Chapter 19
A couple of days later Gabriel presented her with something which caught her attention. He entered with some clothes in his hands and left them on the bed.
Those were designs she had never seen. The clothes were quite exquisite. The first was an outfit with a purple sleeveless blouse with paperbag pants. The second was a long black cocktail dress that clung to her body and the third was a nightgown. The fabric used in this one was silk and in color red, the same tone as the streak of her hair.
"It is inspired by you, Nath. And only for you."
Nathalie took the nightgown in her hands, it felt very soft and the fabric was quite fine for the one used in the pieces of the other collections. She put it on with the help of Gabriel and saw how it fit perfectly. She wore a very fluffy white robe to match, with the Gabriel brand symbol.
"I hope this is to your liking."
She tried to wear the new clothes that Gabriel gave her on certain days when she walked around the mansion as the weeks went by. Although her walking was at a very slow pace because she did not feel capable of doing her walks as she did before. In addition to the recommendations of her physiotherapist, she used comfortable shoes such as sports shoes or even sandals and she began to go to a gym to exercise. With it, she managed to regain a lot of her mobility, even when on certain occasions she felt that her muscles were not working as they should.
Gabriel on the other hand, continued to take care of her, even to the point of sleeping at insane hours in the same sofa in which he sat while watching her. One night Nathalie couldn't keep her comment back.
"You're going to hurt your back if you continue like this" she said, seeing her position on the couch.
"I don't care, after all I'm a garbage person who doesn't deserve your forgiveness."
She looked at him seriously.
"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself."
"You are wrong about that. This is all my fault and mine alone" Gabriel said as he settled into the sofa.
Nathalie was still too tired to fight him, so she decided to give up.
Sunday was no exception. He got up before her and brought her breakfast. He made her take a pill for a sudden headache and helped her do the daily exercises, just as the doctor had asked.
Gabriel sat in the sofa that he left in front of her bed, falling asleep unperturbed. Nathalie got up seeing that she was no longer being watched by him. She went to the bathroom to change into the blouse and paperbag pants Gabriel had given her.
As she left, Nathalie saw how calm Gabriel looked when he slept. She could tell how exhausted he was, by a very prominent dark circles on his eyes. She took one of the blankets that was on top of one of the chairs and covered Gabriel with it.
Although she was still not convinced of everything he was doing for her, he was still the person who had been diligently caring for her since she left the hospital. For that alone, he also deserved to rest, even if it was only five minutes.
She crept out of the room, leaving the door half open. She started to get down the stairs to go to the exit.
Adrien had just come out of the dining room. He saw her and walked over to Nathalie, surprised that she was up.
"Nathalie, how did you sleep?"
"Very well Adrien" she looked to the room and looked back at Adrien "I was thinking of leaving the mansion for a while."
"Won't my father mind?"
"He can't keep me prisoner here if that's what he intends. Nothing will happen if we go out for a while. Besides, he's asleep, we might even come back before he wakes up."
"Then I already have a place to go" Adrien said happily.
Adrien invited her to go to the park for a while. They would go walking and they also invited the gorilla with them. Since Gabriel had fallen asleep, they left a note on the door. They didn't want to bother him knowing he really needed a break, after spending so many sleepless nights taking care of Nathalie.
Adrien and Nathalie walked off calmly, at a pace Nathalie could handle. Adrien had tangled one of his arms with hers.
"I told Marinette we would be near her house. And, well, she has a little time to be with us."
Although she was a bit uncomfortable knowing Ladybug's true identity, she knew she owed the girl the second chance she had given to her and Gabriel. Marinette didn't seem to mind she was there with Adrien. She was quite polite and asked if she was okay. She supposed that in addition to being worried, Marinette would also report it to the Miraculous guardian.
The girl greeted Adrien with a kiss on the cheek.
"Andre, the ice cream man just arrived, so I was waiting for you to share an ice cream."
Nathalie was undecided about having the ice cream. She knew how famous those ice creams were for lovers. But when Adrien pleaded with her to please accept the ice cream, she couldn't refuse.
The ice cream cone that Andre gave her was almond and red velvet. She looked at it for a moment, that ice cream reminded her a lot of Gabriel.
She watched as Adrien took the ice cream spoon and taking some of it brought it to Marinette's mouth, who gladly accepted it with a smile. Then she took some ice cream and tried to bring it to Adrien lips, but it ended up on his nose.
