"Nathalie," the blonde woman spoke softly yet firmly, "you know as much as I do that my family needs this."
Just to warn you, this isn't a consecutive chapter that follows the previous storyline. It simply takes place in the same universe. Think of it more as an interlude in the story, or simply a Halloween special :)
"Nathalie! Just who I was looking for."
"Yes, Madame?"
"Remind me again what time Gabriel returns from Italy?"
"Five o'clock this afternoon."
"I see," the blonde woman tapped her chin thoughtfully for a moment. "Right!" She struck her left palm with her right fist in an act of decisiveness, "Here's what's going to happen," she put her hands behind her back and strode across the front lobby, "First I want you to cancel all of Adrien's plans for the day."
Nathalie's eyes widened, "But madam-"
"-Then," she spoke over the assistant, "I want you to go to the shops and get some things for me." She waved her wand and conjured a floating pen and sheet of paper."
"Madame, I must oppose-"
"Candy!" She acted like she didn't hear, "All sorts, I need chocolate, lollipops, hard boiled, chewy," the pen scribbled furiously behind her, "just make sure it's Halloween themed."
"You know Monsieur Agreste won't-"
"Next we need decorations. Get me spider webs, pumpkins, fairy lights, lanterns," her long skirts swished purposefully around her ankles as she paced, "I need bats, skeletons, mummies, anything scary you can get your hands on."
Nathalie looked exasperated, "Madame, please-"
"Finally, costumes! Now we can't dress up as traditional muggle monsters - we don't want to offend the werewolf and vampire community - so I was thinking maybe going as characters from a muggle childhood story!"
Nathalie's eyebrows flew up, "No, Madame! Monsieur Agreste would most surely disapprove of-"
"I can't decide between the Wizard of Oz or Peter Pan, what do you think? Oh! Alice in Wonderland could have a lot of potential too-"
"Madame Agreste!" Nathalie stomped her foot and clenched her fists in an uncharacteristic display of anger. Mrs Agreste stopped speaking at the assistant's outburst. "Madame Agreste," Nathalie readjusted her suit, "I urge you to rethink this. Suddenly throwing all the household plans for today out the window just to celebrate a silly little holiday is surely not necessary. I am sure that..." Mrs Agreste's green eyes pierced Nathalie's, "That um, that there are other ways…" Nathalie trailed off as Mrs Agreste's eyes darkened.
"Nathalie," the blonde woman spoke softly yet firmly, "you know as much as I do that my family needs this." Nathalie held the woman's gaze. "Gabriel has been away on business a lot recently. I understand the demands of his job, and you know I will love Gabriel no matter what. But," she let a hint of sadness flow through the cracks of her perfect facade, "try explaining it to an eight-year-old boy why his father is never home. Try convincing him that his father does love him, though he's never here to prove it.
There was a moment of silence before a light patter of footsteps broke the tension.
"Mother? Nathalie?" A small blonde boy walked into the room.
"Adrien, good morning, darling," Mrs Agreste knelt to the little boy's height and embraced him. Adrien briefly returned the hug before stepping back.
"Nathalie," he said listlessly, "I finished that essay on the pros and cons of the International Wizarding Statute of Secrecy." He handed over his neatly written report to the slightly surprised assistant.
"Well done Adrien, but this isn't due for another three days."
Adrien shrugged, "I know but I had nothing better to do. I'll get started on that essay on all the medicinal uses of bezoars today too."
"Thank you, Adrien I'll-" Nathalie broke off as she looked, actually looked, into Adrien's eyes. Gone was the sunlit sparkle that usually shone in them. When had they become so dull and emotionless? And how had she not noticed it before now? Nathalie's eyes flicked over to the boy's mother who was still knelt down next to him, she had one arm wrapped around his shoulders. The blonde woman's eyes were the opposite of her son's, brightly lit, full of life and hope.
"Adrien," Nathalie made his report vanish with a wave of her wand, "I forbid you from doing that essay today." Adrien's brow furrowed. "In fact, I forbid you from doing any work today."
The little boy glanced from Nathalie to his mother and back again, confused. "What are we doing instead?"
At a nod from Nathalie, Madame Agreste grinned and leapt up, "We, my gorgeous boy, are going to celebrate Halloween!"
Nathalie knew she had made the right decision when she saw the spark return to the little boy's suddenly wide eyes.
"Really?"
