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Chapter Text

The scepter fell to the floor with a thunk that echoed throughout the chamber. Emilie barely registered the sound as she nearly collapsed down to her knees and frantically started removing the rings from Gabriel's fingers, shoving them unceremoniously into her pockets.

"Natalie, what's going on? Do you know what happened to the children?" Emilie asked as she practically ripped the butterfly miraculous off her husband's chest and pinned it to her blouse.

Her friend looked like she'd been carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders for a long time. Too long.

"The kids were working on a cure for you. I was trying to keep him distracted but Gabriel took them by surprise while they were detransformed. In addition to their visible injuries, I suspect they're concussed."

"Are they safe to move? We need to get them out of… wherever we are … They need to be somewhere warm, clean and safe."

"Adrien's bleeding…" Natalie removed her fingers from his hair. Even in the dim light, Emilie could tell they were now tinged with a bright crimson. Emilie yanked off her blazer and grabbed the scepter. If Gabriel awoke while they were tending to the children, Emilie would not leave it lying around only for him to use her own makeshift weapon against her. Natalie met her halfway and took the garment. While she folded and manipulated the fabric in order to secure it around Adrien's wound, Emilie went to check on Fèlix.

"As to where we are, we're in the basement of the manor. There's a lift just on the other side of the walkway."

Their basement definitely hadn't looked like this before… and there had been stairs that led to the main floor… Now wasn't the time to try and process this. She nodded slowly, trying to maintain her focus on Fèlix. His breathing was still a bit shallow and the skin of his forehead too cool for her liking.

"Natalie, when you get a minute can I get your jacket for Fèlix? He's cool and clammy." The other woman nodded as she maintained her focus on finishing the makeshift bandage for Adrien. She pulled off her jacket and handed it to her wordlessly before she went to assess the girl. Emilie draped the jacket over Fèlix's torso. She wished she had something to elevate his head and feet to help send the blood to his vitals but she had to settle for sitting on the ground and propping his head up on her lap.

She picked the scepter up again, gripping it tightly, ready to knock Gabriel out again if he so much as breathed wrong. "How's Adrien, besides the blood? And the girl?"

Natalie looked up at her once she was satisfied with her check of the girl. "Adrien's breathing and heart rate are stable. She doesn't seem to be as bad off. I think the boys must have tried to protect her. They're as stable as they're going to be for the time being and the limited resources we have down here."

"We need something to bind Gabriel! Make sure he doesn't try to come after us or take back the miraculous. Then we can get the kids out of here." She wanted so badly to help the children but if Gabriel woke up first, they would all be in grave danger. Especially the children and the potential of the miraculous they each bore.

Natalie nodded. "I'll be back," she confirmed before scrambling off.

Emilie forced herself to maintain a laser focus on Gabriel. She ought to have been exhausted but adrenaline kept her alert. Each minute that Natalie was gone felt like an eternity but finally she was back with Maurice, who was holding thick coils of rope. The bodyguard didn't look surprised so either he had been here before or Natalie had filled him in. After binding Gabriel's ankles and wrists, he tied him to the railing along the over walk.

"Okay. Maurice, will you carry the children upstairs? Start with Fèlix, I'm worried he might be going into shock, then Adrien has a nasty head wound. The girl seems to have escaped the worst of it. Take them all to the largest guest room. It will be easier for us to tend to them all in one place until they are awake and better recovered. Natalie, if you can gather the first aid kit and anything else you can find that might be helpful, set it up in the guestroom. I'll stay here and monitor Gabriel until the children are all upstairs. Then Maurice, will you keep an eye on Gabriel while we tend to the children?"

The bodyguard grunted and Natalie nodded curtly as they set to work. There was no way she was leaving Gabriel unattended, especially after seeing how much he had … changed? Was that even the right word? Whatever happened to Gabriel, it was more than just the passage of time during her absence. As she held the scepter, she noted the twisted irony. She had asked for a scepter befitting a queen as Gabriel sought to elevate her to … what? A goddess? That had been one of his terms of endearment for her. But if she had accepted the place at his side that he had carved out for her in Gabriel's new world, she would have had to become a tyrant. A demon. Now the cursed item was her only defense of her tiny queendom, which encompassed 3 concussed and unconscious children, 2 loyal friends and 1 treacherous husband. She wished she had a more substantial weapon to choose from to defend the kids and herself
A staff or a pair of sai maybe. She used to have a training area down here and a cozy study filled with books and plants. Her husband had transformed her sanctuary into a perverse shrine, where her inanimate body had been the centerpiece.

Once the kids had all been taken upstairs, Emilie traded places with Maurice in keeping vigil over Gabriel. She offered him the scepter if he needed a weapon but he held up his hand and shook his head. She debated leaving it here for him anyway but the thought that Gabriel might somehow get free and use it against the bodyguard forced her to continue clutching it to her chest. The clanks of her footsteps across the walkway reverberated loudly throughout the chamber as she made her way towards where Natalie had indicated the lift was. As soon as she stepped inside, the transparent door closed and she was sent zooming upwards. She felt a tremor erupt from inside her as she looked down on her husband tied up in the foreign looking basement. How was this her family and home? How had everything gone so terribly wrong? Hadn't she told him to leave the miraculous alone? Hadn't she made it clear that she was at peace with her fate? Hadn't she trusted her husband to care for their son? So how…? Why?

Once she entered the guest room, Natalie had already rebandaged the wound on Adrien's head and had a bag of frozen peas resting on Fèlix's eye, along with extra blankets to keep his body temperature up. Now she was cleaning and dressing the light cuts and scrapes visible on the girl's arms and face. Emilie noticed a tablet on the bedside table with a spreadsheet on the display. Each child's name had their own tab. The columns were labeled for time, temperature, blood pressure, O2 sat and other.

"Marinette…" Emilie said as her fingers hovered just above the tab with her name on it.

"Yes. She's Ladybug obviously but also the guardian of the miraculous and …" Natalie hesitated.

"And?" Emilie asked.

"And Adrien's girlfriend."

"Oh." There was suddenly a hollowness in her chest. She had missed so much of Adrien growing up. She remembered when she had introduced Gabriel to her family, after they had become engaged. They had decided to meet each other's families first before breaking the news. Her family had been polite enough. When Emilie asked her grandmother privately what she thought of him, she told her that parents never think anyone is a good enough partner for their children. While Emilie tried to formulate a response, the older woman added with a smirk, "But I'm not the one who wants to marry him." Emilie's jaw dropped, temporarily rendered speechless. What should she say after her gran had seen through her so easily? "You'll understand someday when you're a parent," her gran advised sagely with a chuckle.

Something Natalie had said jolted her back to the present. "Wait! This is the guardian?! I need to give her the miraculous! They belong with her!" Emilie started digging for the rings in her pockets when Natalie placed a hand on her forearm. "Slow down, Emilie. The guardian is unconscious right now." Emilie looked up at Natalie frowning. What was she implying? That they should take the opportunity to use them for themselves? Even after they both witnessed how doing so had affected Gabriel?

Taking in her troubled expression, Natalie shook her head, "No! I mean I agree with you. We should return them to her but when she's awake and feeling better. She's not in a state to resume care for them yet."

"Okay." Emilie nodded slowly. "I'm still a bit disoriented and trying to make sense of everything. I think it would be better if you held them for the guardian." Emilie started rummaging in her pockets again but Natalie formed an X with her arms and shook her head.

"No. I've misused the miraculous too many times."

"Technically, so did I."

"Our motivations and actions were different. I told myself I was using it to help you and your family but I willingly helped Gabriel hurt and manipulate people. We crossed lines that weren't meant to be crossed. And we used the miraculous to do it." She glanced at Adrien's sleeping form and rested her hand on his ankle. "There's a reason the old guardian gave the most powerful miraculous to Adrien and Marinette. They're good, honest, kind, purehearted."

Emilie worked to maintain a neutral expression. Her friend was calmly admitting to hurting people while she was touching her unconscious son. But hadn't she been protecting Adrien when she woke? She had also argued with Gabriel, the man who had dared to suggest that Adrien could be scrapped and replaced. Just the thought of his words earlier still made her sick. "And where do you stand now?" Emilie flicked her gaze to Natalie's hand.

The gesture did not go unnoticed. Natalie's expression shifted as she removed her hand. "When I realized that bringing you back had shifted from Gabriel's primary objective to a secondary one, I could no longer turn a blind eye to his excuses and rationalizations."

Emilie allowed herself a small smirk and crossed her arms. "You didn't really answer my question."

"Right now, I want to focus on making sure the children recover. Then we can have a discussion about what comes next." Emilie thought Natalie had more she wanted to say on the matter but silence temporarily filled the space between them.

After a moment, Natalie continued, "Speaking of the kids, I have no idea if Amelie even knows Fèlix is here. You should probably call her." Natalie presented her cell phone. Emilie was practically shaking with a mixture of nerves and excitement. The two women stepped outside into the hall and Emilie dialed her sister's number.

"Natalie! To what do I owe the pleasure?" Her sister said with an air of forced pleasantness.

"It's me."

Silence.

Maybe the connection was bad. Or maybe her voice sounded off. Maybe it had been too long and her sister had forgotten what she sounded like. Maybe she ought to say something else. "It's…"

"Em?! Is that really you!?" Amelie's voice was filled with excitement.

"Yeah, it's really me," Emilie responded softly. She felt her eyes starting to water. The circumstances of their reunion wasn't exactly ideal but that in no way detracted from the swelling in her heart.

"Wow! I need to sit down. I have so many questions. But this is wonderful news! Welcome back, Sis!"

"Thanks. And I'll answer any and all questions that I actually know the answers to but we wanted to make sure that you knew Fèlix was here."

Amelie laughed. "Yeah, he's been working on some special projects. I'm so glad he got to be there with you when you woke. He must have been one of the first people to greet you."

"Actually, he's unconscious. He was that way when I woke up. Natalie and I are monitoring him along with Adrien and Adrien's girlfriend."

"What?!" Emilie's stomach dropped to hear her sister's distress but if there was an easier way to break that news, she couldn't think of what it might have been in the moment. Besides, it was better to get it out in the open than to dance around it.

"Nevermind," Amelie continued, "I'm coming!" The phone disconnected.

Emilie handed it back to Natalie. "She's on her way."

"That's probably for the best. There's too much to discuss over the phone."

"And what all do you need to tell me?" Emilie asked. Clearly, she had missed a lot.

Natalie sighed and removed her glasses to clean them along the hem of her blouse. "I'm willing to answer any of your questions but keep in mind it will likely overlap with a lot of Amelie's questions. It might be best to wait for her to arrive."

The Star Train would take a couple of hours, meanwhile travel via plane would take about an hour. The rest would depend on departure schedules, seat availability and how quickly everything could be arranged. "Okay, well, how are you?"

Natalie looked at her, surprised for a moment. "It's been a long time since someone asked me that. And now I'm not sure how to answer. I'm supposed to say that I'm fine right? But obviously, everything isn't fine …"

"You can't be serious?" Emilie asked incredulously.

"Adrien would ask. But I felt like I could never give him a genuine answer. I thought it was more important to protect him. That was before I learned he was Chat Noir. Turns out the thing he needed protection from the most was his own father."

Emilie's heart broke for her friend. How could this woman who had done so much for her and her family over the past nearly two decades be treated like this in her absence. Emilie wrapped her arms around the other woman. Initially, Natalie just stood there with her arm stiff at her sides but she soon reciprocated the embrace and let out a small sniffle. Emilie hugged her tighter and they consoled each other. There was a sorrow they carried that they couldn't put into words but all the same was mutually intelligible. They stood like that, nearly statue-still, for what felt like a long time.

Once they released, Natalie slid her fingers under her glasses to rub her eyes, "I'm sorry. It's been such a crazy day."

"Don't apologize. Why don't you head to your room and get some rest before Amelie arrives."

"You'll be okay watching the kids by yourself?"

"I'm sure it'll be fine. If anything crazy happens, I'll come get you."

"If it's an emergency, there won't be time," Natalie said gravely. "Wait here."

As her friend walked down the hallway, the squawk of the metal joints that accompanied her once again reminded Emilie of the braces that framed her legs. She had been so concerned with the imminent danger of the wounded children and making sure Gabriel wasn't able to hurt them anymore that she hadn't really considered what the past two years had truly cost her friend. Was the price she paid physical as well as mental?

She watched as Natalie slipped into Gabriel's office. Emilie remained in place as she glanced down at the entryway below. Everything looked fairly similar to how she remembered it but standing here alone as the domicile's primary custodian, her home now felt empty, sterile and lifeless. Did she even have the right to call herself that anymore when Natalie and Maurice had been caring for everything precious she had left behind?

Natalie's return from Gabriel's office roused her from her thoughts. She held out her hand with a small ring resting on her palm. Curious, Emilie picked it up. Natalie held up her hand that bore a similarly tiny ring that she was wearing as a midi. She also noticed another ring on Natalie's ring finger. This one she was intimately familiar with…

"You wear it like this. If you need anything just say, 'Alliance, call Natalie.' There's an interactive AI but I've disabled it so it should just follow commands."

A tiny light started blinking and her ring made a beeping noise. Natalie answered the call and adjusted herself so that Emilie could see the small display in real-time. Emilie nodded at her blankly as she picked up the ring and wedged it onto her finger. She was still distracted by the Graham de Vanily ring that Natalie bore when her eyes blew wide.

"What's wrong, Emilie?"

"Gabriel's ring!"

"What are you talking about? You have all of..." the gears in Natalie's brain slowly kicked into place.

"Wedding ring!" The women exclaimed in unison as their eyes locked onto each other. The pair raced back to Gabriel's office. Natalie directed her to stand in a seemingly innocuous spot, although Emilie now knew better. Her friend took the lead as she deftly wound her fingers into a peculiar pattern against the Klimt style portrait and they sank in about a centimeter as she applied pressure. "I'll follow as soon as the lift's back up," Natalie said quickly as Emilie was already sinking halfway through the floor.

Emilie's pulse was racing wildly as she was forced to wait for the elevator to complete its descent. She was relieved to see that Gabriel was still bound and Maurice had taken up vigil on the other side of the overwalk but only slightly. She nodded to the bodyguard as she raced to her husband's side.

Slowly, she uncurled his fist. She didn't care about gentleness or avoiding causing him more pain, only about not stirring him as she wasn't prepared to confront him again so soon. Even though she had done it not too long ago and had succeeded. Even though he was bound and unconscious now, deprived of all his magic save one. The possibility of abusing the magic contained in this sacred ring had the potential to devastate her more. Emilie realized her fear was getting the better of her, immobilizing her. She took a deep breath and slid this last ring from his finger. It was the most simple in appearance but to her it was more precious than an entire set of miraculous and she wouldn't have traded it for anything.

While Gabriel hadn't traded in his wedding band, exactly, it felt like he had devalued or defiled it in some way. She couldn't bear to slide it onto her finger just yet. That would be the wisest place for it, on her person. The most secure. But it represented a juxtaposition of her intersecting past, present and future in a way she hadn't fully come to terms with yet. It was a family heirloom passed down from generation to generation for more than a thousand years. She had given one of the pair to Gabriel as a young bride to represent their mutual promise to love, support, respect and cherish each other. She had used it as a vessel to protect and sustain the existence of her only child. The symbol that had once filled her with pride, comfort and joy felt like it had been corrupted as it accompanied her husband in terrorizing her adopted city. What would it mean for her to wear this ring now?

She closed her hand and pressed it tightly into her palm as she attempted to focus her mind on the other tasks that needed to be addressed. She stopped to exchange a few words with Maurice, offering to bring him a chair and some refreshments, before returning to the entrance of the elevator where Natalie was waiting. During her previous rides, her mind had been like a pinball, racing back and forth within the confined space with questions, panic, anxiety and confusion. Now her brain felt more like TV static, a persistent but obnoxious buzzing that causes your eyes and brain to glaze over the longer you stare at it.

Once the women had both returned to the office. Emilie forced herself to plaster on the most winning smile she could muster on her face. "I'm sorry, I had promised you a well deserved rest. I think the situation is stable enough now."

"Are you certain you don't want me to sit with you? Or at least help take some things down to Maurice…"

Emilie placed her hand on her friend's shoulder, "No. Thank you for everything you've done, Natalie, but you look like you could use a break. I've been asleep for two years. Let me handle things for a bit."

Natalie nodded before turning to head towards her room.

Chapter Text

Emilie experienced a jumble of emotions as she watched her friend go. 'Now isn't the time to try and make sense of everything,' she reminded herself. Gripping the ring in her palm tightly, the gesture served to strengthen her resolve and determination to push ahead. She returned to the guest room for a brief moment to check on the children. They were all still asleep. Their peaceful, carefree expressions, although marred by their injuries, were temporarily relieved from the weight of the world that had been pressing on their young shoulders. She really wanted to stay here and watch over them, ensuring that she was present when they woke but she had a few more things she needed to do first. A small pair of vibrant, green eyes watched her warily from his spot where he was curled up on her son's chest. Between her desperation to help the children, safeguard themselves against her husband and her disorientation after waking from a two year magical coma only to find her world completely in disarray, she temporarily forgot the little gods acting as their chosens' protectors.

"Thank you, for keeping him safe," she whispered. She uncurled her fingers to display the ring that had left an impression on her palm. It had left one on her soul too. The ring that sustained her son's beating heart, pumping lungs and a million other minut processes.

"Does he know?" She nearly choked as those three simple words tumbled out of her. The words that could change how her son thought and felt about himself; how he might view her. Forever.

While the black cat looked at her quizzically, Duusu answered from her spot nestled in Fèlix's hair, "No. Fèlix wanted to tell him but he was… conflicted. Would it be better for him to know the truth or continue thinking that he was a perfectly normal boy? Not to mention he worried about Adrien still being under Gabriel's control."

"Control?" Her voice was flat as she asked but that quickly turned to enraged as the implications settled into understanding. "Control?!"

"Fèlix was convinced Gabriel was using the ring to alter Adrien's will. And he was right. It's happened several times that I'm aware of and Fèlix observed it at least once."

Nevermind that Fèlix apparently knew. She didn't even have space in her mind to process whether she was relieved or devastated about that fact. Emilie was absolutely infuriated with her husband but she couldn't figure out how to put it into words. She was tempted to march back down to the basement and yell at Gabriel until her voice was hoarse. But what good would it do if he was incapable of feeling remorse? He hadn't been apologetic earlier. No, in fact, he had defended his horrendous actions and words, proud even, and made it clear he thought he was justified. While it wouldn't change what her husband had said and did, she might feel a little relieved to vent at him and get it off her chest…

"What are you two blabbering about?" The black cat interjected, sounding annoyed.

Duusu didn't respond, only looking to Emilie expectantly with a steady, unwavering gaze, waiting.

This tiny creature that was destruction incarnate had been Adrien's protector and ally, maybe even his friend, while she had been unable to care for him. Both she and his father had failed him in different ways. She let out a sigh as she tried to calm herself. What had happened to Adrien wasn't the fault of anyone in this room, except partially herself.

"I used Duusu's power to help me conceive Adrien and Fèlix."

The kwami of destruction's expression was hard to read. After a few moments, he responded, "Well, well, well. I guess there is a bit more to the face that launched a thousand akumas and for whom the whole city burned than meets the eye."

"The patriarchy always gave Helen such a bad wrap. A blow or a boon to the ego of the men who wanted her beauty for themselves. It's all her fault that they fell in love with her? Please! No one ever asked her what she wanted!" the ladybug kwami huffed.

The black cat glanced back at Emilie with a nonchalant expression, "That's Tikki for ya'. Make love, not war. And use your words."

Emilie blinked. The gods of destruction and creation were comparing her to one of the most controversial figures in Greek history. She wasn't sure whether to be flattered or horrified. If she thought too much about it, she might have to confront things about herself that she wasn't ready to deal with yet. Like was she an active instigator in what her husband had done and the effects it had or was she a passive participant? Or possibly even a victim?

Before she could continue going down that disturbing rabbit hole, Duusu piped up in her defense, "Knock it off you two! You don't know Emilie. I do! She never would've condoned Gabriel's actions!"

Emilie moved to where the palm sized peacock was nestled in Fèlix's hair. She stroked her head, "Thanks, Duusu." She shifted to address the other two kwami. "I'm not perfect and I know I've made mistakes but I won't apologize for Adrien and Fèlix… The way things turned out with Gabriel wasn't anything close to what I wanted for my family. I'm sorry for his actions even though I had no way to know or control them." The pair didn't comment, only analyzing her with their all knowing, millenia old eyes that made her feel like they were weighing her heart or something. As Emilie fought the urge to fidget under their gaze, she instead redirected her nervous energy back to her old friend. "I'm glad you're feeling better, Duusu," she said as she rubbed the kwami's indigo head with the pad of her fingertip. Duusu puffed out her chest and smiled proudly.

Emilie leaned down to place a gentle kiss on Fèlix's forehead, lightly stroking his hair. She walked to the other side of the bed and did the same to Adrien. She allowed herself to simply sit beside the boys' bed for a few minutes after checking their vitals and examining their bandages to make sure they weren't soaking through. She removed the bag of icy vegetables from Fèlix's face before making her way to the smaller bed to check on Marinette.

Despite her earlier trepidations she had felt on learning that Adrien had a girlfriend, as she observed the sleeping girl, Emilie felt a maternal pull towards her. Maybe it was seeing the injuries up close and in a better light. More atrocities her husband had committed in her name. How much had this girl too suffered because Gabriel couldn't move on? Because he couldn't swallow his pride? Because he couldn't let go? And even after the possibility of uniting in a truce with the common goal of reviving her, Gabriel's hatred for these three had boiled over into violence against them. She wanted to shake her husband! Make him see sense! But unfortunately, the world didn't work like that. She leaned down to place a soft kiss in the young woman's hair. 'Marinette,' she reminded herself as she resolved to do what she could to help her new charge recover and keep her safe.

Emilie knew she had to break the reverent atmosphere that had settled over the room. "I need to take some things down to Maurice. Are the children still stable as far as you can tell?"

"Maurice?! You mean the gorilla?!" the black cat said with a chuckle.

"Ugh! Plagg!' The ladybug scolded.

Emilie nearly burst out laughing. She quickly worked to stifle it so as not to awaken the room's slumbering occupants.

"Gorilla? Are you serious?!" She said with her hand still partially covering her mouth.

"Why yes, Mama Adrien, I am very serious! He really looks like one and even your husband akumatized him into a gorilla, more than once," the kwami, Plagg apparently, said with his nose in the air, as if to prove his point that he was justified in the silly nickname. Although it wasn't meant as a jab against her for the crimes her husband had committed, it still stung. That thought helped to sober her.

"I'd love to hear more of your charming anecdotes when I return." She scratched Plagg under his chin, making him purr, and flashed him a wink. "Keep these babies safe for me until then. Please?"

The trio nodded at her in solemn agreement. They probably would have done so without her asking but she felt the need to make her intentions known.

She stepped backwards towards the door before halting, "Sorry, I realized I haven't formally introduced myself. I'm Emilie Agreste. And you two must be Tikki and Plagg?"

