Author's note: Thanks for the reviews! I also managed to fix the character tags, which I confess I forgot to include.
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Nathalie is busy working when Emilie comes into the study.
All the same, she looks up from the screen. As always, she's greeted with a warm smile. It's quite early in the morning. The sun is both up and out for once. It comes streaming in the windows. The blonde woman approaches the desk and places a couple of letters down on the surface. Nathalie's eyes skim over them quickly. Bills, product samples, the usual… There's one however that draws her attention. She recognizes the hand that wrote it, it's cursive, brown ink and addressed to "Nathalie Sancoeur and Adrien Agreste" as opposed to the company or exclusively the latter. Another letter from Mamita. She contemplates it for a moment, separating it from the rest of the pile.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. I've got the make myself useful somehow..."
It must be frustrating for her. Nathalie's already contemplated trying to find a way to integrate the woman back into the company. She's been away for quite some time but isn't stupid. In theory, it should be relatively simple. Although that being said, she had already expressed an interest in getting back into her original line of work, that was to say acting. Give it a couple more weeks, enough time for idleness to actually become dangerous and she might gently suggest finding some form of occupation. In the meanwhile, it isn't a matter which the assistant is inclined to push too much.
Let her live her life…
The woman hovers, evidently delivering the mail isn't the only thing that's on her mind. Nathalie looks back up from the screen, silently giving permission for the other woman to go ahead and continue with whatever she came here for:
"What time did Adrien get back? He's certainly sleeping in."
"Get back?" Nathalie repeats, a little taken by surprise. "Didn't he send you a text?"
It had been Nino's party the night before. Nathalie had received a text a little after midnight confirming that Adrien wouldn't be coming home and had made other arrangements. She hopes that he was considerate enough to inform his mother of that much as well. It could have slipped his mind but she would be disappointed if he did. No, if he neglected to inform her, it was a choice. The teen isn't all that forgetful.
The expression of surprise on his parent's face confirms however that it's something that slipped her mind, not her son's. Strange as it might seem, Emilie seems to struggle a bit with the fact that she has a phone. The technology is nothing new to her but the fact that her son, who when she knew him never left the house without her, might use it to contact her seems to be something that she can't quite get her head around. The woman blushes momentarily, offering an apologetic smile. There must be a message there as her eyes move accordingly, flicking over the text.
She seems to be quite engrossed by it. Either Adrien's sent her a novel or something isn't quite right… Nathalie's about to ask when Emilie beats her to the punch:
"He's spending the night at Marinette's?" The woman looks up from the text to face the boy's other guardian.
"Yes..." Nathalie responds a little uneasy, unsure why this seems to be such an issue.
"As in sleeping over there?" Emilie's question is met with an affirmative nod. "Will there be others?"
"Other classmates?" She can't exactly say for certain but decides to answer none-the-less. "Honestly, I doubt it."
As much as this development doesn't seem to please Emilie, the other woman isn't all that inclined to try and deceive her (they have enough secrets already). She doubts that it would have been all that long before she discovered the truth at any rate. Perhaps, it was somewhat naive of her not to bring the boy's mother up to date on everything or rather suggest that Adrien did that much, after all, it was his personal life, not her own.
Like it or not however, Nathalie finds herself alone in the presence of a somewhat disgruntled Emilie. She makes no secret that this revelation doesn't sit well with her. In that respect, the woman hasn't changed all that much. It's the fallout however that the assistant isn't looking forwards to. Usually she'd had Gabriel to act as a buffer between herself and his wife if something happened to displease her. He knew how to deal with her. She's not helpless but if possible, the woman would rather not get into some manner of argument, especially not over something to do with Adrien.
"You knew about this?" The tone of Emilie's voice is growing progressively louder.
"Sometimes Adrien stays over there. Others she spends the night here." The blue eyed woman forces herself not to respond in kind, instead presenting things as a matter-of-fact. "I don't ask questions..."
"It doesn't bother you?"
Nathalie makes a mistake.
