"Before you start to yell, I would like to have a word with you in private!", Gabriel bellowed as he jumped to his feet and ran towards my mother to keep her from coming inside just now. "Nathalie? Would you please..."
"Stay with her? Of course, Sir!", she finished for him and while he laid a hand on maman's back and nudged her away from my room, Nathalie sat down beside me and laid an arm around my shoulders.
For once, I wasn't crying, instead I shook in fear. I had always imagined, telling my mother about her first grandchild, when we were having a sweet talk in the kitchen, a cup of tea before us, eating some of her cookies. And I had imagined, she would be happy about it. But after all that had happened and how much she was against me, being with Mr Agreste, I couldn't even hope for that.
"Please try to stay calm. It's not good for either of you. And I've been reading somewhere, that the baby can sense your emotions. Though I don't believe it, we still wouldn't want to scare the little seamonkey, right?"
Her, reminding me of the seamonkey reference, I had once made, caused me to giggle and I wasn't that scared anymore. I nodded and whispered, while leaning my head trustfully on her shoulder:
"You're right, thank you, Nathalie!"
"You're welcome. And now, as we are waiting here anyway, tell me everything, the doctor said!"
I laughed and started with the rather handsome intern and the incident, making her grin, because she imagined the look on Gabriel's face, when he noticed.
Said man had in the meantime brought my mother into his office and locked the door, so neither we, nor Adrien would be able to hear them.
"I want you to listen to me very carefully", he began with a threatening tone, while Maman could barely keep her mouth shut. "You can yell at 'me' as much as you like. You can even slap me, if you feel the urge. But", he paused and gave her an intense glare, "if you go back into your daughter's room, don't show her anything of that. Just be her mother, be happy with her and be there for her, as if she was with someone, you approved of and was telling you, that you're going to be a grandmother soon. If you can't do that, I won't let you see her, do you understand me!"
My mother stood there and stared at him, her mouth agape.
"I....I thought you were just.......but.....this sounds as if......you really cared", she stammered, "so you do love her!"
Gabriel nodded as he held out his hand to her.
"Well, I told you, that I did.
Can we at least for now, make peace for your daughter's and grandchild's sake?"
She inhaled deeply, then shook his hand.
"For now, we're good. And now I want to go see my child!", she gave in.
A moment later, there was another knock on my door, a rather reluctant one.
"Yes?", I asked softly and when it opened, I saw Gabriel behind my mother, who to my surprise wasn't yelling. Yet.
She just came towards me and pulled me into her arms, kissing my cheeks and stroking my head, while she whispered, her voice husky, because she was crying:
"I can't believe, that my baby is having a baby!"
"Wait! Are those.....happy tears?", I asked in disbelief and she nodded, while she wiped her face with her sleeve.
"Of course they are! What did you think, I would do? Repudiate you? Disown you? Of what by the way, but, I am your mother and even if I don't like, that you are with a man double your age, I would never do anything like that! I love you very much and nothing will ever change that. And I also love that tiny human, that's growing inside of you. So, yes, they are indeed happy tears. And if you had told me before, I wouldn't have been so suspicious that you had some kind of eating disorder or something. And it explains your weird food choice and the avoiding of coffee most of the time. Damn, I could have figured that out, if I hadn't been so focused on Mr Agreste, Gabriel...", she gave him a light smile, "...only using you. I have to apologize once again, for the things I accused you of!" She looked at Nathalie and added: "To you too, though you probably don't know, what I am talking about!"
She looked to the floor, still crying her arms just hanging at her sides and she shook her head, feeling like an utter fool.
Nathalie responded with a grin to her last words:
"Well, as you now probably believe, that Mr Agreste is not 'fucking' me too, and that I am not 'too' loyal for a normal assistant, we maybe can continue a more quiet and calm life, right?"
My mother gasped and covered her face, feeling even worse than before. I reached for her hand and squeezed it firmly.
"Maman, it's okay. Just don't go all nuts about us anymore, yeah? I.... we......, it's all so...... Neither of us planned for something like that to happen. It just did. Like we said, we didn't even know, how much we were drawn to each other until we had that argument and he 'did' lock me into his room and left me there. But he knew, that I could've gotten out easily, if I had tried, just, I didn't. And when he came back, he was still furious and while he wanted to attack me he kissed me instead, so....."