Tikki blinked her big doll-like eyes and smiled brightly, "It's so nice to meet you, Emilie!"

"Yeah, yeah, enough with the formalities! Hurry along so you can hurry back! I'm sure my kitten will be eager to see you when he wakes. You don't want to miss that, do you?!"

"You're one hundred percent right, Plagg. I'm going now. Be back soon." She kissed the palm of her empty hand and blew on it as she waved it across the room. She was leaving a piece of her heart with all them until she could return and share it with each one in person.

As she stepped into the hall and quietly closed the door behind her, she heard Plagg saying, "That! That, right there! That's where the kid gets his dramatic flair from! It's not me!" The other two kwami giggled. She paused on the other side of the door as she allowed herself a small, hope-filled smile. Listening to the kwami's laughter reminded her that there was still goodness in the world. A bright spot amid this dark day. There would probably be more dark days ahead but maybe everything wasn't as hopeless as it seemed in this moment.

Before she could focus on gathering supplies for Maurice, she had to deal with her issue with the ring. She slipped into the bedroom that she and Gabriel had once shared. A place that had been witness to some of their most intimate moments. That had been where she changed the course of their lives forever. A decision, an action, an amok and a new life that soon bloomed into two. Despite the hollow ache being in this room caused in her heart, she tried to ignore it as she continued to her jewelry box. It was filled with a variety of expensive gems and precious metals, from treasured heirlooms to sweet gifts to priceless memories.

What she pulled out instead of anything fancy or expensive was a gift that held memories from her childhood. A simple hemp cord with a handful of prayer beads on it. It had been a gift from her old Chinese language tutor when she graduated from secondary school. When she and her sister had been little, he told the girls tales of humans who were imbibed with supernatural gifts. It served to keep their attention span. She might have believed they were all simple fairy stories if not for the time she had forgotten her notebook and returned a couple of hours later unannounced. On that occasion, the tutor had been in a different room and she had seen a tiny green turtle floating in the air until it noticed her and blurred into the laoshi's old fashioned gramophone. She might have believed it had been a figment of her imagination if Amelie hadn't been right behind and had seen it too. By the time she had grown up and had a problem for which she was desperate for alternative options, the laoshi had seemingly disappeared without a trace. He had probably passed away but she never had been able to find an obituary. She would've liked to pay her final respects. Thus, she was left to bury the grief of infertility in her research.

Returning her attention to the task at hand, Emilie slid the beads off and threaded and knotted the ring onto the cord. She replaced the beads on both sides of the ring and knotted the cord to secure the beads in place. Finally, she fastened it around her neck, double knotting it and giving it a tug to ensure the hold was solid. After tucking it under her blouse, she closed her eyes and placed her hand over the spot where the ring now hid. Emilie took a deep breath and poured out her heart's prayer for her son's health, wellbeing, happiness but also that he wouldn't hate her for the truth.

Letting out the breath she had forgotten that she had been holding, she knew what she needed to do, even if she didn't like it. Even though she thought she would've had more time. Even though she wished the circumstances would have been different. 'Please let us be okay!' she added palming the ring one final time. But before she could return to the children, she first had to fulfill her promise to Maurice.

In the end, she had managed to find a decent sized folding chair in their outdoor storage shed. She had allowed herself a brief moment in the garden to bask in the sun on her face and to fill fresh air in her lungs. The memories she had here were bittersweet now. Romantic dates with Gabriel. Play time with Adrien. That was all over now. The man she had given her heart and soul to had corrupted their love to become a terrorist and Adrien was now closer to manhood than childhood.

She forgot she still had the scepter with her. Dropping it behind a lilac bush, she wistfully brushed her fingers along the petals and leaves. Her fingers felt lighter. That liberated feeling traveled to her hands, through her wrists, up her arms and extended to her shoulders and back, releasing a tension she hadn't realized had settled deep into her muscles.

Unsure if the folding chair would be large enough to accommodate the bodyguard's broad frame, she also gathered a couple of throw blankets and some extra cushions from the linen closet, in case spreading out on the ground would be more comfortable.

In the kitchen, she found a picnic basket in the cupboard, exactly where she remembered. Making her way around the kitchen, she discovered one cabinet that was full of more than a dozen different boxes of pancake mix. It wasn't out of place being in the kitchen but something about it struck her as a bit odd. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on. After realizing she was staring at the sight as if in a trance, she closed that cabinet door and moved to the next, continuing her search for food stuffs she could add to the basket. In the end, she added several bottles of water, some fruit, cheese and made a few simple sandwiches.

As she strapped the arm chair across her shoulder, laid the blankets on top of the picnic basket and grasped the pillows under her other arm, she was reminded of her days as a young mother when taking Adrien out for the day. She had often felt like a pack mule. Diapers, bottles, pacifiers, wipes, diaper cream, hand sanitizer, changing pad, spare change of clothes, and burp cloths stuffed into a bag on one shoulder and her baby slung across her hip on the other side. Gabriel had tried to convince her that they should hire a nanny but Emilie refused. She had had too many missed opportunities, too many lost pregnancies to not appreciate every moment raising her son. The good, the bad, and the ugly, she wanted to be there for every minute of it. As Adrien grew, so did her accompanying episodes of dizziness and weakness. After one of her fainting spells occurred while she was out in public with Adrien and it had made the news, Gabriel begged her to cease her outings. Despite her craving to explore and share her world with her son as he learned and grew, her anxiety about exposing them unnecessarily to gossip and speculation had convinced her to acquiesce. Mostly. She still snuck out for the occasional adventure with him when she was having a good day and she was sure Gabriel would be busy in a meeting or distracted with work. Emilie would disguise Adrien and herself and they had to go slow and take breaks. She treasured those memories with Adrien, especially on bad days when she could barely get out of bed.

As she emerged from the lift and approached the bodyguard and her husband, she was relieved to see that Gabriel still appeared to be unconscious. After reviewing the inventory of supplies she had brought for Maurice, she asked if he needed to take a break or use the facilities. He shook his head and waved his hand in declination. She promised to check on him again in about four hours and relieve him if needed. Maurice nodded.

"Uh, do you know if this thing can set an alarm or reminder?" She barely had any idea on how to use these silly midi rings. 'Who's bright idea were these anyway?'

He gestured for her to show him the ring. In a deep but gentle voice that he rarely used, he pressed a sensor on her ring and leaned in to speak into it. "Alliance, set a reminder for four hours from now."

A counter projected on the display projection for a few seconds before disappearing.

"Thanks Maurice. I don't know what to do about Gabriel but I'll try to figure something out as soon as possible."

The bodyguard placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "Take as much time as you need. I'm just glad you're back and you and Adrien are safe. Hopefully, everyone can find some peace now that Monarch is gone."

She nodded although she still didn't know the full extent of her husband's crimes. 'Monarch? Was that what Gabriel had called himself?' An uncontrolled shudder broke through her at the thought.

This time, as she entered the guest room, the kwamis greeted her warmly. She smiled and returned their salutations as she went about checking the children's vitals and recording them on the spreadsheet. Every reading was normal. As she placed a fresh bag of frozen corn on Fèlix's eye and set a timer so as to not leave it on too long, she hoped the children would wake soon.

While she waited for that to happen, her curiosity started to get the better of her. Although she didn't feel competent with the smart ring yet, she could use the tablet she was using to track the children's vitals. Emilie opened a browser to the search engine, typed in her husband's name and clicked on the news tab. There wasn't much there. There were a few articles about exclusive events he had hosted, highlights from fashion week, a press release about these smart midi rings, Alliance rings apparently. There was an article about his one hundredth collection, supposedly dedicated to her but Adrien had presented it at the press release. Apparently Gabriel hadn't even been in the audience to watch or made himself available to take additional questions. At the bottom of the article was a link to another one titled, "No Sign of Chat Noir at Recent Akuma Battle". She clicked on the article and realized the attack had been the same day that Adrien presented at the press conference. 'Well, that answers two questions out of about a hundred,' she thought.

She opened an application she could use to take notes. Switching back to the browser, she saw another article credited about the akuma attack; a website called the Ladyblog. There, she found a myriad of articles about akumas, heroes, villains. At first glance, it was overwhelming. She eventually found a tab labeled "Timeline of Events". She copied and pasted the text into her notes before returning to the Ladyblog and started with the earliest entry.

Chapter Text

Emilie knew she shouldn't be shocked. Hadn't she already seen enough from Gabriel's own actions? Heard enough from his own lips as he unabashedly annotated and defended his reign of terror. So why did this chronicle of the foul deeds of her husband break her heart in a new and unexpected way?

Chat Noir vanished

Chat Noir disappeared

Chat Noir eviscerated

Chat Noir sacrificed

Chat Noir died

As these words drifted off the page above the rest, a half strangled, shuddering gasp escaped her throat. She gripped the chair she was sitting in for control. The kwamis looked up at her in concern.

"Emilie?" The ladybug…Tikki, asked tentatively.

"I … think I need … a minute…" She placed a fist over her mouth and sprang up out of her seat. The tablet clattered to the floor. If she tried to reach down to pick it up, she would lose the last fraction of composure she had left. Despite leaving it where it was, other words she had seen there flashed behind her eyes.

schools implement akuma drills

citizens terrified

anger

Paris decimated

depression

anti-bullying campaign

anxiety

akuma victim support group

"I'll be back … Promise! Keep them safe … Just a minute …" She slipped out of the guest room as quietly as possible, despite her desperate need to get out. As she closed the door, she realized her hands were shaking.

She couldn't remain in the hall or atrium. Echoes! There were two more guest rooms on this side of the house but … what if the children heard …? Would wake them! Her mind was racing in a panic. Natalie was asleep in her room. She didn't want to use Maurice's. Invasion of privacy! Gabriel's office? Absolutely not! The thought of seeking refuge in their bedroom prompted a solitary sob to escape from her chest. She had managed to go in earlier with a goal, a purpose, a distraction. Use a childhood momento to protect her son. But in trying to disassociate herself from what her wedding ring had once represented to her, and what it meant now, she had been protecting herself too. Adrien's room? Too big, too wide, too open for the breakdown threatening to burst out of her. She craved a safe space where she could unleash and process the things she hadn't allowed herself to feel too deeply. Somewhere to safely contain the explosion of rage and despair that was threatening to burst out of her.

The nursery! It hasn't been used as a nursery in a long time but she hadn't allowed the space to be dedicated to anything else. Just in case. Just in case the universe blessed her with another baby. But it hadn't … It never would. Now she was rechristening it into her mourning parlor. Despite the room being warm, comfortable and inviting, she scrambled into the dark closet. She crawled under a low rack and wedged herself into the corner, curling in on herself. The sobs that had started trickling out in bits and pieces since she left the room with convalescent adolescents and their protector gods now came out in a torrent. The dam had burst and a raging river chased down the things it had been protecting.

Her hands clenched and unclenched. She grabbed at her sides under her blouse, digging her fingernails into her skin. It hurt but somehow it wasn't enough. She pulled at the hair at the base of her scalp. Was it possible to pull out your own hair? She wasn't convinced that she had the physical and mental strength for it. She reached out blindly and grasped onto something that slid off a nearby shelf. A blanket maybe? Cocooning it tightly around herself, she gripped at the edges as she pulled and tried to tear the unyielding fabric.

Betrayed.

Hadn't they made promises, vows even? Gabriel betrayed her. She had asked him to stop chasing the miraculous and focus on caring for their son. He hadn't respected her wishes. Did that make her a hypocrite? She hadn't respected his wishes either. He had wanted her to erase one of the boys out of existence and she refused. He had wanted to make a wish and rewrite reality. But she stopped him.

'In good times and in bad, in sickness and in health… love and honor…' She was supposed to stand by him, right? But now she wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. Because …?

Violated.

Hadn't she born him her heart, soul and body? Trusted him intimately. Charged him with protecting their sweet, beautiful, loving son. With their masks on, he had killed him! Over and over again! How had he treated their baby without the mask? The boy who shared her bright green eyes and indomitable spirit. If she had been capable of producing a laugh, she would have. 'Indomitable?' her mind spat back at her. Losing control in the corner of a dark closet?

She had won but at what cost? In this moment, she felt utterly defeated, like she was the one who had lost. Because somehow, she had lost her husband and her son had lost his father. Physically, they were under the same roof but the divide between them mentally and emotionally felt like a gaping chasm. One she didn't know if she would ever have the strength or desire to build a bridge across.

If Gabriel had played the role of devoted father to Adrien, would that be enough to redeem him? Would that excuse his misbelief and misdeed that all this time, he had been justified in ending the existence of someone else's child? And he had used children, young children, babies even to be the vessels for his anger. And the elderly. And the expecting. And souls from every walk of life in between. No one had been spared from the curse he had unleashed to torment the innocent. Everyone except Adrien. At least there was no record of their son being akumatized. A jolt ran through her as she remembered reading about Adrien jumping off a building and another time when he had been turned into a gold statue. Adrien Agreste, not Chat Noir. All because of these akumas that Gabriel had set loose on the city. Some of them had targeted their son. Specifically. Maybe he hadn't akumatized Adrien but he had used him as bait. More than once.

And even if he had been the perfect, ideal father to Adrien while simultaneously trying to murder him as the boy sacrificed and protected the city with his mask and magic, there was still the psychological trauma of Paris. And New York. And Shanghai. And who knew where else? And how many others had died because they had been trying to go about their daily lives and got caught up in Gabriel manipulating someone who was having a bad day into throwing a magically induced tantrum?

Guilt.

Her fault! Every single, horrible thing Gabriel had done, he had done for her. The blood, sweat and tears of the city weighed on her heart. And why had he done those things? Sold his soul to the devil and transformed himself into a demon king. Because she had been too greedy. But she had been willing to pay that price, a thousand times over if that's what it took to balance her scales. If that's what it took to protect the boys. But she inadvertently made that choice for Gabriel. A price he was unwilling to pay.

She shuddered and wretched but there was nothing in her belly to expel. She wished there was. Then maybe she could find some relief from this burning in her chest and the churning in her stomach.

Not long ago, she thought she was passing into paradise. She had been happy, warm, content. Safe and secure. Confident that the time of separation from her loved ones would pass quickly for her. Once on the verge of peace and tranquility, now dragged into the depths of despair. Tormented in her own personal hell on earth. She wished she could disappear. Fade into nothing. Anything to escape being wracked with this agony. It was enough to make her wish she had never woken up.

Her breath caught in her throat and she gasped, bolting upright. The dark path her thoughts were leading her down gave her a shock. Was she really just thinking that? About throwing away her second chance?

The children had sacrificed their safety and who knows what else to bring her back. Natalie had helped and protected them. Adrien, Fèlix and Natalie loved her enough to want her back. To do it in a way that didn't hurt and use others, as far as she could tell. And she had a feeling that Marinette's, Ladybug's, cooperation had been crucial in making whatever they had done to heal her work. Suddenly, the dozens of magic rings in her pockets felt heavy, as if grounding her to this plane of existence.

No! She couldn't give up now. These were the cards she had been dealt. Folding now was not an option.

Gabriel's actions were his own. And what he did was so wrong. She had neither condoned them nor had she been able to control what he had done. She could only control how she would react, what she would choose to do moving forward. Adrien had already been hurt by one parent today. There were some hard things she needed to discuss with her son but she would do her best not to add to the physical and emotional blows that Gabriel had dealt their baby.

With steely determination, she rose, standing up in the closet. Opening the door allowed the natural light from the window to spill in. Emilie grimaced at the sudden brightness as she removed the blanket she had continued clutching around her shoulders, losing that feeling of safety and security. She folded it as neatly as she could and replaced it on the shelf.

Once she made it to the restroom, she didn't need to look in the mirror to know that her face was red and swollen from crying. Bending over the sink, she splashed cold water onto her face. Then she grabbed a washcloth and moistened it under the running water, before wringing it out and draping it over her face. She focused on taking steadying breaths as she worked to regain control of herself.

Once she felt more calm, centered and focused, she took to tidying her hair and smoothing out her rumpled clothes. 'Look good, feel good, right?' And maybe she didn't want anyone to worry. Didn't want anyone to realize that for the briefest moment, she had regretted waking up. After everything they had done … for her. Because they truly loved her. They knew she would willingly die for them. Would she willingly live for them too? Once, she would have given anything for more time. Now that she had it, what would she choose to do with it?

She took a final, deep breath and flashed a smile at the mirror, more to reassure herself than anything. It didn't meet her eyes but it was all she had at the moment. Her future with Gabriel may be uncertain but she had Adrien, Fèlix, Amelie, Natalie and Maurice. And she had a duty to fulfill to Marinette as temporary protector of not only the miraculous but their guardian as well.

Chapter Text

"Emilie!" Her old friend left her place with Fèlix to flit around her. Dusuu stiIled as she floated in front of her face and gave her a searching look. Emilie felt like she was reaching into her soul and understood in an instant how volatile her emotions had been earlier in the old nursery. "Oh Emilie!" The kwami of emotion nuzzled her cheek. Knowing that Dusuu saw right through her and understood how she felt was almost enough to start her crying again. But no, she was determined not to be overwhelmed. For now, she would focus on every good thing she could think of while tending to the children. She gently rubbed Duusu's back with her finger tip.

"It's okay. Well be okay," she tried to reassure the little kwami. She was trying to reassure herself too. She reached down to pick up the abandoned tablet as Duusu reluctantly returned to her nest in Fèlix's hair. The screen was cracked. She could have it fixed or replaced but it would never be exactly as it was before. Like her family, like her marriage, like her. She furrowed her eyebrows in an attempt to concentrate on what was the most important here and now. "How are the children?" She knit her eyebrows together as she forced a wide, toothy grin.

Tikki spoke up, "They'll wake up soon. It's good you're back. They'll want to see you, especially the boys."

The fake smile fell from her face, replaced by open curiosity. "How can you tell?"

"Healing falls under the umbrella of creation," Plagg informed her before adding with a chuckle, "It's a Tikki thing."

"I see," she replied slowly, although she wasn't sure she did. Far be it from her to question the logic of millenia old micro deities. "I hope you don't mind if I examine them again. No disrespect but it would give me a little peace of mind," which she desperately needed to help ground herself right now.

"Ha! You know we're ancient right?! And these kittens aren't our first. We've grown accustomed to you humans and your idiosyncrasies."

"Plagg, you are absolutely tactless!" Tikki quipped.

"Don't worry, Emilie. Of course we won't be offended if you want to check on the kids again," Duusu said helpfully.

The kwamis antics inspired a ghost of a smile back onto her face but this one, while smaller, was more genuine. She flicked a button on the tablet to awaken the screen and went about checking the children's vitals. Fortunately, they seemed stable, none of their bandages were soaked through and the swelling on Fèlix's eye appeared to be decreasing.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Tikki asked.

"Honestly? No, I'm not. But I have faith that I will be some day. Besides not all is lost," she gestured towards the sleeping boys. "I still have something to fight for."

"That's the spirit!" Plagg said.

The little god's encouragement warmed her and helped shed a little light on the shadows that clung to her heart. "Would you mind sharing some of your stories with me?" She asked, hoping for both the company and the distraction from letting her mind spiral into dark places again.

"Do you want old stories or new stories?" Tikki asked.

Emilie wondered what classified as old and new when you counted centuries the way humans counted years? "What do you mean?"

"Like Plagg destroying the dinosaurs and Atlantis or when he sank the Titanic? Or how he helped start the first World War? Or the time Plagg snuck out without telling Adrien and hid a sock puppet version of himself in Adrien's bed? Or how he got us captured because he was sneaking the science teacher's cheese?"

"Hey! While my devotion to cheese is unparalleled, most of the rest were coincidences! What about Miss Sugar Cube creating a galette so enormous it eclipsed the sun? Or when she made it rain chocolate mousse for weeks. Or when she threw a tantrum and created the ring of fire? Or how about the platypus?"

"Plagg!"

"Okay, timeout," Emilie interrupted, partly because she didn't want to find out what would happen if two archaic deities essentially tattling on each escalated and partially due to her own curiosity. "What's the first thing you two remember happening?"

"Tikki sneezing."

Strange but okay. "No, I mean the first big thing, an event, something noteworthy?"

"Yeah, Tikki sneezed. I believe nowadays your people refer to it as the Big Bang."

"So it's true then? Creation and life were just happenstance? A happy accident? There's nothing before or … after…" She had thought she had been crossing over to the afterlife shortly before she woke up. Had that all been a dream? Something her brain had concocted to console her as her existence nearly ended, which would have permanently severed her connection with her loved ones.

"I never said that. Over the millenia, your kind has come up with various ways to interpret their existence. Humans are always trying to fit concepts of things you don't understand into neat and tidy boxes. Not everything in time and space is so black and white," Plagg explained.

"Adrien's not going to be very happy with you, if he wakes up and his mom's catatonic, especially since they worked so hard to bring her back," Tikki said.

"Are you saying that you could tell me the answers to the mysteries of life but my mind wouldn't be able to handle it?"

"Not exactly. You just wouldn't understand. Think about it like this. What if you took a theoretical physics class, only having taken your standard maths and sciences in secondary. You might understand a few words here and there but overall you'd pretty much be a deer in headlights," Tikki supplied.

"But if I learned more of the basics, took the beginner and intermediate prerequisites, as it were, then I might be capable of understanding it someday?" Emilie's stomach tingled and for the first time since she woke up, it was with excitement and anticipation instead of dread, fear and anxiety.

"Sure but that stuff is too boring for most humans. You tend to get easily distracted by the short-term, transient stuff," Plagg surmised.

"The Order of the Guardians has a decent understanding of the cosmos but they dedicate themselves to studying that kind of stuff for hundreds of years. There are a few people here and there that are on the right track to getting the big picture but they're increasingly few and far between," Tikki added.

The conversation lapsed into silence as Emilie pondered the kwami's vague explanations. "I have a question. Before I woke up, I believed that my soul was trying to pass into the afterlife. Was that real or did I make that up?"

"What do you think?" Tikki responded with another question.

"It felt real. I believed it to be real. I…" Emilie hesitated for a moment. This would sound crazy to most people. But these three weren't most people, were they? And would she ever have another opportunity like this? Essentially a private audience with the manifestations of creation, destruction and emotion. She decided to plunge ahead. "I thought … I thought I saw my gran and a few kids playing in the distance before I woke. More than anything, I remember feeling the most content and serene that I've ever felt in my life. But hearing about Tikki instigating the Big Bang gave me pause and made me question whether that was real or just my imagination."

"Remember what Plagg said. Not everything is an either or scenario but different explanations based on human understanding and interpretations at the time. What Lucretius called ex nihilo nihil fit, Lomonosov and Lavoisier called the law of conservation of mass."

"Matter is neither created nor destroyed," Emilie recited, bits of old school lessons she thought were long forgotten emerged from the recesses of her mind. "Nothing comes from nothing."

"Maybe you do have a better ability to comprehend than most. Not just anyone can make two senti-beings at the same time and live to tell about it," Plagg said with an approving smirk.

