Gabriel followed her and stopped her, before she could shut the door.
With tears streaming down her cheeks she sobbed:
"G-Gabriel, p-p-please go a-a-a-way, I-I can't....I-I....."
But the designer just ignored her and pulled her into his chest.
"I don't care what you said or how many times you send me away, I won't leave you alone to cry and get yourself into such a bad state that you start coughing and passing out again!"
With those words, he lifted her up and carried her to her bed. She didn't argue, when he laid down with her and hugged her tightly.
Nathalie only could think of that article and why her parents could hate her so much. And who could possibly have found out about her story after all this years, to then go and look for them and get them to do an interview.
"It's just not fair!", she hissed.
Gabriel rubbed her back up and down. He gave her a soft kiss on her hair.
"I know, and I promise to you, I'll find a way to stop all of this, but for now, you need to calm down, okay?"
She shook her head vigorously. "Please stay out of this. They are not worth it and you'll only get yourself into danger." She started sobbing again, burying her face in his chest.
Gabriel just held her, kept rubbing her back and let her cry, until she drifted off into a restless sleep. She kept stirring and making small noises, most of them sounded, as if she was in pain.
When he tried to get up, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him back, whimpering until she could feel his warmth again.
He sighed but smiled at her subconscious need for his closeness. And though he wanted to get back to his office urgently to take care of that dilemma, he stayed until she fell into a deeper stage of sleep. Only then he carefully scooted out of her arms and went to his work station, where he immediately started with the first of very many calls, while he opened the latest article about the woman, he loved, again.
Exclusive interview with the parents of Nathalie Sancoeur-
Why was the assistant(?) of Gabriel Agreste banned from family and church? How her husband was tricked by her and is now under psychiatric treatment.
Nathalie Sancoeur, assistant of Gabriel Agreste and long time home schooling tutor to his son, Adrien Agreste, who has been accused in the past, to be just behind his money, and to already have been his concubine, when his wife Emilie(former Graham de Vanily) Agreste, was still alive. Now we asked her parents about that woman and they told us about her intentions and the horrible things from her past, that she did to family and the people of her church, who tried to make her a good person. Worst of all to suffer, is her ex husband, who is still in a psychiatric clinic and a release is not in the close future.
Her mother told us, that even as a small child she would never listen to orders or do the chores she was given. Later, when she was married, though marrying the young man, her father suggested, she always met with a woman from town to party at that girl's house. Both women terrorised her poor spouse with so horrible things and behaviour, that he at some point had a mental breakdown and had to be hospitalized.
Miss Sancoeur then ran away from home and got a judge to annul her marriage. She turned her back to parents and church since then and is still spreading lies about the members of this church.
Does Gabriel Agreste know, what kind of person he let into his house and his family's life?
"Hello?" The man who answered the phone sounded surprised to see that number. "Gabriel Agreste, is this really you?"
"Of course it is."
"Well, how can I help you? According to the latest gossip, you probably want to get rid of your assistant", the man guessed.
"Actually André, it's just the opposite. I want to have access to the files from fifteen years ago, when she was saved by the police and her husband was imprisoned, because he had beaten her over weeks with a wire."
The Mayor gulped.
"That puts the whole story in a different perspective, Gabriel. My wife and daughter were already well, you know them..."
Gabriel chuckled bitterly. "Yeah, I know that far too well. So, do you think, you can help me with this problem?"
"I'll have those files at your desk in about an hour!", André Bourgeois promised.
"Thank you so much, André. I owe you a big one."
He continued to call several people, most of them with quite some influence. Including the news reporter Nadja Chamack, who was instantly aflame when she heard about the true story.
So as he returned to Nathalie's room, three hours later, to see if she was still okay, he had been pulling a lot of strings and was about to tell the truth to the public.
He had even spoken to Adrien, to find out about his feelings towards all of that, and the teenager had told him about Marinette's efforts to reveal that woman who had started the whole story as a liar. Gabriel was glad, that his son was on his side, after all those years of ignoring him most of the time.
"I don't care, what they will try to write about any of us and neither do Marinette and her family, I already spoke to them about it. I just want to help Nathalie. So please, father, do what you have to do. And tell her, that everything will be good soon", the young man had told him.
Nathalie was awake and looked up at him, as he entered her room. But she quickly averted her gaze, afraid of what he was going to say. She was convinced that he had finally begun to loathe her.
But Gabriel sat down on her bed and took her hand into his own.
The assistant slowly turned her head back and glanced at him, surprised to see him still smiling lovingly at her.
"How are you feeling?", he questioned with a calm and soft voice.
She shrugged. "I felt the urge to vomit the very moment I read about my 'beloved' parents, saying anything about me. Probably they made me look like the culprit of the story, that I caused everything that happened to me", she said contemptuously. "I am so sorry, that you and Adrien have been pulled into the whole thing. As soon as I can find a place to stay, I will be gone. Hopefully you won't have to suffer under my fucking past any longer."
She had tightened her grip around his hand while she spoke. She didn't realise though until she felt his left hand on hers that was squeezing his right one.
"I have already spoken to Adrien, and he agrees with me, that I will do, whatever I have to, to reveal the truth. And I am not the only one, because Marinette has already asked her friend, the one with the Ladyblog, to do some research about that reporter, that started all of this, and to write about your true story on her blog."
