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“Sir, with all due respect, this plan of yours…it’s…”
“Brilliant?”
“...terrible.”
Gabriel looked up from his computer in order to glare at his assistant across the room. She rebelliously held his gaze and never looked away, no matter how much rage filled his grey irises.
“If that was a weak attempt at a joke, I assure you I am not laughing.”
“I meant what I said.”
“Nathalie.”
His voice was quite low, a warning to be sure. Her words had instantly put her on thin ice, but she didn’t care. She knew she enabled him sometimes and it always filled her with guilt, but it was all to bring back his wife. When he tried to involve Adrien in his plans, that was where she drew the line.
“For the first time in years, your son is truly happy and you want to take that all away for your plans. I know you think he needs Emilie to be happy, but you’ve seen the good Marinette has brought into his life. Don’t take this from him.”
“You dare try to tell me what's best for him? My son!?”
“I’m just trying to get you to see the bigger picture here.”
“What picture? There is only our plan. There is only the miraculous. Everything else means nothing to me.”
“Even your own son…” she whispered.
“What was that?”
“Nothing, sir.”
He crossed the atelier in record speed and slammed his hands down on her desk, causing her to jump.
“No one talks down to me, including you! Now tell me what you said.”
“You don’t care about your son. I don’t care what you have to say about that, but I see it. No caring father would ever put what he thinks is best over the feelings of his own child.”
“How dare you even say such nonsense. You think just because you hand him a schedule sometimes that you suddenly know what’s best for him? You're hired help Nathalie, it is not your job to comment on these matters.”
She stood up and leaned forward, causing him to take a small step back. Maybe her words would get through that thick skull of his if she was closer to him.
“You don’t want to hear what I have to say because you know I’m right. You are a cold and cruel man. Sometimes you do things that make me feel like you’re changing, but it never sticks. The next day you're always back to square one.”
“You don’t know anything-”
“Actually I do! You can’t look down on me and tell me that my opinions don’t matter. You are suffocating him already and now you want to completely drown him. Breaking up his relationship is lower than low.”
“I am doing this for him! It is all for him! He won’t even think about the girl after we succeed.”
“What would Emilie say if she saw what you’ve become?”
“Don’t…”
“What is she going to think when she comes back to her husband who almost destroyed Paris and then ruined the life of her son, just to get her back? Do you think she’ll kiss you and congratulate you for tearing your family apart?”
“Nathalie if you say-”
“Emilie would hate you if she were here right now.”
“Shut up!”
The impact of his hand on her cheek was swift, descending the room into absolute silence. She brought her hand up to her face, her fingers barely able to brush against the stinging skin. Shock registered on his features for only a second before it was replaced with a scowl.
“That’s what you get for talking out of line. I will not have someone like you saying these things. I’ve let you get too comfortable.”
“On the contrary, I don’t think I said enough.”
She let her voice drip with the venom she had been holding back. She had always played nice to him, but it was a different game when it came to Adrien. She adored that boy more than she loved Gabriel.
“It’s things like this that make me realize how useless you can be sometimes.”
Nathalie opened her mouth to fire back an equally nasty comment but a small blue blur came between them. Duusu was pissed, if her massively fluffed up tail was anything to go by.
“Don’t talk to Miss Nathalie like that!”
“Ah and then you join the fray. You’re as bad as your holder.”
“She said nothing wrong! You needed to hear every word she said Mr. Gabriel.”
“You’re one to talk. You and your cursed brooch are the reason we’re in this mess in the first place.”
“She had her reasons for using it and she knew the risks. She seemingly didn’t care if she was leaving you or her son alone either, so how can you act all high and mighty? You both put your son on the backburner for your own goals.”
She uttered an ear piercing shriek when his hand shot forward and grabbed her. He squeezed her as hard as he could while Nathalie fought to get him to let go. She shot over her desk and grabbed his hand, her nails digging into his skin.
“Gabriel, let her go!” she begged.
“I am fucking sick of you! You killed my wife you disgusting little vermin!”
“Stop it! This isn't you!”
Nathalie finally dug her nails in enough to draw blood and his grip loosened. Duusu flew away as fast as she could, but that left Nathalie in a very bad position. She slid off the top of the desk and stood in front of him, but that was short lived as his fist connected with her face. She felt the wind get knocked out of her and the next thing she knew, she was lying on the ground staring at his hazy immaculate shoes.
Unlike the slap, this apparently had an affect on him because he immediately fell to his knees and scooped her up into his arms. She wondered if he was only worried this time because he had done something that would actually leave a mark.
