Chapter Text
Yawning, Emma stumbled through her bedroom door, taking care to close it quietly behind her before flopping face-first onto her bed. She regretted not taking off her apron back at her grandparents' patisserie as a cloud of flour and sugar gusted up into her face. She coughed and sneezed, rolling over to untie the strings before flinging the apron somewhere near where her desk chair would be.
Working in the patisserie the final summer before university had sounded like a wonderful idea when grandmother had brought it up, and she still enjoyed spending time with the delicious smells and tastes of her childhood. But getting up before daylight had distinct disadvantages, mostly not being able to sleep in.
Louis' snores rumbled through the wall, and Emma groaned, rolling over to one side to grab her pillow. Wind blew across her face, and she squeezed her eyes open to see where her curtains fluttered from a barely cracked open window. Backlit against the glow of the streetlights was a square of something plastered against the pane from the outside. Curious, Emma blinked the sleepiness from her eyes and rolled out of bed.
The square of paper crinkled slightly as she reached around the window, pulling it free from where it had been stuck with black tape. Settling at her desk, Emma turned on her lamp and unfolded the paper.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to
The ink on the note blotted, as thought the writer had lost control of the pen, before resuming its message in a slightly smaller, more loopy script.
come to the Eiffel Tower at 8:00 tonight. There's something important we'd like to ask you.
The note wasn't signed, but it didn't need to be. Emma's eyes widened as she looked at the spotted circle and paw print at the bottom of the page. Every Parisian citizen knew the meaning of those symbols well.
~~~
Emma's first memory came from story time. The sound of Mama’s rocking chair creaking steadily beneath where she perched on Daddy's lap as they rocked between Hugo and Louis' cribs, punctuated by the staccato rhythm of Mama's sewing machine the next room over as she hurried to finish before her latest deadline.
"And then Ladybug threw her yo-yo up into the air," Daddy extended his right arm into the air, "and shouted-"
"Lucky charm!" Emma cried out, bouncing up and down in the chair while Hugo and Louis stood and rattled the bars of their cribs, shrieking with laughter.
"That's right!" Daddy beamed, ruffling Emma's hair. "And a bicycle came out of the cloud of ladybugs and landed in front of Ladybug and Chat Noir. Fast as lightning, Ladybug came up with a plan, and with a glance, Chat Noir knew just what he had to do. Ladybug pedaled that bike as fast as she could, and as she passed by, Chat Noir leapt up and landed right behind her on the pommel."
Emma turned to look up at Dad, and she imagined her brothers also looked confused.
“The seat,” he laughed, “and Ladybug pedaled, faster and faster and faster, and told Chat Noir to jump on the handlebars. Which,” he took on a serious expression, “is very unsafe and should never be done unless you are a superhero and are at least a hundred years old.”
The sewing machine shuddered to a halt, and Mama could be heard snorting with laughter. Daddy’s smile grew. “Anyway, being a superhero, Chat jumped on the handlebars, and, just at the right moment, pounced towards the Akuma, shouting--”
“Cataclysm!” The three kids chorused. Well, Emma did-- Louis, feeling ambitious, chattered a cacophony of c’s and l’s, and Hugo, recognizing his own limits, settled for yelling “Boom!” and flopping backwards with arms spread wide at his own force.
A brief, giggly interlude then took place while Daddy checked to make sure Hugo hadn’t accidentally knocked himself out.
“The crafty cat called his Cataclysm, and swiped at the pendant dangling from the Akuma’s spear, and it crumbled to dust! And the purple butterfly began to flutter away! Ladybug caught it with her yoyo, and let the now-white butterfly free.” Daddy raised the arm that Emma hadn’t nestled into, and waved up at the ceiling. “Bye-bye, little butterfly.”
Emma waved enthusiastically into the corner, Louis opened and closed his hand, babbling, and Hugo, not to be outdone, waved both hands where he had flopped back in his crib.
“And the day was saved,” Daddy grinned, “thanks to Ladybug and her trusty sidekick.”
“Trusty partner, you mean,” Mama spoke from behind the chair, a lilt of humor in her voice. “They were partners, a team.”
Daddy’s grin stretched from ear to ear, and he reached up to grab Mama’s hand, kissing the back of it. “As you say, love.”
“Mama’s always right!” Emma exclaimed.
“That’s right.” Mama smiled. “And right now, it’s time for bed.”
Hugo and Louis fussed a little at the end of story time, but soon settled down as Mama and Daddy tucked them in, Daddy ruffling their hair and Mama turning on the mobiles over their cribs.
Smooth, tinkling music played as the mobiles began to slowly rotate overhead. Emma never got tired of watching the tiny plush animals that Mama had sewn together turn to the music that sounded like the songs Daddy liked to play on rainy days. Emma turned from where she perched on Daddy’s shoulders and brushed her fingers against the soft surface of the green snake, the orange fox, the red bug. They looked so real, sometimes she could almost feel them giggling as her fingers grazed ticklish bellies.