Gabriel took the word:
"So I eventually figured out, that it wasn't anger or hate, I felt. It was simply guilt. The guilt that kept me from acting the way I should have all of the time, since my wife left. Especially for Adrien, who was the reason for our fight. Your daughter...", he sat down next to me on the rim of the mattress and laid an arm around my waist, "....stood up for him and had the guts to yell at me, knowing very well, that I could've done more, than just lock her into some room!" he pecked my cheek tenderly, "...so, that's when i noticed, after hours of sulking in my office, that I felt attracted to her and that was bothering me, because, if I gave in to my desire, I would feel guilty towards more than one person!"
He glimpsed at Nathalie, as he said that and this time, he blushed lightly, when she reciprocated his look.
I started to grin, but kept it to myself for later. Payback's a bitch, Mr Agreste!
"It's really great, Maman, that you eventually have my back, but I have to ask you, to give us some time right now, so we can talk about everything that is going to happen in the near future! Please don't get mad, okay?"
She sighed.
"Yeah, even if I'd rather stay and listen, I know, that is yours alone and not for me to intervene anymore. I hope, you won't disappoint my trust in you, G-Gabriel!"
"Believe me, I won't!", he said sternly.
"Good", she uttered, then turned to me, ordering, "you let me know, if you need anything or if you're not feeling good, do you hear me?"
"Maman!", I groaned, "I am a grown up and fully capable to take care of stuff like that. But it's still sweet, that you try to be supportive after all you've learned today!"
She wanted to object me, but Nathalie was faster and suggested:
"How about leaving your daughter for now and then you could all have dinner together?", she now turned towards me, "maybe once or twice a week, so your maman could make sure, you're okay?"
"Sounds great!", Gabriel already exclaimed, but I shook my head.
Looking at him directly, I explained:
"I hope, you will agree and not be mad at me, when I ask Nathalie to have dinner with us. Because, you have been a part of this family long before we even knew each other. And I am well ware, how Adrien sees you, so he will be very glad about this arrangement too!"
The father of my unborn child beamed at me and took my hand into his own, to kiss the back of it, then muttered:
"Of course I agree to that. Nathalie, I want you to have dinner with us tonight.!"
"Very well, Sir", she said coldly, trying to keep her demeanor in front of all of us.
I shoved my elbow into his side and he winced shortly, to then give me a puzzled look.
"Really?", I asked, "you don't even know, what I mean?"
He shrugged and furrowed his brows. I let out a deep sigh, then addressed the assistant again:
"What he most likely wanted to say, Nathalie is, that you are very welcome to have dinner all together with us, and not to order you to do so. I also would like it, if you joined Adrien and me at the regular meals, when Gabriel is too busy to leave his office!"
My mother noticed the sudden awkward silence and quickly said:
"I'll go and prepare that dinner already!", to then rush towards the kitchen.
"Are you alright, Nathalie?", I wondered and got up to walk towards the woman, who stood there thunderstruck. Now she gazed at me and nodded.
"I am fine, thank you. But I should rather ask you that!", she replied professionally.
I sighed again and said:
"Well, we'll talk another time then, yeah?"
And she nodded and excused herself to get back to her work.
"I'll be there too very soon!", Gabriel told her as she just left the room.
"You!", I hissed, as I climbed onto his lap and straddled him, making him lie back on my bed, "after mocking me because I turned red, when a stranger was looking at my ladyparts, you just blushed, when you looked at Nathalie, while you were kinda apologizing to her! If only you would have had the guts, to truly apologize."
"Are you maybe jealous?", he mocked me again. "I have told you, I shouldn't talk to you about Nathalie! And I also told you, that I love you, so please, my love, don't get yourself all worked up, alright?"
I chuckled.
"I didn't get myself 'all worked up'! I just thought you deserved the tiny payback, after you enjoyed, making fun of me. Yet for me, the blushing was still partly because of the situation itself. What's your excuse. It can't just be, that you aren't used to saying you're sorry!"
He shrugged and sighed, then laid his arms around me and pulled me down to kiss my lips.