His mother responded with an enthusiastic yes, but it wasn't until Nathalie herself gave a small smile and nod that Adrien shrieked with joy as only an ecstatic eight-year-old could. Nathalie warmed a little on the inside at the sight of the laughing mother gracefully sweeping her giggling child up into her arms and kissing him on the nose, skirts swirling around them.
The next few hours were a hive of activity. Cakes were baked, costumes bought and decorations hung up. The Bourgeois were also invited, for what was a party without friends?
Nathalie took charge of food and decorations whilst Mrs Agreste and Mr Bourgeois took their excited children costume shopping. It took a while to decide but, after forcing the children to try on a multitude of outfits, they all finally settled on an adorable Alice costume for Chloé and an adorable fluffy white rabbit costume in a suit for Adrien. Mrs Agreste almost exploded with cuteness overload when her little son had stepped out.
Afterwards, Mrs Agreste spent every minute fully decking out the house in a Wonderland meets Halloween theme. No expense or spell was spared in the making of this fantasy land. 'If I'm to pull this off, I have to go all out,' she thought to herself with determination.
To the children's disappointment and annoyance, Mrs Agreste locked them in Adrien's bedroom while the decorating was going on. She wanted it to be an amazing surprise for them.
At a quarter to five, just as she was finalising some of the decorations, she was interrupted by Nathalie who reminded her that Gabriel was due home soon. Already dressed in her costume, she made her way to her husband's office. She stood in the large cold room all alone. It was one of the only rooms to be completely untouched by decorations.
She anxiously twisted the red curls of her wig through her fingers as she waited for her husband to appear.
She checked the clock again, 4:57.
She ran her hands over the costume she had laid out for her husband on the desk, smoothing out any creases. She bit her lip. She loved Gabriel, and she knew that Gabriel loved her, but she honestly had no idea how he would respond to this situation. 'He'd do this for Adrien,' she thought, 'Surely, if nothing else, then he'd do this to make our son happy.'
She jerked her hand away and stood up straight as green flames burst from the fireplace. "Welcome back, darling," she said as her husband stepped out. She put as much love and warmth into her words as she could.
Mr Agreste didn't respond. He took one look at her in her costume, taking in the elaborate dress, wig and crown, before furrowing his brow ever so slightly. If she had been anyone else she wouldn't have noticed it, but she was an Agreste; a master of emotional subtleties.
"Why are you dressed like that?"
She stopped fiddling with her hair and stood confidently, "I am the Queen of Hearts." There was silence. She spoke up again, "I'm a character from Alice in Wonderland."
Mr Agreste's brow furrowed further, "Isn't that some muggle story?"
She nodded, "Yes, it is."
There was more silence.
Mr Agreste moved to place his briefcase on the desk but stopped when he saw the costume laid out. He frowned at her.
"What's this?"
She took a deep breath, "This is your costume." Mr Agreste raised an eyebrow, "You've been away a while," she started to explain, "Adrien's been feeling down lately and since today is Halloween I thought we could have a little party." Mr Agreste's eyes widened a fraction. "Just the Bourgeois!" She assured him, "That's it. This is more for the children than us," she said, "For Adrien."
Mr Agreste put his briefcase on the floor and took a step closer to the costume. He ran his hands over it before picking it up to inspect it.
"A strange choice of patterns and colours," he said eventually. Mrs Agreste tensed. "But it is well made," he said.
Mrs Agreste allowed herself to relax. "Only the best for the Agreste's." She gave a half smile which her husband thankfully returned.
"Very well," He gently lay the costume back on the desk, "I'll do this for Adrien."
Mrs Agreste could barely believe he so readily agreed, she swiftly stepped forward and kissed her husband on the cheek. In return, Mr Agreste gave her a rare smile, one saved only for when he felt pure love for her. "For you too," he said, "I'll do this." She leant back in and kissed him full on the mouth. They held it for a moment, love flowing between them, before Mrs Agreste stepped back.
"Thank you," she whispered. Her husband nodded. "Right then," she walked over to the door, "I'll leave you to get changed." She winked before striding out the door.
It wasn't long before Mr Agreste emerged from his office dressed in a dashing purple and green suit, along with other clashing colours and patterns. He nervously spun a colourful top hat in his hands.
His wife clapped her hands with excitement, "Darling, you look marvellous!" she said, "Put the hat on!"
Her husband did as she bid, then put his hands behind his back and tried to remain dignified despite the outfit. To Mrs Agreste's surprise, he managed to pull it off.