Tonight, only silence greeted her, and she sighed a deep sigh only a five year old weary of the world could utter.
“All right there, kiddo?” Daddy whisper-asked.
“Uh-huh,” Emma nodded as Daddy carried her out of the boys’ room to her own room, Mama close behind. She curled into the warmth at the crook of his neck, and his chest rumbled comfortingly as he rubbed her back.
Mama pulled back the covers and turned around, gently touching Emma’s cheek. “I think someone’s tired.”
“Am not,” Emma protested, before nearly splitting her jaw in two from the force of her yawn.
Daddy’s chest rumbled more. “Cat got your tongue, kiddo?”
Mama put a hand on her own forehead, slowly shaking her head from side to side, although her hand couldn’t hide her smile. “I’ll get your tongue in a minute.”
Emma felt Daddy’s cheek curl up into a smirk before he covered her ears, although she could still hear him say, “That a promise, milady?”
Mama turned bright red, but winked. “You’ll have to see.”
Emma wiggled her head free from Daddy’s hand and giggled as he ruffled her hair before setting her down on her bed. Pulling the covers snug around her, Mama bent down and kissed her forehead. “Good night, Emma. Sleep tight.”
“Don’t let the bedbugs bite!”
“Daddy!” Emma pouted. “That’s why Blackie is here!”
“Oh, right.” Daddy looked over at where Emma’s stuffed kitten leaned against the bookshelf. “Keep an eye out for her, Plagg.”
Emma looked skyward, stifling snickers. “ Blackie , Daddy.”
“Yes, mademoiselle.” Daddy stooped to kiss her forehead. “Sweet dreams, kiddo.”
The overhead light switched off as her parents closed the door, and her nightlight flicked on, casting the room in a soothing warm glow. If Emma peered just right, she could see Blackie’s eyes gleaming with mischief. She grinned back. “Night, Blackie.”
Emma liked to pretend he could leap off the counter and snuggle secretly with her at night, and, if she thought really hard, she could even feel him curled up by her ear. Emma drifted off, almost feeling the phantom weight near her cheek and the rumbling purr against her ear.
~~~
Rubbing her ear at the memory, Emma stepped down the last few steps of the staircase, listening to the rattling of Louis digging through the cupboards in the kitchen. She stuck her head through the doorway, smirking as she watched her brother rummage.
“How are you still hungry?”
Louis just managed to keep from jumping as he turned, pilfered goodies tucked in the crook of one arm and pushing out his cheeks like a chipmunk’s. Emma only barely resisted the urge to tousle her hair. Louis swallowed and groaned. “What can I say? I’m a growing boy.”
“More like a hog,” Emma laughed. “We just had dinner.”
Louis snorted gamely and shrugged, his eyes glittering with humor. He opened his mouth, probably with some witty retort, but paused, eyebrows furrowing slightly as his head tilted to one side. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” She was just going on a nightly stroll, where she was only going to meet the superheroes of Paris. If it’s not just some elaborate prank , she thought, her hand wandering of its own accord to close around the pepper spray in her shoulder bag. It was fine, she was fine, not nervous at all.
Louis’ eyebrows rose. “Your jaw is doing,” his finger swept in an arc around his chin, “that thing.”
Just then, Emma felt the nervous muscle jumping in her cheek. “Good eye, little brother, but I’m fine. Just meeting someone.”
“Okay,” he drawled. “I could come, if you want.” He coughed a little, placing one hand behind his head and rubbing his neck. “I know I’m not as scrappy as Hugo, but he’s with Uncle Nino--”
Emma had to reach up to pat him on the shoulder. “If I needed someone, I know I can always call on you. But I’ll be fine.”
Louis looked unsure.
“Look, I’ll call if I need anything, and then you can swoop in and put that black belt to good use.”
Louis’ cheeks burned red as he rubbed harder on his neck. “Okay.”
“Good night.” Emma poked his cheek and snickered as his nose scrunched up. “Don’t eat all the food, especially Dad’s cheese.”
“Blech,” Louis stuck out his tongue. “Don’t have to worry about that.”
“Dad has impeccable taste,” Emma chuckled as she stepped out the door.
“Except in cheese!” Louis snorted with laughter. “Later, sis.”
The sun had slipped past the horizon, silhouetting the tower in gold, rose, and purple as she stepped through the courtyard, pigeons flying away in all directions. She nodded at the policeman patrolling around the grounds, who touched his fingers to his cap. Breeze streamed cool past her face, carrying the smells of the foods and the calls of Andre summoning ice cream lovers to his stall. Squinting into the tower, she saw two figures leaning against the railing around the first level. Emma took a deep breath.
Now or never, she thought, and punched the elevator button.