Nathalie looked in surprise at what had just happened, but Adrien laughed at what she had done, causing Marinette to laugh as well. She smiled a little seeing them both, she believed their relationship had a lot of future and they both complemented each other quite well.
She only wished her relationship with Gabriel could have had such an opportunity. Deep down she loved him, but she… felt like it wasn't worth it.
Marinette came with them to the mansion. They took the long way again, so Nathalie could stretch her legs out. Walking casually felt strange to Nathalie, after so long of not doing it.
Gabriel woke up with a sigh. A dream in which Nathalie disappeared again was haunting him. But then he looked at the bed and saw she was no longer there. He jumped from his seat, letting the blanket fall to the ground.
"Nathalie!"
There was no answer. He searched the entire room until he heard laughter outside the mansion. Gabriel quickly glanced at the window, slamming the curtain aside. It was his son, Marinette and Nathalie who were escorted by the bodyguard. He grabbed his robe to cover himself and ran outside. He threw open the door. They all fell silent instantly.
"Can you explain where you were?" he expressed irritated.
"We went to the park for a while, Father. Didn't you read the note?" Adrien got a little angry because he already guessed the answer of his father.
Gabriel denied. He sighed trying to calm himself down a bit, running his hand through his hair.
"It's not bad you want to take her out, but next time I want you to let me know in advance and when I'm awake."
Both teens nodded, but Nathalie didn't mention anything about it. Gabriel held the door for everyone to enter. In those moments, Nathalie only thought that she noticed something happened to Gabriel since they were in the hospital. But she really didn't know or discern what it was. Although after she began to think, she assumed that Emilie was still in the basement of the mansion. It was something that was eating her inside from the start.
In the night she realized what was really happening. He collapsed in front of her, when he was sitting on her bed, saying goodnight to her before going to the couch again.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry ... It was my fault, this was all my fault ..."
Gabriel's cracking voice made her shudder. The only time he heard him like this was when his wife had fallen into a coma from the damaged Miraculous.
Was he really blaming himself for everything that happened?
At that point Gabriel had laid down on the bed, next to her, covering his face from her.
No Gabriel, please stop
She could feel the pain in his words, in the way he said it. She had to stop him. She had to make it stop. She looked at the man and several tears fell from his face.
She had never seen him so devastated and sad. It was very rare to see the great Gabriel Agreste crying like that, because it almost never happened. Until now.
"I'm to blame too, Gabriel" she said, wrapping her arms around Gabriel's sides to give him a rough hug.
"Of course not, I should have stopped you from doing this craziness, I allowed you to use that stupid Miraculous" Gabriel said plaintively, his voice cracking.
"But you didn't force me to use it, I did it completely on my own free will" She ran her hands down his back trying to comfort him. A small lump was beginning to form in her throat.
"And because of it, I almost lost everything."
That shocked her. She still believed that Gabriel still had the desire to bring his wife back. After he calmed down a bit, Gabriel looked into her eyes.
"Nathalie as time went by, I have managed to be closer to you and to see how you really are. Of everything you suffered and your dreams. And I only have something to tell you..."
She was silent, waiting for what he wanted to tell her.
"You do have a heart, Nath. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise."
That made her cry. But this time it was not sadness, but relief and happiness. And the next thing she said to him was like the final blow:
"Your life and well-being are also important. You are important, not only for Adrien, but for me as well."
They both settled on the bed. He put her head on hers. He tucked her so she could snuggle into the blankets. Nathalie felt how he tried to accommodate onto her body on the sheets. Trying to cover her, to protect her as if she could leave at any moment during his sleep. Gabriel would not allow her to leave him, ever again.
Adrien arrived at the mansion at dawn. He escaped from his room without any of the members of the house noticing it and went to the Eiffel Tower to meet with Ladybug. Although the only thing they discussed was how his relationship with his father was going. It hurt to talk about it, but his girlfriend understood and let him take breaks from time to time so he could vent on her lap.
She told him that maybe it was time they put their differences aside and to clarify their situation once and for all.
Adrien quietly entered the mansion. He knew that, at that hour, his father was preparing in his room to return to Nathalie to watch her. He cleared his throat and raising his voice said:
"Father I want to talk to you."
He knocked on the door, but received no response from the other side.
"Father?"
