Chapter 3
Dark Wings Will Rise
Roughly six years ago.
"I'm trying to get the director's chair for a new Snow White movie." Emilie stated to Robert. Robert was generally considered to be the greatest prop maker in the French movie industry. "I wanted you to put together the glass coffin for me." Emilie gave him her award-winning smile.
"Sure, but don't you think you're jumping the gun a little?" He remarked.
"Maybe, but really do you think they are going to say no to the woman director who just won three awards for her last movie?"
"Point taken, so what do you want?" He asked.
"I want the coffin itself to be pretty plain, after all it's what's inside that's important. Latches on the outside to hold it shut, although not air tight, for obvious reasons." She laughed and he smiled. "But I also want inside to have an emergency latch so if anything happens the person inside can get out on their own. But it should be hidden from view of those outside, but visible to the person inside."
"Got it."
"The base, I want to have a more foresty feel to it. Like it's made from the trunk of a large tree, maybe with branches spreading out at the top, and those branches are what holds the glass part. It will need to have wheels in it, maybe on a hydraulic system so we can move it around when needed and then raised or would that be lowered, well, wither way they need to be hidden when it's in place."
"Sure I can do that."
"The glass needs to be very strong as well to withstand something trying to break it. I don't want the occupant falling through the bottom or in case something gets dropped on it, I don't want it to break the glass and cut the occupant."
"Makes sense."
"And if you could make it seven feet, by three feet by two feet."
"That big? Are you going to have an amazon playing Snow White?" He asked jokingly.
"Not exactly." She replied with a slight grin. Robert just shrugged it off. It wasn't exactly the weirdest request he'd ever been given. A couple weeks later she returned and paid for the prop from her own account.
"They rejected me as the director." She'd announced dramatically with one arm raised to cover her eyes as she posed. "But I'll still take it. You did such a beautiful job and I love it. I will find a use for it. Maybe I'll produce my own version in the future."
"I can't believe it. They really rejected you?" Robert asked surprised.
"Yes." She sighed a little annoyed. "I wanted to do a more traditional Snow White movie, and apparently in our current entertainment climate, you're not allowed to have a Snow White who isn't some kind of vengeful sword wielding maniac." She grumbled. "I loved those traditional fairy tales and I wanted to make a movie that honored the source material."
"I feel bad, if you'd said that before I never would have agreed to make this, I mean I could have told you that making a classic fairy tale story to honor the classic fairy tale was never going to fly."
"You know, it's still worth it. I mean, if nothing else, I've got a beautiful piece for my home now." She smiled sweetly and asked him to show her how everything worked. She knew the movie she wanted to make, would not be approved, but that wasn't really the point for her, after all, she had her very own personal "Snow White" she wanted the glass coffin for.
Present(ish) day
About forty-nine hours after Meili Cheng had awoken on top of the Eiffel Tower, the sound of fists pounding on heavy glass could be heard throughout the hidden bunker of the Agreste mansion. It was a desperate kind of a sound, with panicked meaty hits that lasted a good five minutes. Then about two minutes later, the lid of the glass coffin opened and Hawk Moth climbed out. As he did so, his transformation ended. Nooroo sort of fluttered to the ground with no acknowledgement from Gabriel Agreste.
He looked at the glass coffin he'd been in with its fairy tale look, having no idea how he'd gotten in there. He tried to remember what happened. He could vaguely remember his last battle with Ladybug, one of the few where he was physically present. She must have put him in there, but for what reason? He'd been so focused on the coffin itself he hadn't immediately noticed his surroundings. Once he realized he was in his bunker, his eyes widened because he didn't see Emilie. He looked around quickly, not even the tube she'd been held in was there, only the one he'd found himself in. He rushed along the walkway and to the lift platform that would take him up to his office. Once there he froze.