Once the world stopped spinning, she was able to reach near her foot and grab her glasses. She blinked a few times and looked into his eyes. He truly looked upset, but she wondered how genuine his concern really was. His hand reached up to cup her face, but she hissed and pulled away. Her entire face hurt at the slightest touch.
“Oh my god. Nathalie I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me.”
“I’m sure you are.”
“Nat-”
“No. Save it. I don't want your excuses. You’ve changed, Gabriel. It’s as if seeing your son happy has made you jealous. You don’t have your wife so he can't have a girlfriend. It’s sick.”
“No, it's not like that!”
“Really? Then stop. Let them be together and don’t mess with her. Just let Adrien have this.”
“You know I can’t- Nathalie where are you going?”
She pulled herself out of his arms and stood up, trying to not stumble. Her face was throbbing even more now, but she welcomed it. The pain helped distract her from what was surely the feeling of her heart breaking. This wasn’t him. It wasn’t. He was just getting desperate and was coming up with wild plans that he'd never actually go through with. He had not just actively hurt her. Right?
“I’m taking the day off. Stop me and I will file a report on what you did.”
She had just started walking away when she felt his hand on her wrist. His grip was soft, but she still pulled away. That was the same hand that had tried to crush her kwami and punched her.
“Please…” he sounded pained.
“Sir, I would like to leave.”
The edge in her voice must’ve done it because he audibly stepped back and let her walk away. She felt Duusu settle onto her shoulder right as she shut the office door behind her.
Nathalie didn't know how to feel. The next morning she had shown up to work wearing an extra layer of makeup over her eye, but the swelling was clear as day. Gabriel had broken down in tears and told her how he was sorry from the bottom of his heart. Eventually he told her that he had amended his plan for her. He would still break them up and he would still akumatize the girl, but after it was all over, he would let them get back together. He would personally apologize to Marinette and tell her it was a mistake.
She still did not forgive him. It wasn't until he pulled her close and explained how bad it would look if he went public with the information that his assistant was working for a villain, that she broke. She knew he would have a rather complex plan in which she was exposed as Mayura, but he would be able to remain completely free of suspicion.
The thought of being found out was what helped her keep a straight face as she stood in the bakery weeks later. She just kept thinking about the brooch and nothing else. Even as the young girl in front of her broke down into tears, she kept her emotions in check behind a stoic mask. Who would've thought that that wouldn't have even been the worst thing she would go through that day.
There would never be a word to describe how she felt when she watched Adrien turn into Chat Noir. The horror she felt at the fact that she had been fighting against the boy she dared to call her own was threatening to smother her. All she could do was stand there and watch, her eyes wide and her heart racing.
"Nathalie?....Nathalie!?"
His voice pulled her from her shock as she lifted the phone back to her ear. Her words came out mechanically, as if she still couldn't believe what she had just witnessed.
"Your son…Adrien…is…is Chat Noir."
That shock still left her speechless hours later when everyone in Paris but them was surely asleep. The lair felt different that night. The darkness in every corner of the room was threatening to reach forward and pull her down into its murky depths. The air was musty and cold. The butterflies looked more like drab moths than their usual glowing and ethereal selves.
He himself was pacing like a madman before her. He hadn't spoken a single word to her, choosing instead to ramble on and on to himself in a harsh tone. It was only when she coughed that he even seemed to notice that she was there.
"Nathalie, are you ok?"
"I'm fine sir, don't worry."
"I suppose you want to know why I called you up here."
"Well I'm sure it has something to do with today's events."
"Yes. I'm afraid I never thought an opportunity like this would present itself, until now."
"Pardon?"
"This is our chance to finally win. All this time one of my own enemies was on my side and I never knew it."
"What are you getting at?"
"I am saying that Chat Noir is already on our side, he just doesn't know it."
"Sir…"
"Nathalie, all I have to do is show him his mother. When he sees her and I tell him how we can bring her back, he will have no choice but to help us! Why would he ever pick his family over his precious Ladybug?"
"We can't do that. You always said-"
"That is no longer a valid reason not to involve him. I know I wanted Adrien kept out of all of this, but this is an unforeseen development. He's already in deeper than we thought and we can use that."
"No. No we can't. We can't do this."
"Yes we can!"
"Gabriel…no."
Her heart was hammering in her ears again. He looked like he could smell her fear when he turned to face her. He looked like he hungered for it. The light of the city filtered in through the butterfly window and cloaked him in a sickly grey hue.
"Maybe I'll just hand him the peacock miraculous and tell him all about your little side job then," he growled.
"Go ahead! See how long it takes him to realize who Hawkmoth is. I'm done with this, all of it. This is too far."
"After all that you have done, this is what breaks you? I never thought you could be so weak."
"And what was it that broke you?"