Adrien opened the door and found that Gabriel was not in his room. His pajamas were arranged just as he had left them the day before. Surprised, he began to walk to the opposite side, just from where he had come
The door to the room where Nathalie was staying was ajar. He decided to sneak up silently, finding a scene that he didn't believe. Nathalie slept curled up under her covers with part of her face covered by the blanket. Gabriel slept on top of the comforter, hugging the woman over the covers with part of his face buried in her black hair.
Adrien looked at the scene in surprise. When his father and Nathalie's relationship didn't seem to be going anywhere for a reconciliation, the two seemed closer than ever. He decided to give them both a break since they really needed it.
He went to his room to take a nap. He spent the night outside and could not sleep much, although the time spent with his Lady was very pleasant.
After the morning, Nathalie woke up. After seeing how Gabriel acted, it made her change her mind a bit. Apparently, she was very important to him. But she couldn't be sure until she asked him the most important question.
Just when Gabriel got up and after he kissed her on the forehead, sitting on the couch next to her bed, she decided to throw the question.
"Gabriel, is Emilie still here?" Nathalie looked at him. She wanted him to say no. Deep down she knew the truth, but she just wanted to make sure. She didn't want the same thing to happen as she did the first time he told her he was going to stop being Hawkmoth, but then he backed off his decision.
The least she wanted was to get back into that routine. And she much less she didn't want Gabriel to see her as Emilie's replacement. Everything but that.
Gabriel was taken by surprise by the question. He was just waiting for Nathalie to finish recovering so that she too could say goodbye to Emilie.
"Yes" Gabriel said. "But it's for a good reason let me explain..."
"Explain? Gabriel…" Nathalie felt tears welling up in her eyes. She rolled over on the bed and hid her face in the pillow.
"Nathalie..."
But Nathalie cut him off.
"Just go away."
Gabriel wanted to explain to her, but she wasn't willing to listen to him. He left the room and just as he closed the door Nathalie started crying on the bed. She knew she couldn't stay, that would only hurt them both. Her heart couldn't hold anymore, she needed to rest. With Emilie there she didn't feel welcome at the mansion.
It was time to go back to her apartment.
She got up and quietly entered the guest room where she kept all the things she brought during her stay at the mansion. She packed her things in the suitcase including her clothes, leaving all the clothes Gabriel made for her in the closet. But what she didn't notice was Adrien walking down the hall in front of the room.
"Nathalie? What are you doing?" Adrien stormed inside, looking alarmed at Nathalie's suitcase.
"I'm leaving, Adrien" she discreetly wiped the tears flowing from her eyes again and continued folding her clothes.
"Are you leaving?!, But why?" Adrien was getting nervous.
"I do not belong here.
"But what are you saying? Of course, you belong here" He took her hands and she withdrew them.
"I'm sorry Adrien, but I have to leave you both"
He hugged her around her waist as Nathalie closed the suitcase and started to leave.
"Please don't…"
Nathalie ran her free hand around his shoulders and hugged him.
"I promise to call you whenever I can, and if you need me, I'll be there for you. I promise"
Adrien nodded with tears in his eyes. When it seemed that he and his father were finally beginning to be happy again, their happiness would be taken away in just a few minutes. He just wanted Nathalie to stay there taking care of them like she always had.
Nathalie went down the stairs. Gabriel came out of the atelier and saw her with the suitcase in tow. He seemed to understand the look the woman gave him, because he didn't stop her. She continued on her way and slammed the front door. Adrien ran to the entrance and looked out the window.
"Please Father, don't let her go."
With the greatest look of unease, Gabriel looked out the window at the car they used every day.
"I'm sorry Adrien, but I can't stop her. Not that way."
They watched her get in the car and drive away, going away from them and their lives.
Gabriel kept his hands on the window watching the car drive away from the mansion. After losing sight of it, Gabriel just turned around, his face looking sad.
"If you need me, Adrien, I'll be in my bedroom." And with long steps he went up to the second floor, just to slam the door when he reached his destination.
Gabriel had locked himself in his own room. He took one of the whiskey bottles he kept in a locked drawer and poured himself some. Then it was two and then three glasses until he lost count of how many glasses he had poured himself. He tried to get up, but he fell to the ground when he tried. It moved a lot.
"She is my queen, my only reason to live. I crowned her when she started helping me and I never realized it" He began to cry bitterly. He spent a long time until he heard a knock on the door.
"Father? Father are you still there?" Adrien knocked the door insistently.
"Go away Adrien, I don't want to be disturbed!" Gabriel yelled.