The office, his office, was not as he remembered it. His desk was gone, replaced with a different one and there was a second desk fifteen feet from it. He saw a number of photo frames on the walls, ones he had not put up. Gabriel turned to see the painting he'd commissioned of Emilie that held the secret buttons to activate the hidden lift still in place. He glanced at the photos again, seeing fashion photography, many of what appeared to be a set of twins, as well as autographed photos of different celebrities. The twins in those photos actually bothered him for some reason, but he couldn't quite put a finger on why. He then noticed the multiple movie posters with Emilie on them.
"Some one is playing some kind of disgusting joke on me." He growled to himself, but he felt like that explanation was incorrect. Something was very, very wrong, but not the kind of wrong that was a practical joke. He wondered if maybe he'd died in his battle and somehow ended up in Hell. No, No, No. He needed answers and he needed them now. He left the office to look for Nathalie. She would be the best person to get answers from; she was his assistant after all. Virtually nothing went on in the mansion she did not know about.
As he stepped through the door, he saw the backside of a woman he did not immediately recognize. She was wearing a pair of low-heeled black booties, cutoff jeans and a black tank top. She had a messy braid of purple hair with red streaks in it. He noted that at least from the backside, she had the body of a model. But it was the hair that kept his attention. Purple and red. It can't be. She never put had that much purple put into her hair.
"Nathalie?" He asked, his voice louder then he expected as it echoed in the foyer. She spun around in obvious surprise. He saw her face, and though her make-up was far less strict then he was use to, it was Nathalie. She didn't move, she just stared at him for long moments before rushing up to him.
"Gabriel, you're home!" She exclaimed as she gave him a hug. Even though she'd hugged him a number of times in the past as a way of giving comfort, this was not one of those. It was an excited/happy hug and a very awkward moment for him, mostly because he'd never seen her look so sexy before, outside of her use of a Miraculous.
"Of course I am, where else would I be?" There were too many confusing things going on for him; Nathalie's style of dress, her comment, her hug. None of those were normal for Nathalie.
"That's what everyone has been wondering about. Where you've been all these years?" She replied. "Wait, does Emilie know you're home?" His brain stopped working for a moment, well more then a, more like a whole bunch of moments. packed into a bouquet of moments.
"Emilie?" He asked sounding a little like a child that was lost in the woods, wanting to call out, but afraid that doing so would attract the monsters in the woods.
"You haven't seen her? Well I guess that makes sense, since she's in China, but I would have thought she'd found you and that's why you're here." This Nathalie was a lot more talkative then his Nathalie was. This one, mine? He thought. I've already separated her into different people. Why?
"Emilie's in China?" He asked. He wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but he was already forming a hypothesis. He could clearly see an image of Ladybug combined with Cat Noir in his head and Nathalie mentioning him being gone for years as well as the other evidence he'd seen. He couldn't help it, he laughed. Nathalie looked surprised by his reaction.
"Are you okay?" She asked.
"Nathalie, I am far better then okay, or I will be as soon as I see Emilie again. Do you have a way to contact her?"
"Of course, I can call her." Nathalie stated.
"Great. Please do." She nodded and went to grab her phone from her pocket and realized how she was dressed. Previously when she worked for him, she always wore a suit of some sort, very proper and businesslike, and always from his fashion line.
"Oh no, I'm sorry, I need to get changed." She cried embarrassed.
"Nathalie, I have no problem with how you are dressed. I'm assuming you work for Emilie now and not me, so you don't have to worry about my dress code." He paused. "Is it normal for you to be here while she's out of the country? "
"Of course, I watch the house and kids." She replied. She was about to hit the quick dial for Emilie when she heard the surprised question from Gabriel.
"Kids? Like, more then one?" He asked. Was Emilie pregnant when we first found the Miraculouses? Do I have another child? Even though he and Emilie didn't care, or hadn't cared if they had children, he had to admit Adrien was dear to him and another child would be wonderful, especially a daughter. He could already see fashion designs for a girl's line.