"Well, that's not exactly-"

"Perhaps it is time for some evolution to help improve their mental capacity." Tikki commented with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Even if you tinker with their genetic code, Tikki, there will still be people with bad intentions in their hearts who will use their advantages for evil," Duusu piped up, finally engaging in the conversation.

While she was glad for Duusu to contribute, her comment reminded her of Gabriel and how he had the opportunity to use the miraculous in his possession for good but did the exact opposite. There would be time later to deal with her husband's actions but now wasn't it. She wasn't ready. Instead, Emilie opted for a change of subject.

"Duusu, what's one of your favorite memories from human history? Maybe a love story with a happy ending?" Obviously, that wasn't how Emilie's love story was ending but maybe it would help cheer her up a little. She'd always been a hopeless romantic. Besides, the kwami clearly weren't going to give her a straight answer about life and the universe so it might be better to redirect to a safer topic.

That and avoid the risk of further instigating Tikki's threat of making changes to the human gene pool. She idly wondered how much nature vs nurture played into Tikki's schema but that could open a whole new can of worms. Perhaps a discussion topic for another day when things weren't so stressful. Assuming she'd even see the ladybug kwami again after this. And even then, she might end up getting the run around again.

"Abigail Smith and John Adams. The latter was the second president of the U.S. He was trained as a lawyer and despite Abigail not having a formal education, she was very much considered his intellectual equal. And they were so in love with each other. Since he was away from home often, they wrote over a thousand love letters to each other. They actually remind me of Marinette and Adrien in some ways."

Tikki giggled, "That's right! Marinette did NOT think much of Adrien at their first meeting either."

"And then there was the love letter incident," Plagg added with a snort.

Despite being completely out of the loop, Emilie found their laughter contagious. "Details, please!" She snickered.

"You know Chloé Bourgeois, right?"

Emilie nodded.

"Well, Chloé absolutely despises Marinette. Apparently, she bullied her for years, which probably has a lot to do with my girl's anxiety and self-esteem issues."

Emilie knew that Chloé was a bit over spoiled but she had felt sorry for her. Audrey was always traveling, even had a daughter in the States, while André was in a career he wasn't thrilled about. He had once admitted when they were younger that he knew he wasn't suited for politics but he ended up going along with it to please everyone else. Who was she to judge their family dynamics when she herself had been lucky enough to be able to stay home with Adrien? While she knew kids could be mean to each other, was Chloé really capable of tormenting one of her peers?

Tikki continued, "Anyway, Chloé stuck gum on Marinette's seat. Adrien saw what happened and tried to remove it but Marinette thought he was putting it there. When she realized Adrien and Chloé knew each other, she assumed he was a bully too."

Emilie scooted towards the edge of her seat in anticipation. "Then what happened?"

"The kid later explained the misunderstanding and the poor princess fell head over heels."

"While giving her his umbrella, accompanied by a clap of thunder," Tikki added with a giggle.

"A coup de foudre? Are you serious?"

Tikki nodded, grinning. "Marinette never returned the umbrella and she sighs wistfully whenever she sees one. Doodles them all the time in the margins of her notebooks."

"What about Adrien? Did he fall for her too?"

Plagg laughed sharply. "Ha! He called her 'just a friend' nearly the entire school year before he admitted to himself that she was more than that. The kitten was too smitten with the bug in the beginning."

"How so?"

"As they first tested out their powers, Ladybug accidentally knocked Chat out of the sky. They literally got tangled up with each other, which was how they would remain for month after agonizing teenage angst month." Plagg sighed. "Their unwitting antics nearly made me lose my appetite."

"Lose your appetite?! Impossible!" Tikki scoffed.

"I said, 'almost.'"

Emilie furrowed her eyebrows. Surely they weren't saying what she thought they were saying… Right? "You can't be serious. Surely you don't mean…?"

"Yep! These two kids, the heroes of Paris, were in love with each other for months but didn't realize it because they fell for each other first on different sides of the mask," Plagg confirmed.

"Incredible! It's like Adrien and Marinette were starring in some French remake of a luchador telenovela!"

The kwamis burst into laughter and Emilie joined them, although she tried to muffle it so as to not wake the kids.

"Oh, just wait until you hear about the love letter incident on Valentine's Day!"

Chapter Text

A soft knock at the already ajar door, interrupted the light doze Emilie had slipped in to. Despite having been asleep for two years, the ups and downs of the day had taken their toll on her.

"Hello?"

Without looking, Emilie knew in an instant. But that didn't stop her head from whipping towards the source of the voice so that her eyes could see for themselves.

"Amelie!"

Emilie sprang up out of her seat and rushed to greet her sister. The small overnight bag strapped over Amelie's shoulder dropped to the floor with a soft thud and the sisters embraced in the doorway.

"You knew!"

"I had faith; that things would work out."

Emilie pulled back to look at her sister, a small, delicate crease forming between her eyebrows. "But things are not at all what I expected."

Amelie gave her a questioning look.

"Gabriel," Emilie said, releasing a shuddering breath. "He's not the same man I married." She hadn't meant to start crying again.

Amelie pulled her sister back into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry." Amelie's hold around her tensed. "Where is he now?"

"Tied up in the basement… Maurice is keeping an eye on him." Emilie's voice muffled as her face was pressed into her sister's shoulder. She must have understood as she didn't ask for clarification.

Emilie allowed herself to cry lightly for a moment before pulling herself together. "Would you like to see Fèlix? His O2 sat was low initially but he has been improving steadily over the past few hours."

Amelie nodded, determination written across her features. "He's strong."

Emilie agreed wholeheartedly. Their boys were strong. She gestured to where they lay and Amelie quietly made her way to Fèlix's side of the bed. She knelt, stroking his hair and grasped one of his hands to her cheek. The child that Emilie had conceived but had been unable to carry. From an outside perspective, some might have called Emilie selfish for wanting a baby so desperately when she had already been blessed with so much and irresponsible for having to give one of them to her sister. But seeing the love and concern emanating out of her twin for the boy, she knew she had made the right choice entrusting him to her. 'See! You did manage to do something right,' she thought to herself. Although Amelie had never been tested, there was a high probability the same fertility issues that had plagued Emilie would have made carrying a baby to term difficult for Amelie as well. When asked if she was going to get tested, Amelie had said she wasn't ready for all that might entail. And yet she had willingly accepted Fèlix as her own when it was proposed that finding a surrogate for one of the babies would extend Emilie's life expectancy and improve the boys' chances of survival.

"It's nice to see you again, Duusu. Thank you for taking care of my son." Amelie addressed the kwami who blushed from the compliment. She brushed the peacock's back with her finger and rustled her tail feathers playfully with a smile and a wink.

"So," Emilie said, breaking out of her thoughts, "Colt didn't come with you?"

Amelie's head bowed and she was quiet for a moment before she tilted her head to the side ever so slightly. She answered without actually looking at her. "He passed away, shortly after you fell into a coma."

Emilie's spine stiffened in shock. She moved to place a hand on her sister's shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

"It was a marriage of convenience that never amounted to anything more," was Amelie's terse reply.

"Still…" Emilie wasn't quite sure what else to say. She had been lucky enough to marry for love, which although normal for most in their peer group, it could still be a touchy subject among the aristocracy if you married below your class. Which she had but by living in France, they had escaped a lot of the unwanted attention they would have been subjected to in England.

Amelie placed her hand on top of her sister's. "Don't feel too sorry for us. Things have been much more peaceful... We're okay."

"Do you… do you resent me?" The words tumbled out of Emilie's lips.

Amelie spun around, looking incredulous, "Why on earth would you think that?!"

"For having things you didn't, for having a love marriage, for asking you to take one of the boys, for making decisions that took me away from you and my family-"

"Stop!" Amelie interrupted, placing her hands firmly on her shoulders. "Are you really gaslighting yourself after waking from a two year coma?!"

"I… It sounds silly when you say it like that…"

"Because it is! I made my choices, same as you. We both did what we thought was best at the time. We can't control the consequences or the way others responded to our actions."

"Do you forgive me?"

"What's there to forgive? If it wasn't for you and Duusu, I may have never tried for a baby. But I got Fèlix! Me keeping him was our decision, remember? And I love him so much! He gave me a reason to fight! Not just for him but also for myself."

"Then I'm glad for that. You're worth fighting for." Emilie hugged her sister again, more sure of herself than before. "Would you like to rest in one of the other guest rooms?"

"Absolutely not! For now, I'm staying right here with you and the kids," Amelie said resolutely.

"Thank you," Emilie said softly. She was grateful her sister was here supporting her, although she knew she wasn't here solely for herself. She was okay with that, glad for what it meant. Somehow, she hadn't realized until now how lonely she had felt until that moment. Even though she'd had a steady stream of activity and interactions, there was something comforting about her sister's presence. While they had made the decisions that had made them mothers together, their lives had taken very divergent paths. Despite their differences, they always seemed to understand each other, even if they didn't always agree. "I should go track down an extra chair."

"No need, I don't mind stretching out my legs for a bit." Amelie retrieved her bag from the doorway and situated both it and herself against the wall.

Amelie quietly watched as her sister made her way to where she was and sat down next to her. Emilie managed a soft, tired smile, and extended her hand, palm up between herself and Amelie. "In this together?" Amelie clasped her hand with Emilie's and smiled. "In this together," she answered. Emilie settled her head against her twin's shoulder.

After several minutes of enjoying each other's restful company, Amelie broke the silence. "So, what have you been up to since you woke?"

Emilie squeezed her sister's hand as she gathered the mental fortitude to relive the past few hours. "Well, I found out my husband is a terrorist and that he's murdered our son over a dozen times. My baby's grown up and has a girlfriend. And my husband's assistant is wearing my wedding ring, which I'm still not sure what all the implications are …"

"Wait! Back up! Murdered? Your…" Amelie's gaze drifted to the other side of the bed.

"Adrien," Emilie confirmed. In some ways, she considered Fèlix her son as well but Amelie had carried, delivered and raised him. She had proven that she was Fèlix's mother a thousand times over. While Emilie would do anything for Fèlix, just as she would for Adrien, she was happy with being Fèlix's auntie.

"I've been reading about all the terrible things Gabriel did with the miraculouses..." Realizing she didn't know if Amelie knew about Adrien's masked identity, "Adrien's Chat Noir," she explained. Maybe it wasn't her secret to tell but she couldn't easily take back or explain her previous comment about filicide. Amelie already knew about Duusu and the other two kwami weren't making any effort to hide. Besides, if she couldn't trust Amelie… The thought was so terrible she couldn't even finish it.

Amelie inhaled sharply. She cradled Emilie's head against her shoulder, "I'm so sorry! I knew Gabriel was the one terrorizing Paris but every time I tried to reach out, he became more and more isolated. We did try and get the rings back, once we had settled our own affairs and realized what he was up to. I probably should've turned in an anonymous tip or something but I held myself back, in case there was a chance he could wake you up. And I didn't want Adrien to lose his only remaining parent… I never could have imagined that Adrien would've actually been in danger … from him…"

Emilie fingered the ring resting on her sternum. She knew her sister and nephew would have been saddened by her absence but she never could've imagined that Gabriel would start treating them like strangers and uninvited guests, instead of the loving, supportive family they were.

"I'm the one guilty of enabling him." Natalie's voice rang calm and clear from the doorway, her arms folded across her chest. Emilie chewed her lip. Her sister didn't comment though she sensed she had plenty to say. "You were Mayura." Emilie had meant it as a question but it came out like a statement.

Natalie nodded. Seeing her leg braces in a new light, Emilie gasped. "You used it while it was still broken, didn't you?"

"I did what I thought I had to do," Natalie said, turning her gaze to the floor in front of her feet.

"And what about the senti-human you created and destroyed?!" Amelie burst out, unable to keep quiet any longer.

"Natalie?!" Emilie questioned, desperately wishing it weren't true but her friend said nothing to defend herself.

"How could you?" Emilie asked in a horrified whisper.

"My actions were inexcusable. When I … did that, I would have done absolutely anything to help Gabriel, to help you. I told myself no cost was too great."

"You used that senti-human to seduce Chat Noir! And when she no longer served your purposes, you snapped her!" Amelie spat.

Emilie paled and she felt like her heart had dropped into her stomach. "You… did… what?"

"I… didn't know it was Adrien at the time."

"That shouldn't matter!" Emilie jumped up from her place on the floor and strode to stand centimeters in front of Natalie. Her mind was a reeling, jumbled mess. "Tell me exactly what you did!"

Natalie startled, her usual calm and collected demeanor breaking. She might have actually looked ashamed. It was difficult to be certain as it was such a foreign expression on her face. Part of Emilie almost felt smug about eliciting such a response from her but her fury still dominated any satisfaction she might have otherwise enjoyed. "Well?" Emilie asked, balling her hands into fists. She needed to direct her anger somewhere and the pressure helped to keep her grounded.

"It's true. I created a senti-version of Ladybug to woo Chat Noir and steal his miraculous. But the real Ladybug made an appearance before anything serious could happen."

"Is that supposed to excuse what you did to my teenage son?! An excuse for abusing and destroying a sentient being?!"

"No." Natalie offered no further explanation or counterargument, sensing that any defense would only be construed as another justification.

She wanted to slap her but remembering the braces on her friend's legs and her meager attempts to defend the children when she woke up tempered her need for physical retaliation and helped cool her temper.

"I'm still so very angry about that," Emilie grit her teeth and swallowed hard to clear her tight, clenched throat. She took a deep breath and released it heavily, "but when I came to, you were defying Gabriel and protecting the children… Earlier you mentioned that you realized Gabriel's objective had changed… What happened?"

Natalie took a deep breath, "He had the miraculous of evolution, the ability to travel through time. He could have gone back and fixed the peacock miraculous, subsequently preventing what happened to both of us. I laid out for him exactly what he needed to do. It was a simple plan but he didn't do it. He chose his obsession with defeating Ladybug and Chat Noir, rather than quietly changing the past to effect a peaceful outcome."

Emilie pursed her lips. In her past, he had tried to persuade her to do things differently but she hadn't. She wouldn't, couldn't make that choice, especially when it was between herself and one of the boys. She couldn't be sure if Natalie knew about that attempt or not but if she did, she wasn't blaming Emilie, at least not to her face… While she was still curious about the exact sequence of events, it seemed that from her perspective, an alternative plan of fixing the peacock to heal her had been discussed and Gabriel hadn't followed through with it. Emilie wondered if her falling into a coma was a fixed point in time. If not for what happened with the miraculous, might she have fallen ill related to illness or an accident? She could drive herself crazy thinking about those kinds of what ifs. Best to let that line of thought go.

"I don't know if I'm ready to forgive everything you did yet. Maybe one day. But I am grateful for what you've done today. You risked everything. If you hadn't, the kids and I wouldn't be here right now." Emilie extended her hand. An olive branch. Natalie looked surprised for a moment before accepting the gesture.

"In that case, you have my thanks as well," Amelie joined the women, placing her hand on top of theirs. "You may not have initiated Gabriel's reign of terror but you were crucial to ending it," Amelie added with a tone of begrudging respect. She gripped Natalie's wrist as she slowly applied pressure and twisted, "But if you ever hurt or mess with my family again, I will-"

"Mum?" Fèlix groaned, voice rough with sleep, as he slowly pushed himself to sit upright. Amelie released her grip on the other woman's hands and rushed to her son's side.

She cupped the sides of the boy's face and kissed his forehead. "Fèlix! You're alright! How are you feeling, dear?" Amelie asked. She had gone from threatening to fretful in the blink of an eye. All for her baby boy.

"Sore and with a bit of a headache…but that's not important. What happened?" He asked as he glanced around the room taking in his surroundings. His eyes widened when he spotted Emilie before darting back to his mother. A silent question written in the solitary rise of his eyebrow. "Yes," Amelie's voice caught and she nodded reassuringly, "You did it, son! I'm so proud-" Fèlix cut her off, wrapping her up in a tight hug. After a moment, he glanced up and motioned for Emilie to join them. Emilie placed a hand over her heart as she made her way to join Amelie and Fèlix. She felt like it was going to burst out of her chest if she didn't hold it in place. Her eyes were smarting with the threat of happy tears. As best she could, she wrapped her arms around Amelie and Fèlix. Suddenly, she was overwhelmed. Roughly sixteen years ago, Emilie had entrusted him to her. Now, she was an observer in the reunion of this mother and son that Emilie had played a relatively small role in making possible.

The sound of Adrien stirring was the only thing that could have distracted her from this felicity. She gasped. Emilie rushed to the opposite side, where Adrien lay and kneeled on the floor next to the side of the bed. Her son's eyes fluttered open and he smiled sweetly at seeing her face. "Hello, Maman," he greeted her sleepily.

"Hi, baby," she couldn't help herself from running her fingers through his hair. He stiffened and she pulled her hand away, unsure what to do or say now. Did he resent her, blame her, for turning his world upside down? Although the rejection hurt, he would be well within his rights to-

Adrien surprised her by reaching out to touch her hand. "If this isn't a dream, then it must be the effect of being caught up in some weird akuma attack."

Emilie wanted to cry but that part of her was overruled by the thrill of seeing her son. He was awake! She was surprised that seeing him animated brought a deeper level of emotion to the surface. This was her son! How he had grown! And his voice sounded different. Less childish but there was still a bit of that babyish roundness to his cheeks. This was what she had wanted! For her baby to grow up, healthy and happy, into his own person, capable of making his own choices. And despite the conditionality, the limitations which the circumstances of his conception had necessitated, he had overcome.

"I could say the same," Emilie finally said as she held his hand against her cheek. "This almost feels like a dream, too good to be true. But I promise you, it's real! And there are no more akumas to haunt you and hurt you!" She carefully laid his hand, palm up, on the bed before removing the butterfly miraculous from her blouse and placing it into his open hand.

Adrien's eyes widened in shock before looking from the butterfly brooch to Emilie and back again. Emilie was holding her breath, nervous about what his next reaction would be. Nearly all at once, Adrien curled his fingers around the miraculous, clutched it to his chest and haphazardly launched himself at his mother, nearly causing her to lose her balance.

"Maman!" He sobbed. "Maman, I missed you so much! I love you!"

His grip around her was a little too strong but she didn't care. The last time they had embraced, he had been a boy. In this moment, she had no desire to remind him otherwise. 'Give him as many moments of his childhood as he has left,' she thought to herself. She hugged him back just as fiercely. The sound of her son's desperation as he cried out nearly broke her. What could she say? That everything was okay now, even though it wasn't. That she'd never leave him again, even though nothing in life was a guarantee. Although she had escaped death today, it would inevitably claim her someday. And what did the future hold for them anyway? Who knew? Would their lives always be tainted with the shadows Gabriel had cast over them? Overwhelmed with the joy of being reunited with her son and the sorrow that she was at least somewhat responsible for his pain was the only thing she could be certain of in that moment.

"I know. I know, Adrien. I love you too. So much!"

After another long embrace, they separated, only for Adrien to gape at her face in amazement before he reached out to hug her again. Emilie heard her sister laugh and looked up to see Fèlix's amused grin as he sat on the opposite side of the bed. Even Natalie smiled, wearing a look of satisfaction, despite the confrontation moments earlier.

Adrien released her to wipe the tears escaping down his cheeks. Emilie wanted to dry them but she reminded herself he wasn't a little boy anymore. The thought caused her to wonder how many tears he had shed over the past two years and if he had anyone to tend to him in those tender moments.

"I want you to fill me in on everything I missed!"

Adrien's eyes widened in panic, "Where's Marinette?! There was a girl with me… dark hair, twin tails, blue eyes, about this tall," Adrien raised his hand out in the air to demonstrate the height of the young lady in question.

Emilie softly grasped her son's hands in hers. "Marinette's okay. She's recovering over there." Emilie nodded her head towards the smaller bed. "Tikki and I have been looking after her."

"Ti-kki?" Adrien said slowly, his brows furrowed.

"Yes, baby. And Plagg and Duusu have been helping. Natalie, Maurice and Aunt Amelie too."

After verifying that Marinette was in the room, Adrien looked around and examined the face of each occupant that was clustered around the large bed.

Emilie squeezed his hand before letting go, "Everyone of us are here to protect you three and keep you safe."

"Thank you! Thank you, everyone!" Adrien's brilliant green eyes were sparkling, threatening a new wave of moisture.

"I'm sorry that I didn't do more for you, Adrien." Amelie's tone was solemn and wistful. "If you ever need anything in the future, I hope you know that my door will always be open to you."

"Thank you, Aunt Amelie. That means a lot." Adrien grinned warmly at her.

"Fèlix, Natalie, because of you, I have my mom back. Thank you so much!"

Natalie smiled and dipped her head once. Adrien extended a hand to Fèlix. The latter boy hesitated for a moment before grasping his forearm. His eyes widened with surprise as his cousin pulled him into a hug.

After the boys separated, Adrien started to look anxious, fiddling with the hem of the comforter. His eyes were downcast, focusing on a seemingly random spot on the bedspread as a faint blush tinted his face.

"Maman. May I … Would it be okay if… I went and checked on Marinette? I know you said… but I…"

Emilie gently placed her hand on his busy fingers. Her son looked up at her with surprise and anticipation as his breath caught in his throat. Almost like he was afraid she would be mad at him. It was an unnatural reaction. Again she found herself wondering what all had happened to him over the past two years to elicit this type of response in him. Would she ever really know, truly understand? She would be lying to herself if she denied that she was both proud of the man he was developing into, despite her absence and his father's poor influence, and at the same time, she felt the pang of him growing up and growing apart from her.

She swallowed the bitter part of her thoughts and forced herself to focus on the sweetness of this moment. Emilie smiled at him softly, "Of course, darling."

Adrien grinned up at her and practically jumped out of bed. Then he swayed. Emilie reached out to steady her son. "Easy. Take it slow. You're not fully recovered yet." Adrien nodded and walked at a pace that was, in her opinion, still a bit too rushed, but he made it to Marinette's bedside safe and sound. Although the bed was a twin size, he managed to find himself a little space to sit next to her. He said something in a low voice that she couldn't make out, to which Tikki responded with a giggle, "You know how she is in the mornings. It's the same way after a long nap." Adrien nodded and stroked the young woman's hair a couple of times. Marinette answered his touch by letting out a low hum and fluttering her eyes.

"Marinette!"

"Adrien?" she said groggily.

"Yeah! It's over, My Lady! We did it!"

She studied him with a critical eye, which initially confused Emilie.

"Really?" She finally asked.

"Yes! No dreams, tricks or illusions this time." Adrien smiled through tears that were starting to drizzle down his face. He rubbed his eyes on his sleeve before grasping her hand in his and squeezing it. He kissed her knuckles before letting go. She shot him a confused look before opening her hand to reveal the butterfly brooch resting in her palm. Marinette's eyes blew wide and she yelled, "Ahhh!" First startled then excited, "Ahhh!" Then she was sobbing as she grabbed Adrien into a hug.

It took several minutes for Marinette to calm down enough to regain control of herself. Part of Emilie wanted to shunt everyone else out of the room to give Marinette and Adrien some privacy but that wouldn't have been fair to kick Fèlix out when he was still recovering. And part of her was selfish. She had missed the past two years of her son's life, she didn't want to miss anymore than she had to. Even though he was growing up and wouldn't need her much longer. All the more reason to soak in every beautiful moment he would willingly share with her.

