What am I for you?

Goodbye

"Mr. Agreste!" Ladybug uttered a soft cry when she saw the fashion king under the robe which was about to disappear. He, however, didn't even give her a look but slowly got up to knock the dust out of his clothes.
"Hawkmoth seems to have caught me at an bad moment ..." he explained slowly "how shamefull.."
"It happens to the best of us. Are you allright?" the heroes asked carefully which they got assured by him with a nod of the head.
"I .. just wasn't in control of my senses .." Gabriel lied on and his gaze wandered over to the now broken compass on the street floor. Only now did he notice how high the roof they were was on. He had so high hopes for his plan to work and to bring Nathalie back to him. But it seemed to have been a flop once again. Like all of his plans.
"I have to say. Hawkmoth chose a really unusual target with you."
"In what way?"
"Well. You weren't at all interested in getting the Miraculouse for him. Much more you where only fixated on the compass. You didn't attack anyone either. I would almost say you were the most harmless Akuma victim so far."
"Oh that ... well .." Gabriel now started to stutter a little.
"Did the compass have a special ability?"
"No. It ... probably just served to find what you wanted most. But it didn't even seem to work very well in my hands. I think Hawkmoth just backed on the wrong horse with me. Just because it happened that we where looking for the same person "said Gabriel softly.
Ladybug just looked sympathetically at the man in front of him. Nathalie Sancoeur's disappearance seemed to have left its mark on everyone.
"Come on mister. I'll bring you down from the roof"

The light of the evening sun shone gently through a single window of the Parisian Grand Hotel into the room, which only gave the impression of being occupied by the sound of the television running in the background.
There were things lying around everywhere, scraps of paper or even piles of them crumpled up in anger as there where tossed aside.
A single black wallet was scattered and abandoned in the middle of the mess. Only a few cards peeked out from this together with a single photo which was taken in better times which now served as a remind of better times. On it were 3 still very young people, happily united and laughing. None of them known back then what was in store for them in the future and what plans destiny had in store for them.
With a slight sigh, Nathalie turned the TV a little louder, in order to finally manage to silence her thoughts.
Beside her she had her cell phone with which she had spent the day trying to find out flights that would take her out of Paris to another country. She hadn't decided which yet.
Even if she didn't want to go, she had already resigned herself to the fact that it was probably the best and the only way to start a new life.
A life away from Paris, where she wasn't a threat to reveal the secrets she know just because she existed.
However, she couldn't get used to the idea of living somewhere else, and to start all over. But what was left here in the city of love that couldn't help her to get the man of her dreams. So what was it that holds her here? The baguettes? The good food? The romantic walks? Maybe.
Slowly she crawled further and further into the blanket in which she had wrapped herself and continued to fix her gaze on the current news. It was still a mystery to her why on earth no one had cared that she had been exposed as Mayura. Did she interpret too much in there? Was it just a matter of time?
The heroes would always do anything to bring Hawkmoth down. So why didn't they go public?
Surely someone would have seen them and would help them. So why?

Dejected, Gabriel sat down in the large chair in his room. He had just got home and along with the failure of his last mission, his emotions began to pound down on him like a sudden downpour on a sunny spring day.
What else can he do now? What should he do now? Try again? What would be different this time?
Gabriel's gaze wandered slowly to the screen in front of him, which he now slowly switched on.
The latest news was what shone towards him. One headline especially "Ladybug and Chat Noir back in action. Another Akuma could be defeated with their help"
'How boring the world had to be if you were to report directly that he had to suffer another failure' shot through Gabriel's head before he moved the mouse over the screen to open another headline. He really not want to be reminded of his failure. He browsed his self trought he headlines until a sudden thought made him jump back on his legs, so hard and fast that the chair crashed into the wall behind him with a loud bang.
He could feel the thought taking shape in his head and at the same time he could feel it running down his spine.
This idea was brilliant but it would take a huge sacrifice.
Emilie.

