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Marinette stood there in front of the Justice League and held her head high. Judgment was coming down on her today, and that was okay. Because she had done what she had to do.
“Ladybug, come forward,” Superman called her forth and she went to stand in front of the big three.
Batman looked at her like she was a threat, Superman looked at her like he was trying to understand, but Wonder Woman, Diana, she just looked on in pity.
Batman spoke first. “Ladybug, you’re accused of the malicious murder of your own team. What do you have to say for yourself?”
That was it, the time to finally break her silence. “It wasn’t malicious.”
The entire league gasped at her answer. It was the first time she had spoken since that dreadful day, and no one expected her to break her silence, let alone to use that moment to confess.
“What do you call shooting your entire team in the head one by one?” Superman asked.
Marinette gave a small smile. “Mercy.”
“What kind of mercy puts five people in the ground?” Green Arrow yelled out.
Batman held up a hand silencing the room. “His question is reasonable. What kind of mercy did you show to your team?”
“The mercy of a goddess.” Marinette breathed out the words looking straight at Diana. “If you had been in my place, you would have made the same decision.”
“Wait, take us back. What happened in that room?” Batman asked.
“Jason happened.” She answered. Batman sucked in a small breath.
“Ladybug, we need real answers.” Diana pleaded like she didn’t know the answers.
“Take us back to that night, help us to understand,” Superman asked her.
“I was back inside the room, again. Alix had brought me back, again. ‘We can do this Mari, but you’re the one who has to make the decision. It’s just you and Tikki.’ Alix handed me the gun. ‘If you don’t, everyone dies.’
“It was a simple task. Take my team out, make sure that they were safe, make sure that the rest of the world survived. You’d think it would have been easier, that it would have been with less bloodshed. But there was only so much I could do when I was working against two forces of destruction.
“You see,” Marinette turned to address the room at large. “I don’t just take care of the miraculous, I also take care of the balance in the world.”
“I walked into the room to see Adrien and Jason working on something together, their heads hunched over the table. Chloé was sitting talking with Alya and Nino was sitting between the two groups pitching in as needed. It was easy to collect their miraculi, I just asked everyone to hand them to me. Only Adrien questioned it, but when I told him there was a code Blanc he understood.
“They all put their miraculi back into the miracle box, and I placed it on the shelf. Then I turned back to them. My allies, my most trusted companions. I pulled the gun out and I stood there pointing it at my friends, those friends for whom I swore to protect with my life, that's when I finally came to the conclusion that not all endings are happy, and protecting always doesn't mean to keep them alive.”
She stared Batman in the cowl and gave a sneer. “If you had stayed out of Paris, I wouldn’t be here. I would be with Chat Noir, and the world wouldn’t still be out of balance.”
She looked up at Diana. “There’s only one thing left to do, so do it.”
Diana nodded. “Marinette, for the egregious murder of your team and the abuse of the Ladybug miraculous, Themyscira sentences you to death.”
“Tikki, spots off.” Marinette sighed as the transformation ran over her. She was finally able to grieve, but this would be her last moment.
Diana came over and took her earrings. “You know this has to be done, little sister.”
“It’s the only way to repair the damage,” Marinette whispered.
---
“Marinette! Hey, wake up.” Adrien shoved her shoulder. “You were nodding off again. Hurry up and catch up, Alya has something cool to show us.”
She looked around and winced. Tikki and Plagg both gave her sad looks and she gave a watery smile. “It worked,” she whispered out.
Tikki came over and gave her a hug. “You have this time with them. Last moments before you and destruction are reborn, make them count.”
“Thank you.” Her voice cracked and she wiped her tears away so she could run after Adrien. She wasn’t sure if it would be him or Jason rejoining her, but either way, she would be losing a man she loved.