Nathalie's eyes widened in shock.
"You need to stop all of that. Those people aren't just a denomination of a normal church, they are what you would call a sect. And they are dangerous. What happened to me wasn't a one time thing, it was the common treatment to women. Not as bad as he did to me, but if a woman did not obey...."
She couldn't face him right now. But without any of them noticing until now, they were still holding hands. As Nathalie looked down, to avoid eye contact, she saw and suddenly felt her hand still squeezing his, but tenderly now, while Gabriel was caressing hers with his left one. Tears filled her eyes again, as she saw that innocent but yet very intimate gesture, the urgent desire to feel that man close to her, if only by touching his hand.
"If things like that are happening on a regular base, Nathalie, it's even more important to put this to a stop, don't you think?", he said sternly. "I have promised you, to never let anyone hurt you like that again. And I can't see you getting hurt like that either. And as I am a man of my word, you see, I have to do that."
She was sitting with her back against the head board of her bed. Similar to the weeks she had to spend there, after they had been defeated by Ladybug after the old man had passed his guardianship to her. Now she was leaning her head back and closed her eyes with a groan.
"....lright? Nathalie?" His voice came from far away at first. She opened her eyes and gazed at a scared looking Gabriel.
"What is going on? What are you so scared about all of a sudden? You were just talking about being a man of your word and I close my eyes for a few seconds and then you look like this. Would you talk to me please?"
He stared at her, speechless for a moment. Then he inhaled deeply and bent over to pull her into a tight embrace, before he was able to speak at all. His voice was husky, as he finally did:
"The seconds you are talking about, were minutes. Almost ten. You just passed out completely. I was just about to get a doctor after several useless attempts to wake you up, when you eventually started to stir. He laid his forehead against hers. Please stop scaring me like this. I love you too much, to loose you too."
His last words made her retract her hand immediately.
"I think it's best, if you leave me alone now. I-I....I'm just too scared to give in to my feelings. That would only lead to the both of us getting hurt. I'm s-s-sorry G-Gabriel."
He had already expected a statement like that. So he was mentally prepared and had an answer ready: "I do understand you, Nathalie, but I would like to ask one thing of you. Stay here. As my assistant, as my friend, as part of my family, whatever position you like, don't go away, where I can't protect you any more. You don't have to tell me now. But please take the time to consider that, before doing anything we both would regret."
She was still crying, but she managed to give him a tiny smile. "Th-thank y-y-you for un-d-d-derstanding. I would l-l-love to stay as y-y-your ass-ssistant and friend, b-b-but I'll have to see, h-how everything w-will turn ou-out, before I c-can make a f-f-f-final decision. And you, A-Adrien a-a-and E-Emilie were always m-my family, th-the only one I e-e-ever h-had, that c-c-c-cared ab-bout me!", she answered his request shook by her sobs.
Gabriel now smirked.
"There are two things though, I have to ask for. First, friends do hug and comfort each other , right?"
She nodded silently. Then asked: "A-and second?"
Now it was the designer who got flustered.
"I-I know, you'll say n-no to that, b-but I'll ask anyway." She looked at him expectantly, even her sobbing had momentarily stopped.
"Just tell me! What is it?", she whispered and took his hand into hers this time.
"This!", he muttered and without saying anything else, he put his right hand on the back of her neck and the other on her waist and pulled her into a savage and passionate kiss. Nathalie didn't even try to fight him, she just kissed him back just as desperate, trying to find a little comfort in that kiss. Both of them had a hard time parting again.
Gabriel inhaled deeply, then said: "I won't stop loving you though, and maybe, you will reconsider giving our love a chance too, but for now, I respect your decision." He placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand.
"Oh and, remember, I want you to sleep in tomorrow, no alarm, no stress."
Nathalie nodded.
"I remember, and G-Gabriel, I won't s-s-stop either, I just..."
"I know", he said and smiled at her. "Just try and get some rest, I brought the remaining croissants and macarons for you, by the way, if you feel like eating later. I will go out for a while, to meet with Adrien and Marinette's family, to discuss our further plans. Good night."
"Good night, Gabriel", she mumbled and added a silent: "I love you", after he had closed the door behind him.
The designer smiled. Though she had been really quiet, he had heard her. But now he had something to attend to. To not be in the position of having lied to her, he would of course pay a quick visit at the bakery, before he would tell the Gorilla the way to a small community, a rather tiny part of a small town near Paris. There they would find a rather unspectacular, small house, where a married couple with the name Sancoeur was supposed to live.
Maybe he could talk some sense into those people, or the interim injunction his lawyers had gotten from a judge would convince them, either way, they would stop telling lies about their daughter. If they didn't, officer Roger Raincomprix had been ordered by André Bourgeois, to accompany him to Nathalie's parents.
Before he left the house, he saw another notification pop up:
There was a new video on the Ladyblog, telling the true story about Nathalie Sancoeur, and he already knew, that even Ladybug and ChatNoir would stand at his assistant's side and tell the people of Paris, what a kind and wonderful person she was.
Hopefully he would be able to record a bit of her parents, that would put them into the right scenery.