She shrugs.
She's spent the past four years with Adrien. The two of them understand one another. They're not as formal as they once were in each other's company. How could they be? Part of that is so subconscious, neither of them even think about it any more. A part of that is body language. She would never have dreamed of shrugging to her employers in the past. She would always answer plainly and clearly, maintaining a stiff formality which actually comes rather naturally to her. The teen would know exactly what she meant. The gesture was intended to signify: "it doesn't bother me, so I won't stop them".
Emilie doesn't know that. She interprets it as meaning "I don't care." A subtle difference but in the current circumstances, it can change everything.
"How long has this being going on for?" The woman raises her voice.
"I don't know exactly. A few months now..." She catches sight of the disapproving look that the woman gives her and speaks a little more firmly. "He's seventeen, Emilie."
"I was about to say the same thing! What on earth makes you think this is appropriate?"
Nathalie manages to hold back a sigh. It was inevitable that sooner or later they would end up clashing over something.
She's inclined to snap back. To remind Emilie that her son's grown into a young man. In a few more weeks, he'll be voting and a legal adult. She's not inclined to interfere in his personal life. Especially not when the girl he's dating is one he's been with for three years now and clearly loves. If he were the type to be careless and have a different partner ever other day, then perhaps things would be different. As it stands however, it seems to her to be rather innocuous. She knows for a fact that Tom and Sabine Dupain-Cheng don't disapprove or if they do, it's not strongly enough for them to attempt to prevent the teens from seeing one another.
She forces herself to remain calm. There's no sense in trying to match the woman's temper or even in raising her voice. If emotions got involved then Nathalie knows that she was certain to lose. Instead, she does the only thing that she knows how and tries to reason things logically with the woman or at the very least trying to explain her thought process:
"It was going to happen sooner or later. If not with Marinette then with someone else. I thought that they didn't feel like they had to hide or keep it a secret." She hesitates for a few instants before adding in a softer voice. "It's not like they would listen."
They wouldn't listen. Of that much, Nathalie is certain. She's seen how the two are around one another. If she was to attempt to keep them apart, they would only meet in secret. That would open the floodgates as far as keeping things from one another was concerned. No. She doesn't want to go back to the days of hidden passageways and Adrien escaping through the window, rather literally. Given that it's not even a matter that she feels particularly strongly about, at least not at this age, she's made no attempt to dissuade them, other that a brief reminder about the appropriate precautions.
She's not entirely sure what Gabriel's official stance about the matter was. Adrien had mercifully been a bit too young to be getting into such situations the last time that they'd seen one another. So she's forced to base herself off of Emilie's reaction and assume that he too wouldn't have taken kindly to the relationship.
"What are you worried about Emilie?" Nathalie can't help but ask, perplexed by the mother's attitude. "You've met Marinette. She's not the type to..." The woman's voice trails off for a moment, unsure what charges could even be brought against the bakers' daughter. "-take advantage of Adrien."
"I know that!" Emilie snaps suddenly, slamming her hands down on the table and causing Nathalie to jump. "It's just… Adrien he's, he's not used to the outside world. There's a lot of ugly out there."
"Believe me. He's seen a lot more of the world since you've been asleep." The assistant pauses reflecting upon the matter. "He's not the same little boy, he once was."
Maybe he's seen a bit too much. That year he spent as Dylan was terribly formative in both the best and the worst of ways. In the space of one night, he'd gone from one of the richest teens in Paris whose face is plastered all over the city to being thrust into the life of a nobody, living in the rougher outskirts with barely two coins to rub together. He's fought his own father. It's inevitable that such trials will change someone.
Her declaration doesn't have quite the desired effect. Emilie's face clouds over abruptly, a familiar rage returning. For the first time, it registers with the woman that Nathalie is sitting in her husband's chair, behind her husband's desk… It makes the anger even harder to contain:
"What are you implying?! That I don't know what's right for him?!"