Still distracted by the television in her room, Nathalie hardly noticed someone entering the room.
It was Jean who, like every day, brought her something from the buffet from the large dining room for her to eat.
It wasn't until he clicked the door shut behind him that it pulled her back into reality. She quickly hide her passport in her pocket before turning to him.
"What are you thinking about?" Jean asked her before placing the plate on the table.
Visible light uncomfortably touched by the question, Nathalie tried to focus on a new topic.
"What did the chef cooked today?" she asked before opening the lid of the silver tray to inspect the food underneath it. On the plate in front of her, prawns in a creamy sauce together with a few potatoes were looking back at her. Not Nathalie's first choice, but she couldn't really be picky either at the moment.
It was Jean who had got her this room under a false name after he found her on the street back that night. This room now reduced her savings by a certain amount every day. Not that she couldn't afford this room. Working for Gabriel had always been a job that brought you a lot of money, but you really had to deal with his sudden change of emotions.
But Nathalie was fed up with spending her day like a state secret.
"... Nathalie" Jean sighed softly before continuing his sentence. He was used to the fact that the beautiful woman in front of him preferred not to let him into her thoughts. Or to let him help her for that matter. "Do you really want to do this?"
"I can't stay here ..." replied Nathalie who, while they were talking, stuffed one of the small potatoes into her mouth.
"The press didn't publish anything about you"
"It's only a matter of time.."
"Or they gave up and will left you al-"
"I won't take that risk!" and with that tone this discussion was done for her.
She couldn't risk anyone finding out that Hawkmoth was Gabriel Agreste just because it was discovered that she was Mayura. That is why she considered disappearing to another country to be her best option.
"I'm grateful that you took me in .. But I can't go on living like this forever."
"You could go back to him .."
"No. I made a decision. Going back to him is something I can't do anymore." 'Even tho. It is the one thing I wish the most to do'

Gabriel himself stood in front of the glass coffin of his wife, whose was now smiling at him softly like she always does. She still looked so peaceful. Just as if she was taking an afternoon nap in this coffin in a somewhat unusual place. As if she could just wake up at any moment and put an end to Gabriel's suffering.
But she wouldn't. Probably never again.
"Emilie" said the fashion king quietly while the feeling of guilt rose in him.
For too long he had refrained from visiting his wife in this place where he had personally brought her and had sworn to bring her back.
And the promise would soon be void, too.
"I came ... to break our promise ... I can't go on like this. I can't go on without Nathalie." he continued while he clenched his hand into a fist. His feelings were too intense and confused. It all felt so surreal and yet the pain reminded him that it was real.
"I swore to you back then that I would bring you back. But I'm tired Emilie.
I've spent a year chasing the chance to get you back.
Before Nathalie took the Miraculous, just like you did, to save me ... to save us. "
Gabriel paused to take a deep breath. He had to recover a little before he could continue speaking.
"Thanks to her, we have come so far. With her I was able to repair the Miraculous that tormented you so much. I feel more powerful then ever with her by my side.
But ... She is gone. And our opponents are getting stronger. I ... I just can't cope with it alone anymore. It is too much."
One of the many butterflies that danced around Emilie's coffin as they always did and acted as Gabriel's listener, now flew over his shoulder to Emilie to sit down on the glass pane and rest his wings.
Gabriel watched this game for a few minutes before continuing.
"Emilie, I've always loved you. But .. I can't deny that I also love Nathalie. That's why I owe her one chance. Because of my mistakes she had to pay this huge price now.
Your life came to an end years ago, and it's time I stopped trying to escape and started facing this reality. Emilie, you are dead. Your body is in this state only thanks to this machine. You can neither breathe nor think nor smile.
Your son has continued to grow and lives with the fact that he no longer has a mother. And it's time I do the same. "
Carefully Gabriel walked over closer to the coffin before giving his wife one last look. He felt how his eyes slowly started to produce some small tears.
"I will never forget you. Believe me Emilie. You will always be part of this family. And we will always think of you. You will always be the mother of our son Adrien. And I promise you. I will take care of him. That we will become a decent young man one day.
So goodbye, Emilie.
May your soul find its peace "
And with these words Gabriel confirmed the switch which brought the machine to a standstill. Slowly and gently the lights of the machine went out so that Emilie was bathed from a bright light into in a deep darkness.
As if on command, the butterfly had taken to the air and flapped its little wings up and away into the bright light that seemed to meet him.
It was like he wanted to show someone the way, to guide the way into the afterlife.