Chapter 4
It had been a week since Adrien had asked her to accompany him to his presentation. Nathalie got up very early and started getting ready. She took her usual work outfit and went into the small bathroom of her apartment. After a quick shower, she got dressed. She put her shoes on and combed her hair, making the bun she always used, taking care that her red lock was always visible. She then applied makeup, with the purple shadows that she always preferred on her eyelids and a little blush, along with her favorite lipstick.
She left her apartment but not before stopping by the nearest cafeteria to buy a quick breakfast: A croissant with a black coffee. Adrien's bodyguard came for her and took her to the mansion. She finished her coffee and ordered the chef to have breakfast ready. Then she went to wake up the two Agrestes in the house.
She knocked on Adrien's door first.
"Adrien, are you awake?"
She did not respond so she entered the room. He was still asleep.
"Adrien, wake up."
The boy groaned sleepily.
"Don't you want to go to your school event, Adrien?"
That made the boy open his eyes quickly and get out of his bed.
"Sorry, I fell asleep."
Nathalie just denied, a little amused by the matter, but without showing it.
"Go take a bath, I already sent you to make breakfast."
"Aren't you going to have breakfast too?" Adrien sat on the bed and stared at her.
"I already did, you are the one who's missing, come on."
Nathalie waited for him to get into the bathroom and left the room. She walked down the hall in the direction of her boss's room. She knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Gabriel was already finishing preparing for the day. He put on his jacket and then went to the nightstand and pulled the Miraculous out of the drawer. She opened the box and Nooroo came out to greet him, bowing his head.
"Good morning master"
He hid in one of his jacket pockets. Nathalie approached her boss.
"Good morning, Mr. Agreste."
"Good morning, Nathalie."
The woman began to search in her tablet for the application she used to schedule all the tasks she had to accomplish.
"I came to give you your schedule for today while I'm gone."
As she spoke, she synchronized her schedule with Gabriel's, in case an eventuality arose.
Gabriel received the notification.
"Thanks Nathalie, everything is in order."
"If something comes up, don't hesitate to call me. Your breakfast will be ready soon."
She retired from the room, finding Adrien already dressed in his casual clothes. She accompanied him to the dining room and she was there with him until he finished eating. Nathalie looked at her phone and saw that they were on time.
"Come on Adrien, we don't want to be late."
He looked at her curiously. She looked down and discreetly winked at him.
"Punctuality is important Adrien, don't forget it."
Upon arrival, the place was quite full. There were many people. Adrien saw his group of friends who were with his parents.
Marinette's mom saw them and they greeted them.
"Adrien, such a long time without seeing you, how are you?" Sabine took Adrien's hand, squeezing it tenderly between hers.
"I'm okay, thanks for asking, Where's Marinette?" He asked after noticing that she wasn't there.
"She went to the bathroom; she won't take long."
"Why didn't Mr. Dupain come? Last time he did."
"We're a bit busy in the bakery. Tom had to work on a fairly large order."
In those moments, Marinette returned.
"Hi Marinette."
"Umm H-hi, Adrien."
He could see the girl's nervousness.
Marinette reached for her backpack and took out a box and handed it to Adrien.
"I… we made this for you, I hope you like it."
She opened the box and found a row of white macarons.
"This are made out of passion fruit with a bit of almond," For a moment she looked worried. "You're not allergic to almond, are you?" she said nervously.
"No, don't worry, I just have an allergy to feathers."
He pulled out a macaroon and popped it into his mouth.
"Whoa, it's delicious."
Nathalie kept watching the boys' interactions from afar. I don't notice when Mrs. Cheng got next to her.
"Hello, Miss Sancoeur. How are you?"
"I'm ok, thank you miss Cheng" she replied politely.
"I thought Adrien's father would come" Sabine followed the conversation.
"Mr. Agreste is very busy these days, so it was not possible for him to attend, however, I came instead to accompany Adrien." Nathalie answered in the most professional manner.
"I find it very nice of your part to care so much about him."
Nathalie blinked in puzzlement at what she said.
"It's just my job." Nathalie tried to downplay it.
"You shouldn't say something like that, not all assistants care so much about a boy who is not their child" Sabine assured her, sweetly.
Those words dug really deep in her. In reality, she regarded Adrien as the son she never had, since she practically watched him while he grew up.
Soon the bell was heard, warning them that they should enter their respective classrooms. Adrien led Nathalie into his classroom, she stood next to him and waited for her turn. She noticed that most of Adrien's classmates brought one of their parents or older siblings. She was relieved to have come with him, because otherwise, Adrien would be the only one who would not have brought someone.
When it was her turn, she was concise and answered all the questions everyone in the room asked. She noticed how Adrien looked at her and all the attention that he gave her in the time she spoke and that he always did it with a smile.
When the session was over and while she waited for Adrien to say goodbye to his friends, she checked her phone. There were two messages and they were from Gabriel.
Gabriel_ 15:40
I hope you return soon
Gabriel_ 15:40
Nathalie, I need you.
She wondered what he was planning this time. She saw Adrien approach her.