Then Marinette called Nooroo out of the brooch, which set off a new wave of happy tears as she hugged the tiny violet butterfly between her cheek and her palm. Duusu and Fèlix shared a look before Fèlix nodded and Duusu flew off to join her siblings as they buzzed excitedly around Nooroo. Marinette was sitting up but leaned back against the headboard with a content look on her face as she watched the kwamis. Adrien looked absolutely tickled watching them by her side.

Suddenly, a look of panic shadowed Marinette's features as she gasped, "Wait! Where are the other kwamis?!"

This was it. Time to return the miraculous to the guardian. But before that could happen, no one was prepared for what Nooroo was about to tell them. "Oh it's terrible! Gabriel has them trapped."

A heavy silence filled the room. It was Adrien who was finally able to formulate the words none of the rest of them were able to find.

"What do you mean trapped? That's impossible!"

"Not impossible," Nooroo said. "Remember Kwami Buster?"

While that sounded like one of those ridiculous akuma names, Emilie didn't remember reading about it on the Ladyblog. Maybe she missed it or forgot. Gabriel had gotten up to a lot of nasty business while she had been out of commission, afterall. Thank goodness so much of it was chronicled somewhere.

"Where?!" Emilie nearly jumped out of her skin, startled at Fèlix growling out the question.

Nooroo looked frightened as he took shelter with Marinette, peeking out from behind her hair.

"He's not mad at you, Nooroo. His anger is toward Gabriel, who mistreated us," Duusu added, trying to ease the situation. Marinette gingerly cupped the terrified kwami into her hands and started stroking Nooroo's head as she repeated the question in a softer tone. "Where?"

Nooroo looked to Natalie, like a child afraid they were about to get scolded. She nodded at the kwami reassuringly but answered the question for her. "Gabriel had another secret room upstairs. Like the basement, it can only be accessed through his study."

Marinette softly set Nooroo down on the bed before untangling herself from the blankets and sheets. She stood, back straight, shoulders determined, jaw set. It made her look taller, stronger, and wiser than her young age. "Show me." Her tone left no doubt. It wasn't a request.

Chapter Text

The group of six stood in front of the same lift that led down to the basement. According to Natalie, a different pattern on Emilie's portrait would lead to an upstairs chamber where Gabriel frequently akumatized his victims. A giant picture of his unconscious wife watching him while he worked and secret lairs to conduct evil deeds. Had he done villain monologues too? And he thought she was the dramatic one. Indeed!

"I'll go first," Marinette insisted.

"Marinette, let me," Adrien countered.

"Adrien-"

"You kids are still recovering from your injuries. I'm going up first," Emilie interrupted the teens' disagreement. Natalie assured them it wasn't dangerous but she was still hesitant as to what her husband's secret chambers might contain. "You two can rock paper scissors for seconds." Emilie winked. Adrien and Marinette looked momentarily taken aback. They probably weren't used to someone else calling the shots, especially when the pair had grown accustomed to being on call at all times of day and night, sneaking out their houses and school and traveling along rooftops. Even if Emilie didn't have super abilities, she'd rather they not go up first. Just in case.

Instead of traps or tricks, the room was fairly simple. Yet, Emilie was awestruck. Not by the room itself but by what she found there. She never imagined she would be seeing all the kwamis from the grimoire in one place. Unfortunately, her awe was quickly replaced with shock, horror, and anger. Her emotions mingled with the stale air that permeated throughout the room forming a sickly combination in her gut.

When Adrien arrived, he rushed forward placing his hand on one of the glass bowls. "Sass!"

"Adrien! I'm so glad to see you!"

"Why can't you come out?" Adrien asked, sounding like a child who's neighbor friend declined a playdate.

"He placed a counterspell on this apparatus. We can't phase through." Another kwami answered, this one looked like an adorable puppy. What kind of person would do that to a puppy? Or any of the other over a dozen, sweet, pocket sized magical creatures.

"You've been … trapped? Up here? This entire time?" The maturity was back in his voice, heavy with sorrow from the burden of carrying regret for things he had no control over.

"Only allowed out when he wanted to amplify an akuma," the pig responded dolefully.

"And even then we were stuck in those awful rings," the horse added.

"Rings?" Marinette asked in confusion. She had been standing gobsmacked but finally started to move towards the imprisoned kwamis.

'Oops,' Emilie thought to herself. She had temporarily forgotten the part she was supposed to play in this reunion.

"Wait, Marinette." Emilie slipped her hands into her pockets and removed the miraculous rings. "You're the guardian right? These belong with you."

Marinette's eyes blew wide as she focused on the assortment of rings resting in Emilie's cupped hands. "Surely these can't be…" The young guardian looked to Emilie for reassurance but found none in her apologetic eyes. She reached out and brushed the cool metal of the rings with her fingertips.

"I'm so sorry, dear." Emilie shook her head slightly. "I don't know how he did it. He said something about technology and a lucky charm."

Marinette gasped and Adrien whipped his head around to look back at her. Their eyes met and a silent conversation seemed to take place.

"That's impossible! My lucky charm … disappears when I detransform…"

"We have to search! If it still exists some kind of way…" Adrien added urgently.

Marinette's eyes glazed over as she got lost in another place and time. "How much would the miraculous ladybugs be able to fix?" The young lady's eyes snapped back to the present and they darted around the room, searching for the mysterious item in question.

Adrien walked around the apparatus, hoping to find… whatever it was they were looking for.

"It is well concealed," Natalie spoke up. The kids stopped their search to stare at her. Even Fèlix, who had started searching the walls for more secret compartments.

"It is sealed within the center of the kwami container."

"Container? Isn't that a nice choice of words," Fèlix said sarcastically.

Natalie didn't respond.

"Plagg," Adrien said. "We have to free them!"

The pint-sized black cat responded animatedly, "Yes! Just say the word!"

"Plagg, claws out."

Even though she herself had used a miraculous to transform, that had been many years ago. Emilie startled as she witnessed her son transform into the same Chat Noir she had seen and read about earlier. Even though she knew it was so, it was another experience entirely seeing the bright green light surround his body in a magical aura leaving a slightly shaggy haired, leather clad superhero in place of the boy she had given birth to and raised. She had been there when he had started to crawl, took his first steps, said his first words. Emilie had always believed he was amazing but she was his mother after all so maybe she was a little biased. Okay, a lot biased. But millions of people now knew how amazing he was too, even if they didn't know the boy behind the mask. And, from what Natalie had said earlier, it sounded like he had been chosen because of who he was on the inside. That thought made her heart swell with pride.

"Cataclysm." Chat Noir touched the center of the offensive apparatus. Emilie watched in amazement as the dark energy spread from the single point of her son's hand to encompass the entire thing, leaving behind the liberated kwamis, a red and black spotted pile of rope with a faint violet glow and a pile of ashes.

Chat Noir smiled at the kwamis and picked up the rope, which he offered to Marinette. "It's time."

"Is it … really…?" Her eyes bored into the rope as if by glaring at it long enough, it would eventually provide an answer.

"There's an akuma inside," Natalie answered Marinette's unfinished question.

"How?!" Marinette asked, discredously.

"Gabriel didn't akumatize it. Tomoe was here for a meeting with him that day. She helped untangle him and hatched the idea to akumatize the lucky charm in order to sustain it but also use it trap and control the kwamis. Before she had her most trusted engineers create the device to contain them, she and Gabriel used it to power a machine to turn the miraculous to dust so they could be reformatted into the rings." Natalie crossed her arms. The group stared at her in silence and disbelief. "The rings were Gabriel's idea, obviously. He's a bit obsessed with them." she added with a huff, rolling her eyes.

Eventually, Marinette quietly called for her transformation. "Tikki, spots on." Paris's beloved Ladybug joined her loyal partner, who offered her the rope again. She shook her head. "Together," she said, picking one section of the rope to hold. "Fèlix," Ladybug called. The shock of the revelations seemed to be wearing off, confidence returning to her voice and demeanor. "Will you join us in releasing the last akuma?"

Fèlix looked surprised but nodded. "I would be honored. Duusu, spread my feathers." Her nephew, now cloaked in the magic that had instilled life in him and Adrien. The magic Emilie had fractured, once again whole and restored. What had Duusu called him? Argos. He joined the pair holding onto a section of the blessed, cursed rope.

"Together," Chat Noir said.

"On three," Ladybug confirmed.

The boys nodded. The heroes counted out loud in unison, "One, two, three." They each yanked the rope in a separate direction and it instantly snapped into uneven pieces. A dark, crackling purple butterfly emerged, fluttering frantically. Ladybug swung her yoyo and captured it. After a moment, she released a white butterfly in its place. "You're free now, little butterfly."

The stained glass window opened up, surprising Emilie. She looked around to see Natalie had hit a button on the wall. "So it can truly be liberated from this place." The group watched as the butterfly, no longer frantic since its purification but lazily drifted towards the sunlight and fresh air. Finally, it slipped out the window.

Argos let out a heavy breath. "It's finally over."

"Almost," Ladybug said, sounding worn but content and sure. She gathered up the pieces of rope and flung them high into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

Tiny ladybugs flitted across the room, including across the rings still resting in Emilie's palms. They were replaced by an eclectic variety of jewels she had only ever seen in drawings and paintings. "Ladybug!" The heroine's eyes grew wide as the miraculous appeared as good as new.

"They fixed them! The magic ladybugs fixed them!" Before Emilie could pass them off to her, Ladybug ran to Chat Noir and crashed into him. He used her momentum to pick her up and spin them around. "Chaton! They fixed them!"

"With your help of course, My Lady!" He lowered her back to the ground and they wrapped themselves into a fierce embrace, as if they were in their own little world.

"Not without you, Kitty," Ladybug said low and muffled. She had probably intended it for his ears only but the emptiness of the room left her words to travel across it unimpeded.

As the silence started to grow awkward, Amelie finally tutted at them. "Should the rest of us give you two a minute?" She asked jokingly.

They looked up at her blushing and broke out of their hug but instead opted to hold hands. Ladybug shook her head, smiling while wiping a few tears from her eyes with her forearm. "Sorry," she said, a relieved laugh slipping out.

The young heroine's expression grew serious as she looked at each person's face. "This victory is for all of us." Extending her fist out in front of her, Chat added his. After a moment's hesitation, Argos did the same. The boys looked to their mothers, who each presented a fist in the growing circle. The group looked expectantly at Natalie who reluctantly joined them. "Kwamis," Ladybug called and the tiny creatures gathered to hover above the axle of extended arms.

"Today is for Paris, for the kwamis and for all of us who were hurt by Gabriel Agreste," Ladybug said. Her eyes lingered on Chat Noir. She gave his hand a squeeze, their non-fist bumping hands still interconnected. He didn't say anything but raised their interlocked hands to kiss her knuckles.

Emilie reflected on Ladybug's words. Should she really be here? In this celebratory circle of Gabriel's downfall? She had been the catalyst for the pain Gabriel had inflicted on all of them. Her heart panged as her gaze settled on her son. His transformation hid the physical evidence of that hurt caused by his father. And some of his reactions made her wonder how deep the wounds were that she couldn't see. Fèlix and Marinette surely hadn't come out on the other side of this mentally unscathed either but there was something all the more dreadful, personal, about being betrayed by family. A little extra twist of the knife. Sure, Fèlix had thought of Gabriel as an uncle but Adrien had loved his father, trusted him completely. And Gabriel had betrayed that trust, in her name. Like dictators and terrorists who use religion or philosophy to justify doing the opposite of what their precepts actually instruct. Gabriel had made her the martyr in his war, in which he did and said the opposite of everything she had lived for. No, she did need to be here. To prove to the universe and to remind herself. The meaning of her life would not be rewritten by her husband. As he was now, he had lost the right to be a co-author in her narrative. Emilie's entire arm flexed down to her fingers, taut and ready. It was time to turn the page and reclaim her story.

Six human fists met in the center of their circle and nineteen kwamis bumped each other's little paws as the hands beneath them gently tapped together.

"Bien Joué!"

Chapter Text

Silence settled over the room. Where would they go from here? What did it mean that this battle was over? That Emilie would have to have an honest talk with her son and face her husband… Was she ready for that? Did it matter? She certainly hadn't been prepared for everything that she had to deal with since she woke up. Regardless of her wishes, time marched on as the earth continued to spin and revolve around the sun. They would have to take it one day at a time.

"Anyone hungry?" Amelie broke the silence, distracting Emilie from the cacophony of thoughts swirling inside her head.

The distinct rumble that echoed through the bare chamber served as an answer.

"Excuse me," Fèlix said, his voice clear albeit subdued, and face flushed.

That brought a smile to Emilie's face. What a way to be reminded they needed to do something as normal as eating. Her smile didn't last long though as she noticed the teens suddenly looked worn, as if the events of the day had finally taken their toll on them. All of the most pressing issues had been addressed. Now they would have to start processing everything. Through healing, hopefully they could, in time, start to reclaim some sense of normalcy in their lives. Emilie had already started on that process while they had been asleep. She supposed that, in the long run, that fact was fortunate. Hopefully, she was already through the worst of her crisis and could be there for the kids as they navigated their way through.

"I could go for some food." After all, she hadn't eaten in two years. Had she? It might be too soon to say that out loud. As far as she could tell, she hadn't been connected to any form of nutrition support when she woke but her clothes seemed to fit the same. She could wonder about how that was so another day.

Once everyone was downstairs, Emilie suggested they gather in the parlor. Although there were six people and nineteen kwamis, the room was plenty big enough for everyone to spread out and find a comfortable place to relax. "What sounds good to everyone?"

While the kids discussed different food ideas, Natalie went to grab her tablet.

"You know, there's this little family owned diner near Sorbonne called Dim Sum Delight. We used to go there all the time in our early twenties when I'd come to visit, remember Emilie?"

"Yeah, I do."

"My maman and I go there sometimes, it's really good," Marinette added excitedly.

Those recommendations were enough to convince the boys. They ended up passing around the tablet for everyone to put in their orders. Emilie smiled as the kids tried to make sure the kwamis were taken care of. Despite everything they'd been through recently, they were still looking out for their little friends.

"Sorry, buddy, but cheese isn't usually used in Chinese food. Besides, you have a whole mini fridge full of camembert upstairs! Fine! I'll get you some Crab Rangoon."

"Well, they have fortune cookies but I know you're not a big fan of those. What about bubble tea? I know you like the pearls. What flavor do you want?"

"I don't see anything with almonds but the Kung Pao Shrimp has roasted peanuts. Will that work?"

And on it went.

"They're going to work up quite the bill," Natalie advised the sisters quietly.

"Don't worry about it. I'm paying. It isn't everyday your sister wakes from a two year coma." Amelie glanced surreptitiously at Emilie. "Well, you had better not make a habit out of it."

Emilie laughed. "No! Not planning on tempting the fates again." Emilie kept her gaze on the kids and the kwamis, drinking in this precious homecoming scene.

Eventually, Adrien brought the tablet to Emilie. "Maman, what do you want?"

She clicked on the cart and saw a long list of items. "You three already ordered enough for a small army." She kept her tone light and teasing. "I'm sure I can have something from what's already here."

Amelie piped up, "Absolutely not! You pick out what you want. You're not doing the mum thing today."

"Mum thing?" Fèlix asked as he and Marinette joined Adrien in front of the sofa where the adults were resting.

"Well, there are a lot of 'mum things'," Amelie made air quotes, "But this one in particular is when mums put the needs and wants of everyone else in their family and friend group ahead of their own."

"Oh." A flame fanned across Marinette's cheeks. Emilie remembered Marinette mentioning that she had a mother. What sacrifices might Marinette be remembering that she had made for her. The boys looked down at the ground, trying to hide guilty looks of their own.

"Hey," Emilie reached out to gently guide the boys' chins up with her fingers, raising their eyes. Then she placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder. "Don't be glum. It's what all mums do." Then, remembering that Adrien had a father who hadn't done what he was supposed to do to love and support him as he ought to have, she added, "Mums who are trying to be good mums anyway." She wondered what Fèlix and Colt's relationship had been like. Her sister had never talked about it much, instead focusing on Fèlix's accomplishments, interests or things they had done together. Earlier her sister had been almost a little too reserved when mentioning her husband's death. She wondered if there had been more going on behind the scenes than what Amelie had been willing to admit.

"You'll understand one day when you're parents," Amelie added.

"I think they already understand. On some level anyway. That's why they're so upset about it. No offense to you two but I've seen up close what they've had to go through, on both sides of their masks." Natalie had barely spoken a word since they'd settled into the parlor. She directed her gaze to the teens. "Everything you've had to sacrifice as Chat Noir and Ladybug in order to keep Paris and everyone you love safe. Everything Argos had to sacrifice to help your loved ones. Sleep, safety, your relationships, feeling torn between two identities, and every burden you took on in exchange. Anxiety, depression, pressure, heartbreak; that's a taste of what it's like to be a parent. The difference is all of those emotions are caused by someone who in the beginning is completely helpless and relies on you for every single thing. They love you unconditionally but eventually grow up and you have to learn to let them make their own choices and go their own way."

Emilie's eyes were glistening at Natalie's words. Gabriel may not have done right by Adrien but it seemed Natalie had tried, in her own way, to be a good parent to him. Despite her mistakes, which Emilie also had made her fair share, as all parents do, Natalie had come to understand what it meant to fill that role. In her periphery, she caught her sister wiping hurriedly under her eyes, followed by a quick sniffle that just as easily could've been allergies.

"Maman," Adrien said reverently. "What do you want to order?"

"Thai Basil Chicken." She closed her eyes and remembered sitting in that restaurant with Amelie. A couple of young adults, smiling, laughing, carefree, full of dreams and possibilities. Opening her eyes, she saw her teen son, maybe not laughing and carefree but wearing a soft smile and a full life ahead of him of his own making. Hopefully, she could earn back his trust and he would confide in her about his dreams someday. "Substitute noodles for rice and add lettuce wraps if they're not already on the order."

Adrien nodded, tapped the tablet a few times before insisting Amelie and Natalie each pick something to include in the order as well.

"I'm going to go ask Maurice what he wants," Adrien said as he headed towards the door.

"No!" Emilie sprang up from the sofa causing Adrien to flinch. His response nearly broke her.

"Sorry!" Emilie winced and slowed her approach towards her son. When he relaxed, she carefully placed her hands on his shoulders. "I didn't mean to frighten you but he's down in the basement guarding your father. I don't want you going down there again just yet-" 'Not alone.' She finished in her mind. 'Not after everything he did to you.' And she didn't know if she would ever be ready to witness Adrien confront Gabriel, something she knew she wasn't ready to do herself yet but was happening sooner rather than later. She wanted to protect him from facing this unfortunate reality just a little longer. "Let today be for rest and recovery. I did take some refreshments down to Maurice while you all were sleeping. And I promised to check on him soon. I'm sure he'd love to have his pick of any of the dozens of dishes we're ordering."

Her son surprised her by giving her a hug. "Thanks for looking out for him, Maman."

Emilie ran one of her hands through his hair. While touched by her son's thoughtfulness for the bodyguard, she tried to think of something to bring back the light mood that settled over the group earlier.

"I hope you have a good appetite because it's probably going to take us a week to finish all this food off."

"As long as I don't have to eat alone, I won't complain about the leftovers."

Emilie's eyebrows knit together as she pulled back to examine her son's face. "Eat alone?"

"Until recently, Gabriel rarely joined Adrien for mealtime. And Maurice and I were never allowed to sit with him and eat at the table in the formal dining room."

Emilie gasped. Before she could formulate any additional response, Adrien made a soft "Oh," sound. "It's because of the Cataclysm, isn't it?"

Natalie nodded solemnly.

"What?" Emilie looked from Natalie to Adrien.

"I … cataclysmed father… It was kind of an accident." Her son hung his head.

"Kind of an accident?!" Marinette stormed angrily to where the mother and son pair stood. "He's the one who did that to himself to get away from us! To prevent us from taking the miraculous back and learning his identity. He got cataclysmed because of his own stubbornness and pride!" As she looked into Adrien's eyes, her expression was a mixture of ferocity and determination. She grabbed his hand, the one that bore the burden of destruction, and wrapped it in hers. "It wasn't your fault, Kitty." The young lady's voice dropped to just above a whisper. Unable to stand seeing her on the brink of tears, Adrien wrapped his arm around her.

"She's right, Adrien. Your father's and my failings and shortcomings aren't on you."

Amelie appeared at her side and quietly slipped the tablet from Adrien's fingers. "I'll finish putting the order in. Maybe you should take a walk while we wait for everything."

Adrien nodded and Marinette lead him out of the room.

"I should be with him," Fèlix said suddenly. "I understand what it's like-" Fèlix cut himself off before darting out of the room.

Amelie let out a tired laugh. "Welcome to raising a teenager, who also happens to have super powers and carries the weight of the world on their shoulders."

Emilie sighed loudly as she flopped, unceremoniously, onto the oversized sofa. Amelie kneeled on the floor and rested her head along the edge of the sofa cushion. Her sister tilted her head to turn towards their friend. "Right, Natalie?"

The woman in question looked startled being included in this conversation but Amelie gave a knowing wink and waited patiently.

Natalie was now slumped in an armchair, and some of the weight she'd been carrying appeared to have lessened. "I've only known about Adrien's masked identity for about a week though. For the majority of the time he's had his miraculous, I was completely clueless that there were other things I should've been worried about for him. It definitely explains a few strange things that have happened over the past year. You've had to worry about Fèlix being Argos for a few months now."

Amelie nodded and let out a breath. "Unfortunately, Fèlix's father forced him to grow up too fast. So I wasn't worried so much about him running around Paris and London with super powers as I was worried about what Gabriel might do to him."

Emilie flinched, though she knew her sister was completely justified in her concern. Wasn't that Emilie's newly found fear that Natalie had also admitted too? And Emilie had seen the results of Gabriel's treatment towards the children. As their bodies healed, she was starting to see the scars in them too, the ones that weren't written on their skin.

"He told me he once tried to confront Gabriel and he threatened to snap him."

Emilie's rage towards her husband flared afresh and she dug her fingers into a nearby throw pillow. Even though she already knew that Gabriel had threatened to erase Adrien as well. She still felt angry and hurt that the person who had once been a loving husband and caring father had threatened and hurt the boys. And if she was honest with herself, she still felt some responsibility too. Some guilt. Even though she was trying to be brave and focus on helping everyone else heal, her feelings wouldn't just disappear overnight, even though part of her wished they could.

She wanted to scream. If she'd been alone, she might have. Instead, she settled for pressing the pillow over face and letting out a guttural groan. "I'm so sorry, Amelie."

"Hey now," Amelie gently tugged the pillow off her face. "Just like Gabriel's sins aren't on Adrien's head, they're not on yours either." Emilie said nothing. Her sister placed her hand on top of Emilie's. "Maybe you need to take a walk too?"

