Nathalie sat up and looked around. She was in her room at the mansion. The last thing she remembered was giving Ladybug the phone with the videos from Emilie. All of a sudden, she recalled Gabriel's plan. She leaped out of bed to try to stop him. He can't get the miraculous. I won't let him. There will be a price to pay. It will be Adrien. If anything happens to him. As she was running to the door, she paused. Something felt off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She pushed it out of her mind; she had more pressing matters to attend to.
She rushed to the door and threw it open. Running, Nathalie burst into the atelier and skidded to a stop. "Ladybug, what are you doing here and what are you wearing?" Nathalie looked Ladybug up and down, taking in her new suit. The suit was red with spots like usual, but her arms and legs were black with green, and she had a braid just like when she was Lady Noir.
Suddenly, Ladybug ran to her and hugged her. "Nathalie, you're okay! I thought you died!" Ladybug started crying, still hugging Nathalie.
"Don't cry. I'm okay, but we need to stop Gab—Hawk Moth," Nathalie said, patting her on the back. Ladybug looked up at Nathalie, her eyes red. "I know that Hawk Moth is Gabriel, Nathalie. I saw him de-transform after he brought you to your room."
"Oh no. We have to stop him. He's planning on bringing his wife back, but there will be a price, and that price might be Adrien." Nathalie ran to the portrait of Emilie, realizing that Ladybug hadn't moved an inch. Ladybug was looking at the floor with a sad expression.
"Ladybug, what are you not telling me? What happened?" Nathalie questioned, walking back toward her. Did Gabriel already make his wish? What was the price to pay?
"I'm sorry, but Gabriel already made his wish."
"No, no, no. He couldn't have. If Adrien was the price..." Nathalie felt her legs give out from under her and fell to the floor. Her eyesight went blurry, and her heart thumped against her rib cage. Ladybug caught her before she hit the ground.
"Nathalie, are you okay? What happened? Nathalie, it's okay. Adrien is fine, all things considered. Nathalie, it's okay." Ladybug slowly lowered Nathalie to the floor, being careful not to hurt her. Nathalie was crying now. She couldn't hear anything Ladybug was saying, lost in her panic. Her eyesight finally cleared, and her breathing steadied. She saw Ladybug standing over her and slowly sat up.
"I'm sorry. I just can't fathom anything happening to Adrien because of his father's mistakes. It's just not fair that he has to live with Gabriel's madness." Ladybug sat down next to Nathalie and wrapped her arm around her, squeezing a little to try to calm her down. She didn't want to tell Nathalie that Gabriel was gone—that he sacrificed himself to save her. Nathalie was sad enough without that knowledge, but she deserved to know.
"Nathalie, Gabriel is gone. He made his wish. He sacrificed himself to bring you back. He knew that Adrien would be left alone sooner or later if you didn't survive. He finally realized his mistakes. I'm so sorry."
Nathalie just sat there, trying to process what she had just heard. Gabriel died. He wasn't a good father, but he didn't deserve this. Poor Adrien. He's lost his mother and father now. *What is he going to do? He will have no place to go, and it's not like he can live with me. I'm just his dead father's assistant.* Nathalie felt her eyes brimming with tears again.
"What are we going to tell Adrien? He will be devastated that his father was Hawk Moth. If he ever figures that out, he would never trust anyone again, including me."
"Nathalie, Gabriel's last wish was for me never to tell Adrien he was Hawk Moth. I was going to follow that wish. Adrien doesn't ever need to know that you two never had the peacock and butterfly miraculous."
"But won't he get suspicious that his father died the same day Hawk Moth disappeared? Everyone is going to know that Hawk Moth disappeared as soon as there were no more Akuma attacks. Also, won't people know that Gabriel made a wish? I doubt it was a quiet thing."
Hearing a small sob, Nathalie looked over at Ladybug. "Ladybug, why are you crying? What's wrong?" Ladybug buried her face in her hands, her whole body trembling.
