One shots

With Love, Gabriel

She was half lying, half crawling onto the top stair and towards the threshold of the Agreste mansion, wet from the actual rain outside, shaking and coughing. And she had lost weight, a lot of weight as it seemed.

"Gabriel, please!", she breathed, "I need to see her one more time before....", her already weak voice faded and her words turned into a severe coughing fit.

The designer quickly bent down and lifted her into his arms, holding her close to his chest, as he carried her inside and upstairs, calling for his son at the same time:

"Adrien, call a doctor! Now! And bring the baby upstairs with you, while I let in a bath for Nathalie!"

The teenager ran into the atrium, to see his father hurry towards his bedroom with a sick looking woman in his arms.

"Fuck, Nathalie!", he blurted out and followed them, while pulling his phone out of his back pocket. He didn't call for a doctor though, but dialled the number of the one person, who was able to help them.

Ladybug.

He didn't even need to say anything to her. When she saw his number appear on that special phone she had when she wasn't transformed, she knew, that the things, they had spoken about, were happening and that he needed her there.

Though she had no idea, how he would manage to make the wish without paying the prize, she trusted him enough, to hand the earrings to him, if he asked her for them. But right now, she just transformed and answered his call with:

"Adrien? I am already on my way! Don't be scared, she will live!"

"I really hope you're right, M'lady!", he mumbled and hung up the phone.

Gabriel had placed Nathalie on his bed, on the side, she had slept on for months and was now undressing her, to get her out of her wet clothes as fast as possible. She wanted to stop him and tried to catch his hands, but she was already too weak and eventually she sighed and let him do so.

"Gabriel, I need to see my...."

Another coughing fit. This time she sprayed blood over her hand and the sheets, as well as Gabriel's shirt. Despite the seriousness of the situation, she noticed, that he was just wearing a shirt and neither his vest nor his blazer. She turned her head to have a closer look at him and smiled wearily.

His hair wasn't styled and due to that was hanging loose into his face, where he hadn't tried to get it into a tiny, short tail. The first three buttons of his shirt were open and revealed the skin of his chest, his sleeves were halfway rolled up and instead of his suit pants, he was wearing a pair of black jeans.

"You've changed!", she croaked, choking on the blood as she did.

Gabriel quickly grabbed a handkerchief and held it to her mouth. Then he sat down beside her and cupped her cheek.

"Oh Nathalie!", he whispered, "I am so, so sorry!"

She furrowed her brows, as she tried to speak again. Yet no words came out and tears started to run down her face. The man in front of her caught them with his fingers and wiped them off, then continued to undress her and wrapped her tightly into a warm blanket.

"My...baby, Gabriel! I need to see my..."

"Shush, my dear! I will let in a nice warm bath for you, so you'll be warm again and you'll see, that will make you feel a lot better. Adrien is already calling a doctor and he is bringing our daughter here, as soon as he is done with that. Now relax, while I prepare the bathtub for you, alright? Get some sleep, or just try to rest. It will soon be better! I promise!"

But the sick, young woman shook her head and panted:

"It......won't get....better, Gabriel, only worse. I..... want to hold......", a light coughing fit, "...my child for the last time......want to....", another coughing fit, stronger this time, "feed her one last time.....before.... I kept on pumping milk all the time, so I would be able to......", heavy, laboured breaths and a long pause, "either go on with feeding her or at least do that one last time. This will be....", she panted, her voice faded, when Gabriel yelled at her:

"NATHALIE! This is not the last time, you see your child. I swear to you, if I have to sacrifice myself, to safe your life, so that 'you' can care for our children, then I will do so. But I promise you, that you will see Nadine grow up!"

They cried together, then he carried her into the bathroom and slowly let her down into the warm water. Several ethereal herbs and oils really eased her breathing and she felt warm and relaxed, when he helped her out and wrapped her into a big warm towel.

"Thank you, that really helped, G-Gabriel!"

He nodded and picked her up bridal style again. When they returned into the bedroom, Nathalie started to cry immediately, because Adrien stood there, rocking his baby sister in his arms and hesitantly said:

"Hey mum, someone wouldn't go to sleep, before she had seen you! Are you strong enough to hold her?"

Nathalie nodded and after Gabriel had placed her on the mattress and tucked her in again, the young man laid the newborn into her arms.

"I'll give you some privacy. Ladybug is waiting outside and is willing to give me the earrings. We will have to do that in private though, because she can't reveal her identity to any of us!"

His father nodded and patted his shoulder.

"Thank you, Adrien. And tell Ladybug thank you too!", he said quietly.

Nathalie looked at him with flushed cheeks and tears brimming her eyes, when she asked him to help her, position her child so she could suck on her breast to feed. Feeling just as embarrassed as her, Gabriel reluctantly did, while he tried to not look at her full breasts, which stood in such a contrast to her worn out body.

"I don't want anyone to use that wish to save me, Gabriel!", she demanded, but he shook his head.

"Don't think about that now. I need you to rest as soon as our daughter is finished. She can of course stay with you, as you see, I had the bed made baby safe! She can't fall of from any side. But she needs to burp, after she's satiated. Otherwise she'll spit up everything she drank!", he told her calmly.

Nathalie smiled.

"You know her well! I knew, you would take good care of her. That's another thing, I needed to be sure of. Now I can rest!"

Gabriel jumped to his feet in panic, when she closed her eyes, but the woman just shook her head slightly and told him with a blissful smile:

"Relax, I won't leave without saying goodbye!"

He watched her for a while, then he decided to write her a letter. She was a woman who would like to get a handwritten love letter, no matter how late it arrived.

My dearest Nathalie,

I can't even tell you, how much I have missed you and how glad I am, that you're back with us. If we won't have the chance, to talk after you read this letter, then I gave my life for yours. If we are, then either someone else payed the prize or I am about to loose you.

I am so sorry for all the things I did to you. For you, maybe not even seeing your beautiful daughter grow up. If only I had been able to admit to myself, how much I love you earlier.

Because I do.

Nathalie Sancoeur, I love you from all my heart. And if there will ever be the chance, I want you to become Nathalie Agreste.

To become my wife and receive all the love you deserved for so long. I want to take you to see the world, you and our children, the ones, we have and the ones, we maybe will have then.

But right now, all I want is to see you healthy and without pain, to see you hold your daughter, who is just as beautiful like her mother, and feed her and play with her and be happy, that two broken people like us, created something so unique and perfect.

I will always love you, Nathalie!

With love, Gabriel!