I'm sorry I was all set to post on Monday but my cursor decided to hide on me. After hours of trying to fix it I wake up and it's back to normal. Anyway let's get right into this.

Content warning: Talk of sick/dying loved ones, manipulation.

Chapter 5

The Offer

Nathalie Sancoeur, long time assistant to Gabriel Agreste and keeper of his secrets had been watching nervously on the surveillance monitors as the boy left his room in search of an exit. Gabriel had insisted the doors remain unlocked at least from the inside. He said the boy needed to trust him and once he did he'd be a valuable player against Ladybug. According to their research the Raccoon Kwami only chose the best and brightest minds to become his holder. They didn't know much about the boy but to be chosen at such a young age he had to be something special.

She sometimes wished she knew what he was thinking, all he had said was that he read his emotions and found them to be similar to his own. If Gabriel was right then this child must have gone through a tragedy as well. And from the condition they found him in much more. Was Gabriel planning to share the wish? He did say the boy was not to be lied to, at least not directly.

Still his strategy worked and once seeing he could in fact leave the boy had agreed to stay. He seemed to be forming some kind of bond with the boy or was at least trying to. She kept an eye on him as he slept but every once in a while he would wake up, walk to his door and once he was reminded that it was unlocked he went back to bed. They had guessed he had been imprisoned given his shackles and his need for freedom. Had the boy done something to warrant his arrest? If he was as similar to Gabriel as he claimed then that was a strong possibility.

What had they gotten themselves into this time?

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It seems Varian had overexerted himself, he was bedridden for the next few days. During that time he was slowly getting more comfortable around Gabriel's presence. The man brought him food, medicine and as many books as he'd asked for. Varian still wanted to comb through the library but needed to be ably to stay awake long enough to enjoy it.

Lately Gabrial had been bringing his own lunch with Varian's so they could eat together. It was a vast improvement over the man just watching him eat. It was during one of these lunch breaks that Varian noticed Gabriel was wearing a wedding ring.

"How does your spouse feel about looking after a strange kid from another world?" He said pointing to the ring. The man's hands clenched and he looked pained.

"My wife is…not around anymore." Hearing this Varian bit his lip. Usually the man was very stoic and guarded, this was the first time he'd let his guard down.

"I'm sorry I didn't know."

"It's just me and my son but I plan to change that someday." Varian was a bit confused by his statement. I sounded like he had lost his wife so how was he planning to change that? He decided not to push the issue.

"So what's your son like?" Gabriel's tone changed in an instant.

"Adrien is about your age actually. He's a very bright student, gifted in fencing and music and my muse for my work." Varian tried not to look jealous at the amount of pride this father was gushing out for his son. Adrien was one lucky boy.

"What kind of work do you do?" The man was obviously rich if the size of the house was anything to go by.

"I'm a designer. I design mostly clothing and Adrien models some of the outfits I create." Varian thought for a moment.

"So, you're a tailor?"

"While I do have a working knowledge of sewing and tailoring I merely create the designs. Others sew them for me." The boy was a little confused how being a designer could make you rich. It didn't sound like a difficult job but he supposed it was a little like a scientist who drew up blueprints for an idea and used someone with more engineering skills to bring it to life. Varian usually did both but that was more out of necessity.

"I suppose this is one of those things that makes more sense in this world than my own."

"I'd been curious about that. Your reaction to many things we find common here seem to amaze you." Varian's face reddened remembering the white chamber pot that rid itself of waist. He'd tried to take it apart to see how it worked only to make a mess. He genuinely felt bad about it. Even though he tried to hide it it was clear Gabriel was pissed. He was convinced he was about to be kicked out only to be given a book on the wonders of plumbing.

He was delighted to see his idea for bringing running water to his village was not only possible but commonplace here. Although it seems he was a little ahead of his time if the dates in the book were anything to go by.

"I think my world is a little behind yours. What year is it?"

"2018." Varian gasped at the same time as Ruddiger.

"2018? That's more than 200 years in the future!"

"That explains a lot of things." Gabriel said almost to himself while Varian was stressing himself out.

"200 years…how? How was this Ladybug able to pull me so far across space and time?" He paused as another thought crossed his mind. "And how did you know it was her?" Gabriel had been prepared for this.

"I am familiar with the magic of the Miraculous, she's given the Miraculous of the Horse to a holder in the past. If used properly the user can generate portals to just about anywhere in the world. However, it would seem she allowed a Kwami to wield its power without a holder and your unexpected trip here was the result." The boy clenched his fists. Once again his life was upended by powerful magic.

"Do you think we could find her? Maybe she knows a way to get me back home." The older man shook his head.

"I would take a skilled holder to recreate the accident that brought you here. She's not powerful enough to do so."

"Then I'll ask to use the Kwami without a holder again."

"She'd never allow that."

"Why not? She allowed it once already. Why not again to fix her mistake?"

"I imagine she'll offer some type of excuse saying you can't fix a mistake with another."

"But that's not FAIR!" the boy shouted tears forming in his eyes. "I can't stay here, I have to get home, my Dad needs me!" His fists were gripping his blanket so tight they were white. "No one helped me, no one's going to help him, just me." He tried to fight it but a few stray tears escaped. "And now I'm stuck here." Gabriel was quiet for a moment then put a hand on the boy's knee.

