ago but she would say it again, "What?"

Because that was just phenomenal. Gabriel Agreste nearly never took any day off. He would work three hundred and sixty-five days a year if he could. He was just that big of a workaholic. The last time he actually took a vacation was when his wife was still around as she was the one responsible for planning family outings in general. One look at the Agreste house today and that much was obvious. Gabriel and Adrien never had a family outing since then.

Gabriel answered over the phone with a serious tone, "Change out of your suit and into something appropriate for a picnic. I'm waiting down here at your lobby and Adrien is in the car with the Gorilla."

Nathalie laughed. Why? Because she was not about to say "What?" again.

"With all due respect, sir, have you been drinking?" It was really a rhetorical question because she knew he's not into alcohol and especially not at this time of the day. And did he mention Adrien or was she hearing things because of the pills?

"You know the answer, Nathalie. Now, keep your pointless questions to yourself and get down here immediately. We don't have all the time in the world," Gabriel demanded, controlling as ever.

Logically speaking, if the entire inhabitant of the Agreste house was down there in front of her apartment building, she wouldn't be able to go to work today. And if she didn't go down, big boss Gabriel would do anything to go up here and drag her out. So she lightly sighed and said, "Understood, sir. I'll be down in five minutes."

"Good," he said curtly before hanging up.

The ride was one thing: awkward. Adrien was, of course, elated to have a family outing after so long, but perhaps the combination was a little bit out of expectation. He didn't expect his Father to actually drag Nathalie along because while the boy loved the woman to bits, he still found it somewhat unsettling that she was present in a family outing. Not like he was complaining, really. It was easier to talk to her than his Father, if only by a little.

To make it even more awkward, his Father decided it's a good time to use the limo. For a picnic. In the driver's seat, Gorilla was quiet as always. Adrien was sitting across both adults who hadn't been talking much during the entire ride, with the picnic box on his lap. His Father was clearly busy video-chatting with some clients or investors while Nathalie was assisting him with emailing lower-ranked employees beside him. Although she was wearing casual dress shirt and jeans instead of her usual suit, it was Agreste mansion all over again. Except this time, it's portable and on the way to Versailles.

Fifteen minutes into the ride, Adrien was looking outside the window, chin on hand, trying to distract himself with the view. Nathalie was finished with her task when she saw the boy across her then looked at Gabriel who was still elucidating his spring line concept to an Italian investor.

"Adrien?" she called and the boy immediately looked at her, expression unreadable. "It is still a fairly long ride until we get there."

"Yeah," he sounded a bit down.

To the boy's surprise, Nathalie got up from her seat and moved so she was sitting beside him. "Do you want to play a game?" she asked.

Adrien's eyes were wide and his jaw hung loose. Not only because he was excited by the offer but also because he would never imagine the Nathalie he knew to say those words. "Of course! I'm excited, Nathalie!" he said, eyes sparkling in excitement before he winced when he realized he might be interrupting his Father's video call with his loud voice.

He casted a glance at his Father, who didn't seem upset, and then sighed in relief.

"What game?" he asked, now softly, as he leaned closer to her.

"Something that does not need equipment, can be done in quiet, and can be played for a long time." She laid out the conditions and Adrien started brainstorming, putting fingers under his chin for dramatic effect. Then Nathalie suggested, "How about "True or False"?"

She certainly didn't expect Adrien to snap his back and looked at her wide-eyed like she just swore. Unable to find an appropriate reaction to the boy's, she turned to see Gabriel, who was wearing the exact same expression as his son. Alright, that settled it.

"I apologize if I said something wrong." She looked down.

"Oh, no, no, no!" Adrien quickly reassured. "It's just something my mom always used to do whenever we had a road trip," he explained gently. "She loved that game. Even though we played it to kill time during the trip at first, we'd end up still playing during the picnic itself." Adrien chuckled at the fond memory.

"It was our little family tradition," Gabriel added and Adrien looked a bit surprised that he actually joined the conversation.

"It was." Adrien nodded.