"Well sort of. Adrien and Chloe." She remarked.
"Emilie called our daughter Chloe? That seems strange after Audrey used that name." And especially how Audrey picked it, he thought but didn't bother Nathalie with those details.
"Um, Chloe is the Audrey one." Nathalie explained. "It's a long story, but the short version is, that while Audrey is in Paris, Chloe stays here." She smiled a moment. "She's even taken after Emilie as far as a careers go."
"So the Chloe who is part of the kids you mentioned is Chloe Bourgeois?" He did not sound to thrilled about it.
"Yes. She's also an actress and model." Nathalie explained. "In fact, I'm her manager."
"Chloe Bourgeois, the daughter of Audrey Bourgeois is your client as a manager?" He sounded very confused. "You're a talent manager?"
"I think I have a lot to catch you up on." She remarked. "But first, I think we should call Emilie." Gabriel swore at himself for getting distracted from the most important thing in his life, his wife Emilie. Nathalie slipped her phone back into her pocket.
"Actually, Lets use the office phone. We'll want to try the satellite phone. She uses a Chinese made phone when she's there and doesn't like anything private or personal said over it. She's certain that they listen in on her conversations. With her connections in the government there, she'd know. Plus the connection with the satellite phone can be iffy depending on a number of factors and I'd rather not deal with the possibility of the cell cutting out during the call." She may look very different but that is so very Nathalie, He thought with a smile. He followed her into the office and to the second desk. Ah, that makes sense. It's her desk. She set the phone to speaker and dialed. It rang a few times before it was answered.
"Are the kids all right?" was the first and slightly panicked words Gabriel hadn't heard in his wife speak in a decade. He couldn't help it as tears sprang to his eyes just from the sound of her voice.
"That kids are fine." Nathalie replied.
"Nathalie, I love you and all, but this phone is for emergencies, and if the kids are okay, I'm not sure what kind of emergency you could be having." Gabriel tried his best to control his emotions, but it was difficult, so very difficult.
"It's not exactly an emergency per say, but I thought it would be extremely important to you."
"Oh really? This ought to be good."
"I hope it is my lady." Gabriel spoke his voice wavering just a little. There was silence from the other end that lasted an eternity.
"Gabriel?' Her voice questioned and wavering also, like she was trying not to openly cry as he himself was. "You're awa. . ." She stopped a moment. "You're home?" The last piece of the puzzle, well last one he needed at any rate, was shoved into place with her words.
"I'm home." He replied. "I think we have much to talk about when you return."
"I'll take the first flight home." She stated.
"Um, there is a slight problem with that." Nathalie spoke up, surprising them both as they'd forgotten she was there. "It looks like there are some ugly looking storms forming in the area you're currently at. I can't get any travel plans to go through." Of course she started to looks for a way to get her home, Nathalie has always been so efficient.
"I will find a way." She stated
"My lady. Emilie, I want to see you more then you can imagine, or maybe you can, but I beg of you, do not do anything that might risk your safety. I would rather wait to see you then lose you ah. . . "He was about to say again, but he had no idea what this Nathalie knew and he didn't want to give anything away. "I don't want to risk you."
"I won't." She remarked a little disappointed but understanding. Nathalie left them alone after that to talk in private. Even so they still did not devolve any information dealing with the Miraculouses. Finally the pair ended their call.
"Nathalie, It's been decided that I shall remain a secret until Emilie returns, so we would ask you to keep that secret." Gabriel explained. "She feels it will be easier on Adrien if she's here then."
"That makes sense." She stated.
"I'll be staying in here for the time being. Emilie assures me the couch is very comfortable."