His confidence cracked slightly, "Who am I supposed to be?"
"The Mad Hatter," she grinned.
"I am supposed to be mad?"
"Completely off your rocker," she said with mock seriousness. She saw her husband's jaw clench as conflicting thoughts ran around his head.
"Very well," he eventually forced himself to say, "for Adrien."
Mrs Agreste deftly kissed him on the cheek once more.
It was only then that Mr Agreste noticed the people standing behind his wife. He frowned slightly at Nathalie, eyeing her striped purple robes and cat ears, "Who are you supposed to be?"
"The Cheshire Cat, Sir." Despite the silly costume, her face remained deadpan and serious. "Right." He turned to the Gorilla standing tall behind her, dressed in blue with a fake pipe in his hands. Mr Agreste raised his eyebrows, "And you are?"
"Caterpillar," he grunted.
Mr Agreste nodded, trying to hide his confusion, before sending Mr Bourgeois a questioning glance.
"The Dodo," he clarified.
Mr Agreste blinked, "I see."
Mrs Agreste hid her grin. Her husband, very clearly, did not see. She gently took his hand and led him up the stairs towards Adrien's bedroom. Mr Agreste looked bewilderedly around at the decorations, more specifically at the mushrooms growing out of the bannister. He leant towards his wife and asked quietly where they were supposed to be.
"Wonderland, of course!" She responded brightly.
Mr Agreste stood back up straight, "Of course," he repeated faintly.
When they reached Adrien's bedroom, Mrs Agreste knocked, "Adrien? Chloé? Are you ready to explore Wonderland?" Squeals of excitement and the patter of feet could be heard on the other side of the door. She threw it wide and the two kids burst out. They wondered around the house with awe.
Mrs Agreste watched them with a smug smile. She was awfully proud of her decorating. There were trees and mushrooms growing everywhere, glittering with jack-o-lanterns and fairy lights. Each room was decked out in a different setting from the story. There was the flower garden in the lobby, the hatter's tea party in the dining room, walking down the staircase gave the impression of falling down the rabbit hole. There was also rooms for the Queen of heart's castle, court and gardens. Interwoven with the whole Wonderland theme were Halloween decorations. Spiders were hung on the trees, skeletons were sat at the tea table, mummies were in the court room. Everything was just a little more dark and twisted than the original Alice theme. Having magic also helped provide a level of realism that no muggle could recreate. In addition, each member of staff was stationed at a room so that Adrien and Chloe could knock and go trick-or-treating in the house.
Mrs Agreste nervously looked up at her husband but relaxed when she saw the small smile hovering on his lips. As if feeling her gaze he looked at her, "You truly have outdone yourself." Mrs Agreste blushed. He turned his gaze back to his son, "You are right, Adrien did need this." As if sensing them talk about him, Adrien broke away from Chloé and the cook dressed as a singing flower and ran over to them.
"Mr Hatter, Sir!" Adrien looked up at his father with his big, round, green eyes. He was sparkling with excitement.
Mr Agreste smiled, "Yes, Mr White Rabbit?"
"Why is a raven like a writing desk?"
"What?"
"Why is a raven like a writing desk?" Adrien repeated, "You should know the answer."
Mr Agreste hesitated, "I'm sorry, I don't know." Adrien sighed and shook his head at his father's cluelessness. "Say, Mr White Rabbit, why is a raven like a writing desk?"
Adrien grinned, "I haven't the slightest idea!" He giggled before skipping off to join Chloé in serving Mr Bourgois tea.
Mr Agreste looked at his wife, "What just happened?"
She smirked, "We're all mad here."
Mr Agreste put his arm around her. Mrs Agreste leant in, placing one arm around his waist and the other on his chest.
They watched the two kids bounce around the house. Adrien was now jumping around with an oversized pocket watch yelling, "I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date!" Whilst little Chloé kept stopping to peer at mundane objects to say, "How very curious!" Every so often they'd both collapse into fits of giggles.
After a while, Adrien once again ran up to his parents and engulfed them in the biggest hug a little eight-year-old could possibly manage. "Thank you," he murmured, voice muffled by his parent's clothing. Mr and Mrs Agreste knelt down to hug him back. They stayed like that for a while, warmth flowing through them all, and, just for a moment, everything was right in the world.