"You were great Nathalie. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come."
"Thank you, Adrien," she said sweetly and putting a hand on his back in an affectionate way. "Come on, it's time to go." She took him by the shoulder and began to guide him to the exit.
After a while traveling through the streets of Paris, they arrived at the mansion. Nathalie sent the boy to his room, while she went to the atelier. Gabriel was already waiting for her, with the peacock Miraculous in his hand. As soon as Gabriel handed her the Miraculous, Duusu flew out of it.
"Miss Nathalie, how are you?" Are you still sick? Duusu floated to her examining her.
"No, I'm much better now Duusu."
Dussu began to fly around her, excited. She had to admit that she liked that kwami, it was a little ball full of joy.
They went down to the lair to transform. Once transformed, Hawkmoth called one of his butterflies.
"You'll go see if you can take the Miraculous from those brats. I will send my akuma to assist you. If something happens or the situation gets complicated, you Mayura, will come back here. Make sure they don't follow you."
"Of course, Hawkmoth."
With this, Mayura went outside where she hid between the roofs around the area. She waited for the akuma to come out and she followed it. She saw the victim and smirked. Maybe this time she would make it.
A boy was crying on a nearby bench, his musical note sheets were torn on the ground, next to his violin. Just as he picked up his violin to head home, the black butterfly entered it.
"Violinist, a great artist like you shouldn't be rejected by the company that saw him grow in his career. I will give you powers to show what you are worth, the only thing you have to do is to bring me the Miraculous of Ladybug and Chat Noir.
"Yes, Hawkmoth." A black cloud surrounded him leaving in his place a new akuma. He took his violin and played creating a shock wave that destroyed the bridge he was on.
Mayura waited behind a nearby building, she kept watch when Ladybug and Chat Noir showed up. When they both arrived on the scene, she came out to confront them and try to provoke Chat Noir.
"Looks like he's not alone," Chat Noir said.
Ladybug glared at Mayura.
Mayura spread her fan.
"You know she doesn't love you, you're just her partner."
"Still, she's my friend."
Mayura laughed pleased.
"How many times has she told you that you are not necessary for the team."
Chat Noir glared at her.
"Don't listen to her Chat, she's just trying to destabilize you."
"Wow, the ladybug has come to defend her cat, how adorable," Mayura said, still trying to provoke them.
"It won't be so adorable when catch you and Hawkmoth," Ladybug said furiously.
"Good luck with that, you'll need it."
With that Mayura rushed against them, with the help of the akumatized. She had a lot of ability. But soon, she felt the effect caused by the damaged Miraculous and thought about withdrawing from the battle. But Chat Noir cut her off.
"Are you going somewhere, birdie?"
Mayura stepped back a bit.
"Back off, pussycat."
And with that she gave him a strong kick that sent him flying. She took advantage of the confusion to scape. Chat got up to follow her, but Mayura had disappeared completely. He kicked the ground in frustration.
"No she escaped again."
She went back to where Ladybug was and helped her up.
"I'm sorry my lady, I failed you."
Ladybug put her hands on his shoulders and looked into his eyes in the sincerest way Chat Noir had ever seen her.
"Don't apologize, this isn't your fault. You have done nothing wrong."
"Thanks for your consideration, bogaboo."
They saw akumatized recovering his musical charges.
"Now we just have to kick this akuma's butt," Ladybug held up her yoyo. "Let's go!"
Mayura barely made it to the mansion when she lost consciousness. Gabriel had already undone his transformation. He went to check the security cameras to verify the moment of Nathalie's arrival. He saw where she entered and went quickly to help her, finding her unconscious. He carried her into one of the mansion's guest rooms and laid her on the bed. He placed a pillow on her head and wrapped her with the bed sheets. She needed to rest and Gabriel wanted her to be as comfortable as possible. He removed her glasses and stared at her, as she slept peacefully, though that only lasted until she started coughing in her sleep.
He sat on the edge of the bed. He would watch over her until she woke up. He leaned against the wall behind the bed, lifting his legs to rest them on the bed and be more comfortable.
He didn't realize when he fell asleep.
Nathalie woke up a couple of hours later. I notice how there was something or rather someone exerting an unusual pressure on the surface where she was accommodated. At least that was what she believed. Gabriel was sitting next to her bed. She felt dizzy.
"Gabriel" she whispered. He woke up immediately.
"You're awake."
She coughed loudly. He got up and went to the bathroom where he filled a glass with water, took one of the aspirin out of the drawer and dropped it in the water.
"Here, I brought you this." Gabriel helped her up to support her back with the head of the bed. Nathalie took the glass, drinking greedily. I notice how dry and rough her throat was.
"You must rest Nathalie, you need it."
"Okay sir, thank you."
Gabriel got up, closing the curtains completely while she changed her clothes. He left the room turning off the light and she settled back on the pillow. She stared at the ceiling, before closing her eyes again.
Nathalie found herself in a strange place, as if she were in some kind of limbo. There was nothing, just darkness. But suddenly a figure appeared before her. She had a long white dress full of glitter and her face was quite dazzling. She would recognize that person anywhere.
