Chapter Forty-One:

Peacock attacked, Hawkmoth not far behind.

She rushed toward Ladybug, and as she did so, she reached behind her and pulled off the feathers that had been attached to her hip. With a snap of her wrist, the feathers extended into a shield. She slammed into Ladybug full force and the poor girl fell to the floor. She snarled up at Peacock, but before she could attack, Gabriel pulled the dart out of her arm.

"I'm sorry, Ladybug," he said, then pocketed the dart. She only glared at him and kicked his knees. With a cry, Moth crumpled to the floor, but Peacock swiped her shield across her head.

"Why is it not working?" Moth asked and turned to face the others.

"I'm not sure. Maybe we have to take each of the darts out one-by-one. They might be feeding off of each other," Peacock answered, pressing her back against his again.

"Are you telling me that we have to defeat all of these Charms at once?"

She glanced back at him and raised an eyebrow. "You're the one who created them. What do you think?"

He scowled and clenched his fists tighter. "Let's do this." He swung his fist. It connected with one of the Charms and they flew backward. Peacock smirked and followed his example.

Kick, swing, duck, throw.

For the first time in forever, Gabriel felt alive. He could feel the adrenaline rushing through his veins. It flushed all of the anger away, and he even caught himself smiling every once and awhile. He hadn't seen Peacock in years and yet, here she was, throwing punches at teenagers.

Hmm. He probably could have come up with a better date night than this.

As he fought, his mind flashed back to the day she had left. He had been in his office, filing bills and organizing designs for the upcoming Miraculous Games. As he had been stacking files, the door had opened. Peacock had stepped inside, her head held high as she closed the door. He still remembered what she had worn. A white shirt, blue jeans, and black flats. He could even see her hair, falling out of the ponytail at the back of her head.

"Gabriel, we need to talk."

"Ah, you were just the person I wanted to see," he had said, shutting the filing cabinet's drawer. "I wanted to ask you about the scenery. Should we place it in a desert or a swamp this year?"

Peacock sighed. "That's why I came, Gabriel. I think it's time we stop the games."

He had stopped, turned to face her, and stared like she had crawled out of a hole. "Stop the games?"

"It's only hurting people," she insisted. "And I don't want Adrien going through the same pain we did. We lost friends, Moth. Don't you remember that?"

Gabriel had cast his gaze to the floor. It had been years since he had thought about them, and yet, they had popped into his mind's eye as if it had happened only yesterday. The blood on his hands, the sneering Charms that had attacked him...

"Yes, I remember. But I have to, Renee." (Pronounced Reh-Nay)

She set her jaw. "No, you don't, Gabriel."

"Yes, I do!" he had insisted. He had placed a hand over his heart. "I have a duty to this country, to keep its traditions and support its values. The Miraculous Games are a key part of our history."

"And you don't think I know that?" Renee walked around his desk and rested her hands on his shoulders. "You competed for my hand. I was trained since I was a young girl to rule the country with a man by my side." She paused and looked down at the floor. "Gabe, I don't want our son to have to fill those shoes. It was hard enough for me, and I don't want him to go through the same afflictions. The pressure was almost unbearable."

Gabriel had shaken his head, almost amused by her concerns. "Don't worry, Renee. Our son will be able to handle it. Besides, he's passed all of the training and classes with flying colors."

Renee shook her head. "But can't you see how stressed he is? Taking on the burden of becoming President scares him."

He had laughed out aloud. "Scares him? That's absurd. He'll just grow into it like you and I have." He pulled away from her embrace and had walked over to the other side of the desk, picking up a folder. "Anyway, as I was saying before, I'm thinking about putting the games in a swamp this year. I know that it's kind of overused, but Game Master Fu thinks that-"

"Gabriel, I don't care!" Renee shouted. He had stopped, shocked by her outburst. She sighed heavily and stalked around the desk toward the door. "Our son deserves a better life than running Miraculous Games and collecting taxes." She turned her head to look at him, he green eyes fierce. "We need to stop the bloodshed and let him choose who he wants to marry."

Gabriel had stopped, the papers slipping out of his hand and slipping all over the floor. And that was when he wished he could turn back time. His gaze had hardened, glaring at Peacock.

"Are you telling me that you never wanted to marry me in the first place?"

Her eyes widened, realizing what she had said. "Gabriel, no, that's not what-"

"Are you saying that you've been playing me this whole time? That you've been using me as your puppet?"

She shook her head. "Gabe, no! I would never-"

"You're lying!" He had stalked over to her and gripped her wrist. "You chose me because you wanted an easy puppet, didn't you? You saved me because you knew that you could use me without me knowing!"

Renee pulled her arm away, rage flaring in her expression at the accusation. "I'm not lying!" she shouted. "I'm just trying to protect our son!"

"Liar!" He had taken a step closer. "You just want to twist my son!"

She blanched, allowing a pause to hang in the air. "Your son?"

He had realized too late what he had said. He wished desperately that he could have said something else. Something other than what he had responded with, but he couldn't live in the past...

His angered expression had not cracked in the slightest.

"Yes. My son."