"Let's talk about everything later, alright? I have something to do in the office, that I would have forgotten about, if I hadn't been there to talk to your maman. And I would like to ask you, to rest a little bit in the meantime. This was a very exciting day and I don't want you to pass out, as you did at the dance, alright my love?", the concerned man told me sternly.
"I honestly don't feel like it, but I will do so anyway, because I want this baby to be healthy and get everything he or she could need! And I am very sure, that as long as I do too much and keep throwing up the food I could get down, because some stupid smell for example made me, this child won't be as well supplied as if I take a step back and at least won't waste more energy than I can take in!"
He smiled at me lovingly, then kissed me once more and pleaded:
"Would you be so kind, to get off of me, so I can do that tiny bit of work? I just need to change some small things on a sketch, so I can give it to the department, where they make a first draft of it."
I giggled, as I noticed, that I was still straddling him. Then I pouted:
"Do you really have to leave already? I have eaten very well today and kept it in, so I would have a little energy left for today!"
Gabriel shook his head and laughed, as I eventually got off of him and let him get up.
"Later, my dear, alright? I need to quickly finish that stupid design. I need to present the draft next week already and I don't want to waste the weekend, when my beautiful, pregnant girlfriend isn't at the university all morning and doing her homework for the rest of the day, with sewing and cutting!", he explained and pressed my shoulders into the cushion.
"Rest!", he ordered and I obeyed. But with a frown.
While I was lying there on my back, the ultrasound picture in my hands, looking at, what still felt so surreal, 'my' baby, I slowly dozed off. Gabriel entered the office just as I did, seeing from the corner of his eye, how Nathalie, who had had her face hidden in her hands, straightened herself very quickly and wiped her tears, pretending that everything was as usual.
He chose to not address her directly, instead, he called her name very softly:
"Nathalie? Would you come over here for a minute? I really could use your help!"
"Mine?", she said shocked, but then of course rushed there and stood in front of him, looking to the floor. "What can I do for you, Sir?", she asked barely audible, but he could tell, that she had been crying.
He cleared his throat, twice. Then a third, even longer time, before he was able to say, his voice still hoarse:
"I am very sorry, Nathalie! I never meant to hurt you so very much!"
She shook her head vigorously, still not looking up to him, and just muttered a:
"I don't know. what you are talking about, Sir!"
Gabriel sighed and took a step, to close the last gap between them, then simply pulled her into his arms and pressed her head to his chest.
"I really am sorry, Nath. This should have been you and not some pretty, very young girl, who was only here, to help me bring back Emilie. And if ..... I mean, she..... I wasn't ready to move on..... it just....... this girl, this young woman, she..... she just captured me, took me off guard. Her, disobeying me, it made me......... so furious. I feel like a complete ass, standing here and holding you, while the girl.......the woman, I am having a child with, asked me to stay with her. I wanted to, but at the same time, I knew, that I needed to talk to you, Nathalie. I never wanted to cause you any more pain, than I already did. I feel...... I wouldn't be able to stay away from her, even, if I tried, but......"
He could feel her soft sobs and paused, his hands caressing her hair.
"Please, Nathalie, my Nathalie, please don't hate 'her' for that. She never came on to me or anything like that!"
Eventually Nathalie looked up and whispered:
"I already knew that. She's not that kind of woman. In fact, we've been talking a little and she didn't even think about anything except her education until lately", she pulled a tissue out of her pocket and dried her eyes, then blew her nose. "And you shouldn't be as self centered, Gabriel. Not everything is about you. Can't you imagine, that I was just happy for you? Even if it hurts, I really like the girl and I think it's amazing, that she decided for the baby, knowing, that she'll ruin her career with it most likely. She's going to be and incredible woman and mother!"
He gave her a loving glare, that made her take a deep breath, as he cupped her cheek mumbling sweetly:
"Yes she will be, because she has the most amazing woman and mother to my son to help her become one!"
Nathalie laid her own hand on his, which was still on her face and gulped, ready to object, when he bent down and laid his forehead on hers.
They both sighed. Then Nathalie pulled away from his grasp and said in a professional and cold tone, as she was used to:
"I should really get back to work. Sir. And....uhm....thank you for the talk!"
