Heartless

Chapter 2

Hawkmoth jumps over rooftops, Nathalie in his arms.  He looks down at her with a concerned face.  Hawkmoth hears something behind him and turns his head to see Chat Noir running towards them.  Hawkmoth picks up the pace and puts a better distance between them.  Hawkmoth checks behind them again sees that Chat Noir looks like a small blonde and black dot.  Hawkmoth runs behind a chimney and stands there with his back against the wall, waiting for the heroes to come.  Nathalie shakes violently in his arms.

Hawkmoth looks down at her with concern lacing every feature of his face.  "Are you alright?"  All he gets in response is for her try and force herself to stop shaking but she's too weak right now to do so, so all that happens is a small mumble.  Hawkmoth hears both heroes run past and he looks and sees that they're far enough ahead for him to take Nathalie home.  Hawkmoth runs to the mansion jumps through the window in the lair.

 "Nooroo, dark wings fall." He says as he lands. Nooroo flies out of the brooch and sees Nathalie, so he just flies onto Nathalies knee. Gabriel thinks it's strange but cute how close Nathalie has become with the kwamis since Heroes Day.

Gabriel walks to the elevator and it brings him and Nathalie back to the atelier.  He starts walking to the door and is about to open it when Nathalie says,

"N..no...I d..don't want...Adrien...t..to see..."  Nathalie barely manages to speak.  Gabriel simply nods his head walks to the couch in the atelier and lays her down.  Gabriel starts walking away when Nathalie grabs his sleeve.  "No.....d..don...t...leave..."  Nathalie says, looking up at him with tired eyes.  Gabriel turns around and kneels down in front of her so they're at eye-level.

"Don't worry Nathalie, I'll be back, I'm just going to get you some water.  Stay here while I do, ok?"  Gabriel says calmly and Nathalie nods her head and lets him go.  Gabriel walks out of the atelier and gently closes the door.

Gabriel returns just a few minutes later with some water for Nathalie and he walks over to her and brushes a piece of hair off of her face that went astray when she lay down.  He holds the water out to her and she grabs it and pushes herself up to be sitting and takes a few sips. She hands the water back to Gabriel and he sets it down on the floor and sits next to her on the couch.  Nathalie looks up at him with tired eyes.  Gabriel looks away from her.  Nathalie frowns.

"What's wrong, sir?"  Nathalie questions.

Gabriel clenches his fists in his lap.  "I shouldn't have done that..."  He replies to her.  "You weren't ready for it and I did it without your consent."  Nathalie stares at him, not knowing what to say.

"Yes...you shouldn't have."  She watches as he sinks even more.  "But the thing is, you know and admitted you were wrong and made a mistake."  Gabriel looks up from his lap and meets her eyes.  Gabriel smiles a bit pulls Nathalie to him, so close she's practically on his lap.  Gabriel holds her tight to his chest.  Nathalies face turns bright red and she tenses up, but soon relaxes and rests her head on his chest.

Gabriel kisses the top of her head.  "Thank you, My Peahen.  For everything."

Nathalie looks up at him.  "You shouldn't call me that."  She says with a frown.

"Hmm, you are my peahen, are you not?"  He questions.

"I suppose I am..."  Nathalie replies.

He smiles.  "Then I don't see the problem."

Nathalie frowns again.  "The problem is someone could put two and two together and figure out our identities.  Specifically Adrien."

Gabriel sighs.  "You worry too much."

Nathalie smirks.  "You just don't worry enough."  They hear a knock at the door and Gabriel stands up and opens it.

"Yes Adrien?"  Gabriel asks the blonde sunshine child in front of him.

"Have you seen Nathalie?  I saw Hawkmoth take her on the and I'm worried about her..."  Adrien says as he fumbles with his finger.  Nathalie stiffens up and starts coughing.  Adrien hears her coughing and pushes past his father.  "Nathalie!  Are you ok?"  Adrien asks her.

Nathalie tries to stop coughing.  "Y-yes Adrien." Nathalie says in-between coughs.

"Did Hawkmoth hurt you!?  I-is that why you're coughing?"  Adrien says, tears filling his eyes.  Gabriel rushes over and sits next to Nathalie and pulls her next to him, rubbing her arm up and down.

"It's ok, just breathe..."  He whispers to Nathalie.  Nathalie finally stops coughing and tries to regain her breath.  Gabriel looks at his crying son sitting next to his assistant and then back at Nathalie.  "Are you alright, dear?"  Gabriel questions.  Nathalie nods and pulls herself away from Gabriels arms.

Adrien sniffles.  "Nathalie are you ok?"  A small gasp escapes Nathalies lips when she sees he's crying and she pulls him close to her.

"Don't cry, Adrien."  She says stroking his hair.  "I didn't mean to alarm you..."  She turns her head to look at Gabriel and then she looks back at Adrien.  "I've just been a bit ill lately, that's all."  Nathalie felt bad lying to Adrien, but it's not like she could tell him the truth, so she just stuck with a half-truth, even if a 'bit' ill wasn't true at all.

"Are you gonna get better soon?  And you shouldn't be working if you're this sick."  Adrien pulls away just enough to look up at her face.

Nathalie looks down.  "I.....don't know, Adrien..."  That hurts Gabriel more than he'd like to admit.

"Of course she will, Adrien.  Now go practice your piano.  I'll see you at dinner."  Gabriel says.  Adrien hugs Nathalie before standing up and leaving with his head down.  Nathalie waits until she hears Adriens bedroom door close.

"Why did you lie to him?"  Nathalie asks.

Gabriel looks down at her.  "What did I lie to him about?"

"That I'll get better!"  Nathalie replies.

"I don't see how I lied.  You're going to get better."

"We don't kno-"

"YOU'RE GOING TO GET BETTER!"  Gabriel snaps at her.  He freezes when he sees the fear in Nathalies eyes.  "Oh no no no no, I didn't mean to shout at you, I'm sorry!"  He says.

"No, it's fine...I just don't like when you're angry..."  Nathalie responds.  Gabriel hugs her tightly, surprising his assistant.

"You're going to get better, I promise."  Gabriel whispers to her.  He feels Nathalie hug him back, burying her face in his shoulder.

A few minutes pass before either of them even speak.  Gabriel pulls away from her.

"You should get some rest, Peahen."  Gabriel says quietly and Nathalie starts to stand up, but Gabriel stops her by picking her up.  "I mean it."

Nathalie sighs.  "Fine."  She looks up at him.  "But I won't like it."  

Gabriel smiles.  "I don't doubt it."  Gabriel walks out of the atelier and just as he reaches the stairs Nathalie sneezes and he looks down at her, seeing that she had already fallen asleep.  "Oh, My Nathalie."  He kisses her forehead and continues up the stairs to her bedroom.