Hawkmoth's Lair, Five Years Ago

"Curses, defeated once again." Hawkmoth fumed as the circular window closed. He sighed, exhausted, pinching the bridge of his nose as a headache raged. He had to prepare for another fashion show this weekend and the stress of unveiling a new Spring Line while playing supervillain was weighing him down. Hopefully someone else on his design team was dealing with the stress as well – maybe he should crack down on one of the newbies and exploit their fragile self-esteem for another akumatization. Topher seemed like an easy target, he had talent but not much of a thick skin or Zane, he would take offense if someone tried to change a thread color on his masterpiece.

He stepped onto the lift, changing out of his alter-ego before he had reached his office.

Natalie, dear, hard-working, loyal, supportive Natalie was waiting for him with a cup of hot tea.

"I'm sorry your plan with The Muse didn't succeed as you hoped, sir." She handed Gabriel the cup.

"Nothing worth having is ever easy, Natalie." Gabriel took a sip of tea and sighed in appreciation. It was exactly the right temperature, with the perfect amount of honey added for sweetness. Gabriel sighed again, his troubles alleviated as he savored the precious cup of tea. "Perhaps it was too much to ask that a humble bookshop owner would be able to take over the city with characters from his favorite stories."

He sipped. "It would have helped if he'd preferred a good horror story instead of classic romance novels."

"Chat Noir seemed to have a few problems dealing with the Count of Monte Cristo and the Three Musketeers."

"Yes but Ladybug still gained the upperhand by stealing a horse from the Scarlet Pimpernel and using a Lucky Charm inkpot to temporarily blind The Muse while she broke his pen." Gabriel Agreste put down his empty cup. "What am I doing wrong, Natalie? No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to win."

"Perhaps I could-"

"No, not Mayura." Gabriel cut her off before she could finish. "The damage the Peacock Miraculous has infected your body with is too much already. I will not allow you to put your health on the line for me."

"Sir, I am more than willing to risk becoming Mayura again if it helps you finally defeat Ladybug and Chat. Whatever you need sir, I will do in order to help you succeed."

A ghost of a smile crossed Gabriel's face, and he rested a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"My dear Natalie, what would I do without you by my side?" His eyes, usually a hard slate grey, were soft as mist, and gentle. Natalie felt her heart pounding faster as she stared back at him.

"Sir, I may have found a way to repair the Peacock Miraculous but it would involve using Ladybug's weapon."

"Really?" Gabriel Agreste looked thoughtful. "It might be possible to fool her if we could create a duplicate...what are the chances of success?"

"My research shows that since Ladybug's weapon is tied in with her powers of creation and rebirth, the healing effect would be one hundred percent. Not only that, but in healing the Peacock Miraculous, it would also heal those that have been in contact with the charm itself."

"That's incredible!" Gabriel said excitedly, grabbing Natalie by both shoulders. "Then let's begin plans right now to capture Ladybug's weapon! Should we trap and imprison her? Or just steal it and give her a duplicate?"

"Sir!" It was so hard to break the bad news when he looked so enthusiastic. "There is a side effect...it's only a theory but while I studied the texts it seemed to hypothesize that whoever performed the purification ritual would take on all of the impurities released by the damaged Miraculous...and might cease to exist."

"Cease to..." Gabriel became serious and the light faded from his eyes.

"Sir, once again, I am willing to perform the ritual if-"

"No."

"Sir, I want to help-"

"Not this way!" Gabriel snapped. "I refuse to endanger someone else that I care about." He took a deep breath. "Keep researching, there might be another way. In the meantime, we'll stick with the original plan, to try and get the earrings and ring in order to gain the ultimate wish."

Natalie swallowed, trying to keep her face as impassive as usual. He cared about her. Was now the right time to tell him she felt the same? She wet her lips, trying to form the words that had lain deep in her heart.

"Sir, I just want to say that for years, you have been my biggest inspiration and idol-"

"Despite the fact I am also secretly a masked supervillain?" Gabriel Agreste attempted a smile. "You think too highly of me. Are these the forms for this weekend's Fashion Show?" He asked, picking up a thick folder.

"Gabriel, you're not being Hawkmoth for the sake of being evil, I think if more people knew that-"

"I would be in jail by now." Gabriel Agreste chuckled humorlessly as he continued to peruse. "I'm just glad you're on my side Natalie. And I promise you that once we defeat Ladybug and Chat Noir and I am able to revive my wife, I will put you in charge of whatever branch of my company that you want to head with three times your annual salary."

"Yes sir. Thank you sir." Natalie fought to keep her face blank as the wave of despair hit her with those words. Of course, how could she keep forgetting? Gabriel wasn't evil, and he might care about Natalie's health, but he was still only doing all of this for her. The woman he had loved and risked everything for since he had donned the Hawkmoth persona. It was only because Emilie Agreste was catatonic that she and Gabriel were able to have this special partnership in the first place. Once they succeeded and Emilie woke up...she would no longer be needed.

It's not fair. She thought. If we win, I lose you, but even when I have you by my side I still lose...because you only have eyes for her.

"I love you..." She whispered. Even now, he looked so handsome as he examined the folder she'd meticulously organized for his weekend show. His glasses kept slipping down his nose and while most of his attire was immaculate, his tie was slightly crooked. She had the urge to walk over and straighten it, to lean in close and smell the unique brand of aftershave that was exclusively his.

"Natalie..." she jumped as he spoke, and almost dropped the cup she was still holding. "Where are the fabric samples for dress number five?"

"uh- next page, sir." Natalie stammered.

"Ah! Thank you." Gabriel continued to read.

"Sir...What if I didn't want to work anywhere else? What if I wanted to stay...by your side?"

Gabriel gave her a fond look.

"Natalie, you're a saint. You're the only one who is willing to work night and day at my beck and call. But don't you want to do more with your life? Once Emilie awakens, you'll be free to do whatever you want."

"What if she doesn't?"

Anguish flashed across Gabriel's face, then determination.

"She will." He declared firmly. "She must."

Hi Everyone! As per my agreement for the contest, the two lucky winners were allowed to add a little something for the story.

@Happie_x, you asked for Natalie to confess to Gabriel and I gotta say it works well with the story. I hope you enjoy it!

Sincerely,

Cantrella <3