I will love again

Part 1 - Needless Excitement

Gabriel was a mess. His wife had passed away recently, after being in an unconscious state for so long. He had finally found the courage, to tell his son, and let her go, instead of keeping her secretly in the basement and trying to get his hands on those miraculous, to bring her back somehow.

It wasn't easy to both of them though, when they found out the other's secret identity and had the Black Cat and the Ladybug Miraculous right in front of them.

But Adrien could convince him, that whatever prize he would have to pay, wasn't worth it. And as there was no possibility, to sacrifice himself, and let only him pay the prize, he finally gave up the thought, and he and Nathalie gave the Butterfly and the Peacock Miraculous to Ladybug, who had just become the new Guardian.

Luckily only ChatNoir knew, that it was Marinette underneath the mask, though she had no idea, that he found out her identity. He had sought out a clever plan, to get the two jewels to her, without revealing himself yet. And he had managed to tell her the truth about Gabriel and Nathalie, without her going to the police, when he told her, that it only had happened to revive Emilie Agreste.

Marinette's deep love for Adrien himself was of course helping a lot. He only had to find a way, to reveal himself, without getting her angry, because he wanted her to still love him, as he loved her, even more since the day, he accidentally saw her transform.

Now, for the first time in like forever, Gabriel Agreste, was alone. The relationship with his son was still difficult, his wife had been buried, his Kwami was gone, and Nathalie, his loyal caring assistant, was taking some time off, to recover from the damage, the broken Miraculous had done to her body, before he had managed to fix it.

He wanted to go on a short trip himself, into a Spa, as his Psychologist had recommended, so he would get to calm down and let his body and his thoughts rest for a few days.

But as it turned out, without Nathalie, he wasn't able to pack his things properly. He couldn't even find half of the stuff, he needed.

So, with a deep sigh, he pulled out his phone and pressed the only number he had on speed dial, Nathalie's.

When he heard her soft voice say: "Yes, Sir", he took a deep breath, before he spoke:

"Sorry, to disturb you, Nathalie, but I have a few problems, finding the things I want to pack for my prescribed Spa-weekend. Do you think, you could sacrifice a little bit of your time, to give me the instructions, to find everything?"

Nathalie quietly giggled at the despair in his voice.

"Should I come over?", she suggested.

"Oh, please no, you need your time off. That's not what I was calling you for. If you just order me around, I will be fine. I certainly don't want to bother you with my inability to take care of myself.", he quickly exclaimed, trying to not make her feel guilty.

Now the assistants chuckling could be heard through the speaker:

"To be honest, Sir, I am bored into pieces. I would love to come over and help you pack, if you don't mind, of course", she added quickly, not sure, if he wanted her company. All the closeness, they had felt, when they had their Miraculous', and her being affected by the Peacock Miraculous so badly, seemed to have gone. Since Emilie's funeral he was distant to her, didn't even bother, to reply her messages every time.

Gabriel inhaled deeply once more: "That would be very kind of you, Nathalie. When would you be here?"

A knock on his bedroom door made him jump.

"Who is there?", he asked.

"It's me", Nathalie's voice came from the other side of the door.

Gabriel took a few steps towards it, and pulled it open.