"What about a drive? We can cruise around until our food's ready to pick up," Natalie suggested.

"Okay, but we should let the kids know."

"Are you kidding?" Amelie scoffed. "They're probably getting their fresh air on top of the Eiffel Tower or Notre Dame or somewhere."

"But they're injured!"

"They'll be fine. The suits help protect them, remember?"

They called Maurice to let him know they were going out to get food. Emilie offered to take the night shift watching Gabriel so the older man could get some much needed rest. But Amelie and Natalie wouldn't let her take watch the whole night by herself so they worked out a schedule to take turns.

Once on the road, Emilie rolled down the window.

"Umm, Emilie?" Natalie hedged. "That may not be the best idea."

"Hmm?" She answered but wasn't really paying attention to what her friend was saying. Instead, she was absorbed in drinking in the sights and smells of the city and relishing in the feel of the air on her skin.

"You're a semi-public figure who has been declared missing for the past two years."

"Oh." Emilie's face fell as she rolled the window back up.

"We'll have to think of a cover story to explain your return," Natalie said.

Emilie pondered that. "How about I was traveling in a remote region, got into an accident and ended up with amnesia, without my ID on me?"

Amelie smacked her arm lightly and laughed. "Do you think you're in a soap opera?"

"Let's be honest. I kind of am. I mean how many people do you know who not only used magical IVF, but ended up in a coma and awoke to find her husband and son engaged in a magical civil war."

"Fine. Point taken." Then Amelie muttered under her breath, "Always so dramatic."

Emilie rolled her eyes."Let's hear your bright idea then," she said, challenging her sister.

"How about you had fallen gravely ill and were recovering in a long term care hospital. Gabriel didn't want anyone bothering your recovery so he gave the public the story that you were missing. That's basically what happened, just leaving out the magic jewelry and your husband's creepy crypt."

Emilie stuck her tongue out playfully at her sister. Amelie winked.

"What about Adrien?" Natalie asked.

Emilie frowned. "What do you mean?"

"If you say Gabriel lied to the world and Adrien was in on it, even if he was following his father's order, it could reflect poorly on him, if not now, then later. If you say Gabriel lied and Adrien was kept in the dark, the reaction could be mixed, from pity to suspicion, to developing a reputation as dimwitted."

"I want to leave Adrien out of Gabriel's mess as much as possible. He's suffered enough." Emilie's voice cracked.

Amelie spoke up. "Hard to do when half the city is covered with his face and the other half has access to it at their fingertips."

"Huh?"

Amelie and Natalie exchanged a meaningful look, which Natalie quickly dropped to refocus on the road.

As they idled at a stoplight, Emilie looked around at the city and people she loved. After a moment, her eyes saw all the things she had glossed over before. Adrien on billboards and sidewalk signs. Adrien on the side of a bus and featured in a perfume ad on an animated billboard. Overwhelmed, she looked away from the larger than life versions of her son's image that seemed to be nearly everywhere. A group of people waiting for the crosswalk caught her eye. There was something peculiar over their hands. Specifically, over their knuckles. Emilie squinted only to realize there were tiny projections of her son hovering over their midi rings. Adrien in a tux, Adrien in a speedo and Adrien … in a banana costume…?

Her companions remained silent as she processed the information. She had to remind herself he wasn't a little boy anymore. "Did he…? Adrien was okay with all this right?" It seemed a bit strange to see but she herself had done some acting and modeling in the past. And hadn't Emilie shared her own love of performing arts with her son throughout his childhood? Piano duets, martial arts movies, and playing pretend. Maybe he was like her in that way. But even then, this felt a little excessive, a little invasive, especially for one so young, not even an adult yet.

Natalie shook her head sadly. "Adrien did the modeling, for Gabriel's sake. As the time to make decisions about lyceé drew near, Adrien tried to find out who he was and what his interests were outside of his father's shadow. Gabriel … did not take that well."

"When you say he didn't take it well?"

"He tricked him into becoming the AI for the Alliance rings and when Adrien asked to not have his likeness displayed and manipulated in that way, Gabriel told him that was the trade off to stop modeling. And if he went back to modeling, he wouldn't have time to spend with his friends anymore." Natalie's eyelids slid shut briefly before returning to the road again.

Emilie stared at the Alliance ring on her finger before yanking it off like it burned her and throwing it vehemently into the floorboard. "So that's why you disabled the AI! Because you didn't want me to find out?!"

"I would've told you, eventually. You were already dealing with so much. And when you woke, we had more pressing matters to attend to."

Some small, logical yet annoying, part of Emilie's brain knew her friend was right. But her emotional side was dominating right now. "Gabriel's incapacitated! Take him off those bloody rings now!"

"If it were so easy, I would have done it already."

"What's the problem then?" Amelie asked, sounding frustrated, but once again getting to the point that Natalie seemed to be dancing around.

"The problem is that the Alliance rings are a collaborative project with Tomoe. To remove Adrien as AI, you will have to go through her."

"Let's go now, while we wait for the food!" Emilie insisted.

Natalie sighed. "I suggest you put your own affairs in order first before going to see her."

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?!"

"Gabriel for starters. He's tied up in the basement and we've yet to settle on an explanation for your reappearance for the public. Plus, Gabriel had several contracts and closed door agreements with Tomoe. It would behoove you to at least read through them before you go storming over there."

Emilie frowned. She didn't like it but Natalie may have had a point. "What sort of agreements?"

"A company merger for one, once Adrien and Kagami married."

"What?!" The sisters cried out together.

"What do you mean married?! They're minors for crying out loud!" Emilie shouted. She was furious.

"A marriage contract?! Seriously?!" Amelie fumed. "What is wrong with them?!"

"Did Adrien even know about any of this?" Emilie growled. "Besides, Adrien and Marinette like each other." She knew from the stories she'd heard from the kwamis that it was more than just liking each other. And she too had noticed how the couple acted around each other in the short time she'd observed them. She wasn't sure if she wasn't ready to admit it or if she was waiting for Adrien to confirm it. Clear as day, they were in love.

Emilie hadn't been surprised to hear Amelie was just as shocked as she was. She was Adrien's aunt and Emilie would have been just as upset if Fèlix had been used as a pawn in some business scheme. This was twenty-first century France for crying out loud, not the bloody dark ages!

"And Fèlix and Kagami like each other! Not just like! Fèlix would find a way to move the moon for her, if that's what she wanted!" Amelie protested.

That wasn't anything close to what she expected her sister to say. It was enough to derail her somewhat from her ire. Wow! Both of the boys were growing up so fast, it was a lot to take in. "Are they going steady?"

Her sister shook her head. "Not yet. He wants to ask her but with everything going on, he was worried it wasn't safe. He has started to get to know her though."

"By kidnapping her?" Natalie said dryly with a raised eyebrow.

Before Emilie could ask, Amelie was quick to defend her son. "Yes, I spoke with him about that. And while it sounds bad, in his mind it was a rescue, not a kidnapping. He said Tomoe was disparaging her daughter and even asked for her ring back. While Kagami didn't realize the full extent of what that meant at the time, it still hurt her not to be trusted with a symbol of her family's legacy. And she did give Fèlix a piece of her mind after being unwittingly whisked away. At his age, her scolding meant more to him than anything I could ever say would." Amelie sighed. Emilie got the feeling that she wasn't the only one experiencing the bittersweet pangs of her child growing up. "But Fèlix was able to get the ring back to her. And they have quietly seen each other a few times since then. Kagami can be quite ingenious when she wants to be. I haven't interacted with her directly since she was little. I'd love to meet her again. Take the kids out for lunch or something but if Tomoe is using her daughter as a pawn, that could be very dangerous. Open defiance could get back to Tomoe…"

Amelie let that implication hang in the air. They'd already seen what Gabriel was capable of… The devil you know versus the devil you don't?

"Anyway," Amelie continued, "speaking of rings and nasty affairs, wanna tell us why you're wearing Emilie's wedding band?"

To say that Natalie was caught off guard was an understatement. The implications hung in the air as their friend choked, then coughed and spluttered as she tried to regain her composure.

"Did you have to be so direct," Emilie muttered under her breath to her sister. Amelie shrugged. Emilie knew what she was thinking, 'Better to be direct and get it over with.'

"Well, I um…" Natalie cleared her throat and tried again. "Do you two know much about the akuma known as Risk?"

Amelie shrugged noncommittally, not letting on if or how much she might have known, clearly more interested in Natalie's explanation for the offense. "I read about it. One of the worst akumas…" Emilie trailed off. One of the reports of an akuma attack that made her realize that innocent bystanders must have died, really died, during Strike Back's violent rampage against the city, before magically being revived.

"He was worried that he might be … affected or harmed. So he gave me the one ring he still had at the time and sent Adrien and I out of the city."

Her jaw dropped momentarily before she snapped it shut and attempted to form words. "Do you mean to say that it was a premeditated attack?" Emilie asked.

"Yes."

Emilie was horrified. He had been willing to accept death, for himself and others, if that's what it took to win. She shuddered as it almost sounded like herself, willing to accept death if it meant she got to have, raise and love a child, even if for a short time. But she was motivated by love. Could Gabriel have said the same? That he was motivated by his love for her? But it was different somehow. She hadn't wanted to go down in a blaze of glory, taking everyone and everything out with her out of spite. Knowing her time with Adrien was limited, she had tried to give him the best memories, the best childhood she could. She tried to prepare Gabriel and Natalie to raise and love her son, in a world without her.

The phrase, 'if I can't have you, no one can' came to mind. It was as if Gabriel had operated under the philosophy that if he couldn't get what he wanted, then no one else could have what the wanted either. And she, Emilie, had been that thing he wanted badly enough to burn the world for. That thought left her stomach in knots. She shuddered and brought her hands up to cover her face.

Amelie reached out to comfort her sister. "I know what you're thinking. There's a difference between love and lust. Sometimes they overlap and work in tandem but love should always dominate. When lust overpowers, it corrupts; becomes controlling, greedy and selfish."

Emilie nodded. "I hear what you're saying. It's just hard."

"Healing is hard. But you have us. We'll be here to remind you."

Emilie smiled sadly at her sister. She was grateful for her support, grateful she was here. But there was still so much pain still inside of her, even though she knew she would come out on the other side of this someday, it didn't stop the heartache in the moment.

As she tried to smother the despair to prevent it from consuming her, something pricked at the back of her mind. "You said Gabriel gave you 'the one ring?'"

This time, Amelie offered explanations. "Fèlix stole one of the rings. We figured out pretty quickly that it was Adrien's." A delicate, involuntary shudder rippled through her sister. "Fèlix had planned to keep it until he could explain everything and give it to Adrien but he wanted to wait until it was safe. I mentioned Gabriel threatened to snap Fèlix. He also made vague threats against me. At that point, Fèlix realized that he had to ensure his and my safety first in order to make another attempt to help Adrien. Because if Gabriel blackmailed or hurt us, there wouldn't be anyone left to fight him. He didn't trust Ladybug and Chat Noir at the time because they purified amoks. And we weren't sure where other loyalties lie." Her eyes lingered meaningfully on Natalie before continuing. "Even though Gabriel was keeping Adrien on an increasingly tight leash, we didn't think he would ever physically hurt him."

"That makes two of us." Natalie sounded disgusted. How much of that was directed towards herself and how much towards Gabriel? Emilie couldn't even begin to guess. It's not like she could quantify her own guilt for everything her loved ones had suffered in her absence and because of her actions.

"What are we going to do?"

"About Gabriel?" Natalie asked.

"Yeah." Emilie took a deep breath, trying to not get overwhelmed. "What are our options?"

"Turn him into the authorities. Let him have his day in court. I'm sure they'd lock him up and throw away the key. You and Adrien would never have to see him again," Amelie suggested.

"I wonder how Adrien would be treated. If it became public knowledge that his father was a terrorist." Emilie wondered.

"Surely you're not thinking of keeping him in the basement forever?" Amelie said, aghast at the thought.

"I …I don't like the idea of it either but we don't have a lot of options."

"If Marinette gave the miracle box back to the Order of the Guardians, you could probably let him stay at the manor. If there's no magic in the city and he has you back, surely he'd return to being the relatively harmless tailor."

Emilie knew her sister was trying to help but the thought made her sick. Could she really just pretend nothing had happened over the past two years and simply go back to the way things were before? Eat with him at the table in the morning and lay down next to him in bed at night. Share goodbye kisses. Hold hands at Adrien's graduation. Let him hold their first grand baby.

Luckily, Natalie offered a counter point.

"Apparently when a guardian renounces the box, they lose all their memories. Marinette would become an empty shell. She wouldn't remember Adrien, the time they spent together… everything they've been through would just be gone from her."

"No! I can't do that to them!"

"Gabriel didn't leave you a lot of good options, Em."

"Food's ready," Natalie tapped a notification on the small screen embedded into the dashboard, interrupting the debate.

"Let's eat and try to get some rest tonight," Emilie suggested. "We might have a fresh perspective in the morning. And we should probably open the discussion up to the children. Whatever we decide to do with Gabriel, it will affect them too. They've been in danger because of him, more so than anyone else. How do we let them know the food's ready, if they're transformed on a rooftop somewhere?"

"Fèlix has his civilian phone forwarded to his super phone if it's from me and he doesn't pick up." Amelie was already hitting the call button. "I have no idea how he did it or how it works," she said, waiting through the obligatory rings. "Dear, we're picking up the food now. If you're out and about, you should start making your way back to the manor. How's everyone holding up?"

Natalie parked the car along the street but didn't immediately get out.

"Natalie, I can help you carry the bags."

"Thanks but you should probably stay here until we've sorted out the official story for your return."

"Oh, right." Emilie couldn't help but feel embarrassed at how useless she was. All because she was supposed to be missing and now needed a way to explain why she wasn't anymore. Watching her friend go, it almost felt like she had traded one form of involuntary confinement for another. She hoped they could figure something out soon.

"Hey," Amelie interrupted her melancholic thoughts. "You okay?"

"Natalie reminded me that I'm stuck hiding until I can come up with a story to satisfy public curiosity."

"Why'd she say that?"

"My words, not hers. But I offered to help her with the bags and she reminded me why I can't."

"Things will get better."

"I know that… but it's hard to feel that way right now. Everything's such a mess."

"It will." Amelie reached out and squeezed her hand. "That faith you once had in Gabriel, that you once had as a dying woman that things would work, place that in yourself and the ones who love you, the ones who are supporting you here and now."

"I'm trying."

"Then keep trying. One day at a time. Keep putting one foot in front of the other until you can see the light at the end of this dark time."

Emilie nodded. "Thank you." She reached out and gave her sister a hug. They had never been the type of twins to flaunt their minute difference in legal age due to birth order but sometimes Amelie felt more like her older sister than a younger one. She took solace and refuge in her slightly younger sister's words, presence and unwavering reassurance.

The trunk popped, startling her. Natalie loaded the bags into the trunk, passing a tip to the restaurant employee who had helped her carry everything out to the car. When she got back in, she didn't immediately start the engine.

"Natalie?"

The woman in question turned around slowly, every creak of the leather seat accented in the otherwise silent car. She avoided the sisters' eyes momentarily as she fiddled with something they couldn't see.

"I need to give this back to you." She held the Graham de Vanily ring in her palm and presented it to Emilie who nodded towards her sister. "It's Fèlix's. You should take it."

Amelie shook her head. "You take it. This whole thing started with you, with your dream. You should be the one to give it to him. To give both of them the power to make their own dreams come true."

Emilie stared at the ring, the weight and implications it carried. While Fèlix already knew the gist of his origins, he had never heard about it with her. The one who had been there in the beginning. The one who had let him go to Amelie to ensure all three of their survival. And giving Fèlix his ring would mean telling Adrien the truth wasn't far off. Taking a deep breath, she carefully picked up the ring, closed her fingers around it and clutched it over her heart.

"Thank you, both of you, for keeping the boys safe."

Natalie nodded solemnly.

"You would've done the same for us, if our roles had been reversed," Amelie reminded her and Emilie couldn't argue. She knew it was true.

While Natalie started the car, Emilie fished out the necklace bearing Adrien's ring. By the time they got home, she had reworked the knots and beads so that the necklace now accommodated both rings. She replaced it securely around her neck and tucked the last secret she was carrying under the collar of her blouse.

Chapter Text

Emilie hated to disturb the light, happy atmosphere. Everyone was relaxing after having had their fill and then some. "I need to relieve Maurice from guard duty but I want us to reconvene tomorrow. We need to decide what to do about Gabriel."

The lazy chatting and sounds of the kwamis playing that had filled the room suddenly ceased. A somber, oppressive air took its place.

"Any testimony or evidence you want to bring against him, be ready to share that."

"Like a trial?" Marinette asked.

Emilie nodded. "Marinette, you're welcome to spend the night here."

The young lady's face flushed a brilliant crimson as she spluttered, training her gaze down at her shoes.

"Maman! Marinette and I… um…we're not…we don't…" Emilie had never seen Adrien so flustered. That hadn't been exactly what she meant but it was good to have an idea of where they're relationship was and part of her was relieved to learn that he hadn't grown up quite as much as she had originally thought. Her son's response also tugged at her mischievous side though.

"Oh." She said with as neutral an expression as she could manage. "I meant that we have spare rooms. Did you want her to spend the night in yours?"

Adrien made an unintelligible, half strangled, noise before clearing his throat. "We… are, uh, taking things … slow."

Emilie managed to smoother the giggles threatening to burst out of her and nodded seriously. "It's good to know that you're being responsible."

Marinette let out a short, sharp squeak before quickly bringing her hands up to cover her face.

"Maman, please!" Adrien pleaded.

Fèlix looked mildly embarrassed while still managing to smirk at his cousin's predicament.

"Fèlix," Emilie kept her voice stern as she redirected her focus, giving Adrien and Marinette a much needed break. "I hear you have a young lady you're seeing. Are you two being responsible?"

Before he could respond, Amelie joined in. "You know Fèlix and Kagami don't take anything slowly. They see what they want and go for it."

Fèlix's eyes blew wide as he stared, slack jawed, at his mother. "Mum!"

Emilie didn't think it was possible for Adrien's face to get any more scarlet than it already was. "Wait! Fèlix! Are you… and Kagami…?" He didn't seem to be able to finish his question.

Fèlix flicked the back of his cousin's head with his finger. "What?! Of course not! And even if…" Felix appeared to be momentarily lost in thought before shaking his head vigorously. "Well, who's business would it be anyway?"

"As long as you're still a minor, it's mine." Amelie interjected. "And if yous two make Tomoe and I grandmothers too soon, I'm sure she'll thwack the pair of you with her bokkan well enough from the both of us!" She folded her arms in a gesture that felt like she was sealing the threat into a promise.

Adrien and Fèlix were flabbergasted and looked like a pair of tomatoes. Marinette probably did too but she was still hiding her face. Poor girl couldn't have expected to have this conversation the day she revived her boyfriend's mother.

Emilie couldn't hold herself back anymore as she burst out in laughter. Amelie and Natalie joined her while the teens looked absolutely mortified.

Once their laughter started to subside, Emilie felt the need to apologize. "I'm sorry. We shouldn't have laughed. I'm glad everything is hand holding, warm hugs and chaste kisses right now. But as you get older, feelings get stronger and desires grow deeper." While the flush hadn't faded from their faces yet, the teens were listening to her attentively.

"And as things change," Amelie continued, "these are discussions that will need to be revisited."

"Alright, enough of that for today," Emilie said, breaking the awkward silence that settled over the heroes of Paris. The irony that these three could run straight into danger and risk their lives to fight magical supervillains, but when it came to discussing intimacy with their parents, they were regular teenagers again was not lost on her. "C'mon Marinette. Let's take you home."

"Emilie…" Natalie warned.

"I want to introduce myself to Marinette's parents. I'll ask for them to be discreet until we can arrange a press release."

"You don't have to trouble yourself, Mrs. Agreste. I'll just tell them I was with Alya all day. She'll cover for me."

"It's okay. You kids don't have to go it all alone anymore. Please, let me help." The young lady still looked cautious.

"Gabriel wasn't always the most hospitable towards Marinette," Natalie supplied. Adrien looked down in embarrassment. Not the same kind of embarrassment from a few minutes ago. No, this was a different shade of shame. She wondered exactly how terribly Gabriel had treated this girl.

"Well," Emilie grinned broadly, "all the more reason for me to start making amends for my husband's atrocious behavior. And please, call me Emilie."

Amelie and Fèlix stayed behind while Emilie and Adrien escorted Marinette home. Emilie was eager to get back in the driver's seat herself but Natalie insisted on driving again. Maybe once things settled down, she would stop coddling her but there was no telling how long that would take.

On the short ride, Emilie asked Marinette all sorts of questions and listened with interest. Marinette was an aspiring designer, apparently so focused on the clothes, she hadn't even recognized Adrien as Gabriel's son when they first met. Emilie almost wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't heard Tikki's retelling of their first encounter beforehand. If Marinette had known or cared about Adrien's position and connections, she wouldn't have accused him of being a bully and refused to speak to him back then. And the fact that the old guardian had chosen them to wield the most powerful miraculous was a testament that their goodness wasn't just surface level. And perhaps that something greater than human understanding was at play.

Marinette told her about her family, their bakery, where she was going to lyceé in the fall. Emilie glanced at her son, who bore a strained smile. When he noticed Emilie's eyes on him, he tried for a more convincing one. She would have the car ride back to the mansion to try and dissect whatever that was about.

"Oh, we're here!" Marinette said cheerfully. "Thanks for the ride!" Marinette reached out for the door handle only to find that Adrien was already there, door open and hand extended to help her out of the car. Marinette blushed as she placed her hand in his. Emilie pressed a fist over her mouth to muffle a giggle. She probably wasn't supposed to like the fact that her son had a girlfriend but they were just too adorable together. Not only that, but despite so many reminders and reflecting on the failures of herself and the other adults in Adrien's life today, somehow he appeared to be turning out okay. Did that mean that they had all done something right along the way or was it merely a testament to who he was as his own person? That despite his circumstances, he would always find a way to overcome? That he was that inherently good, that he would always try to do what was right?

"Maman?" Adrien's hand was extended towards her now. He looked at her with concern. Emilie smiled reassuringly and accepted the gesture, "Thank you, dear." Adrien held the door open as Marinette and Emilie entered the bakery.

"Welcome!" A voice rang out from behind the counter. "Oh, Marinette! And Adrien! I didn't realize…" The woman's questioning, gray eyes drifted to meet Emilie's. "Hello?"

Before Emilie could introduce herself, Adrien acted as intermediary. "Ms. Sabine, this is my mother, Emilie. Maman, this is Marinette's mother, Ms. Sabine."

Emilie smiled warmly and extended her hand. Sabine still looked confused but nonetheless, she rounded the counter to shake Emilie's. "It's so good to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine."

"Forgive me if I'm being rude but I thought Adrien's mother was…."

"Yes! I was lost but now I'm found." Emilie smiled affectionately at Adrien and Marinette. "I wanted to apologize for stealing your daughter away." 'Not just today,' Emilie added silently. 'For every time she's been separated from you… because of Gabriel, because of me.' Emilie refused to allow her face to betray the true nature of her guilt as she continued. "As you can imagine, there's been a lot to take in today and she's been tremendously supportive of Adrien."

