"We all care about you," Natalie says.

        "Hmmfpfth," Gabriel remarks as he rolls his eyes at her.

           Natalie's POV:
           Now there is the Gabriel I know.

    "Look, Gabe, you might not believe me, but I did miss you," Natalie says.

   "Natalie, I thought I told you to refer to me as sir,"  Gabriel scoffs.

     "Sir, what has gotten into you?"  Natalie asks.
 
    "Nothing that is of your concern,"  Gabriel yells at her.

    "Do not talk back to me," Natalie remarks.

     "Oh, yeah!" Gabriel shouts.

    "Yes!" Natalie retorts.

  Marinette's POV:
    It sure is rather loud in there.

   She thinks it sounds like Natalie and Gabriel are arguing with each other.

  She wonders why the man does not just chill now that Natalie is back.

 
  Adrien's  POV:
   Good grief, father why do you not just calm down?

    He thinks this is a bit crazy.  

   It is like the man can not see anything good in life anymore.

   Is all hope lost for him after all?



Gabriel's POV:
   How dare she tell me what to do!



"Natalie, you are not to question my authority!" Gabriel yells.
  
 "I told you not to shout again, sir," Natalie answers.

   "I told you not to undermine me,"  Gabriel responds.

   "Oh, yeah why I ought too..." Natalie says.  She gets cut off when Gabriel presses a finger to her lips.
  
   Gabriel places his other hand on her shoulder. He sees her face turn red and slowly removes the finger off of her mouth.

   Natalie looks at him in wonder.  She thinks I can barely recognize him anymore.  It scares me.

    Gabriel pulls her close and sees her shudder. He thinks perhaps I was a bit to fast. He lets go of her.  He sees tears in her eyes.  Tears he believes he put there.

     Gabriel's  POV:
     What have I done?

    I made the woman I care about cry.

   What kind of person am I?


   "Sir, I am sorry. I promise not to do it again," Natalie says.

    "It is quite alright. I never should have raised my voice at you," Gabriel replies.

    "Some welcome I gave when you have only just returned to us," He says.

     "I  am sorry, I am so sorry," Gabriel says as he breaks down in tears.

      
      Natalie hugs him gently as he sobs.  She feels him grab her hand. She does not pull away. She thinks it is going to be okay.  She believes he will recover in no time.

       Adrien opens the door to his father's office afraid of what he might find. He thinks perhaps my father's temper has gotten the better of him, and he has killed her.  He sees Natalie's arms around his father as the man sobs like a baby. He smiles, closes the door back slowly, and walks away.

    "Adrien, are they okay?"  Marinette asks.
   
   "Yes, sweetheart, they are just fine," Adrien answers.

   "What a relief, for a while there I thought they might have you know killed each other," Marinette tells him.

  "Funny, the same thought had crossed my mind.  Although, I mostly thought he had murdered her.  However, they both still alive,"  Adrien assures his wife.

  "Does this mean he will go back to the way he was before she left?"  Marinette asks.

   "I am not sure, but I suppose we will find out soon enough," Adrien states.



     Natalie continues to hold onto him as he cries. She thinks the matter to be ironic as he used to hug her when she was sad.  This was a long time ago but remembers it as if it were yesterday.  She can only hope this means he will take better care of himself from here on out.


   "I need to go shave,"  Gabriel says as he pushes her away gently.

   "Okay, then what do you wish for me to do?"  Natalie asks.

    "I suggest you unpack, then you may read a book while I get ready," Gabriel says.

  "Yes, sir,"  Natalie says with a smile.

  "Sir, you may call me Gabriel," He tells her.

   "Gabriel, see you later then," Natalie remarks. She leans over kisses his cheek and exits the study.

     Gabriel blushes then exits the room to go do as he said he would do so. He shaves, then showers, dries off, changes into a fresh set of clothes, combs his hair, puts on deodorant, and comes out.

   "Whoa, Dad you going on a date?  Hmm?"  Adrien teases him.

   "Son, that is none of your business!"  Gabriel says.

   "Adrien, let us leave him alone for a bit," Marinette suggests.


     Adrien and Marinette go upstairs to their bedroom and close the door. They are both amazed at the sudden development in Gabriel's behavior and appearance.

     Gabriel smiles when he sees her.  

    "Hi,  Natalie," Gabriel says.

  "Hi, Gabriel," Natalie says.

     "Oh, I hope you do not mind that I ordered something for the meal," Natalie remarks.

    "Sure, that is fine, thank you," He says.

  "You are welcome si...I mean, Gabriel," She replies.

        Natalie and Gabriel say the blessing together.  Now, they enjoy a nice meal alone which Natalie thinks to be rather romantic. She does not dare say as much. She can not say yet how she feels about him. She is not ready yet.

     Gabriel enjoys the silence, but blushes. He thinks it is a bit awkward as he has not done this in years.  He is not sure how to respond to the whole situation. He smiles over at her as she finishes her food.

     "Here, have a fortune cookie!" Natalie says.

   "Thanks, " Gabriel says.

       Gabriel opens the cookie and sees the words, "You will find what you are looking for is here all along," on the paper he holds.  He blushes even more.

      Natalie's fortune in her cookie reads,  "Come on tell the person you love how you feel!"

      Gabriel reaches over and holds her hand. He thinks it fits perfectly in mine.  He does not say anything though just enjoys her company.

    Natalie blushes at the gesture and wonders what all could it mean?  She soon finds herself to feel worn out from everything.  She drifts off with her head on his shoulder.

     Find out more in...
   Chapter 4

-Summer out!