Tales of the Bug and Cat: Book 2

Chapter 22:Pounce

Monday, February 12th, midnight (2018 is present time cuz I started writing the books in 2017)

Gabriel and Lily set out a few minutes before midnight, their miraculouses left at home.

"Are you sure it's safer this way, Gabe?" Lily asked as they started walked to Canal Saint-Martin.

Gabriel took her hand and gently squeezed it. "Of course. If we were in disguise, we'd stand out. Also, now the Miraculouses are safe in the vault. We don't know who sent the letter, they could be from the Zodiacs.

"Right." Lily sighed. She looked onto the roadway ahead of them.  No one else was out and there wasn't any cars moving on the street.

"So.." Gabriel took a breath in, looking over at her as they walked through the cold. "You've filled me in on pretty much everything. But.. I need to know..did I really become so... driven to power and-and malecious that you chose to leave me and Adrien?" Lily frowned as she saw Gabriel's face.

"It wasn't just that. You become so focused on the miraculous being a source of power, and I become so focused on them being distractions and evil." She sighed. "We weren't seeing eye to eye and I just up and left after a fight."

She took Gabriel's hand and gave it a squeeze. "In the other timeline, you did do some questionable things, but you never did anything to truly hurt people. Nothing truly evil...just not in the right mindset."

Gabriel nodded, then softly asked, "What if it happens again? I could easily become obessed, I've always loved power even if it's not exactly a good thing...what if I lose you again?" While he's normally a solemn man, right now, he felt the air coming in slower and the noises of the outside world dimming as the worries and traumas of a past he didn't live haunts him. 

She kissed his cheek right as they saw the bridge in the near distance. "Don't you worry." said Lily. "Everything has changed and we're both stronger. We can face this, the Zodiacs, and more together."

"I'll trust you on that... Ever since one of our first dates when we finished that large gelato challenge at that restaurant.." Gabriel smiled. "I knew we could conquer any challenge together."

Lily smiled back at him, her light eyes lighting up as much as they can in the dim light. "Now, you're making me hungry for ice cream!" She whispered, teasingly elbowing him.

"Oh what a shame. Not like you didn't have extra cookies with Adrien when I went into our home office." 

"You saw?!"

Gabriel stopped walking right before they reached the bridge, their conversation coming to a halt along with them as they saw their messenger sitting on the bench. A short man with tired eyes and a tired cane lying next to him.

He turned to Gabriel and Lily, waiting for them as they slowly walked up to him, standing across from him on the other side of the bridge. Lily was sheet white. 

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Agreste. I believe you have something that you shouldn't." 

Gabriel gribbed his wife's hand tighter as he felt her start shaking.

The man chuckled, but the smile was quickly replaced with a frown. "Actually I know you have the miraculous. Some surviallance we have picked up your little training sessions, so hand them over now before they get to messy. "

"No." Gabriel glared at the man with a hawkmoth-like frown. 

"Oh, well." The man whistled, and within five seconds a small team of fighters turned up, all with weapons pointed at the couple. "It's a bit harder this way, but not impossible." 

"Stop this, Dog." Lily spoke quickly. 

Gabriel burrowed his eyebrows and looked at him wife, extremely confused as to why she called this man a dog. The man however seemed shocked.

 "What did you call me?"

"Dog. That's your name, or at least what you're called within the Zodaics. I thought you were retired at this point, but I guess your mom didn't get sick or she's doing better." Lily responded.

Dog frowned once more, his signature expression. " Grab them." A few of his team quickly overpowered Lily and Gabriel and pined them to their knees. "How do you know this?" He bitterly asked as he kneeled down to Lily's level.

She looked over to Gabriel before responding. He, still, was incredibly confused, but assumed it was something from the other lifetime. "In other life, we, well weren't exactly friends, but we worked togeth-"

"Other life? What are you talking about?! " He grabbed her by chin.

"Let her go!" Gabriel tried to free himself from the hold of the ninja-like fighters, but they kept him down.

"What other li-" Dog was slammed to the ground by some hooded figure. This person quickly mumbled something before preceding to attack the people holding Gabriel and Lily down. The other fighters ran forwards, but once Gabriel and Lily's hands were free they were able to stand their ground a bit more. A minute of defending their ground took place when suddenly the unknown person grabbed them, pulled them back, put a green, textured shield in front of them and a shockwave went out, protecting the three of them.

The person turned around, grabbed one of each of the Agrestes' hands and jumped inhumanly high and far, taking them along. Gabriel almost flipped seeing the ground so far away without him or Lily having any strong protection on, while Lily kept her eyes closed.

They landed far away from the bridge, the hooded person let go of their hands and stood up, backing away. "Do you understand how stupid it was to go to that meeting?!" They took their hood down, revealing a very old man. Gabriel and Lily gasped as they saw that is person, who was jumping and fighting just as well as them...is at least 90! He had a bit of a moustache and beard, both dark black, matching his receeding hair.

"Excuse me? Who are you?" Gabriel asked, still awestruck by this reveal.

"They knew where you lived and was able to place a note in your house, so why would you leave it, and your miraculous, not guarded while you place yourselves in danger!:

"Sir, who are you and how did you know that?" Lily asked, getting ready to fight in case this person isn't on the same side as them.

The man sighed. "You can call me Master Fu. I am a guardian of the Miraculous, and I know of your miraculous, the rewritten lifetime, and of the love you", he turned to Lily, "took away from your son. It's late now but meet me at this address at that time in two days to go over this problem."

Fu handed a paper with an address and time to Gabriel. 

"How can we trust you?" Gabriel took the paper but looked at him with a wary glance.

"Because I want what's best for the miraculous, both of you, and for Adrien and Marinette.  I was there for the children as much as I could be when both of you weren't. Now, it's time for Marinette and Adrien to finally reclaim the powers destined for them."

He started walking away, but turned back. "Show up or not, but the Zodaics aren't going to just stop. They need to be stopped." 

Master Fu walked away, leaving the two of them alone in the dark.