"Oh! Well, that's our Marinette! She's quite loyal to her friends and family." The woman turned her head over her shoulder. "Tom, dear. Can you come to the front? There's someone you need to meet." A man who was probably three times the size of Sabine came out from the back of the shop. "Yes, honey?"

"Tom, dear, this is Adrien's mother, Emilie. Emilie, this is my husband Tom." Tom wiped his hands on his apron before shaking them with Emilie.

"I know you. I've seen you before."

"Tom, don't be silly!" The petite woman scolded her husband. Then she turned her face to the side and nudged him with her elbow, speaking under her breath, "She's a famous actress. Everyone's seen her."

Emilie let out a small laugh. "No, I think Tom might be right. I used to stop in here when I was in university for a treat after a big exam or a bad day. I even used to bring Adrien here with me when he was little, before my health started declining. I think it had a different name back then though."

"Ha!" Tom exclaimed to his wife. "We worked and trained under the previous owner and we took over when he retired."

"I remember a woman who worked here with a little one occasionally strapped to her back. Was that you?"

Sabine laughed. "I forgot that I used to do that. The previous owner's wife offered to babysit Marinette when she was little. But if she had a sick day or errands to run, I would keep her up here with me."

"Then I'm pleased to make your acquaintances again, Sabine and Tom."

"Likewise," the couple replied.

The teens stared at the scene like the parents they loved and knew so well had been replaced by aliens. Then they shared wide eyed looks with each other and a silent conversation that passed between them. They could probably stand there all day as the pair contemplated the likelihood of their meeting in a time before they could remember.

"Unfortunately, we need to head home. There's a lot for us to sort through but I'd love to have you all over for dinner some time, once things settle down on our end."

Adrien's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Maman, really?" He glanced from Emilie to Marinette who also bore a hope filled smile. In her periphery, she noticed the pair squeezed their interlocked hands.

"Yes, absolutely!" Turning back to the parents of one of the heroes of Paris, Emilie felt something almost sacred about this meeting, this reconnection. Afterall, she was the mother of a hero too, wasn't she. "I wanted to apologize for my husband. I'm told he hasn't always made Marinette feel welcome in the past. That changes now."

"Oh?" Sabine and Tom looked at each other in surprise, then to their daughter. "Is that true, Marinette?"

The girl in question shrugged and looked down at her shoes, fidgeting one of her feet in short strokes along the floor. "It wasn't that big of a deal. We both want what's best for Adrien."

Now it was Emilie's turn to be surprised. Not many people would defend their enemy like that. It made her all the more excited to get to know this young lady who had smitten her son and dared to stand against her husband, maybe on both sides of the mask even.

"We can discuss it more at dinner," Sabine said in a calm, soothing voice. Emilie was grateful for the reassurance. It would have made leaving Marinette here more difficult if she thought the girl was in for punishment after everything she's been through.

"Hope to see you all again soon. And if you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you could keep our meeting to yourselves for the time being. We haven't had time yet to notify the press of my return."

"We understand," Sabine said. "Family comes first."

"Yes it does! Marinette, please feel free to drop by tomorrow or whenever else you like." Emilie hoped that would be enough to excuse her, in her parents' eyes, to come the following day to discuss Gabriel's crime and punishment.

Marinette nodded knowingly at Emilie. While the teens exchanged hugs and quiet "See you tomorrows," Tom said in a low tone, "That's a fine young man you have there."

"Yes, thank you! I wanted to say the same about your daughter. I know I don't know her very well yet but I can already tell she's something special."

Tom nodded seriously. "That she is. She takes after her mother that way."

Sabine blushed like a school girl and swatted her husband playfully. "Oh really!"

"Emilie, I'm a hugger. Do you mind?" The giant of a man looked slightly abashed, transforming him into an oversized teddy bear.

"I don't mind," she said as she embraced him and repeated the same gesture with Sabine. "I've needed a lot of hugs today. Thank you." And she knew she wasn't just thanking them for the hugs.

Once back in the car, Emilie wondered about what had been bothering Adrien on their earlier ride. Fortunately, her son offered an opening.

"Maman, are you serious about Marinette?!"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"There's no, um, strings?"

"Strings?"

"With papa, there were always strings. I could stop modeling but had to be the face of the Alliance. He could take me off the rings but I would have to go back to modeling and wouldn't have any free time with my friends. I could date but he didn't respect who I chose. If he was upset with me for any reason, he would threaten to pull me out of school. I didn't even get to pick which lyceé to apply for, despite my objections…"

"I'm so sorry you had to go through all that, Adrien. Your father was wrong, about so many things but especially in the way he treated you." Emilie reached to place a hand on his shoulder, which was the best she could manage while they were strapped into their seat belts with an empty middle seat between them. Her son leaned across the gap to bury his head into her shoulder and started to cry. Unbuckling her seatbelt, Emilie shifted into the middle. She stroked his hair and made soothing noises. Once he calmed down, he raised his head and smiled, "Thanks, Maman. I think I needed to hear that."

Emilie nodded as she buckled herself into the middle seat to remain close to her son. He rested his head against her arm. Emilie allowed a few moments of silence before pressing the question that had been bothering her earlier. "Does that have something to do with why you looked so anxious earlier, when Marinette was talking about her plans for the future?"

"Somewhat." He sighed then allowed himself a light chuckle. "She's always been the one with big dreams and grand plans. Just knowing her made me wonder what it would be like to have those things for myself. But I had no idea. I was so used to papa telling me what to do and trying to keep him happy. I started trying to tell him what I wanted but he always shut me down. Even today, I tried to stand up to him... And you see how well he took that." Adrien pointed to the spot hidden beneath his hairline that only barely disguised the goose egg that was starting to form.

Natalie and Emilie shared a heavy look via the rearview mirror. Adrien sharing how his father had treated him in his own words was devastating but Emilie realized she had already apologized for Gabriel so much today. Her instinct was to do so again but her repeated regrets and sorrow weren't nearly as helpful as she would have liked for them to be. No, it would take a combination of love, encouragement by way of both words and actions and time for him to recover, to heal from the pain his father callously inflicted on him. The same would be true for all of them.

"You have time, Adrien. You'll have all summer to figure out what you want to study. I'm sure there's a provision for late applications. And if by the end of summer, you're still not sure, you can take a gap year. Give yourself the time you need to figure it out. It's gonna be okay." She had absolutely no idea if any of that was true, only having a vague notion of how secondary school worked in France. She would have to have Natalie fill her in on the specifics. But they would find a way to make this right for Adrien.

"Actually…" Adrien started hesitantly, "I do have an idea, now… but I've never told anyone, not even Marinette."

Emilie was surprised at his words. "I would have thought you would tell Marinette everything."

"I didn't think it was safe. Not that Marinette isn't safe, well a safe, trustworthy person but I was afraid, if I said it out loud, he would try to take it away. I tried to explain to him how I felt about Marinette and he kept trying to break us up. He even tried to make a deal with her. When nothing he did or said worked, he promised to send me away for the next school year."

Why had Gabriel tried to ruin their son's happiness? It would have been one thing if he had been making bad decisions but it sounded like Adrien wasn't allowed to make any decisions, at all.

"Send you away?"

"To London."

"To live with Amelie and Fèlix?"

"No, he said I would be too busy to have contact with them. With what, he would never say."

Gabriel really had tried to cut every good thing out of Adrien's life. "You don't have to go to London. Not to live alone. If you wanted to go stay with Amelie, I would understand. I would hope that you would want to stay with me but if you need time, I'll do my best to respect that."

Adrien's eyes widened in alarm. "No! Maman, I want to stay with you! In Paris! My friends are here too! Please!"

"It's okay, baby. You don't have to go if you don't want to."

Adrien started shaking. "Please don't leave me alone! Not again!"

"I'm right here." He buried his head in her shoulder and clung to her like his life depended on it. Somehow, it felt like hers did too.

"Adrien, baby, I need you to look at me." He did so, his eyes vaguely focused on hers, still wide with panic. "I'm right here. With you. In this moment. Do you see me?"

He nodded his head weakly. Emilie applied gentle but firm pressure to his hands. "Can you feel that? Can you squeeze for me?" Her son furrowed his eyebrows in concentration as he returned the gesture.

"Can you breathe for me? Inhale … and exhale…"

They took deep, measured breaths together for several moments. Emilie held his hands the whole time. Finally, he relaxed his grip. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Yes," he said, voice just above a whisper, followed by the release of a shuddering breath. Adrien slumped back against the seat and Emilie wrapped an arm around her son's shoulder and cradled his head with her other hand

"I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize, Adrien. You had a panic attack. Sometimes that happens when our brains get overwhelmed. You've already had so much on your plate. This doesn't negate how brave and strong you are."

When he spoke again, it was still subdued. "I wouldn't mind getting to see Fèlix and Aunt Amelie more often. Like we used to…"

"I'd love that, dear. Thank you."

Adrien's embrace around her became softer, warmer. She was reminded of the preadolescent boy he had been before she fell into a coma. Maybe he still needed his mum. Whether a little or a lot, she had no idea. She would try to learn how to support Adrien however much he needed it.

"Adrien," Natalie spoke up cautiously from the driver's seat. "When your mother asked what has you worried for next term, you said your study focus was only partially what was bothering you."

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. A nervous habit he'd developed as her condition worsened and he started to understand what it meant when his mother was ill. When she would have a dizzy spell, at first, he would panic and call for Natalie or Gabriel, the latter would always insist their son be sent away from her, to allow her to rest. As time went on, she asked him not to tell anyone and he learned to go into caregiver mode, encouraging her to sit down, grabbing her a glass of water and a bottle of medicine. If he took care of her, he wouldn't be sent away. It was selfish of her, letting her young son tend to her but she preferred to spend time with him then to be confined to her room. Alone with nothing to do made her illness and the passing time all the more painful. So instead, when she was having a bad day, they would play games, watch movies and read books out loud to each other, once they were done with his lessons.

"It's about Marinette. She hasn't always had an easy time at school. Chloé … and others bullied her. Played mean tricks on her. Lied about her to the teachers. Tried to get her kicked out of school. It was bad. It's been better lately but what's gonna happen if Alya and I aren't there to help her?"

"I'm glad Marinette has you and Alya to support her. And that won't change even if you all go to different schools. You'll just have to figure out different ways to show her that."

"Thanks, Maman. I'll try to think of something."

As they pulled into the gates of the manor and Natalie parked the car, Emilie kissed the top of her son's head. "I know you will, baby."

Chapter Text

Emilie bid everyone good night before making her way back down to the basement. She had managed to find a short staff, a jo, to accompany her. A bo would have been nice for the longer reach but the jo would be easier to maneuver in and out of the cramped lift. Emilie practiced a few strikes, blocks and spins before positioning herself in the right spot and pressing the hidden buttons to begin her descent back into the depths of the manor. Once at the bottom, she discussed the watch plans with Maurice. Emilie would take eight to midnight, Natalie, midnight to four am and Amelie, four am to eight am. "Does that sound alright?" 

The bodyguard nodded. 

"If you like Chinese food, the kids ordered a ton. Adrien wanted to make sure you knew you're welcome to have some, if you like." Maurice shared a rare but warm smile with her.

"He might even still be milling around upstairs. He wanted to check on you earlier but," Emilie bit her lip, glancing down before adding quietly, "I wasn't ready for him to see his father yet." 

Maurice placed one of his large hands gently on her shoulder. "And what about you?"

Emilie shook her head. "I'm not really ready to see him myself again either but I can't just lock him up down here and throw away the key, as much as part of me would like to." She sighed. "Has he really been asleep this whole time?"

"Nah, he woke up earlier. Once he realized the position he was in, he yelled, cursed and flung insults at me. I ended up putting in my ear buds while still keeping an eye on him. That only infuriated him more. Eventually, he wore himself out."

"That's awful! I'm so sorry."

Maurice shrugged. "Not your fault. Besides, I used to be in the military, remember. I've heard most of it before, if not worse. He's so reserved and in control most of the time, I didn't realize he had it in him."

Emilie wondered if Maurice was still talking about the vulgarity or Gabriel being a super villain. She wasn't sure she wanted to know what his answer would've been. 

"Any ideas what you're gonna do with him?"

"Amelie, Natalie and I talked about it a little. We came up with a few ideas but not good ones. We're going to have a meeting tomorrow to start discussing everything. If there's anything you would like to present against him or suggestions you have, you're more than welcome."

"Not for me. I've been akumatized a couple of times and insulted a bit here and there. But nothing that's too big a deal. Adrien was more the one I was worried about but I think the boy's finding his voice… and I think that girl's been a good influence on him, despite Gabriel claiming otherwise."

"I think I'm learning that they've been a good influence on each other." Emilie smiled brightly in sharp contrast to their surroundings. "Seriously though. Thank you for looking out for him." Maurice ducked his head and grinned sheepishly, looking like a schoolboy embarrassed by the praise. 

"Now go on," she said, nodding her head towards the lift. "Get upstairs for some food and rest." The bodyguard nodded and left.

Despite the few, small lights scattered around the chamber and the last rays of dim sunlight spilling through the glass window, Emilie felt the quiet loneliness of the dark pressing in on her. She gave herself a shake and patted her cheeks. 'Fear is the mind killer,' she reminded herself.

Leaning her staff against the wall a couple of meters away from Gabriel, she approached her husband to make sure his bindings were still secure. Somewhat satisfied, she forced herself to take a calming breath as she backed away from him. She grabbed her staff and made her way to the more spacious area on the other side of the walkway. She thought doing some exercises would help her get into the right mindset for a four hour watch in the darkness. Hopefully, it would help burn off some nervous energy and get her blood flowing enough to help stave off sleep for a few hours too. Turning around to face Gabriel, she took another deep breath before assuming a ready stance and bowing. And froze. Suddenly, she realized it felt like she was bowing to him. But she wasn't, it was just part of the ritual… Right? A formality to mark the beginning and ending. So why did the thought of bowing towards him prevent her from moving forward? In a match, bowing was a sign of agreement between the two competitors to fight good and clean; to respect each other. It signaled consensual combat. But her once lover turned enemy had started a fight that she hadn't consented to. That her family and friends and millions of other innocents hadn't consented to. Emilie felt her resolve crystalize. This bow, while keeping him in her line of sight, would be dedicated to everyone above them who had fought while she had been unable. Her kyodai. Her comrades in arms. They had fought brave and noble and had suffered for it. And now she was back, she would make sure to finish the fight. The right way. Not the way Gabriel would've finished it. Gabriel had fought for greed, lust, power, revenge. Their banner was truth, justice, and love.

Emilie worked to clear her mind of magic and mortals, of the confusion over her relationships, the anxiety over the uncertain state of her family's future. For a few unbridled moments, she would exist within this well worn pattern of movements. She worked to engage each muscle group, arms striking and blocking her imaginary opponent with her staff, legs locking solidly into each stance. Torso, pelvis and glutes engaged and connecting the movements to ensure that no energy, momentum or stamina was lost. She had created this form for her second degree black belt test when she was a little older than Adrien was now. As such, she had incorporated more of her own personality into the exercise. Between traditional form and functionality, a spin of the staff here and a jump kick there. She mainly used the flashier moves as entertaining transitions, much to her sensei's annoyance. Finally, her finishing move, a spinning crescent kick to a forward strike. She had been so immersed in the moment, letting her muscle memory navigate her, opposed to her brain, she forgot to withhold the final kiai. It was sharp and clear, quickly echoing throughout the chamber. For just a moment, she felt strong. If her voice could fill this huge, empty room tainted with fear and hatred, maybe there was hope for a brighter future someday after all.

"Lovely as always." Gabriel's rich, velveteen voice brought her out of her trance-like state, back to this nightmare he had created. Emilie fought the urge to stiffen, to shrink back into the shadows. No! She wasn't going to let this man intimidate her! She dug deep for that warrior's strength she had unabashedly been showcasing earlier. Before she realized she had an audience of one. She looked him in the eyes. This man, whom she had loved and trusted for so many years. Could she really just let it all go in the blink of an eye? Well, blink of an eye for her anyway. For her, every gentle touch, every passionate kiss, every sweet gesture had been her yesterday. But for the boys, her sister, her friends and millions of innocent people, the fear, terror and anxiety had been their today, their everyday reality for the past 9 months, while she slept in blissful ignorance, on the verge of slipping peacefully to whatever waited beyond. Some of the most horrific moments of the day flashed through her mind, reminding her what her husband was capable of. Bruised and bloodied children. Natalie with moving frames encasing the lower half of her body. Her son, a conditioned fear response that had never been there before, towards her and, to an extent, towards Natalie as well. Minors, out and about at all hours of day and night, trying to keep the city from being torn apart. Trying to help the people feel safe in their own homes. And Adrien, their son , dying, over and over again.

Emilie's features hardened as she cocked her free hand at her hip. "Is that really all you have to say for yourself?"

"I realized when I used the rabbit miraculous to try and warn you about what was to come and you didn't listen, that I would just have to remake the world, like I originally planned. But Ladybug ruined everything. She woke you before I could do that. And that … distracted me. I should've known she would lay a trap for me. She's more cunning than I gave her credit for."

"It's unbelievable that you are blaming Ladybug right now! I've met her. She seems like a wonderful young woman and I'm thrilled to get to know her better. She's the hero of Paris and our son's girlfriend. She's part of the reason I'm awake right now. After everything we've been through together, you're really saying you wished she hadn't helped to wake me? To cure me?"

"This world could have been ours! To make and do with it according to our choosing! It could have been what it should've been all along." 

"And what's that? What's this perfect, idyllic fantasy you would have created?"

"No pain, no sickness, no hurt, no absence of you. What else matters? So long as we're together." The longing in his voice... She could almost let herself be lured back into his arms. To believe his empty promises and sweet nothings. But their son was hurting and afraid to share his dreams. So many had suffered because of her husband. That's what opposition to Gabriel meant. Stand in his way and be cut down. She remembered the akuma stories she had read. The neutral hadn't been spared either from becoming his puppets. 

"I wish I could believe you…" She said wistfully. She remembered her brief foray into the garden, dropping the scepter behind the lilac bush and brushing her fingertips along the leaves and flowers. She remembered what it was like to feel free, outside in the bright sun and fresh air. Free from the darkness she had been confined to. Emilie gripped her jo. The action served to ground her. "A world without pain and suffering and loss sounds like a world without choices, without consequences. Where the goodness and happiness of life have no value because there is no contrast, no opposition, no free will. I love Adrien and Félix, with all my heart. But I love them more fiercely because of my losses. I know what it's like to have my dream and hope ripped away from me. Even in my most trying moments as a mother, I would take that a thousand times over not having them at all. I never wanted the world destroyed for my sake. If there wasn't a cure for me, all I wanted was for you to be there for our son. But you weren't, were you?"

"That's absurd! Everything he could have wanted was provided for!"

"He wanted your love! He wanted your support and guidance as he learned to stand on his own and make decisions about his future. But you denied him at every opportunity."

"Because I knew what was best for him!"

"You were wrong! And even if you had been right, he has to learn from his own mistakes, how to pick himself up after a fall. That's why a universe with you as its lord would be a hell on earth. There would be no learning, no growth. It would be stagnant, like the entire world was akumatized all the time. Shells of people dancing to your tune and for your pleasure."

"You were my happiness! Why can't you understand that?! I did everything for you ! Sacrificed everything for you ! When you didn't wake up, I swore I would do whatever it took to bring you back. And here you are." Despite his position, tied and bound, he had the audacity to look smug.

Emilie knelt in front of him, the most neutral expression she could manage, centimeters away from his face. "Thanks to the heroes of Paris. Not you." Gabriel thrashed in his bindings, reminded of how utterly powerless he was now. Emilie backed away slowly and stood nearby, watching him with pity.

~~~~~

Gabriel had tried to bring her around to his line of thinking a few more times during her watch but after she kept bringing up terrible things he had done, he finally gave up.

"Emilie, my goddess, you know I love you more than life itself."

"Surely you don't think that's a good excuse for our son jumping off Montparnasse Tower because he was trying to escape one of your akumas, do you?"

"Everything I did was for his happiness, so we could be a family again."

"Oh, so that's why you threatened to pull him out of school and promised to send him out of the country, alone? For his happiness?"

~~~~~

"Be careful, Natalie. He keeps using his words to try and weasel his way out of the mess he made," she warned her friend in a low tone when she presented for her turn to watch.

Natalie nodded. "I know how convincing he can be. I'll be on guard."

Emilie offered her the staff but she shook her head, instead tugging the edge of her jacket to display a gun in a holster around her waist. Emilie paled. Was Natalie here for a guardwatch or an execution? While she was absolutely beside herself with her husband and the things he had done, could she really condone pulling the trigger? Afterall, she had loved him, once. And did all of the terrible things he had done justify ending his existence? Who gets to decide something like that? And how? Wasn't his punishment something they were all supposed to decide together anyway? "Are you… planning on using that, tonight?"

Natalie shook her head. "Not unless he gives me reason to. So long as he stays tied and bound where he is. He's dangerous, Em. We can't afford for him to get loose again." 

Her friend wasn't wrong. Emilie had probably only hit the tip of the iceberg of how much damage he had caused. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

A shadow passed Natalie's eyes. Some dark thought perhaps that she didn't seem inclined to share. "Did you check to see if the cataclysm healed?"

"I … kind of forgot about it, to be honest. Besides, I wouldn't have been sure exactly what I was looking for."

Natalie motioned for her to follow. Emilie stood ready in case he tried anything, while her friend squatted next to Gabriel's curled up form. She rolled the sleeve of his shirt. "I can't believe it!" Natalie pushed it up as far as it would go. "Not a trace left."

"What exactly did you expect to find?"

Natalie stood up without bothering to readjust the sleeve. "He originally cataclysmed himself in the forearm but with time it had spread, covering from his fingers to his shoulder. Basically, the entire arm looked necrotic. It had started affecting his heart as well."

"So many gifts from the heroes and he still has the nerve to argue that he was in the right," Emilie said, disgusted.

"Unfortunately, some people are greedy, self-centered and narcissistic," Natalie said sadly.

"But we knew him! He wasn't like this before…"

"Power has the ability to corrupt, we both know that."

"Yeah. It's different when it's someone you know, opposed to someone in a history book or a documentary." Even that statement was a watered down version of what she was really thinking. Gabriel wasn't just someone she knew. He had been someone she had trusted to build a life and a future with. Together, they had made a home and a family.

Emilie bid her friend farewell and headed upstairs. When Natalie had come at the appointed time, Emilie felt ready to crash. But now, in one of the small guest rooms, with too many thoughts swirling around in her head, she didn't manage to fall asleep for a long time.

Chapter Text

"Hey," a gentle voice roused her from the sleep she felt like she had barely fallen into.

Emilie looked up, bleary-eyed, at her sister and realized the room was already naturally lit. She groaned and winced as she shifted to sit up in the bed. Her head felt heavy. "What time is it?" 

