Maternal Instincts

Make her boys happy

Around 2 p.m. the door knocked again. Nathalie opened it.

-Hello Miss Nathalie, could we see Adrien? – asked Marinette in a small voice.

-Of course, he will be very happy to see you – she smiled. -Come in.

She closed the door behind the kids.

-Hello Mr. Agreste – waved the three of them almost at the same time. -Dude, you look awesome – said Nino. And all four of them laughed.

Gabriel nodded at the kids in response to their salute.

-Sir, could I talk to you for a minute? – asked Nathalie.

-Sure – Gabriel stood up from the sofa and followed Nathalie to the corridor.

-What is it? – he asked.

-Nothing, I just wanted to take a walk, Adrien is okay with his friends – Nathalie started walking towards the elevator.

Gabriel groaned. He wasn't pleased with the idea, but of course, Nathalie knew Adrien and his friends, if she said it was okay, it was.

Nathalie and Gabriel walked through the hospital's garden in silence. None of them knew what to say.

-Nathalie I...

-Sir...

They both spoke at the same time. They both laughed.

-You speak, Sir.

-No, please.

-Well, is just... I am really happy that Adrien is fine.

-Yes, me too – said Gabriel -Thanks to you.

-No, of course not, I told you, I should have brought him sooner.

Gabriel grabbed Nathalie's arm gently.

-Nat, I already told you. You did the right thing – he stared into her blue eyes.

-Sir... I... - Nathalie couldn't continue. She was lost in those deep grey-blue eyes staring at her.

Before she could realize Gabriel gently kissed her lips. It was a soft, small and tender kiss.

Nathalie blinked a couple of times.

"What just happened?" she asked herself.

-Let's go back – he said.

She followed him quietly.

"What just happened?" Nathalie asked herself all the way back to Adrien's room.

Adrien was discharged from the hospital the day after. They went back to the mansion. In the following days, things came back to normal, mostly.

Gabriel started having dinner with his son and his assistant. Adrien, of course, was still not attending school. Nathalie had less job to have time to look after Adrien.

Still, both adults didn't talk about what happened in the garden.

Nathalie started to wonder if she had imagined it. Gabriel went back to his usual bossy style. Nathalie came back to her stiff, heartless style.

She knew how bad Adrien longed for a family, for a mother. She knew how bad Gabriel longed for his wife. And she was going to give everything to make her boys happy. Even when Gabriel took away the Peacock Miraculous and asked her to stop as Mayura.

She knew she couldn't, she knew this family needed a woman, Emilie.