"It is." Nathalie agreed and turned away as she blushed, remembering a recent tryst she'd had with Emilie on that couch. The reality of Gabriel coming back hit her then. The arrangement she and Emilie had would be over. She was happy for Emilie and had been aware that while there had been the slightest chance Gabriel could come back, her relationship with Emilie wouldn't get any further. Now it was very definitive that their relationship wouldn't advance. She couldn't help herself, she wiped a tear from her eye. "If you need anything, just let me know. I should warn you though, Adrien and Chloe both have friends staying over this week so things will be a little more hectic."
"And we can't just send the three of them home?" It took Nathalie a moment to realize the third child he meant was Chloe. She's taken to thinking of Chloe as belonging in the mansion as much ant Adrien.
"Not unless you want to explain why." She replied.
"I understand. Can you do me a favor though, can you log me into your computer. I'd like to see what I've missed during my absence."
"Of course." She did so before leaving, returning after a few minutes with some reheated leftovers. Gabriel hadn't realized how hungry he was until he smelled it. Nathalie left him alone to go about his searching. She wanted to ask him more about what had happened, but suspected that that information would have to wait until Emilie returned.
Gabriel sat at the computer and looked up Ladybug, Vat Noir, fixed his typo to Cat Noir and finally Hawk Moth. He then looked up his fashion brand, and the names of the apprentices he'd had over the years. Some of them still made it into fashion but many of them did not. He couldn't even locate any information on the girl from Adrien's class he'd been considering offering the position to. He recalled she'd mentioned that he had been her favorite designer and an inspiration.
"Perhaps without me here, she didn't end up having an interest in fashion. That's a shame. I could have used her in bringing my brand back to the forefront." He frowned. He even looked up some of his rivals; their designs were so blasé. It seemed without him, fashion lost a lot of its excitement. Still all the research cinched for him his theory and he couldn't help but laugh.
"Whatever wish Ladybug made has returned Emilie. To me The fool has given me my greatest wish in the end, and now there are no heroes to interfere with us in the future."
A
Gabriel noticed a new alert pop up on the computer. On the screen came an image he did not expect nor want to see. Queen Bee in all her glory, sort of. Being a fashion designer, he noticed right away the differences in the costume. He quickly opened a new search for her, since he hadn't considered looking up any of the second string heroes earlier. The only thing that came up was information on the insect and a music video. Then he saw the liner at the bottom of the alert.
"Good Samaritan in Bee Costume Appears - Stops Kidnapping Attempt." There was no name for her given. Would this be her first appearance then? If she's untested, then perhaps I can easily get her Miraculous. He chuckled.
"Nooroo." He stated but didn't see his Kwami. "Nooroo?" He asked. He realized he hadn't see the Kwami since he'd climbed out of the coffin, then he only just noticed the creature briefly as he detransformed. Gabriel went to the lift and pressed the secret spots in the painting. As he was lowered to the bunker he thought about something. "There is no reason to go after that Miraculous. I've got what I've been wanting for all these years. Why risk dealing with superheroes again." He smiled. When he reached the bunker he noticed Nooroo on the floor. He rushed to the Kwami.
"Master." Nooroo said weakly.
"Nooroo, hold on, let me help you." Gabriel spoke. It took a few hours and more then the usual amount of snacks, but Nooroo was finally feeling normal. Gabriel sighed in relief. He wasn't sure what the future was going to hold, but he needed to make sure that Nooroo would be available for it.
B
It seemed as if everyday brought about a new version of a previously know (at least by Gabriel Agreste) superhero. Queen Bee, Rena Rouge, Cat Noir and Carapace all showed up, and then randomly showed up again. None of them seemed to be working together and there was no Ladybug. Gabriel found that to be curious. He also found himself wondering if the revised costumes they wore meant that different people were the heroes, or if maybe the different costumes were the result of there being no Ladybug.