"You're right, it's not fair. It's not fair that our loved one suffer while those with the power to change their fate do nothing." Varian looked up, his eyes opened wide. "No one understands our pain, our willingness to do whatever it takes to save them." Varian didn't know what to make of the man before him. No one else had ever even tried to understand his feelings after his Dad was imprisoned by the amber yet here was a virtual stranger who sounded like he had gone through something similar,

"How do you know all this?"

"I know because I've lived through it, same as you. I meant what I said, what I want from you can help us both."

"What is it, why don't you just tell me?"

"Because some things need to be understood, not explained. When you do, I'll tell you everything."

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Try as he might he couldn't pull any other information out of Gabriel but Varian was determined to get to the bottom of it. He asked questions but got cryptic answers. He visited the library and in his search found a book about the Miraculous with translation notes.

Here he learned about the different types of Kwami's and their powers including the butterfly when a word caught his eye. Akuma, it was a foreign word meaning demon but it was also what the servants of the butterfly were called. Was the butterfly active as well? Was that why Ladybug called him that?

It was another piece to the puzzle. Another interesting piece was the information on what would happen if the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous were to be used together. The translation notes were noticeably missing. Meaning this was important and someone didn't want this part known. As he used the notes from the already translated text he didn't see Gabriel watching with a wide smile on his face.

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It took him a little longer than he'd liked but he'd finally translated the inscription. After several days he now knew that combining the Miraculous of creation and destruction could make a perfect wish, whatever the user desired. Varian had always been skeptical when it came to magic but time after time he was beaten down by it. It wasn't something he could write off any more. When he asked Ruddier if what he found was true his answer was strange.

"I don't know all the details but combining them is supposed to create a miracle…but for a price." It was enough for Varian to seek out confirmation from Gabriel himself. He had no doubt that the book was left there for him to find. The promise of a miracle sounded too good to be true but whatever this price was, if it could free his father, he'd gladly pay it.

The man had been absent since he found the book and his food was just left outside his door. With a true purpose Varian set out to find him.

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The moment was almost here, the boy was within his grasp. He just needed one more thing. It was a gamble, a high stakes gamble but it would be worth it in the end. Nathalie looked at him to confirm this was what he really wanted. It was. With the push of a button a door revealed itself. All he had to do now was wait.

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Gabriel was nowhere to be found and Varian was running out of places to look. As he backtracked he thought about breaking the rule and going upstairs but then something caught his eye. It was a door, a door he was sure hadn't been there before. Curiosity overrode fear as he pushed the button on the side.

The door opened with a hiss. Inside it looked like a large hollow tube which he recognized as an elevator from one of his books. He stepped inside and as soon as he did the doors shut tight. He had a moment of panic when he released he couldn't get out but then it started to move. He turned around and saw the tube was taking him lower. The elevator was see-through and as he descended he saw he was being lowered into some type of underground garden. He was so entranced he almost didn't notice when the doors opened welcoming him in.

The biggest thing that caught his attention was the large rectangle object in the center of the room. He moved towards it, noticing the large amount of butterflies that filled the area. He wasn't sure what to make of the object so carefully hidden like a jewel at the bottom of the ocean.

Suddenly, it opened. It was only now he realized what he was looking at, it was a coffin. A glass coffin that held a beautiful woman inside, not unlike Snow White. She didn't look dead nor alive; it was like she was frozen in time trapped between the two. While he knew the person in front of him was a woman for a moment he saw something else.

"Dad…" he saw his father trapped in his amber prison neither dead nor alive like he was frozen in time. He reached out a hand but a voice startled him.

"No one truly understands, do they?" Gabriel stepped out of the shadows as if he had been patiently waiting for him. "The loss of a loved one by your own hands and the desperate need to fix your mistake." It was now Varian understood. He had been given all the pieces and now they all fit. They were the same.

"A need so great you don't care what people think of you, you don't care what you'll have to sacrifice so long as you can bring back what once was yours." All the pieces were in place and Varian knew. Truthfully he knew the moment he'd found the book but Gabriel was right, he needed to understand. Now he did. As the man revealed the butterfly brooch Varian was unafraid, even if Ruddiger was shaking a little in his pocket. One moment Gabriel was there the next he was a different man entirely. Where Gabriel was a posh gentleman this other one was a sleek villain ready to pounce and take whatever he wanted. Varian understood this as well, he had played the part pretty well himself.

"Varian, I am Shadow Moth. You've been wondering why I brought you into my home, this is the reason." He pointed his staff at the woman. "This is my wife Emilie. A tragic error cost me my one true love. The only thing that can save her now is the Miraculous of Ladybug and Chat Noir. Combined, a perfect wish can be granted. Help me retrieve them and I see no reason we can't wish for our loved ones back with us safe and sound." Varian looked from Shadow Moth back to Emilie in her glass coffin.

"My powers give me the ability to read emotions. Imagine my surprise when I found another with similar ones as mine. That's how I know your pain Varian, and how I know you'd also be willing to do anything to set your father free. What do you say, play the part of villain once again only this time you won't be alone." Slowly the boy turned away from the coffin and looked into the eyes of the man who had taken him in. The only one who had offered him something he hadn't had in a long time, hope.

"Color me intrigued."

To be continued…

Varian and Gabriel continue to bond while the young man decides if he wants to get involved in another war. Meanwhile, back in Corona, someone's carefully crafted plan has just hit a major snag.

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