"Just after 9 am. It's not like you to oversleep."

"Couldn't get to sleep."

"Not tired?"

"No, I was exhausted, still am. Just had too much on my mind."

"I know the feeling. Next time, try getting out of bed and doing something for a few minutes. Take a walk, do some simple stretches or meditate. It probably won't work every time but it might help a little."

Emilie nodded, sluggishly swinging her legs over the side of the bed. After she stood up and got her bearings, her sister held out a bundle. "I took the liberty of grabbing some clothes out of your room."

She stared at Amelie curiously. She hadn't had to admit to her sister that she wanted to avoid it. "How did you know?" 

Her twin smirked. "I know you." Then her face fell. "And I know what it's like to watch as your dreams shatter."

A new, fresh wave of guilt washed over Emilie. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when… I mean, I'm not even sure what happened exactly."

Amelie shrugged. "We're not here to unpack my baggage. Besides, my nightmare is over now. Unfortunately, yours is just beginning." 

Emilie was at a loss. What should she say to that? She didn't know. Amelie gave her a hug. 

"Adrien was getting anxious but didn't want to intrude if you needed your rest. So I offered to come check on you instead. And Marinette just arrived with freshly baked pastries."

"Chinese takeout last night and now pastries! Are you all trying to sabotage me?! These trousers probably don't even fit anymore!" Emilie said dramatically, gesturing to the clothes now in her arms.

Her sister scoffed. "Really? We didn't know if we'd ever see you again? Let us celebrate your return a little. When things calm down, then you can return to eating more sensibly."

She couldn't argue with that. Emilie hadn't known if she would ever see her family and friends again either.

"Besides," Amelie continued, "you lost too much weight when you were sick. If anyone can afford to gain a few kilos, it's you." Her sister poked her playfully in the ribs. Emilie let out a squeak and Amelie snickered. "Go on and get freshened up. We'll be downstairs in the dining room when you're ready."

She smiled softly and gave her sister a single nod before heading to the restroom. Her eyes were still half dazed with sleep as her feet padded over the cold tile in the bathroom and she grabbed a towel to place on top of her change of clothes. Her hand fumbled as she reached for the faucet to start the water running. Despite everything she'd learned yesterday, some food and sleep, she still had no idea what they should do about Gabriel. But she had confronted him. Twice now. If there were any questions about how she felt or where they stood, then he was as foolish and delusional as the emperor with no clothes.

As she prepared to step into the shower, she caught a glance of herself in the mirror. Amelie had been right. Her body looked to be in that grey area, somewhere between sexy and sickly. Despite being revived to full health, her body still bore some of the signs of what it had been through. In the shower, she found an array of Gabriel brand bathing products. The last she knew, he had only barely started branching out from clothing to perfumes and colognes. Part of her wished she could go back to the days when they were newlyweds and she was satisfied to buy her makeup and hygiene products from the corner pharmacy. They had been renting a room above the tailor shop where he worked. She had a trust fund but he was too proud to accept her money in helping provide for them. 

After she landed some modest acting and modeling jobs, their finances and living situation improved. But it was because of her connections that Gabriel was able to finally get his dreams off the ground. Apparently, in his mind, there was a big difference between networking your wife's friends and acquaintances and outright accepting her help financially. At the time, she thought he was brave and determined. Only now, with hindsight, was she able to recognize his stubbornness for what it was. The seeds of his own destruction. 

At the time though, everything seemed to be going right for them as his business took off. The only thing missing from that period of their life together? A baby. She'd always imagined herself being a mum first, throughout all her different phases of what she wanted to be when she grew up. She was thrilled when he agreed to start trying. And then the miscarriages came, one after another after another.

Watching the bubbles float towards the drain and disappear, she remembered her last miscarriage. She hadn't even told anyone she was pregnant at that point. Hoping that if she held her tongue, crossed her fingers and wished on star, this one would make it. She made sure to hide her doctor's visits, which were more frequent since she was considered high risk by then. 

"Audrey wants to have lunch and get my opinion on a spread for the magazine. We'll probably end up chatting for hours ."

"Oh, I'm just going window shopping. You'd be positively bored to tears."

" I'm heading to the Louvre to take some photos. You know how I lose track of time in there. "

She'd even started stopping by a church once a week to pray and light a candle, even though she had been raised in a different religion and hadn't been particularly devoted to that one.

But when she had seen the blood in the shower, she knew she'd have to tell Gabriel. A hospital visit would be harder to hide.

Another reason she'd been keeping that pregnancy a secret? She was tired of having to tell people she'd lost another baby. Tired of seeing their reactions. Well meaning comments that didn't make her feel any better and sometimes made her feel worse. With every one of her pregnancies, she imagined what they'd look like, what their interests would be, what sort of personalities they would have, what they would name them. That one had been no different, even though she'd kept it close to her heart.

Emilie wasn't sure how long she'd been staring at the water going down the drain. She finished washing up and the bubbles made a reappearance. There was something hopeful about bubbles. Little pockets of air contained by a thin layer of liquid. They were made of the same stuff. Two hydrogens and an oxygen molecule. But they were different enough to create this beautiful phenomenon. A tiny miracle. Like a barren woman finally carrying and delivering a healthy baby. While science could explain the miracle of bubbles, unexplainable magic had created a miracle for Emilie.

Despite the lack of sleep, she did feel better after a shower. As she entered the dining room, her son greeted her with a hug. "Bonjour, Maman. How are you feeling this morning?"

"Better now, mon petit prince," she said, kissing the top of his head before brushing back his fringe to examine the wound from the events of yesterday. He winced. "It does appear to be healing nicely. Are you keeping it clean and putting antiseptic on it?" 

Adrien nodded and smiled. 

"Healing nicely? What do you think I am?" A rough voice piped up from the spread on the table, which had been pushed up against the wall on the far side of the room so it was more of a buffet table now. While Natalie was seated with a plate on her lap in one of the formal dining chairs scattered throughout the open space, Fèlix and Marinette were casually lounging on the floor, using the seat of the chairs as makeshift tables. Finally, Emilie's eyes found the tiny black cat relaxing on an empty charcuterie board rubbing his distended abdomen.

"I thought you were the god of destruction," Emilie said, poking Plagg playfully in the belly. He let out a loud belch. 

"Ugh, Plagg!" Adrien said, wafting his hand through the air. "You could at least pretend to have some manners."

"Nah, you love me just the way I am. And your mama does too. I can tell," Plagg said, a mischievous twinkle in his brilliant green eyes.

Emilie smirked. "I would say you're a breath of fresh air but…"

"Ha! She sees right through you, Stinky Sock!" Tikki proclaimed from the other side of the buffet table, floating over a half-empty plate of dainty sized cookies and macarons. 

Emilie laughed. She wondered if she would ever get used to these wise, archaic beings acting like a couple of squabbling siblings stuck next to each other on a too long road trip. Kneeling next to the table, Emilie returned to their previous topic. "So you were saying something about healing?"

"Well, it's not really the same as what Tikki does. But all kwamis can lend our strength to our wearers, even outside of their transformations."

Emilie wondered how different her pregnancy may have been if Duusu's magic that had helped her conceive hadn't fractured. Amelie walked into the dining room and shot her a look. 'Do you really want to go down that road? Here and now? ' Her sister glanced at the different occupants around the room pointedly. Emilie shook her head infinitesimally, answering Amelie's unspoken question and clearing her head. Instead, she let her expression become enthusiastic as she focused on fixing herself a plate.

Tikki and Duusu animatedly gave their opinions on the various choices while Plagg stuck his nose in the air, proclaiming he'd already eaten everything that was worth eating. In addition to the pastries from Tom and Sabine, there were several types of fruit, granola, yogurt, sausage, eggs, bacon and toast. Once again, more than she thought they could eat. On the other hand, between the kids having ramped up metabolisms from the demands of growing and running around as supers, and the kwamis who she knew were practically bottomless pits when it came to putting away food, maybe the amount of food was just right. That reminded her, "Are the other kwamis coming today?" Emilie sat down on the floor near Amelie and the kids. 

"Yeah. After everything they've been through, I decided to let them sleep in. I'll bring them along a bit later," Marinette said, sounding very grown up. This must be an example of what Natalie mentioned yesterday. About the kids having been forced to learn adult lessons because of the weight of the burdens they'd carried. ' And some, like Gabriel, don't learn at all, which is how everything became such a huge mess,' she thought.

After finishing their breakfast, Marinette and Adrien slipped away to retrieve the other kwamis. Emilie started to pick up the used plates to take to the kitchen but Felix jumped up to help. "Aunt Emilie, allow me." 

Emilie beamed at her nephew's thoughtfulness. She hadn't had the opportunity to visit much with Fèlix since she'd woken up. 

"How about we wash and dry the dishes together? That way, we'll get it done twice as fast." 

They had an automated dishwasher but she figured they could save that for the dishes the rest of the food was on. They were leaving it a little longer so the other kwamis could have something to eat once they arrived. 

"Uh, sure." He was agreeable but there was a hesitation. Amelie smirked but said nothing as she and Natalie watched them leave.

Once in the kitchen, Emilie asked, "Well, would you like to do the washing or the drying?" 

"Um, I've never actually…"

'Oh,' Emilie realized. "You've never done the dishes before?" She could relate. She hadn't grown up doing these kinds of household chores either. She was such a mess as a barely adult, on her own for the first time, trying to figure out how to do the laundry, shop for groceries, cook and clean. And that was before there were "how to" tutorials and demos for practically anything you could imagine on the internet.

"Well, in that case," Emilie opened a drawer and plucked out a dish towel, handing it to Fèlix with a wink, "You had better do the drying."

He accepted it willingly but still looked a little lost. "Don't worry. It's not hard." She pulled a clean plate out of the cabinet and made a demonstration for her nephew's benefit.

"So," Emilie started. There were so many things on her mind that she wanted to say, questions she wanted to ask. Unlike Adrien, Fèlix was less likely to open up on his own. Whereas Adrien wore his heart on his sleeve,  Fèlix tended to keep his close to his chest. By the same token, while Adrien actually enjoyed exchanging pleasantries, Fèlix preferred a more direct approach. Emilie took a deep breath as she gripped the plate carefully in her hands. "Duusu told me you know…" He couldn't answer until he was sure what she was talking about. Emilie swallowed. "What I did all those years ago …  to have a baby."

Fèlix examined her with careful eyes before blinking, his defenses lowering. "I know you were my mother first. And you gave me away."

"The peacock miraculous wasn't meant to support two … creations made by one person at the same time."

"Monsters, you mean?"

The plate slipped from Emilie's fingers and clattered into the sink as the shock rattled her. She yanked the dish gloves off and threw them on the counter. 

"No, Fèlix! Absolutely not!" She bent down to his eye level and wrapped her fingers around his shoulders. "Never, never use that word to describe yourself! It is our emotions and intentions that determine what the life force associated with an amok will become! As the new peacock holder, it is imperative that you understand this! About yourself first and foremost!" 

Fèlix nodded as moisture started shimmering across his eyes. Emilie pulled her hands back and stood up, taking a step back putting a bit more space between them. Fèlix turned his head away from her to wipe his eyes on his sleeve. "I'm so sorry Fèlix. I didn't mean to upset you. It breaks my heart to hear you say that about yourself. You are a real boy. You were created with love. That was the emotion."

The boy hunched in on himself, eyes on the floor. "But… if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have…ended up like that…it's my fault."

EmIlie shook her head vehemently. "No! None of this is your fault, Fèlix! I made my own choices and what happened to me was a result of that. And I don't regret anything. For you and Adrien, whether it was just one of you or both of you, I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I may wish some of the circumstances had been different, but I could never regret you. Don't ever forget that." 

Fèlix looked up at her, hope mixed with relief on his face. He bit his lip before grabbing one of his arms. Another difference between the boys? Adrien would let you know when he needed a hug. Fèlix needed an invitation, to know that he was welcome, that someone would be there for him when he was ready. Emilie spread her arms. Felix raised an eyebrow. Not in suspicion but a question. As if to ask, 'Really?' Emilie nodded once. Felix closed the gap and Emilie wrapped one arm around him and used her other hand to stroke his hair.

"I never thought of it as having given you up. I had to do something to ensure the three of us survived. And I let you go to the care of the person I trust most in the world. I love you so much, Fèlix. And Amelie fell in love with you too. I couldn't have let you stay with her any other way."

Fèlix nodded into her shoulder and she could feel him inhale a shuddering breath. He looked up at her, his eyes filled with determination. "Thank you!"

As they returned to their task, something mischievous formed in Emilie's mind. She started discreetly flicking water onto the dish Fèlix was drying. The boy was so focused on learning this new skill and diligently completing it that it took him a little longer to catch on than he otherwise would have.

He frowned at her in frustration before quickly smoothing his expression, all business once again. Before he could resume drying the plate, Emilie splashed a few droplets at his face. 

"Aunt Emilie!" 

Emilie slid a single glove off to quickly run her bare fingertips under the tap and flicked water at her nephew's face once more. The boy growled and she giggled in response. 

"Why are you doing that?" 

'To remind you that you're human? To remind you that you're still a kid? To see you smile again?' Emilie thought. Instead, she said, "Sometimes, water fights are part of doing the dishes too."

Fèlix gave her a scrutinizing look. Whether he doubted the truthfulness of her statement or suspected she was holding back others was anyone's guess. 

"Isn't that counterproductive? Making a mess when you're meant to be cleaning?" 

Emilie shrugged. "Maybe. But it's okay to have fun sometimes too, you know." 

Fèlix looked doubtful. An impish grin crept onto Emilie's face as she sent another spritz his way. The young man carefully set his plate down on the countertop. His eyes locked with hers for the briefest of moments before he lunged for the sink. At first, his splashing was sloppy, a sign that he'd never played in the water or if he had, it was before he could remember. But Fèlix was a quick learner and he soon surprised her by cupping the water in one of his hands and flinging it at her.

Emilie gasped as she became partially drenched. Fèlix's eyes grew wide until she let out a loud laugh. The tension melted off of him and he started to laugh too. First, quietly then finally gaining momentum until it sounded free and unrestrained. 

As their laughter ebbed, Fèlix's eyes fixed on her sternum. Emilie glanced down and noticed the necklace with the twin rings had slipped from the confines of her blouse collar. She brushed her fingers along the rings. Fèlix's expression was guarded again. 

"I always thought I would tell you together. Give you your rings together. I thought you two would be older too." She fidgeted with the necklace, untying it from around her neck and made her way to sit down on one of the stools. Emilie patted the one next to her, inviting Fèlix to do the same. She laid the cord on the countertop and started working the knots and beads to get to where the rings were secured at the center. 

"But it's important to remember that just because you're twins, doesn't mean you don't have your own paths to walk. Your mum taught me that years ago and you've reminded me of that lesson today." Emilie picked up the rings, one in her right and the other in her left. They each played a distinct song she could hear inside her. She extended her palm with Fèlix's ring towards him. 

"How did you know?" Fèlix asked. "I only started being able to tell after I got the peacock miraculous."

"Maybe because I used to wear it. Maybe because I created the original amok. It's magic. Who knows? But what I do know is that I'm proud of the person you're becoming and that you're free to write your own story, just as you were always meant to."

Fèlix slid the ring onto his finger. Miraculously, it fit. He made a fist and used his other hand to cradle it to his chest. "Thank you, Aunt Emilie." This time, he didn't hesitate when reaching out for a hug.

Chapter Text

Emilie had quickly decided against having the meeting to decide her husband's fate in his office. There was something distasteful about the idea that she couldn't quite put her finger on. It was a place that was too wrapped up in him and his secrets. While the library of the mansion was less formal, she felt it was the best option. And she did have memories with her husband and son here. Happy ones. The more her health declined, it was easier to seek out the library as a place of refuge rather than her study in the basement. Plus, the natural lighting was better here. If they needed anything to prevail today, it was light. 

Emilie looked around this group that carried expressions that were a mixture of somber, nervous and blank. She took a calming breath before starting. 

"Okay. We all know why we're here. I'll admit that while it's not ideal that we are the ones doing this, it seems like the best option we have at the moment. Normally, there would be an impartial judge. But if we did that…"

"We'd be tried in the court of public opinion," Amelie continued. "If it was just us adults, that would be one thing."

"But you kids deserve a future untainted by Gabriel's terrible actions," Natalie finished. 

The seriousness of the situation visibly weighed on them. "I'm sorry for adding one more burden to your load. But it didn't seem fair for Amelie, Natalie and I to decide his fate when he's hurt and threatened the three of you more than anyone. I want you to have a say. There may not be a perfect solution but hopefully we can work together to find one we can all live with."

"Does anyone have any questions about our objective?" Natalie asked. The teens shook their heads. 

Emilie swallowed. She could do this. She would get through this. For her family. For herself. For all the people who'd been victimized and exploited by her husband and had been robbed of their will. 

"Good. I wanted to start discussing what all Gabriel's done. While some of you have mentioned things to me privately, I've also skimmed the Ladyblog and taken some notes. I thought it might be best to start there."

Emilie glanced around the room. With no objections, she read through her summaries of the akuma and amok attacks. Adrien and Marinette would add commentary here and there. 

"Yeah, Luka was really upset about Bob Roth stealing from Kitty Section."

"Oni-chan was awful! It was so uncomfortable, them fighting over me. Not at all like in the books and movies."

"Ugh! I still have nightmares about getting swallowed whole by Feast!"

"When he akumatized four of my family members at the same time!" Marinette stood up abruptly, gripping the box that had been resting in her lap.

"Ha! I did all the hard work! You were too busy stuffing your face with galettes!" Adrien teased.

When Adrien noticed his mother's curious gaze, he simply said, "Tikki has a bit of a sweet tooth."

The kwami in question shrugged and flashed her a saccharine smile. Somehow, it only served to make her look all the more guilty.

"While I definitely want to hear more of that story, I think we should stay focused on the task at hand." 

Plagg zipped back and forth between the furniture like a ninja, before finally floating to Emilie's shoulder. "I'll tell you all about Sugar Cube's miscreant adventures later," he said in a low, conspiratorial voice but still intentionally audible to everyone in the room. 

A flash of red diverted her attention for a moment but Adrien had managed to capture the little red kwami in his cupped hands. "Later," he said. "Once this is over, you two can rough house until you're worn out."

Emilie winked at Plagg and scratched under his chin before continuing. When she got to the akuma, Risk and the sentibeing, Strike Back. Adrien reached out to grab Marinette’s hand while placing the other on Félix's shoulder. The black cat of destruction flitted back to his chosen and kneaded a spot between his shoulder and collar bone. She had purposely not asked the kwamis or anyone else about this incident. Natalie and Amelie had given her some context earlier, but simply reading about it had been bad enough. The author seemed to have a lot of details and didn't hold anything back. She wondered if they had been hurt in the attack. But there were still a lot of questions about what all may have transpired that day, especially between this trio. 

But now wasn't the time for that story either. When the adolescent heroes didn't seem to want to add any comments about it, she pressed on. Emilie hadn't thought too much about the brief appearance of Scarabella and Kitty Noire. She knew Marinette and Adrien were, and had been, the holders of the ladybug and black cat miraculouses, but Scarabella had been mentioned a time or two before and always portrayed as a friend of the pair of regular supers.

"How did he get their miraculous so fast?" Adrien asked. 

"My guess? The Alliance rings. Remember how I told you they could track our movements even when transformed? Not even our phones can do that. I think we were the only two people we knew who weren't wearing them. And we were … uh, distracted when Tikki and Plagg went to find the new holders… We didn't think to warn them."

"Yes, Gabriel and Tomoe designed them, not only to trap the pair of you, but to extend their influence and control over the citizenry," Natalie confirmed.

"Ms. Natalie," Marinette's tone carried the hint of a dangerous undercurrent, "That's the second time you've mentioned Madame Tsurugi. Just how much was she involved in all this?"

Natalie took a deep breath. "She knew Gabriel was Monarch… and supported him."

"So, she was his accomplice." Marinette's assessment hung in the air like a bell, simple and clear. 

There were so many uncomfortable implications that came with that truth. How much responsibility did Tomoe bear? Marinette likely didn't know her as well as the rest of them did. And Natalie, who was sitting on this council, had also once been Gabriel's accomplice. If Tomoe was to be held responsible, what did that mean for Natalie? And how much was her betrayal of Gabriel in favor of aligning with the heroes worth by comparison? 

"What happens to Kagami?" Félix spoke quietly but broke the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over the group.

"Huh?" 

"Not everyone rolls doubles in the decent parent lottery, Marinette. If we go after Madame Tsurugi, what happens to Kagami?"

"Oh." Marinette suddenly looked guilty for bringing it up. Once again, an awkwardness reigned over them. 

"From everything I understand," Emilie started cautiously, "Gabriel was not only the driving force but the damage he caused was magnified by the miraculous he wielded." She paused to give space for anyone to correct her. "The miraculous are all now either under the Guardian’s care or she knows where they are," her eyes briefly landed on the boys. "I think our priority should continue to focus on Gabriel. I gave him the chance to stand down and he refused. Once we've settled this matter, I'll try to reason with Tomoe. Afterall, we were friends once."

"If anyone disagrees, now is the time to say so," Amelie added.

Searching each face around the room, the kids looked relieved by her proposal, especially Félix. She took their voluntary silence as permission to move on. She reviewed a few more akumas that seemed fairly run of the mill, despite being amplified with the miraculous, until she reached the most recent that had been noted in the blog post.

"That's all for my notes. What would you like to add?"

"What about Red Moon?" Adrien asked.

"I … didn't see it on the blog," Emilie replied slowly. 

"Oh," he realized. "I guess it wouldn't be."

Félix started fidgeting uncomfortably, which wasn't like him at all. 

"What was…" Emilie started. 

"Félix snapped everyone," Adrien said, matter-of-factly. 

Five pairs of eyes stared at him and he realized his lack of both tact and explanation.

"Well, I mean, everyone except Kagami. He snapped me for a bit then brought me back. And he accidentally, on purpose, snapped Marinette."

Félix was starting to look flush but trained his gaze on his hands, which were clasped and resting in his lap, but he didn't say anything.

"Well, what I mean is," Adrien slung an arm across his unsuspecting cousin's shoulders, jostling and startling him. "Félix was actually trying to be helpful, in his own Félix way."

Emilie was baffled. She felt like she was missing a piece of a puzzle that had fallen on the floor and slid under the furniture. 

"Félix was trying to help free Adrien and Kagami from Gabriel and Tomoe's control," Amelie supplied. 

"While I don't agree with his methods," Marinette said, "his intentions were very noble."

"Marinette?" Adrien said, clearly surprised.

"Afterall, wasn't I there for the same reason? Not to obliterate the entire human population, obviously," she side-eyed Félix. 

"I did fix it," Félix grumbled, "and I said I was sorry."

"But to support and encourage you," Marinette finished. "And Kagami's my friend too." She scrutinized Félix like she was trying to decide whether or not he passed some sort of inspection. "I want her to be happy."

Emilie could see the three of them along with Kagami, maybe ten, fifteen years in the future, reliving that event together, laughing and ribbing Félix good-naturedly.