Adrien, knowing that he was serious, went to bring the Gorilla. The Gorilla opened the door smoothly. They both found a Gabriel Agreste asleep with a bottle of liquor in his hand. The gorilla proceeded to take the bottle from his hand only to receive threats that he would be fired. Adrien motioned for the Gorilla to desist and leave the bedroom. Gabriel only locked the door again and apparently placed something to block it.
Adrien just entered his room and closing the door, he slipped to the floor, covering himself with his arms. He stayed there for some time. At that point he was wiping away the tears he shed over Nathalie's departure. Although Adrien was still a bit surly about the whole thing about his father being Hawkmoth, he was not so cruel as not to help him. Besides, he wanted Nathalie back.
Plagg looked at his wearer with pity, but then remembered something he saw in Gabriel's room, an object that might perhaps help them. He went to look for it and with great effort left it on Adrien's desk without saying anything, because he wanted to leave him in peace for a few moments. He just sat on Adrien's head to wait.
After Adrien was able to calm down a bit, he decided that he would call Marinette because she always knew what to do and say.
"Hello Princess."
"Hello my prince, are you crying?" She asked, noticing Adrien's tearful voice.
He told her everything that happened that day.
"I'm coming. I'll be there in a minute."
She left as Ladybug and before arriving he undid her transformation. She rang the bell and waited for the gate to be opened. The Gorilla let her in and growled approvingly. He smiled, watching the girl go up to Adrien's room. Marinette knocked on Adrien's door before entering. Since it was half open, she entered immediately. She saw Adrien sitting on her couch staring out the window.
"Hi Adrien." She put her things on the couch and walked over to where Adrien was sitting next to her. She took Adrien's hand.
"Are you okay, Adrien?" She noticed some tears falling down his face.
"Why these things have to happen to me?"
Marinette just hugged him while they talked.
"My father is drunk. I found him on the floor with a bottle of whiskey in hand. I do not know what to do. When I went to help him to his bed, he repeated Nathalie's name. The fact she not here with him is killing him."
Marinette bit her lip, unsure of what to do.
"Maybe we should give them more time" Marinette suggested.
"More time? No, it will be too late" Adrien said.
There was silence for a moment. Then Marinette noticed a sheet of paper on Adrien's desk.
"Hey, what's that?" She pointed to where the object was. Adrien looked at where she was pointing. They got closer to the desk.
"It's one of father's drawings. How did it get here?" Adrien just looked at Plagg who shrugged.
Adrien and Marinette started looking at it. It was a drawing of Nathalie, one they had never seen before. It looked quite recent, something which surprised them. Marinette gaped at the drawing, one from her favorite designer.
"Is beautiful. You can tell how hard he worked on it."
Suddenly Adrien had an idea.
"I have an idea! we could look for the sketchbook that my father used for the collection he created for Nathalie and give it to him so she can look at it and see how much my father appreciates her."
"I think we should write her something first. But Adrien, how do we know that will work?" She wasn't very sure about Adrien's idea, after all she hardly knew Gabriel's ex-assistant.
"It's our only chance at the moment, Marinette. I have no other idea."
"Then we have to try, we don't lose anything by doing it. Where does your father keep his sketchbook?" Marinette got up determined.
He just got up next to her, crestfallen.
"In his room. And he refuses to come out or let anyone in for any reason."
They both went to Gabriel's room. Tikki managed to open the lock, while Plagg managed to push the furniture Gabriel put in the door so that their wearers could enter. Gabriel was still asleep.
Stealthily Marinette took the notebook from the bedside table and left the room closing the door softly.
They went back to the Adrien's room and also closed the door.
Leaving it on top of Adrien's desk, they opened it and the first thing they found were the designs that Gabriel made. They were quite beautiful. Then they came to a page where there was a portrait of Nathalie on her desk at work. It was followed by a bunch of other drawings, all of or related to Nathalie.
"Look at all of this" Marinette looked fascinated at the drawings made by her favorite designer.
"So that's what everything he did in this sketchbook" Adrien was surprised "We should write a letter. So, Nathalie may not refuse to see it. Could you do it?"
Marinette smiled sadly at him.
"I think it would have more meaning if you wrote it in your own hand, Adrien."
"It's just that, even though I'm very good with words, this time it's different" Adrien sat at his desk taking a pencil that was on top of it.
"Well, I'll help you" Marinette said, standing next to him.
Things didn't turn out as adrien expected.