Gabriel breathed deeply in and out, then nodded and replied:
"If that's what you want!"
"What I want?", she turned around and yelled at him, "since when do you even care, what I want? You stand here in front of me, begging me for forgiveness, because you hurt me so much, asking me to not hate your girlfriend, who you chose over ......over ......"
"Just say it, Nathalie! I chose her over....?"
"Me!", she spat and turned away to hide the tears, which had started to run down her face.
He hugged her from behind and she accepted his embrace, not even trying to fight him off, as she knew, she would always be here and do whatever he asked her to do.
"Gabriel, please. You're only making it harder for me!", she uttered, while leaning into his chest.
The designer pecked the top of her head, then tightened his grasp and said calmly:
"You misunderstood one thing, Nath. I didn't choose her over you, I didn't choose her at all. It just happened. She reminded me a lot of Emilie, how she was, when we were young. Even though they look nothing alike, she has the same energy! I feel really bad, because I love you too and you should know about that. But...."
He shrugged, leaning his cheek on his assistant's. Then he remembered something, I had asked from him and chuckled.
Nathalie tilted her head, to give him a puzzled look.
"You know, when she asked me, why I put you into the 'sister zone', she also told me, that she was well aware, that the age difference was too big, as if we had much of a chance to last. Though she hoped, we would, she wanted to be realistic. I had to promise her, that I would tell you the truth, if we wouldn't so we both would eventually find our happiness together!", he told her about our conversation a couple of days ago.
Nathalie sniffled, then wiped her eyes with the tissue again, as she laughed through her nose.
"This girl is so sweet, Gabriel, she almost makes 'me' want to sleep with her too!", she teasingly mused.
"What?"
He gave her a bewildered look, but his expression quickly changed and the assistant could tell, why:
"Would you please get your mind out of the gutter and stop imagining that? SIR?"
He flinched, but laughed.
"Fine! Sorry for that, but I suddenly had this picture in my head and after the first shock, well....."
She pushed away from him, her head held high, pretending to be better than him and walked to her desk.
Gabriel laughed, as he went back to his work.
"You are aware, that we will talk about that later, right Nathalie? I am only telling you that, to be prepared, just in case!", he jokingly said, after he was done with his sketch and about to return to me.
"You!", she scoffed and hit his chest with the back of her hand. Hard.
"Ouch! I was just kidding! Well, I will tell her, but I wasn't serious about the second part!"
"Just go!", Nathalie ranted and nudged him out of the office. Then she remembered,
"Oh....uhm.....Adrien asked for your permission to stay with his friends after school. As I didn't want to interrupt you today, I....", she braced herself for his anger, inhaling deeply, then rapidly gushed out, "I told him it was okay and that he should be home at seven!"
He took a long breath himself, then nodded and sighed:
"I have to start letting him become more independent at some point, right? This incredibly empathic, young woman upstairs was very right about one thing. You are a mother to Adrien and whatever the future will bring, you'll always be! Thank you for taking such a good care of him, Nath!"
She just waved him off and turned around to get back to her work.
When Gabriel entered his bedroom, he was shocked at first, because I wasn't sleeping in his bed any more. He called my name instantly, fear swinging in his voice and I wasn't able to answer, as I was in the bathroom and just trying to not throw up even more, after the first time just a few seconds ago. Still gagging, while fighting the urge to vomit, I just clapped with my flat hand on the floor, so he would hear me and come into the room.
He did and immediately crouched down at my side and laid an arm around my back. Just as he did, all my efforts became useless and I started to vomit once more. He helped me back to bed right after my by now already annoying, to many times a day happening, mouth hygiene and, just as he had promised, he placed himself right next to me and pulled me into his arms.
"Are you alright?", he hummed with concern and I nodded.
"Yeah", I agreed, "it should be called waking up sickness instead of morning sickness though!", I stated cynically and made my child's father laugh.
