"Almost Like A Family" (Miraculous Gabenath)

Chapter XVII

-H-How so? - asked the surprised man. He didn't expect such a decision from Nathalie. - Are you sure you want to do this?
-Do we have any other solution? I have a few days left to live and I will die. Before I leave, I want to be of some use and save Emilie. Gabriel wanted to say something, to deny it, but the woman had already left to pack. She was leaving the hospital today. The doctors decided there was no point in keeping her here. They wanted her to spend her last moments with her family.

Adrien's bodyguard came to pick up Gabriel and Nathalie. On the way back, the adults didn't talk to each other at all. Nathalie seemed absent and kept staring out the window. Gabriel, on the other hand, tried to start the topic a few times, but seeing the breakdown on the assistant's face, he preferred not to say anything. When they finally got home, everyone went to their room. Gabriel stayed up half the night to come up with the perfect plan to get Ladybug and Cat Noir's miraculouses. And he finally succeeded.

The plan was simple. Hawk Moth was supposed to akumatize someone with negative emotions and give them the power to turn other people into supervillains. Thanks to this, all inhabitants of Paris who had ever been akumatized turned into supervillains under the influence of fear. At first everything was going great, there was already an entire army of villains fighting on Hawk Moth's side, including some heroes who had previously helped Ladybug. Ultimately, Gabriel had the most powerful army in history. And only Ladybug and Cat Noir fought against him. This time he was almost sure of his victory. However, fate favored the heroes this time too. During the fight with one of the villains, a small accident occurred, as a result of which the Agrest residence began to fall apart. The whole house shook, the walls began to crack, and dust fell from the ceiling. Gabriel underwent a reverse transformation and quickly ran to Nathalie's room. Meanwhile, all Parisians returned to their normal forms. However, because Ladybug hadn't managed to say the "extraordinary Ladybug" spell yet, because she was helping to evacuate other people, she didn't clean up the effects of the fight and the house kept falling apart.

Gabriel ran into Nathalie's room, but it was empty. The man was very scared and ran around the house looking for his assistant.
-What if something happened to her? Did she faint somewhere? The house is about to fall apart and crush her. I have to save her. Where could she be? Or maybe she has already escaped? That would mean she's safe. But what are the chances of that happening?! Nathalie! Where are you?! - he shouted and looked for a woman everywhere. Suddenly he found her in his office. - Nathalie?! What are you doing?
-I want to save Emilie.
-Leave her. Your life is more important! She's already dead anyway!
-I'll die in a few days too, so what difference does it make! You didn't spend so much time fighting Ladybug and Cat Noir to save her, only to lose it all now! - she screamed and ran downstairs to the hiding place.
-Nathalie, we don't have time for this, we should get out of here! - Gabriel wanted to follow her, but at that moment the heroes appeared and took the man away.
-And Nathalie?! She's still inside! I have to run for her!!! - Gabriel shouted.
-Don't worry, we checked the whole house and she's nowhere to be found. - Ladybug replied. They did not take into account Hawk Moth's hiding place, which they did not know about. Gabriel wanted to do something. He moved to run inside, but at that very moment the house collapsed.
-Nathalie!!! - the man shouted with tears in his eyes. - He ran to the place where his house once stood and he started looking for Nathalie in the rubble. Emilie was lying next to the incubator, covered in brick fragments and dirty with dust. However, Emilie's coffin was completely cracked and no longer worked. And Emilie? She was gone. The remains of the house crushed her. Gabriel ran to Nathalie and picked her up.
-Nathalie! Nathalie! Please don't leave me... I'm not ready for this, not now, not here... - the man cried. Then he brought the woman to his breasts and hugged her tightly. The assistant coughed slightly. Gabriel looked at her hopefully.
-I'm sorry... I failed... - she said in a weak voice, then put her head to Gabriel and died. A picture fell from her hand and three miraculouses that she managed to save: a fox, a bee and a peacock. Gabriel picked up the paper, which she also managed to save. It was Adrien's drawing. The same one Gabriel looked at when his son told him he was glad the designer was happy with Nathalie. Only he didn't see it yet and that was what hurt him the most at that moment.
-I am sorry... I was late with everything... - replied the man. - Good night Nathalie, rest in peace...