Nathalie's  POV:

       "Mr. Agreste, is there some family photo album available?"

        Gabriel raises an eyebrow in surprise at her question.  He clears his throat.  "Yes, but..."

           "I believe it will do Adrien some good to see it."

             Nathalie sees him shake his head in disapproval. She thinks it will be great for Adrien. I am just sure of it.

           Adrien's POV:

              He sulks when he hears them argue. He hates this. It reminds him of what life was like before his mother's death. It troubles him more than he lets on to have her gone and to have some stranger staying in the mansion with them.

              "Father never lets me do anything. I can not have friends.  I do not have much of a life."

               "I never see any of the old pictures.  My father has them all hidden away somewhere."

          Gabriel's  POV:

           "Now, where did I put them?  Ah, yes, here they are."

               He holds up the family photo album and the yearbooks.

               He supposes he could start with the album as Nathalie did make that suggestion earlier.  Why not?  It is not as if it could hurt to try what she suggests. He supposes it is worth the effort.

                "Son, here you are. Now, if you need anything further have Nathalie dial me on speed dial.  Make sure it is only for an emergency though. I am not coming out for any skinned knees or other minor things. Got it?"

                  Adrien nods his head.  He does not look up as his father hands him a funny-looking burgundy book.  He notices it is rather thick. It sure makes him wonder, what all it contains.

                   Gabriel walks off without another word to his son.

                Adrien's  POV:

              He flips open the book. He takes a look inside and gasps.

               Inside he sees photos of his mother and father when they first met when they were on a few dates, the day his father proposed to his mother, and on their wedding day.

               He looks a bit farther inside it and sees his mother in her first movie, "Solitude."  He sees his father and mother in the rain,  laughing,  next, is his mother in the hospital with his father looking rather anxious nearby and a man he assumes is the doctor just smiles.

                He finds a few photos of himself after he was born, as a toddler, a preteen, and a young teen boy.   A few include his mother, father, and Gorilla in them.  The rest are of him with his mother, one of him with his father, three of his mother and father at the hospital again, four of Gorilla, and last of all one of Nathalie.

                 He scratches his head.  Why should a picture of Nathalie be included in the family pictures?  It was not as if she were related in any way.

                  Adrien is about to close it when something falls out. He picks it up and gasps once more. This time he came across his parent's marriage certificate, his birth certificate, his father's birth certificate, his mother's birth certificate, a list of Nathalie's credentials, and last of all was a copy of his mother's death certificate.   

                " What is this?"  Adrien asks as he glances at the last photo of his mother again.

              Sure enough, he sees the peacock pendant as always wore close to his mother's heart.

            Why had he taken notice of this detail sooner?  Why had his father kept this a secret from him?  It was almost as if he were hiding something.

               Gorilla's  POV:

             He recalls that Mrs. Agreste was a nice lady. He sure misses her.

            He knows Mr. Agreste is nothing like she was at all. He remembers that the woman of the house wore some bird brooch or something. He has no idea why he should remember a thing like this anyway.   He also recalls there was a big family album.

             He pauses to think, funny, I have not seen it in years.  Well, no matter, perhaps, one day, Adrien will get to explore it.  He sure hopes so.

            Little does he know how much pain, memories, and more it has already brought the young Agreste boy.

                 Find out more in Chapter 10

                 bye, bye little owlets!

              -Summer out!