"If that doctor was right, it's most likely going to be over in just four weeks. Do you think, you can hold up that long? Otherwise you should consider to take the medication against it, which he prescribed you. And which you didn't even bother to get while we were passing at least three pharmacies!", he scolded me now. Then he suggested:
"I could go and get them for you. And on my way, I could have a look at Adrien, as he is with his friends and though I told Nathalie, it was okay and I had to loosen his bonds at some point, I am still concerned."
"Don't you even dare to embarrass the poor boy in front of his friends!", I hissed and sat up on the bed. "If you're really that scared, we'll both go and think of something more reasonable and maybe even cool or fun. What would you have told him? That you're about to get some medicine, so your employee, who you knocked up, could stop to throw up? Or maybe even worse, that you changed your mind and decided he is still too young to be outside on his own? I'll get up and we're going to check on him, but you need to think of an excuse before we get there!"
He looked guilty, as he responded:
"Well, how about talking to M-Ma-Marinette was it, right?"
I nodded.
"How about, talking to Marinette about the outfit, you wore on our date? After the last show and making us official anyway, I allowed the online magazine, the photographer is working for, to publish that foto as well. And as you are wearing exactly that outfit, I also had them put her name under the picture! Would that be enough of a reason to show up out of nowhere?"
"Holy crap! I am such a pathetic excuse of a friend. I totally forgot about that and even to tell her, that you loved it. And I forgot, that this one picture was taken. How did you stop the man from publishing it? And why did you then allow him?", I exclaimed in utter shock.
"I have my ways to figure such things out and stop them immediately, as long as it is just one or maybe a handful. And I gave them permission, because the other tabloids and magazines were doing too, so I figured, they could claim the right for the very first sighting as well. Do you have any idea, where Adrien could be?"
I thought for a moment, then began to grin.
"He's going to be fifteen in two months, so I 'hope' he is just making out with some girl, in the best case with Marinette!"
I chuckled over his shocked expression.
"I was joking, relax. I'll just send him a message and ask where he is and if Marinette is with him, because you have something very important to tell her! How's that?"
He agreed instantly and only twenty minutes later, we were on our way to the banks of the Seine, right next to Le Pont des Arts, to meet with Adrien and his classmates, who had just gotten ice cream from André the sweethearts ice cream maker.
When we arrived, the model and his 'just a friend' were nowhere to be seen. Instead we could see Ladybug and ChatNoir, who were standing in front of the ice cream man and were just getting their couple's dessert.
The moment Gabriel saw them, standing there together, both in his reach at the same time, he tightened his grip around my hand, squeezing my fingers, because they were intertwined with his, painfully, yet I didn't complain, as I knew, he tried to resist the temptation. He stopped several meters before we would meet them and turned towards me, away from the heroes, then smiled down at me and hummed soothingly:
"Sorry if I hurt you. It just...it was, well.....seeing them so close and knowing, they are completely off guard.....but, there is something way more important, than getting Emilie back. And this isn't just you anymore, my love!"
He wrapped his coat around the both of us, as he pulled me closer, so he could gently rub my luckily still flat belly, without drawing any attention to it. While he kept his hand there, he kissed me rather passionately, to then suggest:
"Would you like some ice cream too? If your stomach can handle it?"
I nodded vigorously. I had been thinking of that since I read the reply from Adrien, that they had just found the man's cart.
He laughed and held out his hand.
"Come then. If our child craves ice cream, he or she shall have it!"
I giggled, as I imagined the baby holding an ice cream cone, and took his hand to follow him.
André though gave us a strange look.
"This doesn't happen very often, but I can't find a mixture, that would match the both of you! I could make something up, but I think, you would be better with a portion for each of you!"
He looked at the disappointment in my face and gave me a compassionate smile.
"How about, I put them into one cone and each of you can eat from their own side, so nobody will notice. And who knows, maybe next time you come here, there will be less flavours in the mix and at least one of you has made their decision!", he said with a wink.
"What's that supposed to mean?", Gabriel asked moodily.
"That Sir means, that you should figure out, what you want and decide for one person instead of having someone else in your mind still. As everybody in Paris knows about your wife's disappearance, maybe it's her, who still is keeping you, Mr Agreste!", ChatNoir now explained.
I gave him a stern look.