Renee's eyes narrowed. "You're never going to force him into the Presidency, not while I'm here."

"Then leave."

His words had shocked her. They had even shocked him, but it would have been better if he had shut his mouth then. Yet, of course, he had kept talking. It was too late to change his words now.

"Get out of this household. I can, and will, find ways to call your actions treasonous if you continue twisting my son."

Peacock's eyes welled up with tears, but she sucked in her emotion and held her head high. "Fine. I will." She turned her back to him and stalked toward the door. Before she had left, however, she lifted her head just slightly to mutter the words Gabriel had nightmares about for months after:

"If Adrien ever chooses to step out of line, just know that it wasn't my fault." She looked back and locked eyes with him. "It was yours."

"Duck, Moth!"

Gabriel snapped out of the daze and was just barely able to duck in time. The Charm's attack missed him and set them off balance. He leaped into action and kicked them back. They hit the floor and rolled a couple feet. Peacock took up the opportunity and pulled the dart out of the young man's arm. She smiled at him.

"Nice reflexes, Moth."

He smiled at her in return. He had missed this.

"Thanks, but we aren't done yet." He turned over his shoulder and pushed a Charm back. The girl was taken by surprise and stumbled back. With a swift movement, Moth struck her shoulder and pulled the dart out of her neck. She fell to the floor, moaning and trying to overcome his attack.

"How many do we have left?" Gabriel shouted.

"I... I can't tell!" Peacock responded, ducking an attack. "I thought you got the last one. Who are we missing?"

Hawkmoth scanned the Charms. He recognized a few of them, like Lila, Felix, and Aurora, but everyone seemed to have the A.C.U.Ma out of them. Peacock was right, who were they missing?

Then, Gabriel's gaze landed on Adrien. He was still in a crumpled ball on the ballroom floor, but he didn't realize until that moment that the A.C.U.Ma was still in his arm. His eyes widened.

"Adrien has it!" he yelled. "If we could only-"

Peacock cried out in pain. Moth whirled around to see her pinned to the far wall by- who was that? Ivan? Whatever his name was, his meaty hand was gripping her shoulders. Peacock fought and thrashed, but it was no use.

"Renee! Hold on, I'm coming!" he shouted.

"No, go!"

Gabriel didn't move. He stood there, rooted to the ground in fear. "I-I can't leave you!"

"You have to!"

The Charm holding her scowled, then gripped her around the neck. His vice grip cut off her Peacock's air circulation and, due to his strength, he was able to lift her off the ground. As much as she tried to fight back, Peacock efforts weren't enough. Her face started to turn blue.

"Renee!" Hawkmoth cried out. He was about to break into a sprint, but her rasped words stopped him in his tracks.

"N-no! Leave m-me!" She gasped for air then shouted, "Save A-Adrien!"

Gabriel stopped. He... he didn't know what to do. Should he save his wife or save his son? He glanced back and forth, the guilt weighing on him like the whole world was collapsing. Could he give up who he truly loved for the son he had deeply hurt?

In that split second decision, Gabriel realized that he had to stop making the world do what he wanted. His son would never be like him because he wasn't him. His wife wasn't going to be perfect because, well, no one was. Even he couldn't be the best Game Master for the Miraculous Games because he knew, deep down in his heart, that he wasn't even supposed to be the Game Master. He had been trifling in matters that weren't his own.

Renee had been right. The Miraculous Games needed to stop.

Turning on his heel, Gabriel bolted for his son. He pushed through the crowd of Charms, shoving them aside as if they were stuffed animals. He plowed his way through the ballroom, ignoring the decorations and everything he had worked for, because he knew it wasn't what he wanted. What he truly wanted was behind him, fifty feet away, and in front of him, ten feet... five feet...

He dropped to his knees and slid across the slick floor, stopping at Adrien's body. Gabriel picked up his son's arm, gripped the A.C.U.Ma tightly, then ripped it out. He scanned the room, waiting for some sign, any sign that the Charms had been released. Nothing changed.

"Adrien," he pleaded, turning his attention back down to his son. Tears started to prick at the edge of his eyes. "Adrien! Son, can you hear me?!"

Nothing changed.

Just then, behind him, Gabriel heard something hit the floor. He whipped his head around toward the noise. His body physically collapsed in on itself in shock as his eyes landed on the motionless heap that was his wife. Blonde hair draped across the floor like an elegant blanket. And a few feet away, a blue, green, and turquoise mask lay in a wrinkled wad. The large Charm stood over her, triumphant in her downfall.

"Renee..." he whimpered.

The tears fell. They landed on Gabriel's purplish black pants, soaking into the fabric. In utter defeat, Gabriel pulled his son in close to him and closed his eyes. One sob. Three sobs.

He didn't know how long he sat there, hugging his motionless son in his arms and crying into his black suit. His knees hurt, his back hurt, but - most of all - his heart ached. In this cold world that he had created, he was left alone. The darkness around him felt a thick as moist mud. He couldn't breathe. He was suffocating, his sobs and tears choking him.

"How can we serve you, Hawkmoth?"