When he caught a live stream on the news with Queen Bee rescuing the Bourgeois girl from a likely death, he decided they probably were new individuals with the Miraculouses. At least whoever was giving them out had the good sense to not give the bee one to the Bourgeois girl. He always wondered why it was that Ladybug had gone back to the girl so many times with the Bee Miraculous. The first time was an obvious accident, the second time made a certain sense since it had been her father akumatized, but after that it seemed a little crazy. Of course the current version of the Bourgeois girl was actually a decent human being and not a worthless lump of meat and hair. He'd learned that much from his own investigations in the house, investigations that would have been easier if Emilie had been as concerned for safety as much as he'd been and added more inside cameras to the security system.
It was while he was contemplating the current group of Miraculous users that he heard the sound of the hidden lift moving. Since Nathalie had given no indication of knowing anything about the secrets of the mansion he wasn't sure who it could be and slipped behind the desk to hind if necessary. When he saw Emilie rise from the floor, he moved around to the front of the desk. The pair of them then just sort of stood staring at each other for a moment, then as if a queue had been given they rushed to each other and embraced, their mouths and tongues locking together in a fury of built up passion.
C
After the pair finished with their naked fun time and lay cuddled together on the couch Emilie rolled around in his arms to face Gabriel.
"You look older, but I really find the white hair to be very sexy." Her words whispered towards his ear.
"You look like you haven't aged a bit." He replied in hushed tones. She smiled.
"I think that's why at my age, I'm still playing the young single rather then the middle aged mother in movies." She laughed a little. Gabriel loved that sound, it warmed his usually bitter heart. "But now I think we have many things to discuss. I'm pretty certain you have an amazing story to tell me."
"Very much so, and I wish to hear your story as well." He replied and they spoke. He described to her what happened to her when they used the Miraculouses originally. She countered with her version of the same incident. He spoke about having her hidden away in the bunker and his quest to get hold of the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses to bring her back from her death like state. She told him about her quest to find a way to heal his miraculous to awaken him. He spoke to her about raising Adrien and having their son model for him, while she talked about taking Chloe in and raising both kids together and the occasional use of both as extras in movies and Chloe's desire to follow in her footsteps.
"I have a very hard time with this version**** of the Bourgeois girl. It sounds like she is nothing like the one I unfortunately knew. But if Adrien isn't a model or trying his hand in acting, does he do anything productive?"
"He recently took up fencing. Apparently he's extremely good at it."
"He was the best in Paris. His only rival was the Tsurugi girl." Gabriel laughed.
"Kagami you mean. She's actually the one he's training with. She's also very cute. I'd love to get my hands on her." She gave a wicked little grin. Gabriel honestly had not idea how to respond to that. Although having learned of her interest in photography both landscapes and fashions, he figured it had something to do with that. He actually thought with her photography skills, she could be the one to take the pictures of Adrien to rebirth his fashion empire. He could easily imagine the publicity that would receive. Perhaps he'd involve the Bourgeois girl as well. She continued, "He also does some kind of gaming stream. I don't fully understand it all, but he has a following and makes money with it. Adrien has initiative and he's really happy, so I'm happy for him." Gabriel was quiet. He was very much aware that his version of Adrien had not been particularly happy often, and he knew most of it was his fault. He'd always planned to make it up to Adrien once Emilie was back with them.
They spoke more, mostly Gabriel talking about the final battle with the superheroes, leaving out the detail of Chloe Bourgeois being one of them especially one who was killed. Her affection for the girl was very evident, and although he was certain the killing overall wouldn't bother her, especially with what they'd done to her mother with their first Miraculous use, he figured she'd be angry about the Bourgeois girl's death.
"I've looked at the photos of the damages from the Great Cataclysm, and I am positive it's the same damage from my Akuma's attack."
"So you're suggesting that my reality was overlaid on yours." She suggested.
"More of less, yes."
"I think you're right. The you I had in my Snow White Coffin . . . "
"Snow White coffin?" He asked with a brow raised slightly.