"Isn't it interesting, Chat, that Ladybug all of a sudden took an interest in you too, after rejecting you for so long? I wonder, if someone told you her identity and you revealed yourself after that. Because 'you' have your perfect mix in your waffle, as I can see!", I said with an undertone, that only the black cat understood and he nodded and took his partner's hand.
"Come on, Bugaboo, time for us to go on patrol!"
And with that they interlinked their fingers and using both their devices, the staff and the yoyo they soared off.
Gabriel shook his head over the young man.
"He has quite some guts, mentioning Emilie to me!", he said admiringly, yet with disapproval.
"Maybe he isn't wrong, Gabriel. Maybe there are too many women in your heart. But I won't urge you to make your choice because I understand, that it's not that easy and wasn't even before I came into the mix. So relax, it's just ice cream!", I tried to soothe him, but he frowned, as he looked at our creations.
His side was dark purple with pinkish red and turquoise, while mine was simply chocolate, vanilla and something in a light blue.
"Well at least I can make something of your mix!", I teased him, but he didn't respond. He seemed to be deep in his thoughts.
An idea popped into my head and instead of constantly calling his name, I whispered another, the one that matched the dessert in his hands.
"Nathalie!"
His head shot around the very moment he heard her name and even though it hurt, I also giggled. Gabriel noticed and frowned even more.
"It's okay, Gabriel. I know, how you feel for her and that you feel even worse since.....well, since we..... you know. But for now, we both are together and about to have a baby, so..... I can handle your feelings for her, and hers for you. I even would consider.....well that's a little too weird, but.... if you wanted her and me at the same time, I..... for you I would try....I...."
Blushing I looked to the ground, when he broke into a guffaw.
"Not funny at all. I was just telling you, that you mean so much to me, that I would even....share you with..."
"That's exactly why I am laughing. Nathalie suggested something very similar, barely more than an hour ago. She just didn't leave me in this scenario. She just told me, that you are so sweet, that she almost would like to sleep with you! Of course, she said that, to mock me, but still. Both of you saying such things in one day....! I get scared to leave you alone in the house, if you both have fantasies about each other!", he told me, still chuckling now and then.
"Hey!", a voice suddenly sounded behind us and Adrien and Marinette walked towards us, both holding hands and sharing their ice cream.
"Did I really see Ladybug and ChatNoir getting their own portion from André? That's amazing and too bad, that we missed them!", Marinette exclaimed.
"Yeah", I said sarcastically, "too bad. They even had the same colour mix as you! What a coincidence!"
"Oh, uhm, really? That's ...... well, I would say wow, but, they kind of have the same eyes and hair colour, so, it's not that surprising, right?", Adrien tried to explain with a sheepish smile. "I am sure, after such a long time without any akumas, they were a little bored and needed to blow off some steam!"
"You think?", I said mockingly, "it kinda looked as if they were just showing off. Maybe they should consider to be more careful, before someone will find out their identities and expose them to the public!"
"She's right, they shouldn't be so careless! What id Hawkmoth is just planning something big, while he keeps us I mean them or all of us, waiting?", Marinette now blurted out, giving the boy at her side an intense look. He agreed and said:
"Yeah, somebody should tell them!"
Then a notification could be heard, coming from the girl's phone. She looked at it and gasped.
"Alya send me this!", she exclaimed and showed us the video clip that had just been posted, showing Ladybug and ChatNoir kissing passionately.
"Woah", I called out in astonishment, "those two should most certainly get a room for that soon! And maybe a package of condoms, because I don't think, her lucky charm would give them something like 'that'!"
Alya was approaching us from the other side of the bridge and quickly told us:
"Actually, after all, I could get on information about the miraculous and it's magic, it would do exactly that!"
"Or give them a coin, that would only fit into one single, special machine, where they could get something like a condom, because that's what those lucky charms look like for me!", Marinette giggled.
"Yeah, you're right. Ladybug's first question usually is: 'what am I supposed to do with that'!", I laughed as I hooked my hand into the crook of Gabriel's arm and we slowly walked don the the river, to have a seat on one of the benches. The teenagers had due to the for once nice weather, placed cushions and blankets on a few and offered us one for just the two of us now.
"Enjoy!", Alya whispered secretively, "soon you'll have both hands full with....you know!"