"I see," Nathalie commented, not expecting such answer. "That was rude and invasive of me. Let it be known that I have no intentions to get between the Agrestes. Shall we think of something else?"

"I don't mind, actually," Adrien countered almost immediately. "It's been a while. Plus, it's actually fun and addictive once you start." Adrien grinned. "But that's only if you're comfortable, Nathalie!" he quickly added.

Nathalie casted a discreet glance at Gabriel, who responded her with a nod, then smiled at Adrien. "Shall we start?"

"Awesome!" Adrien pumped his fist. "I'll start: you're a woman."

Nathalie chuckled at the naivety of that first statement.

"Hey, this is just a warmup, okay? I'll get wilder as we go!" Adrien put up a bravado by cracking his knuckles and grinning confidently that only looked cute to the older woman. She so wanted to give that soft blond hair a tussle for no reason.

"True," she answered. "Now, it is my turn: you are a good boy."

"Hey!" Adrien laughed. "Now, that's not exactly objective, is it?"

"What matters is what I think the answer is. So, what do you think it is, Adrien?" Nathalie asked, half-grinning.

Adrien was grinning widely when he pretended to think hard. "Hmmm… true? I'll burst into tears if I was wrong."

"Of course you are a good boy." She gave him the tussle she's been dying to give and indeed his hair was soft like cotton. As expected of the top hair treatment.

Adrien was giggling in response to the warm gesture. Across them, Gabriel had been secretly following their game despite his attempt to explain in details about his upcoming spring line to an investor. He couldn't help the twitch on the corner of his mouth. Maybe it was going to be a fine trip, after all.

When they arrived to the park, Nathalie and Adrien was on their fourth round of the game.

"Okay, how about this: you love working with my dad." Adrien said as the Gorilla opened the limo door for him. He nodded and thanked the man before slipping out.

"He could be a prick sometimes, and not to mention he constantly asserts dominance but, true." Nathalie nodded and followed the boy. Gabriel looking at her retreating back disapprovingly. "You hate modelling."

Behind them, Gabriel frowned. Adrien looked at his expression and gulped.

"False! Of course I love modelling," the boy said, not-so-honestly. Gabriel nodded in affirmation.

Nathalie knew it was not the truth but let it slide anyway or she would risk turning the mood sour and they had just arrived to their destination. Their game continued as they laid out a plaid blanket along the grassy field and opened the picnic box, the Gorilla joining them at the corner.

By this time, the game had started to sound like an interview for a biography.

"Your birthday is in the winter," Adrien said. He'd guessed so because of her name, and he had only realized he never knew her birthday despite knowing her for years. Given how close they had grown to be during this trip, he would love to plan a special gift for her next birthday.

Nathalie was placing sandwiches on paper plates when she suddenly froze. Birthday? When was that? When was she born? Where? How? By whom?

"I, uh…" she trailed off and Gabriel immediately cut off their game.

"Perhaps it's time the two of you paused the game and helped yourselves to lunch, don't you agree? It has been a long trip," he suggested.

"Alright, Father, I just need an answer to this one and then we'll start eating."

"Now, Adrien."

Adrien was looking at his dad with a quizzical frown but decided to not question the man as it never ended well. "Yes, Father."

They ate lunch in silence and Adrien felt his appetite fall again. They had such good atmosphere just a minute ago and now it's back to the usual cold, soulless dinner with his Father, except this time it's at the rowdy, lively Versailles. More than that, he was worried about Nathalie who seemed to be a bit down after his question about her birthday. Was that a sensitive question? He felt really bad that the tuna sandwich tasted like soaked sponge.

His mind suddenly wandered to one Christmas night when he was eight. Nathalie wasn't there, there was only him and his parents and this old Spanish lady who took care of the house during the day and would go home at night. That night his parents promised they would spend Christmas together because it was his Mother's favorite holiday and they never missed it. He was only a little boy back then; young and hot-headed. His parents cancelled the plan and made him wait with a feast cooked by the Spanish lady before she left for home for a Christmas with her big family. He sat there until the feast grew cold and hard but didn't eat because he wanted to eat as a family. Near midnight, his parents called and told him they couldn't make it and he bolted away from home in despair. He couldn't remember much about what happened after that but he remembered telling his parents every year about how he met a kind, Christmas spirit out there who led him home again.