"Yes my love, Snow White coffin, literally designed in mind for a movie I was mostly hoping to direct." She grinned. "So you are my little Snow White." She added and kissed his nose. He just shook his head. "But anyway, you were the younger self, the one I placed in the coffin, but after the Great Cataclysm and you were in your transformed state." Her eyes suddenly went wide as she remembered an important detail. "What happened to the girl who was with you?" She asked suddenly pulling away from him and standing up in her full naked glory.
"What girl?" He asked as he also joined her.
"The one in the black and red costume, she looked like she was fighting you."
"Sounds like Ladybug. She was with me in that coffin?" That news was very upsetting to him.
"I guess it was her. I didn't want to have any photo evidence of anything, so I don't have a photo to show you for confirmation." She frowned but described the girl to him.
"That was her. She was using both Miraculouses at the time. I believe she made a wish, and that's why things have been altered, and as far as I am concerned for the better."
"We still need to bring you back to the world of the living, and while I was in China, I was setting things up with one of the villages I was at for you to be quote, found." She explained. "I've done a little investigation into a number of things to help put together a reasonable explanation as to why you were missing for so long." He nodded.
"Gabriel, I've got dinner for you." Came the voice of Nathalie with a knock on the locked door. Emilie panicked and started to gather the clothes that belonged to her that were spread across the room. Gabriel gave her a confused look.
"I used my Miraculous to get here, so Nathalie doesn't know I'm here or even about the Miraculouses, and I would like to keep it that way. " She whisper-hissed at him. He started gathering his clothes and putting them on while Emilie rushed to hide behind her desk. Gabriel finished buttoning his shirt before opening the door. Nathalie stood there holding a tray with a covered plate, a glass of wine, and a cloth napkin. With Gabriel back she'd started dressing more business like and was wearing a black skirt suit, with low heels and fishnet pantyhose with her hair in a bun.
"Thank you Nathalie." He took the tray from her. "If you don't mind, I would prefer to not be disturbed for a while."
"Of course." She replied. Emilie thought it was probably for the best that Nathalie didn't know she was there. She had a feeling Nathalie would find it awkward because of their relationship. She cocked her head as a thought came to her. She wondered if the Nathalie from Gabriel's original reality had a relationship with him like she had with her own. Then that got her to wondering if she could somehow transition their relationships together into one. The idea brought a smile to her face.
"So Nathalie doesn't know about your Miraculous, hmm, that's interesting. She's my most trusted ally."
"Wait, she worked with you in your transformed state?" She asked surprised.
"Very much so, and even recently she's been using . . . " His words stopped abruptly. She looked at him curiously.
"Using what?"
"Your Miraculous."
"Didn't you say it was damaged?"
"Yes, it is, she mostly uses it for the enhanced abilities, and when she does create a sentimonster, it's for a very limited time to avoid the same stresses on her body that you had. I also do not allow her to create the sentimonster very often so she has time to recover." Emilie thought about what Gabriel said. She was surprised that Nathalie was that supportive. It added to her thoughts that perhaps Gabriel and Nathalie did have a similar relationship to her and Nathalie.
"Why is she so supportive?" She asked.
"To bring you back of course, why else?" He replied matter of factly. She closed her eyes. He doesn't have that kind of relationship but I bet his version of Nathalie wants it. Oh my god, he's still that oblivious isn't he? She recalled a number of times she'd watch women throw themselves at him and him not even realizing it. I hope Adrien doesn't inherit that trait from him. That would be just plain depressing.
"Anyway, as I mentioned before I have things set up for your return and we can discuss it all in greater detail, however before then I have some special plans I'd like your help with.." Her grin somewhat resembled that of a great white shark's.
To Be Continued
NOTES
I am going to try and do some shorter chapters so I can post more often.
**** I have seriously been racking my brain to figure out the exact word I wanted to use here. I know there is a word that fits in here perfectly, but I literally can't figure it out. I've even looked up similar concepts on a thesaurus website to find it.
I hope everyone is enjoying this story.
Next Chapter some Ladybug action.
PEACE & LOVE!