"No..." She raises her hands defensively. "Not all at! It's just- Emilie, a lot's happened-"
"Don't you "Emilie" me! I don' t know just what's happened to Adrien but all I can say is that it's most definitely not a change for the better! So you might just want to consider that before you start giving me advice."
Instinctively, Nathalie backs down both physically, lowering her head slightly and from the argument. She knows that she can't match the woman's temper and sees no point in this degenerating into a shouting match.
Perhaps sensing her victory or at the very least that her opponent has given up, Emilie straightens herself and gradually pulls away from the desk. The anger is still present behind her green orbs however and its something that she doesn't want to cross right now. Instead, she watches in silence as the other woman makes her way towards the door, she takes long and vigorous strides, a sure-fire sign that she's in a fowl mood. The sound of her heels clicking against the marble floor is one which Nathalie finds herself remembering abruptly. It was always a good sign back in the day that those not wanting trouble should make themselves scarce and avoid getting her in her way.
For some reason however, the woman pauses just before leaving the room. She lingers there for a moment before adding in a somewhat more sedate voice, although one which conceals a rage still bubbling underneath:
"I'll have a word with him."
"Emi- Mrs. Agreste, I really wouldn't." Nathalie stresses, getting to her feet. Of all the things to challenge Adrien about, his relationship with his girlfriend is arguably the worst. "Adrien won't appreciate-"
"I know my own son!" She declares flatly before adding under her breath. "At least the man he should be."
She walks out a moment later, much to Nathalie's relief.
She's not necessarily all that good at confronting other on the fly, not without some clue that it might be about to happen at any rate. The unpredictable is always unwelcome simply because it was difficult to guard against. At least with people like Audrey Bourgeois it was a certainty that something was going to happen… Emilie's outburst has caught her by surprise, coming seemingly out of nowhere. As such, it leaves the woman somewhat frazzled and unsure just how to react. She sits there for a few moments lost and actively welcomes Macaroon coming in for one of his routine "When is Adrien coming back?" visits, rubbing the dog's head as it sits there rather placidly.
She gets a text a short while later. It's from Adrien, informing her that he's on his way home. Presumably, Emilie has received a similar one. A thought suddenly crosses her mind. The boy's never had to deal with his mother in a bad mood. In fact, he's probably blissfully unaware of the situation such as it is. It's probably best that she brief him if possible:
OK. Need to talk. Come into the study. Quietly.
She gets a simple "Ok?" back. He must be a mixture of confused and concerned but to his credit doesn't argue.
It's hard to distract herself with work waiting for him to come home. She assumes that he'll take the metro back but can't be sure. Little noises outside distract her, cause her to look up just in case it his him. All the while, she's trying her best to think of just how to let him know about his mother's temper. Gabriel has mentioned it from time to time but then the boy currently dismisses almost everything that his father told him as being nonsense or lies. Perhaps just a little warning to be careful will suffice at the very least to let him know that Emilie might be on the warpath.
She calls Macaroon into the room. She knows that he'll go nuts and start bouncing off of the walls as soon as Adrien's at the door. Unwilling to give away his presence, she hopes that by having the dog by her side, she might actually be able to moderate his response. If nothing else, despite what she might tell his primary owner, there is something about the mutt which is soothing.
A few minutes later, her theory is tested as she hears the front door opening. It's done quietly. Adrien's a master at creeping around when he wants to. He slips into the mansion and makes a beeline for the door of the study. Nathalie somehow succeeds in holding back an overjoyed Macaroon, releasing the dog only once the door was closed and they were alone. He greets the boy as if they were torn apart centuries ago, almost knocking him over in the process. She gives the teen some time to calm his pet and more importantly quieten him.
The young man offers her a somewhat tired smile. He's a bit on the scruffier side this morning, having evidently failed to shave or shower before returning home. The hood of his sweatshirt raised over his head serves to conceal some of his identity from the outside world.
"Man, what's the matter?" He has the good sense to keep his voice quiet.
