Partners in Crime (Miraculous Ladybug)

• C h a p t e r F o u r t e e n •

"No."

Gabriel's firm voice echoed in the silence, and he was holding on to Emilie more tightly than ever.

Master Fu stared at him silently.

"Gabriel!" Ladybug protested. "You'd let your son just die?!"

"I'll just use the power again to bring him back!" Gabriel snapped, starting to march towards her.

The guardian stepped between them. "No!" he shouted, waving his cane at the much taller man. "If you do, you'll make things worse than they already are. The cycle will continue endlessly. A chain of tragedies that were never meant to happen." He turned to Emilie. "Do you realize what your husband has done?"

Emilie's lip quivered. "I-I think I'm starting to," she mumbled.

"You were brought back by the ultimate power created by the fusion of Ladybug's and Chat Noir's miraculouses. But there is always a price to pay. Your son is paying the price for Gabriel's wish."

Emilie turned to look at Gabriel. Blue and green eyes gazed into each other for a full minute before Emilie finally spoke again.

"Renounce your wish, Gabriel. It's the right thing to do. I'd rather let myself die than live with knowing our son is dead because of you."

Gabriel gritted his teeth, his eyes beginning to glisten with tears. "I can't go back to living without you," he whispered hoarsely, reaching out to caress her face. "It was like a nightmare every day."

"Was it, though?" Ladybug demanded, standing up straighter and taking a pace towards him. "Yes, I understand how hard it would be to lose your spouse. But instead of moving on, you dwelt obsessively on it and went to any lengths to bring her back, including terrorizing the city and hurting thousands of innocent people. And in the meantime you neglected your son. Made him miserable. And now you're about to lose him. This is not natural. Even though what happened to your wife was tragic and the result of a mistake, it wasn't the magic result of something else."

"She's right," Emilie murmured, and the tears began streaming down her husband's face. With a long, deep breath, she turned to the side of the room, where Nathalie had been quietly standing, her blue eyes distraught. "There's someone else who loves you that you can move on with."

Nathalie's eyes widened.

"Emilie-!" Gabriel started, but she shook her head.

"I want you to be happy, my love. And I know you want the same for me." Her voice trembled. "If you want to make me happy, renounce your wish."

He gazed sadly at her for another half minute, then pulled her into a tight embrace. "I'll miss you every second of every day," he whispered, his voice barely audible.

Emilie leaned back slightly and kissed him. "Take care of our son," she whispered back. "Please. Spend time with him. Get to know each other. And most of all, be content."

Gabriel's movements seemed strained as he nodded slowly. "I will," he mumbled.

Emilie withdrew and crouched down beside Chat Noir. She reached out and gently traced her fingers down his face, her lip quivering again. Leaning closer, she kissed him on the cheek. "Goodbye, my darling child," she said quietly. "I wish you could be awake for this. You'll feel better soon, don't worry. I love you so much."

At last, she walked up to Nathalie and took both of her hands. "Take good care of them," she told her, a tiny smile crossing her face. "And thank you."

Nathalie's eyes slipped past to focus on Gabriel, who took a slow breath, smiled softly at her, and nodded. "I will," she promised Emilie.

Emilie nodded, biting her lip, then turned one last time back to Gabriel. "Go ahead," she said quietly. "Fix our mistake for real. I love you, darling."

Gabriel was shaking slightly as he whispered back, "I love you, too." Then he took another deep breath, squared his shoulders, and, with his eyes focused on his son, announced, "I renounce my wish."