"The butterfly miraculous disappeared. I transformed into Aqua-Bug to look for it but couldn't find it. Someone must have stolen it while I was talking with Gabriel. It should have come back to me after the miraculous ladybug. I don't know what to do. If it's in the wrong hands again... What am I supposed to do?" Ladybug started hyperventilating.
It was Nathalie's turn to comfort the girl. Wrapping her arms around Ladybug, she slowly stroked the girl's head. "It's okay. We will find it. You and Cat Noir are the best superheroes. Not even two full-grown adults could beat you."
Ladybug looked at Nathalie between her fingers. "True, but Gabriel never even showed his face, and you were ill because of the miraculous. I can't believe how many times Cat Noir and I almost hurt you. Like the time with Siti-Bug when I grabbed you and threw you off the building. Oh my gosh, Nathalie, I'm so sorry."
"Ladybug, stop!" Ladybug flinched away from Nathalie, scared by her sudden fierceness. "None of that was your fault. Please stop blaming yourself."
Seeing that Nathalie wasn't mad at her, Ladybug realized they had bigger problems. "We have to save Adrien. Is he still in London? We also have to get Cat Noir's miraculous back to him."
As she removed the ring, a black kwami emerged and landed in Ladybug's hands, looking tired from having to be transformed for so long. "Plagg, go find something to eat. Don't worry about anyone seeing you."
"Okay, thanks, Ladyb—What is she doing here?" Plagg shouted when he saw Nathalie. "Ladybug, you can't trust her. She works with Gabriel. Stay away, Nathalie, or I will cataclysm you." Plagg raised his paw and pointed it toward Nathalie. Nathalie just sat there, staring at Plagg. She could have sworn she recognized his voice.
"Plagg, she's on our side now. Now go get your food, or you can fly to Cat Noir hungry."
"No, she can't be trusted. She is a monster. Cataclysm!" Plagg rushed at Nathalie with his paw outstretched, prepared to cataclysm her.
"Plagg, no!" Ladybug rushed to stop him. Nathalie just sat there, trying to figure out where she knew that voice from. Just before Plagg reached her, Nathalie remembered. "No, no, no! He can't be! I've been fighting against him for over a year now. I've hurt him."
Nathalie grabbed her head, rocking back and forth. "Miss Nathalie. What happened? It's okay. You're okay. You're safe. Please just breathe." Nathalie felt someone's hands on her shoulders, slightly shaking her. She felt herself being lowered to the floor. Her lungs finally expanded as she breathed in. Her vision cleared, showing Ladybug and Plagg looking over her. She realized she was lying sideways on the floor.
"What happened? Oh no. Did I pass out again? I'm so sorry," Nathalie said, sitting up and shaking her head to try to get the fuzziness out of her mind. "How long was I out for?"
"You didn't pass out. You were just shaking and murmuring to yourself. I think you started having a panic attack. Are you okay? You started freaking out when Plagg rushed towards you. Wait, do you know who Cat Noi…"
"Yes, I do. But that's all I can tell you if you don't want to find out his secret identity."
"Wait, don't tell me! No, do tell me. I just… I don't know. Knowing who Cat Noir is would be so helpful, but what if the new Hawkmoth akumatized me? They could discover both of our identities. I'm so torn, Nathalie. What would you do?"
"I don't think I'm the right person to ask."
"What do you mean? I trust your judgment."
"You shouldn't. I helped the most hated man in the world because I loved him. I've hurt so many people, including you and Cat Noir. I shouldn't be the one guiding you, Ladybug. If you think it's better if I distance myself from Adrian, I'll understand. He deserves someone who can truly be there for him."
"I can't be the only one there for him. He needs a mother figure. He needs you."
"But I'm not his mother. I'm his dead father's assistant."
"You're the closest thing he has to a mother. He needs you."
"If you insist—Ladybug."
"You can call me Mari..."
"No, don't tell me your secret identity. I already know Cat Noir's, and what if I get akumatized? If I'm the reason for hurting you or Cat Noir again, I couldn't live with myself."
"Please, Nathalie. I need to tell someone. You're the only person I can think of. Please."
"Fine. You can trust me. I won't tell anyone and I'll try my hardest not to get akumatized."
"I'm—I'm Marinette."