Through bleary vision, he forced himself to look up. Above him, in a blue, green, and turquoise dress stood Peaco- no.

Ladybug.

Ladybug stood with her hands pressed to her sides like a soldier. Though her hair was a tangled mess, her dress was in pristine condition. Her pale face was emotionless and her bluebell eyes were empty. However, one single tear traced her jawline. Though she stared ahead like an empty shell, Gabriel could see the tear that ran from the crease of her eye to the tip of her chin.

Hawkmoth took a deep breath. With as much effort as he could muster, he gently scooped Adrien into his arms and got to his feet. He could feel his knees buckling underneath the strain of holding both himself together and carrying his son, but it didn't matter. He wasn't letting go.

"I want you to come back, Ladybug. My son..." He closed his eyes tightly and bit his lip to keep himself from sobbing. "My son needs you... I thought I could give him everything he wanted, but I now know that happiness doesn't work like that. No matter how much money can buy or how well you think you can control the lives of others, nothing is as priceless as the gift of happiness. And his happiness..." He forced himself to look into Ladybug's beautiful, innocent, and pure eyes, "... is in you. He loves you, Ladybug, and I know you love him." He paused, allowing his statement to linger in the air before finishing, "Save him, Marinette... Because I can't."

He waited; feet planted, tears flowing, and guilt pulsing through his veins.

Then, he watched as Ladybug, still emotionless, walked across the ballroom over to something that was laying on the floor. Her movements were like a robot, harsh yet anticipated. She bent down and picked it up. Without a second thought, she walked back over to him, the object firmly grasped in her hand. He saw, in shock, that it was his cane.

She stopped in front of him and held it out. Though he could tell she was under the A.C.U.Ma's control, her bluebell eyes were flowing with tears. She took in a shaky breath, her voice cracking as she said: "Yes, you can."

Gabriel gawked at his cane. That was it. His cane connected everything. He hadn't thought about it before, but it was so obvious now that he thought about it. The cane was what stored the A.C.U.Mas for so long, the energy must have made some sort of connection...

Looking down at Adrien, his blond hair the equivalent to a mop and his skin the color of snow, Gabriel shook his head.

"It's too late for me... You need to do this, Ladybug. Thank you, for asking, I mean..." He turned his attention to her, waiting for her to move, but she didn't. She stood there, her arms still outstretched holding the purple and silver cane. Hawkmoth sighed and shifted Adrien in his arms.

"Alright... Ladybug, I order you to hold Adrien."

Ladybug did as she was told. The two of them exchanged the cane and Adrien. Gabriel was surprised at how well she could hold him up, but then again, she was A.C.U.Matized. Now that the cane was in his hands, he could feel his palms begin to sweat. Could he do this?

He glanced one last time at Adrien's weak form, then over his shoulder to Peacock, who was still out cold on the ground. Gabriel set his jaw and clenched the cane with both hands.

No more running.

With an angry cry, he raised the cane above his shoulders and snapped it on his knee. Purple energy exploded in all directions. There was so much of it tingling in the air, the light turned to a reddish pink. In the crazy explosion, bolts of the energy zapped every kid who had been shot with an A.C.U.Ma. They all cried out in pain and fell to the floor.

In the chaos, the Game Master stood still with two pieces of destroyed cane in both hands. As the light died down and disappeared, he let the pieces slip out of his hands.

BANG. BANG.

He closed his eyes, then suck to his knees. It was over.

His fight was finished.

---

Hey guys, I just wanted to say right off the bat that I am so sorry that it's been a week since I updated this book. So much has happened in the past week that I am still having a hard time processing it all. Such as...

-My ex-best friend asked the guy I wanted to ask to a dance LITERALLY THE DAY BEFORE ME. 

-I have three different scripts I have to memorize. 

-My laptop is busted and won't be fixed until next week.

-I could possibly have cancer if I don't get treated for something serious (you're not getting any details, I'm sorry. It's been a mess to figure out myself. But don't worry. It's not likely, but is a possibility if I don't start taking pills ASAP).

-I failed a job interview. 

And many more that I don't really wanna go into. *forced smile*

Anyway, thank you guys so much for sticking with me through this crazy and hectic journey of a book. I hope I haven't made any of your bored out of your mind, haha. Good news is that we only have a couple more chapters to go!

(And maybe even a character death scene [I AM SO SORRY. NO SPOILERS, THOUGH])

Thank you for helping Miraculous Games hit over 23K! All of your comments, votes, and reads are what help me get through my crazy life. You guys are the best!

And now... my favorite comment. 

Favorite Comment: 

By: ASilentMelody

I was never even taught first aid but that's just COMMON SENSE, ADRIEN!!!

Yeah... Apparently, you guys really didn't like how Adrien had no clue what he was doing with the first aid stuff earlier on. Haha, it was awesome watching you guys attack his judgment. 

(In all fairness, though, he wasn't exactly in the best mental state.)

I think that's everything, haha.

And, as always, have a Miraculous day!

(I thought this fanart would be perfect for this chapter. All the art credit goes to mishydraws.tumblr.com)