The elevator doors closed on a world where Ladybug and Chat Noir existed, but only in bedtime stories and old news reports. They opened on a world where Ladybug and Chat Noir existed in flesh and blood, breath gusting out in fog as Ladybug looked out over Paris and Chat Noir’s ears swivelled to hear her approach.
Emma’s mouth fell open, and her grip on the pepper spray loosened. It’s really them.
“Hello, Emma,” Ladybug smiled calmly, stepping away from the banister. “Thank you for coming tonight.”
“It is really us,” Chat Noir grinned, “so you can put away the pepper spray.”
Her hand jolted away from the pepper spray so quickly she nearly knocked the bag off her shoulder. “Sorry!”
“No need.” Chat Noir didn’t appear offended - if anything, his grin grew more satisfied until hi looked like a cat that had gotten at the cream.
Ladybug cast a glance at Chat’s grin and laughed a little, cuffing his elbow. “Yes, we’re both glad you took extra precautions when you got a message from an unconfirmed source--”
Chat nearly purred.
“--but we did want to ask you something, Emma.”
“Right,” Chat nodded, and slid smoothly into a more professional stance. “We are looking for some...replacements.”
A sudden jolt ran down her spine, tingling unpleasantly in her toes and tips of her fingers. Replacements? Why would they need replacements?
They cut a heroic figure in front of her, as they had in years’ worth of newspaper clippings, news reports, and interviews. But in person, she could see things that even the most persistent paparazzi couldn’t capture - lines worn by time crinkling at edge of their masks, silver gleaming at Ladybug’s temples, and the faint pop of Chat’s joints as he shifted his grip from the staff behind his back. They looked well, just older. But is something wrong?
“Is everything...okay?”
Ladybug nodded. “Everything’s fine. We just...thought it was time to start preparing for the future.”
“The future?”
Chat nodded. “Ever think about being a superhero?”
~~~
“What did you do in school today?”
Emma swung the arm holding Mama’s hand, and looked up at Daddy, who held Louis’ hand while Hugo clung onto his neck like a monkey.
“I built a dinosaur!” Louis exclaimed, reaching into his pocket and presenting a green lump of clay from his pocket.
“I climbed to the top of the jungle gym!” Hugo swung around Daddy’s neck.”
“What about you, Emma?” Mama asked, squeezing her hand.
“We talked about what we want to do when we grow up!” Emma piped up. “Sam wants to be a doctor. Marie wants to be an astronaut!”
“How about you?” Daddy asked.
Emma hummed thoughtfully. “There’s lots to pick from! Did you know what you wanted to do when you were little?”
Mama laughed, pink rising up near the bridge of her nose. “Well, I wanted to be the knitting fairy.”
Emma looked up, her head tilting in question. “Knitting fairy?”
“Yep. I was going to fly around and knit all kinds of things for the world with my magic needles.”
Daddy hummed, his face crinkling in a smile. “I’d say you’re pretty magic with a needle, love.”
The pink spread further across Mama’s face as she snorted and nudged Daddy in the shoulder with her shoulder, being careful to avoid Hugo. “You.”
Daddy snickered, looking very pleased with himself.
Louis swung the arm holding Daddy’s hand. “What about you, Daddy?”
The smile stayed on Daddy's face, but something felt different. Emma could see Louis’ grip tighten on Daddy’s hand, his eyes going a little dim like Daddy’s. Understanding lodged uncomfortably in Emma’s throat. Daddy...is sad.
“Well,” Daddy drawled, “I didn’t know for a while. I started working when I was a little older than Emma. So for a while, I didn’t even think of what I wanted to do when I was older, because I already had a job!”
Daddy’s eyes twinkled, but like stars that were hidden by clouds, and his laugh boomed like the laughter of the actors on TV, instead of the snicker that made his nose wrinkle.
Shoving his dinosaur into his pocket, Louis latched onto Daddy’s arm with both hands. Hugo squeezed tight around his neck in a hug, knocking the breath from their father before he burst into laughter, ruffling both boys’ hair.
“I had to think about it for a bit,” Daddy continued. “But with some time and help from your Mama and our friends, I figured it out. And now I get to have the job of dad to three of the greatest kids in the world!”
“And you’re the greatest daddy, Daddy!” Hugo exuberantly cried, sliding around his neck.
Daddy stopped for a moment, blinking quickly, giving Louis a chance to hug his leg. “That’s right, Daddy!”
Mama let go of Emma’s hand for a moment to rub Daddy’s elbow, and Emma twisted to follow the motion once Mama took her hand again. “So you’ve got time to pick, Emma.” Daddy concluded.
“I already know!”
Mama leaned down, smiling. “What do you want to do?”
“I want to be a superhero, like Chat Noir and Ladybug!”
“You do?” Daddy grinned. “Well, you’re already a Super Emma!”
~~~
Emma grinned. “Now that you mention it...”