His mother had always believed what he said about that night so he spent years believing it was true until one day Chloe told him Santa Claus wasn't real when she caught her Daddy sneaking presents into her Christmas sock one night. She insisted that the Christmas spirit he saw must be fake, too.

"Adrien," Gabriel called and Adrien snapped out of his daydreaming.

"Yes, Father?"

"Now that you have finished your lunch. Why don't you and the Gorilla up and ride one of those rowing boats along the Grand Canal? Nathalie and I have some business to attend to."

Adrien looked back and forth between his Father and Nathalie, trying to maybe crack the secret code that was laid under his Father's words. Nathalie pushed her glasses upward in a manner that said she was nervous. His Father was looking at him with his usual curt expression.

Adrien sighed. "Yes, Father." He got up and the Gorilla immediately followed suit.

When they were left alone, Nathalie was the first one to speak. "I was beginning to wonder when you would want to have the talk, sir." She faced him. "When you said Adrien was coming along, I thought it would never happen."

Gabriel exhaled. "There are… many things that led to the decisions I made for today."

"Such as?"

"Your incapacitation two days ago, for one."

"Oh…" Nathalie looked down, embarrassed by her incompetence being brought up. "How is that related to today's picnic?"

"I reckon that you have no recollections on what happened. You haven't said anything about it since that day."

"Remember what, sir?"

"What you typed on your computer that day."

Was she even typing actual words that day? "I apologize for that, sir. I was under a lot of pressure and pain I'm quite sure I was only typing nonsense, if not just strings of unreadable letters."

"No. In fact, they were completely readable."

"Please tell me I didn't type out anything embarrassing into the company-owned computer."

"You didn't. That, I can assure you."

"So, what was the problem?"

"You typed out: I love you—"

"Oh God," She buried her face in her hands. How could he say that was not embarrassing?

"—Gabriel and Adrien. I'm always with you."

Oh. Oh, so that's what he was implying.

"Nathalie, do you know where I'm going with this?"

"Yes, sir."

"It was partly my fault that day that you had to use the Peacock despite knowing what it would do to you, that I admit. But you are hereby banned from touching it ever again."

Nathalie twisted her lips in disapproval. "What if there comes a time when you needed help again, sir? Are you suggesting that I sit by and watch when I have a way to do more?"

"I will make sure that day never comes." Gabriel nodded, more to himself. "You are no longer allowed to be involved in any Miraculous-related businesses. From today on, you are only my fashion design assistant."

"Sir—"

"No." He glared at her. "Nathalie, don't make me take extreme measures."

She was looking at him challengingly. Neither of them was willing to back down. He might be her Boss, but it wasn't in her job description to listen to his orders outside work. "Why do you care so much?" she decided to ask because she was genuinely curious.

"Because I am not going to be the cause of another person's death."

Nathalie frowned. Firstly, her life wasn't something he should be held account for. And secondly, the first time was not his fault either. "I will keep using the Peacock, no matter what it does to me," she announced firmly and he took a sharp inhale, likely to subside his boiling anger inside. "Sir, the damage has been done. It is irreversible. I will end up like the Madame; it's only the matter of when. It could be on my fifth use; it could be on my tenth. What matters is how much I could help you during the wait."

He took off his glasses and massaged his temple. "I am at loss, Nathalie. You—how do you suppose I will feel if I had to add another tube in the basement to contain you?"

"It's fine, sir."

"Nathalie—"

"Because I exist for the sole purpose of protecting you and Adrien; this family."

How did you guys enjoy the story so far? I personally enjoy writing the dark parts as much as I enjoy writing the cute parts of this story. I'm aiming for a story with both angst and love balancing each other. Do you already have guesses of where the story is going? Write it in your reviews because I would love to read them ;)

See you guys in two days!