Miraculous Games

Chapter Forty-One

Chapter Forty-One:

Peacock attacked, Hawkmoth not far behind.

She rushed toward Ladybug, and as she did so, she reached behind her and pulled off the feathers that had been attached to her hip. With a snap of her wrist, the feathers extended into a shield. She slammed into Ladybug full force and the poor girl fell to the floor. She snarled up at Peacock, but before she could attack, Gabriel pulled the dart out of her arm.

"I'm sorry, Ladybug," he said, then pocketed the dart. She only glared at him and kicked his knees. With a cry, Moth crumpled to the floor, but Peacock swiped her shield across her head.

"Why is it not working?" Moth asked and turned to face the others.

"I'm not sure. Maybe we have to take each of the darts out one-by-one. They might be feeding off of each other," Peacock answered, pressing her back against his again.

"Are you telling me that we have to defeat all of these Charms at once?"

She glanced back at him and raised an eyebrow. "You're the one who created them. What do you think?"

He scowled and clenched his fists tighter. "Let's do this." He swung his fist. It connected with one of the Charms and they flew backward. Peacock smirked and followed his example.

Kick, swing, duck, throw.

For the first time in forever, Gabriel felt alive. He could feel the adrenaline rushing through his veins. It flushed all of the anger away, and he even caught himself smiling every once and awhile. He hadn't seen Peacock in years and yet, here she was, throwing punches at teenagers.

Hmm. He probably could have come up with a better date night than this.

As he fought, his mind flashed back to the day she had left. He had been in his office, filing bills and organizing designs for the upcoming Miraculous Games. As he had been stacking files, the door had opened. Peacock had stepped inside, her head held high as she closed the door. He still remembered what she had worn. A white shirt, blue jeans, and black flats. He could even see her hair, falling out of the ponytail at the back of her head.

"Gabriel, we need to talk."

"Ah, you were just the person I wanted to see," he had said, shutting the filing cabinet's drawer. "I wanted to ask you about the scenery. Should we place it in a desert or a swamp this year?"

Peacock sighed. "That's why I came, Gabriel. I think it's time we stop the games."

He had stopped, turned to face her, and stared like she had crawled out of a hole. "Stop the games?"

"It's only hurting people," she insisted. "And I don't want Adrien going through the same pain we did. We lost friends, Moth. Don't you remember that?"

Gabriel had cast his gaze to the floor. It had been years since he had thought about them, and yet, they had popped into his mind's eye as if it had happened only yesterday. The blood on his hands, the sneering Charms that had attacked him...

"Yes, I remember. But I have to, Renee." (Pronounced Reh-Nay)

She set her jaw. "No, you don't, Gabriel."

"Yes, I do!" he had insisted. He had placed a hand over his heart. "I have a duty to this country, to keep its traditions and support its values. The Miraculous Games are a key part of our history."

"And you don't think I know that?" Renee walked around his desk and rested her hands on his shoulders. "You competed for my hand. I was trained since I was a young girl to rule the country with a man by my side." She paused and looked down at the floor. "Gabe, I don't want our son to have to fill those shoes. It was hard enough for me, and I don't want him to go through the same afflictions. The pressure was almost unbearable."