"Emilie."
The ethereal figure of the woman smiled when he saw her and walked over her. As she approached the place she began to turn into a multicolored tone. Emilie took Nathalie's hands in hers.
"Nathalie, how good to see you again."
"Emilie, how is it possible?" Nathalie asked. She looked around her, trying to figure out where she was.
"We are in your subconsciousness." Mrs. Agreste replied, as if she knew of her doubt.
"Are you real?" Nathalie she was very confused she didn't know what was happening.
"Of course, I'm real," Emilie made a face "But I can see that you're not very happy to see me."
"These last few days have not been very favorable."
"Oh Nathalie, life is so difficult. I wish I could help you, but ... I can't. However, I am going to give you some advice and ask you something."
She released his hands and stepped back a little.
"Never give up. Fight for your dreams and those of those who are part of your family as well. I will be here to guide you along the way. I don't know if I can recover from what the Miraculous did to me, but if I could choose one last wish, it would be for you to take care of my son and my husband. I know that he is very stubborn and I know that it will not be easy to convince him to stop using the Miraculous for what he is using it for, but I want you both to reconsider, even for a moment."
Nathalie nodded seriously, as always, but a little doubtful.
"I will, with my best effort."
"That's the spirit. I'll think about you every day." Emilie began to disappear like fog. Nathalie tried to reach her, but that vision was quickly moving away from her.
Just at that moment Nathalie woke up. Everything she just saw was a very lucid dream. She noticed the time on the clock and it's only been an hour since she closed her eyes. Only with just a few minutes she fell asleep again. With a few more hours of sleep she felt much better to get up and resume her work, even though Gabriel insisted her to go back to her room, but she stopped him and said:
"I'm fine, now you are the one who needs my help right now. Besides Adrien needs me too."
And apparently they weren't the only ones busy. In the days that followed, Adrien was going through a bad week. He had a lot of homework and extra classes, and not only that, but he had to cancel a lot of plans with his friends. He couldn't even meet up with Kagami. The only time he saw her was in fencing class and she was very angry. She didn't even speak to him.
His friends from school on their part understood that he couldn't go with them because of how strict Mr. Agreste was with him. Marinette, Nino and Alya tried to cheer him up without success.
On the way out he wasn't expecting Kagami's call. He didn't sound very happy. Although the call started out quiet, Kagami began to lose her patience.
"Kagami, calm down."
"No Adrien, I'm tired of waiting for you to choose, it was now or never, but I don't think you know what you want yet. Besides that, you are not able to confront your father to let you out."
"Kagami, I've tried, but father is a tough nut to crack," he said, remembering Nathalie's words.
"But it's not enough. Sorry, but I'm already tired of not being able to spend time with you. That you don't make a decision, if you want a relationship with me."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm sorry Adrien, but I don't think this is going to work." At that point the call ended abruptly.
He clenched his fists, for once he was more than frustrated. His father never gave him the freedom to do what he wanted. What he wanted so badly to have, was once again frustrated by who he loved the most. He wanted his freedom.
An akumatized butterfly was about to enter his bag, but he took a deep breath to calm down and it looked for another objective.
Nathalie was redacting an email when she heard her cell phone ringtone again. This time it was Gabriel who called her.
"It's our chance Nathalie, quickly go to the Arc de Triomphe. I just akumatized someone and it is quite powerful."
She went to the painting of Mrs. Agreste, to take out the Miraculous. When he touched it, Duusu shot out of it.
"Are we going out today, Miss Nathalie?"
"Get ready because today we are recharged. Duusu transform me!"
She went out through one of the windows of the mansion and with a jump she climbed to the roof of one of the nearby houses. She ran across the rooftops until she reached the place that her boss indicated. That akuma that was on top of the Arch of Triumph did have a certain disturbing air. His electric blue eyes were the only thing that stood out from him. The rest were black like his cornea. He wore a white suit with matching heels and his hair was bright green.
"Now I can do what I please without anyone interfering."
He apparently was a boy Adrien's age. Ladybug was already there and minutes later Chat Noir arrived, looking quite serious. Mayura decided not to pay attention to that and focus on the battle. He created an amok to support the akumatized and sent him to help him without leaving his hiding place.
But the plan failed miserably. She recoiled in fear and ran back to the Agreste mansion. She heard the Miraculous beeping. She only had a minute left to transform. Nathalie recognized the place she was in, so she headed to the closest hiding place she could think of: her own apartment.
She ran and saw that she had left her window open the night before. It was her chance. She gained momentum and jumped, she managing to enter without anyone noticing. Right at that moment she lost her transformation. She stood there on the floor of her living room, trying to catch her breath. Duusu was looking at her with concern.
"Miss Nathalie, are you okay?"
"Yes, don't worry Duusu. I'll just rest a little."
It was in those moments that she, with what little strength she had left, went to her bedroom, climbed on the bed and lost consciousness.
New chapter (which a miracle). I also made an art piece from last chapter, you can find it in my tumblr and instagram account theredeyeswolf(links avaliable also on my profile)