"It's your mother…" Nathalie wonders just where to begin. "She's not best pleased that you decided to spend the night at Marinette's-"
"You're damned right I'm not!"
The tone is clipped but she isn't shouting. Startled both Nathalie and Adrien spin round to see the teen's mother standing in the door.
She has a face like thunder. All trace of the usual niceties and the wondrous smile have been erased. Perhaps, Nathalie realizes, there is also some pain behind her eyes. She might perceive this as a form of betrayal. Not from the older woman - if she's being honest, there was never that trust there to begin with – but her son is another kettle of fish altogether. She fixes him, as opposed to the assistant behind the desk. Adrien doesn't meet her gaze, instead fixes the ground.
After a few moments, the blonde woman steps into the room, hands hanging loosely by her sides but hands clenched firmly into fists. Not once does she look away from her son:
"I know you two are sneaking around, hiding things from me!"
"It was my idea, not his." Nathalie lowers her head, getting to her feet. "Adrien's never seen you upset. I just wanted to warn him."
"Mom..." Adrien's blushing, evidently embarrassed. "It's nothing, really. I mean… Marinette and I, we're careful."
He turns to Nathalie, giving her a discrete glance. She can tell that he's confused. Awkwardly and timidly, he seeks some reassurance, assuming incorrectly that she's the one to give it to him. In fact, the woman is as awkward standing there as he is. She doubts that the teen's assurances will be enough to calm his mother. Instead, silently she seeks some alternative. A way out for all three parties before things turn nasty.
The woman's gaze rests firmly on her son. He squirms somewhat uneasily beneath it, averting his gaze. The young man is silent, fixing only his feet. When Emilie speaks to him, she isn't angry, instead, she adopts a soft and caring tone:
"Well, that shows some maturity on your part but Adrien, honey, this has to stop. It's not proper… Just imagine what the press would say if they got wind of it."
Adrien seems to think about the matter for a few moments. Nathalie bites her lower lip. She's torn. There's a part of her which wants to interject and come to the young man's defense. On the other hand, she's acutely aware that at his age, he needs to be standing on his own two feet and looking out for himself. If he's going to have to make his own way in the world one day, he can't always be looking to her to fight his battles for him. She steps back metaphorically, only for a few moments, giving the teen the opportunity to stand up to his mother. Something in truth, he has yet to do.
He frowns, eventually gathering enough wits and courage to open his mouth. It's clear that he's about to protest. He barely gets a syllable out before Emilie cuts in:
"Just think about poor Marinette… Imagine if they start hounding her too."
For Nathalie, it's a step too far. All of this is based on hypothesis with very little to back them up. She knows Emilie well enough to be aware that she isn't quite as innocent as she seems. She may very well like Marinette but right now, the girl is a means to an end. She'll use the bond that she knows exists between her son and the young woman, relying on how much he cares for her, to get what she wants.
She's about ready to interject and call a foul, taking a step forwards when Adrien abruptly stops her. He reaches out and takes a hold of her arm. His grip is gentle but firm.
"It's okay, Nathalie..." He speaks softly. "Mom's right."
He's defeated, crestfallen but all the same offers her a watery smile. In those few moments, she reminds Nathalie of the boy she knew under Gabriel's care. She doesn't doubt that he intends to do exactly as his mother tells him. Whilst she might want to say something, ultimately she bites her tongue and nods in agreement. There will be room to discuss this at a later date, when tempers have died down. Adrien is relatively quick to excuse himself. Leaving his guardian comparatively confused by his behavior.
She glances towards Emilie, Nathalie herself feels a little lost.
"Don't you worry Nathalie..." The blonde woman tells her after a moment. "He'll be back on track in no time."
"Whose track?" The woman asks folding her arms across her chest and raising an eyebrow dubiously. "His or yours?"
"The best one..."
She says nothing else, leaving to the room to go and attend to whatever business keeps Emilie Agreste occupied on a daily basis. Nathalie's gaze follows and a distinct sense of uneasy déjà vu takes hold of her.