He seemed surprised by the question, sucking in a quick breath and tensing up his muscles. She knew he would instantly relax if she only touched him, but she found that to be a bad idea at the moment.
"I was willing to help you because I wanted this family to be whole again. I wanted Emilie back, for Adrien to have loving parents again, and for you to be happy. There were many things I did for you that I am not proud of, but even then I still believed in what we were doing. I still knew there was a noble reason for your actions.
"Lately you have changed and I don't know what brought this on, but I can tell you that it is disgusting. You have become something I never thought you could. What happened to the man who loved his son and wanted nothing more than for him to be safe and happy? Now you suddenly want to use him for your plans? To break his heart twice just to get your wish? You could bring Emilie back a thousand times and he would still never look at you the same way again. You'd be effectively destroying any chance of a relationship between you two going forward."
She walked toward him, her steps purposeful but her mind full of fear. She hesitantly laid a single hand on his arm, hoping her words would get through to him.
"Is that all really worth it?"
His hands came up to grip her arms briefly before he pulled her into a hug. She reluctantly hugged him back, but was still weary. Would she ever not feel this way around him?
"Nathalie you know I cannot stop," he pulled away and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Even for the sake of my son."
"Then we have nothing left to discuss."
She felt his arms begin to tighten around her so she pulled away. She took a few steps back as well, knowing full well what he was capable of in a rage.
"So you're no longer with me?"
"I haven't been with you for a while now. It just took me way too long to see that."
"If you leave, I will tell everyone."
"And you would be right to. Please go ahead and expose your sidekick's betrayal. I will be completely at peace knowing that I made the right choice by leaving. I only wish that I had done this sooner."
"Nathalie, this is ridiculous. I know you're bluffing."
"Am I? Sir, in all the years we have known each other, have I ever given you a reason to think I would lie to you when it comes to something like this?"
"Well…what did you expect!? I'm a villain! I terrorize a city every day. It's not like I can suddenly develop a soft spot when my goal is within my reach."
"And I'm happy for you. Truly I am. You finally get to see your wish come true. I don't know what I expected and I really don't want to stay and find out what that was."
"If you leave right now, I will destroy you. You think you can walk away from me? From all of this? Nathalie you are just as guilty as I am. Don't think leaving will change that."
"I don't think that at all."
"Nathalie."
There was an edge to his tone, something like a mix of hurt and anger. She couldn't care less what he was feeling at that moment. Not when he didn't give a damn about the feelings of his own son.
"Goodbye Gabriel. I hope your wish gives you everything you wanted and more."
"Miss Nathalie, please don't cry, it's not your fault."
Duusu zoomed around her head in frantic circles. Only stopping then and now to hand her another tissue. She was sure she had already used up half the box. The walls of her bedroom felt like they were closing in on her, but it was the best she could do. She couldn't go out and cry in the rain, lest she get sick in her weakened state.
"But it is! I enabled him, Duusu. I let it go too far and now Adrien is going to suffer because of it. He already has!"
"No he is a grown man. He did this to himself. There is only so much you can do in a situation like this. It's not like you could slap him until he came to his senses."
"Hah right. He reserved that one for me."
She saw Duusu shudder as she remembered his attack on her. She had no injuries afterwards, but she was badly shaken up. The poor thing had to be wrapped up in a warm blanket as soon as they got home, while Nathalie soothed her.
"What can I do? God, what can I do?"
She buried her face in her hands again and sobbed hysterically. The killer headache that would surely follow this was far from her thoughts. She just wanted to finally allow herself to feel emotions for once. She knew she'd be a perfect victim for Hawkmoth, but something told her she would be safe. She couldn't be sure though, given how he had acted earlier.
"Duusu," she whispered.
The kwami flew down and settled in her palms. She looked so upset at Nathalie's predicament.
"I think I need to come clean to Adrien and tell him everything."
"What about Mr. Gabriel?"
"Screw him. Maybe this will be his wakeup call. Adrien will go to Ladybug when he hears the truth and they can defeat Hawkmoth together."
"But won't he be mad at you? You love him, Nat."
"I do and this is why I'm doing this. It's for his own good. What he wants to do…he'll never be able to come back from it."
"You still want to help him even after he hurt you."
"Sounds about right. I'm pathetic."
"You are not! You're just an incredibly loving person and base all your actions on it. This is the right thing to do, I promise."
"Sancoeur. Heartless. My own name is a damn joke," she said with a bitter laugh.
Sadly she would never get to tell her secret to Adrien or anyone else for that matter. It would be during her walk to the mansion that Hawkmoth would put his fatal plan into action. Her last thought would be of Adrien as she watched the beam of light shoot straight up into the sky.