Adrien gazed out at the open sea and deeply breathed in the fresh salty air. He wiggled his toes in the wet sand and felt the cool grains slide over his feet as the water swept in and lapped at his ankles, ever so slightly splashing his rolled up trousers. His shirt was untucked and top buttons were undone with his sleeves scruffily rolled up, his arms were relaxed with his hands in his pockets. Blazer, socks and shoes lay discarded up on the dry sand. It had been an unusually warm day for October, but the chill was starting to creep in with the setting sun. The sky was overcast and the sunset nothing spectacular, but Adrien took a moment to appreciate the light reflecting off the water. He closed his eyes as another gust of wind swept across the beach. He tilted back his head and took in another deep breath as the wind ruffled his hair and caused goose bumps on his exposed arms. He kept his eyes closed and focused on the sound of the sea washing in and out again.
Just like the sea on the sand, nostalgia swept over him. Those happy memories from seven years previous caused his mouth to lift in a small smile, but, like the sea, they had a cold bite to them. Adrien took another deep breath and exhaled in time with the tide. He slowly opened his eyes to be faced with the cruel reality that is the present day.
How long he stood there on the windy beach, ankle deep in the cold ocean, staring out at an unremarkable sunset, he didn't know.
The sun had almost completely disappeared, and Adrien had started shivering when he heard sand crunching behind him.
"Yo, Adrien!"
Adrien forced himself out of his memories and turned to see Nino trudging over to him. Adrien blinked. He hadn't realised how dark it had gotten.
"Dude, Merlin's name are you doing out here? I've been looking for you everywhere!"
Adrien shook his head to clear the web of memories that had clouded his mind, "Sorry, I was just thinking."
"Well think later man! We're gonna be late for the feast."
"Right!" Adrien forced his feet out of the sand, which was a struggle. The sand didn't want to let him go. The memories didn't want to let him go. He really had been here a long time.
Nino pulled his phone out, "I've been getting so many messages from Marinette asking where we are - and now Alya's taken her phone. Lemme just reply real quick. Great, now she's ringing!" Adrien smiled as Nino answered the phone. Adrien pulled on his socks, which seemed to help pull him back into the present day.
"Calm down, Alya!...Yeah, yeah, I got him...He was on the beach...I know! Of all places..." Nino shook his head at Adrien. The blond boy paused in his shoe lace tying to smile sheepishly back. "...I told you, he's right here...Really?...Fine! Fine," Nino stretched his hand out impatiently so the phone's screen faced Adrien. "They don't trust me, tell them you're here."
Adrien laughed, "I'm here! We'll be up in a sec!" He yelled into the screen as he pulled on his blazer. He heard the two girls giggling on the other side.
"See?" Nino exclaimed as he returned the phone to his ear, "I can be trusted!...Yeah, see you in a bit." He put the phone away and turned to see if Adrien was ready, however Nino took one look at his friend before bursting out laughing.
"What?"
"Dude, you look like something the cat dragged in."
"Really?"
"Really really." Nino helped fix Adrien up. His shirt still untucked at the back, he'd forgotten to roll down one of his trouser legs, the top buttons were done up wrong, and his hair was in a right state.
"Dude, you're lucky I'm your bro," Nino said as he fixed Adrien's collar ("You're freezing man! How long you been out here?"). He stepped back, "There, much better. Now come on, any later and we'll get an ass kicking from Alya and Marinette."
Despite the now definite frostiness to the air, warmth filled Adrien up on the inside.
Nino.
Alya.
Marinette.
A lot had happened in Adrien's life over the last seven years. Loss, grief, confusion, detachment, anger, loneliness.
A lot of hurt.
But, upon seeing his friends run across the grounds towards him, he felt different. It was a good different, but he couldn't figure out what it was exactly.
They walked up to the hall together, excited about the feast to come. He silently watched them chat for a bit before suddenly throwing his arms around them, somehow managing to encompass all three of his friends. They looked at him with both surprise and pleasure.
"Thank you," he said simply.
"What for?" asked Nino, but Adrien simply smiled and shook his head as warmth flowed through him. How could he possibly explain the gift they had given him? Not just happiness, but peace. His friends started laughing at how silly and sappy he was being, but Adrien's smile only widened as he realised that the reason why he was feeling different was because, just for a moment, for the first time in years, everything was right again in the world.
Okay so I realise now that this little interlude probably wasn't as Halloweeny as it could've/should've been, but I hope you liked it nonetheless, please let me know :)