"Uh! Remember that time Félix eliminated everyone on earth, except his teenage crush!"

"Careful," Kagami laughed, rubbing her hand accented with a simple band on her ring finger across the small swell of her abdomen. "I'm not just his crush anymore."

"The men in this family can never be accused of doing anything by halves," Marinette teased, smirking and shooting Adrien a wink.

"You guys are never gonna let me live that down, are you?"

"Never," Adrien exclaimed, shooting up out of his seat and standing up with his chest puffed out and his hands on his hips like Peter Pan. "It is our unfortunate lot in life to keep you humble."

The group laughed, which was shortly interrupted by the sound of a baby crying. Marinette started to get up but before she could maneuver her way out of the tangle of friends and furniture, Emilie saw herself cradling a small bundle, a delicate blonde fuzz gracing the tiny angel's crown.

"Did she wake the boys?" 

Emilie shook her head. "They woke up before. We've been playing in the playroom."

Marinette sighed, her features awash in felicitous glow. 

"I bet Little Miss is hungry," she said as she took the baby in her arms. "Thanks-"

"Emilie?" Her sister's concerned voice brought her back to the present. Emilie shook her head to clear the daydream. 

"Sorry, I got lost in thought."

"So the Gabriel-specific issue during Red Moon," Amelie redirected, "was that he was being overly and unfairly controlling, right? Unjustly exercising his parental authority?"

"I actually never made it to the party, but he told me not to tell Marinette about it. Not sure why he cared."

"It's because he was trying to present you and Kagami as a couple," Félix noted. "Even though you told him that you two had broken up awhile back and had decided to be friends."

Marinette nodded. "I went. Can confirm that's what it looked like."

Adrien groaned, putting his face in his hands. Marinette rubbed his back soothingly. "Hey. I wasn't jealous or afraid. I knew where your heart lay. Kagami did too."

"Marinette actually gave a really nice speech," Félix added. "She was very brave. I'm almost sorry you didn't get to hear it but that's how I knew I could trust her. She was willing to put herself in the path of your father's ire to defend you."

Adrien looked up at them with a watery smile. "Thanks, guys. Your support means a lot."

Emilie tapped a few notes on her tablet. "Okay, what else?"

"Gabriel threatened to end me and my mum, when I tried to figure out what was going on. He also tried to akumatize me." 

Marinette stiffened. "Argh! He tried to akumatize me on three separate occasions! And he tried to get me to barter Adrien, like he was some prized object unable to think and feel for himself! And he tried to feed me some awful pancakes." 

"And there was the scarf!"

"Tikki!" Marinette hissed.

"What scarf?" Adrien asked, looking between kwami and wielder for an answer.

"Your blue scarf, the one you got for your birthday. Marinette made it."

Adrien looked like he'd never seen Marinette properly before. "Are you serious?"

Marinette looked down, kicking her feet back and forth. "Um, yeah. I did. I didn't do it on purpose though. Not initially. I left a note on the package and crocheted my initials onto the scarf. Like a signature. I never said anything because… it clearly made you happy, thinking it was from him."

"I'm afraid I'm responsible for that," Natalie supplied. "Gabriel told me last minute that he hadn't gotten anything for Adrien and expected me to take care of it. At the time, removing your gift tag seemed like the most convenient solution. I'm sorry, Marinette and Adrien."

Adrien shook his head. "Thank you, Marinette, for the scarf. And thank you, Natalie."

Natalie's eyes widened in surprise. "Me? What for?"

"For doing your best. My father wasn't being fair to either one of us that day."

What do most parents wish for their children to become? Intelligent? Kind? Strong? Beautiful? Who thinks to hope their child will become empathetic, fair and just as they grow? Emilie certainly hadn't thought about those traits when she was pregnant and when her son was little but she felt blessed that he had developed them anyway and of his volition. He was already turning out to be a better person than either of his parents, which should be something every parent hopes for. 

Natalie's eyes glistened but yielded no tears. She dabbed her fingers around the edges to ensure it remained that way. "Thank you, Adrien. Your forgiveness is more than I deserve."

"Natalie fed us one time. On the train when we were out of energy and Gabriel had nothing for us," one of the kwamis added. The pig, Daizzi, apparently felt the need to defend her. 

Everyone looked at Natalie in surprise. "What?" She shrugged. "I was just doing my job."

"If that were true, Natalie," Amelie said, "none of us would be here right now."

A reverent air settled over the group. Emilie wondered if anyone else was wondering how things might have played out differently, if Natalie really had just done the bare minimum. After letting the silence and reflection breath, Emilie continued. 

"Okay." She said softly. "Anything else we need to add?"

"He came to the Guardian’s bedroom in the middle of the night," Barkk noted. 

Emilie's heart dropped. "What?!"

"Marinette?" Adrien looked confused to say the least but his face didn't adequately portray the horror. He probably wasn't even thinking about the implications that news carried. The concerned looks on Amelie and Félix's faces and the deep scowl on Natalie's made her think that not only was Emilie not alone in her concern but this was the first time anyone in the group was hearing about this. 

"It was fine." Marinette waved her hand dismissively through the air. "I didn't want what happened to Master Fu to happen to me, ya' know. Not if I could help it. So I taught the kwamis to basically send him to me if they ever got captured so I could redirect him on a wild goose chase." 

"That was the night he got cataclysmed," she said regretfully. "My plan almost worked. It was challenging to get to sleep the next few nights though. Thank goodness for Alya."

Emilie felt relief wash over her, grateful nothing nefarious had taken place. Would she have believed her husband to be capable of something like that? Two years ago, her answer would have been a resounding no. But now… Well, she thanked their lucky stars that nothing happened. She made a mental note to discuss situational awareness and self-defense with Marinette later.

"Alright, does anyone have anything else to add?"

The group shook their heads.

"So next comes, perhaps the more challenging discussion on what to do with him." Emilie started. "Jail would mean a public trial, which we'd rather avoid. Keeping him locked in the basement would be challenging for us to keep him under constant guard, not to mention, probably excessively cruel. And letting him back into our lives to roam free wouldn't carry any justice. Does anyone have any alternatives?" 

"What if we turned him over to the Guardians?" Marinette asked. 

Emilie furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean? Aren't you the Guardian?"

"Only of this miracle box," Kaalki informed her.

"There are other boxes. So the temples and their orders were established to help train the Guardians." Wayyz explained. 

"Marinette was unusual as she was not trained at the temple. At the time, the only temple the previous Guardian knew the location of had been destroyed." Sass noted.

"But Ladybug restored it." Orikko chimed in. 

Emilie thought she knew which temple they were talking about. The same one she had researched and where they had found the butterfly and peacock miraculouses. It had been lost to time and concealed by magic. She remembered seeing the ruins, the scorch marks on the walls, and some of the bodies that had been partially destroyed, she supposed from the fire, and what was left of their remains preserved in the air that must always be at least chilly in the warmest times of year on account of how high up it was in elevation.

"What do you mean, restored?" She asked.

Adrien shuttered, tugging at his elbows. "Ugh! Feast!"

Marinette brought a hand to her mouth as she giggled at Adrien's reaction. She sobered before continuing. "Feast was the senti that destroyed the temple in the first place. By purifying its amok and using the cure, the miraculous ladybugs restored both the temple and everyone inside it to how they were before the attack."

Emilie's imagination hungered to see what that would look like… The gorgeous architecture, learning more about the universe from the sage monks, finding peace and healing there. But this wasn't about her. She needed to be here for the kids. She needed to make her peace and find her healing in the places and near the people where she stood. 

"Would the Guardians do something like that?" Amelie asked.

"And if they would, what would that look like?" Emilie said.

"What do you mean?" Marinette asked.

"Logistically," Natalie removed her glasses to clean them and replaced them to frame her sharp, blue eyes. "If we deliver him to the Guardians, how do we explain his absence here in Paris?"

"We could use the miraculous. He didn't get out much anyway. A little appearance or press photo every once in a while, an illusion," Félix suggested.

"We can't do that." Marinette said sternly.

"Why not?" Félix asked. 

"We can't use the miraculouses for personal gain."

"You're not. It's for everyone."

"It's still a lie. It's still personal, so we don't have to deal with the consequences of quietly putting him away."

"I think you're looking at this the wrong way," Félix tried changing tact.

"No!" Marinette jumped out of her seat. "We can't!" She shouted.

Félix too stood. "What else would you propose? You're Ladybug. You're supposed to fix things! So fix this !"

Marinette and Félix were way too close and looked like they were about to come to blows. Adrien apparently read that too. He stood up and wedged between them to make space. "Hey, calm down, guys." He held his hands up but didn't touch them, probably sensing that even a friendly gesture could set off either one of them like a Roman candle.

"There's obviously a lot of strong feelings we all have on the matter," Amelie said cautiously. "Why don't we all take a fifteen minute break to cool down. Use the facilities, take a walk, get some fresh air, water, whatever you need to do." Her voice was hard on that last line as she directed a stern look at the two teens.

Félix looked like he wanted to argue but crossed his arms and glared at Marinette, who stepped around the boys and hurriedly made her way out the door. After waiting a few seconds, he also left the library, the tension in his shoulders and ball of his fists betraying his attempt at trying to appear calm and collected.

Adrien looked lost, as if he had been cast adrift at sea. "I should go check on them." He didn't move, as if still in shock about how rapidly things had become explosive between his cousin and his girlfriend and unsure of who to go after first.

"Why don't we give them a few minutes?" Emilie suggested.

Amelie huffed. While she may not agree with Félix losing his temper, she probably agreed with some, if not all of the things he had said.

"Amelie's right," Emilie said, hoping to calm both Amelie and Adrien. "We could all use a break to clear our heads. Excuse me."

Chapter Text

Emilie slipped out, intending to use the facilities and maybe step into the garden for a few minutes, but the voices she heard diverted her path.

"He's died for you, Marinette! How many times?" Félix said angrily. 

"It wasn't just for me." Marinette tried to fire back but as she continued, it sounded more like false bravado. "It was to save everyone. We both had to make sacrifices."

"How many times?" He repeated.

"More than I care to count," the young guardian said, just above a whisper, the trembling edge in her voice, obvious now.

"If you use your magic to help him, then it's not selfish, is it? Just like he was selfless every time he died for you."

Emilie found them just as Félix stormed off, not looking back. Marinette slid against the wall, down to the floor and pulled her knees up to her chest. Covering her face with her hands, she started rocking back and forth.

"I can't do it! Not again!" She sobbed. 

She didn't react to Emilie's approach. As she kneeled beside Marinette and touched her shoulder, the young lady startled and looked up. 

"Ms. Emilie?"

Despite barely knowing this girl, what she did know was that she was incredibly brave and strong. But every Superman has his kryptonite. No one is invulnerable. 

"Come along, dear," she said as she helped Marinette to her feet. "Let's find somewhere more private." 

Emilie guided Marinette back to the guest room where she and the boys had been convalescing earlier. She closed the door and turned around to find Marinette already sitting on the edge of the bed, her little box tucked under her arms, which were wrapped around herself. Emilie took the only chair in the room and sat down across from her. 

"Marinette, dear? What's wrong?"

The terror in Marinette’s eyes as she relived some haunting memory was so overwhelmingly heartbreaking, Emilie wanted to stop asking. But whatever had occurred to cause this reaction, she was clearly troubled by it. She wondered if she had locked the memory away and tried to avoid anything that reminded her of it or was she stuck with it replaying in a constant loop in the back of her mind.

"I can't! Not again. I know what he said… and it's true… and I hate it… but …" Marinette closed her eyes and clamped her hands over her ears, as if trying to will herself not to see and hear wherever she had transported to inside her mind. 

"What can't happen again? What happened the last time?"

Marinette gradually returned to the present. She locked her eyes with Emilie's for several moments before reaching for a cord around her neck. There was a charm on the end, the red semi-circular shape of half a taijitu, a yin-yang symbol, and a key. She removed the necklace and placed the key inside the box. It sprang open with a slight pop and Marinette removed a small book from inside. Opening it to a particular page, she handed it to Emilie. 

Looking at Marinette, her eyes were now fixed on the wall opposite of her. Gingerly, she took the book from the young lady's hands and flipped it around so she could see. 

It was a black and white sketch of what looked like Chat Noir but there was something different about his eyes. Something she'd never seen in her son's eyes before. Dangerous. Not that he was in danger but the impression that he was dangerous. Emilie couldn't stop the shiver that ran up her spine.

There were labeled doodles scattered around the page. A beret, a bell and an eraser. Phrases filled the blank spaces in between the drawings. 

It was our love that did this to the world, m'lady.

You know that by merging our Miraculous together, we'd be granted one wish, right?

YOU DON'T LOVE ME ANYMORE! SO I MIGHT AS WELL DESTROY YOU, ME, OUR MEMORIES, EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!

At the bottom of the central figure was a caption. 

Chat Blanc

"What is all this?" Emilie said. The solemnity hung heavy in the air like thick drapes wrapped around them.

She looked up to see Marinette hunched in on herself, knees drawn again and face in her hands. Meanwhile, Tikki was trying to pull the corner of a throw blanket draped across the foot of the bed towards her chosen. The little kwami's effort and intention tugged at Emilie's heart as she picked up the blanket and wrapped it around Marinette. Tikki shot her a grateful look before taking up residence on the back of Marinette's neck, disappearing from view.

"Maybe you need some time," Emilie said, not quite sure what else to do if the young lady didn't want to talk about what was bothering her or why she had shown her those sketches. She got up to leave her to the time she seemed to need but Tikki zipped out and stopped abruptly in front of her.

"Wait!" The little red fairy's expression and tone were desperate. She flew back to Marinette albeit a bit more slowly. Tikki nuzzled her cheek before floating level in front of her eyes.

"You've refused to talk to Adrien or Alya about this. You won't even discuss it with me. You're not dealing with it, Marinette. Why not tell Emilie what happened? Maybe she can help?"

Emilie wasn't sure where Tikki's confidence in her arose from but she had already determined to do what she could to support the heroine whose childhood, or what was left of it anyway, had been forever changed because of Gabriel's careless, selfish and reckless behavior. Instead of expressing her self-doubt, Emilie sat down on the bed beside Marinette, still leaving some space between them.

"Chat…Adrien," Marinette raised her head to stare blankly at the wall again. "He was akumatized. It was my fault." Marinette moaned as she rested her forehead on her knees, hiding her face once more. 

Emilie considered carefully before responding. Not only had she known this girl for merely a day but she had never had a daughter. What should she say? She thought of Sabine, the lovely lady she had barely become reacquainted with and yet felt almost instantly connected to. And Tom too. Emilie said a brief prayer that she could do right by Marinette and honor her parents. If they were privy to her secret life, what would they do to comfort this beautiful, brave, young soul? Afterall, if their situations were reversed, she believed they would try and do the same for Adrien. 

Tentatively, Emilie reached out to stroke Marinette's silky hair. When she didn't pull away, Emilie said, "I very much doubt it was your fault, Marinette. But go on."

Marinette settled even deeper into her protective shell. "I wanted to give Adrien a gift. A beret. For St. Athanase's Day. The scarf … was already a disaster. I tried to give that to him in person but chickened out. I dropped it off but then there was that mix-up where he thought it was from his father."

Marinette raised her head to roll her eyes. Whether at herself, Natalie, Gabriel or all three, Emilie had no idea. She stopped stroking Marinette's hair momentarily and Marinette's eyes lit up. 

"Ms. Emilie? Do you know how to braid hair? My maman was mostly raised by her uncle and has always kept her hair short, so she never learned… and I've been growing my hair out this year. So I've been thinking it might be nice to learn… more things I could do with it."

Emilie laughed nervously. "I used to when I was young. My sister and our friends would braid each other's hair sometimes. But it's been many years since I…" 

Emilie couldn't continue with Marinette's pleading expression and hopeful eyes. "Alright, I'll give it a try but remember, I'm rusty. If it doesn't look good, we can just take it back down."

Marinette's eyes sparkled with excitement as Emilie directed Marinette to sit on the floor in front of the chair while Emilie left briefly to retrieve a hand mirror and a hairbrush.

After returning, Emilie freed her hair from the confines of the twin tails and started to brush the smooth, raven strands. Marinette said, "I bet it was so much fun, growing up with a sibling."

"Usually. But it wasn't always sunshine and roses. We had our quarrels too, like all siblings I’ve known." Before Marinette could respond, Emilie reminded her, "You were telling me about how Adrien was akumatized?"

Marinette deflated again. 

"Head up," Emilie said, and she really did need Marinette's head up so she could start the first half of the twin Dutch braids she was planning on the top of her head. She also hoped it would give Marinette the much needed confidence to continue telling her story.

"I was determined to give Adrien the gift in person. But he wasn't home. That's the same as when I dropped off the scarf. So I decided to transform and drop it off in his room. I realized I forgot to sign it, again! I nearly forgot to sign the scarf too! So I grabbed something to write my name on the package. I think he maybe walked in as I was swinging back out the window? The next thing I knew, Bunnyx, she's the hero of the rabbit miraculous, came and told me I did something that caused the end of the world. She dropped me off in a future version of Paris that was…" 

Marinette hesitated while Emilie tied off one of the braids. Waiting a moment for her to continue, Emilie brushed the remaining hair once more before carefully prompting her. "Marinette?"

Tikki, who had been quiet as a mouse, reappeared to give Marinette a hug. "You can do this Marinette," the petite goddling reassured her charge.

Marinette took a few deep breaths, the last exhalation stumbling on it's way out. She continued with a shakiness weaving in and out of her voice. "Paris was utterly decimated. The moon was broken. The city was flooded. What buildings I could see were mostly destroyed. The silence was eerie. There was no one left, except me … and Chat…" Marinette shuddered and Emilie nearly dropped the strand she had been holding although not entirely because of the involuntary movement from the girl the hair was attached to. Her own heart had skipped a beat.

"He said my name, my real name. Said it was our love that broke the world. And he wanted to make a wish. Eventually, I found Hawkmoth and myself. From that timeline. It looked like we had been … killed from the blast of Chat's mega-cataclysm. He was so… unwell. It was the worst akuma I've ever fought. And I had to do it alone. All because I let Adrien find out my identity." 

Marinette's head dropped again but this time Emilie's hands were far enough down the braid, it had less of an impact. She simply combed out the strands with her fingers as she tried to process this new information. So Gabriel had akumatized their son. Did that still count against him when it had been done in another timeline? While it had ultimately been prevented, the consequences were still very real for Marinette. And apparently, that would have been the course Gabriel would have taken, if this Bunnyx hadn't intervened. If the Guardians really agreed to accept custody of Gabriel, Emilie should add that to her notes, so they could decide whether to hold him accountable. Maybe it would count as some sort of evidence of character, intent or propensity. 

"Adrien knows your identity now though, dear. And it makes him happy, doesn't it?"

Marinette nodded, face still downcast.

"And don't you remember where the akuma was sent from? His own father knew he was hurting and took advantage of that."

Marinette raised her head and spun around. Thankfully, Emilie had just finished tying off the second braid. "But we don't know if he knew about Adrien's identity in that timeline," Marinette protested. 

"Dear, it doesn't matter."

"It doesn't?"

"It doesn't make what he did any less wrong. And if he knew, then it makes it even more so." 

Emilie handed the hand mirror to Marinette. 

"Wow! It looks great, Ms. Emilie! Wish I could see the back too!"

Emilie smiled softly. Braiding Marinette's hair had been like getting back on a bike. Apparently, she and her friends had spent enough time practicing on themselves and each other, that the muscles in her fingers remembered the well worn patterns. She directed Marinette to stand with her back to a mirror that hung over a dresser and guided the handheld mirror around until she could see the braids from behind. 

"What a neat trick! I'll have to remember that one. Will you help me learn to braid sometime?" 

"Learning to braid is easier than learning to forgive oneself, Marinette. I understand why that memory is so difficult for you. All of a sudden, someone you love and trust isn't acting right anymore." Emilie remembered all too well the shock and utter horror of waking only to find herself in a nightmare, the kids seriously hurt by Gabriel’s hand. A lifetime ago, she never would have been able to imagine that something like that would ever be possible. Especially after everything they went through to have their son. He even had the gall to try and push the blame onto Adrien, instead of claiming responsibility for his own actions himself.

"I too feel responsible for some of the things Gabriel has done, even though I'm not. Whatever else happened in that timeline, who can say, but I doubt Adrien would ever choose to be akumatized. Gabriel made that choice for him, like he did for so many others. Adrien, Chat, everyone who was akumatized, it was ultimately Gabriel's fault."

"You're right." Marinette's eyes glistened and she quickly wiped them. "I've been stupid, letting everything get warped and twisted around inside my mind."

Emilie shook her head. "Sometimes we just need help to change our perspective." She picked up the mirror again, holding it at the angle where she thought she would be able to see the braids adorning her crown. "Before we can get a proper view of what's been too close to us to see clearly by ourselves."

Although her eyes were still damp, Marinette's expression changed into a broad smile. She caught Emilie off guard with a hug. "You’re right! Thank you!"

Emilie set the hand mirror on the dresser in order to return her embrace. "So what do you think about turning Gabriel over to the Guardians?"

"It sounds like a good plan but… I'm still not sure what the public story should be."

"Don't worry, dear. We'll think of something. You don't have to take care of everything by yourself."

Marinette nodded. "Okay. I'm gonna go ahead and call Su Han." 

Before Emilie could ask who that was, Marinette had already sped out of the room. A few moments later, Natalie strolled in. "It's been more than fifteen minutes."

Emilie sighed, the heaviness of Marinette's revelation finally having the space to weigh on her. "I figured. But it was important."

Natalie glanced at the hairbrush and hand mirror on the dresser. "I'm sure it was. Regardless, I think I might have an idea of what to do about explaining Gabriel's absence."

Emilie looked curiously at Natalie, who shrugged nonchalantly. "When you and Marinette are ready to reconvene, I'll present my idea."

Chapter Text

Agreste Family Reunited

By Alya Cesaire

Emilie Agreste, actress and long-lost wife of world famous fashion designer, Gabriel Agreste and mother to popular teen model, Adrien Agreste, has reportedly been found and reunited with her family after having been reported missing two years ago.

"I'd like to thank everyone who has assisted in my safe return and supported my family during my absence," Emilie Agreste said in a statement released by the family.

In a separate statement, it was announced that Gabriel Agreste will be taking a sabbatical to spend time reconnecting with his family and taking care of his health. The length of his absence is yet to be determined. Details of the running and management of the fashion house by the same name are to follow in the coming weeks.

The family is not conducting interviews at this time and is asking for privacy, especially for the sake of their son.

As this news comes on the tail of Ladybug and Chat Noir announcing the defeat of the supervillain Monarch, one can't help but think on the saying that good things come in threes and wonder if another piece of fantastic luck will soon be in store for the good people of Paris.

"Well?" Marinette asked anxiously.

"She wasn't suspicious, about my reappearance coinciding with Monarch's defeat?" 

"Oh, she was. I told her it wasn't my story to tell. And if she could spin things so that other people wouldn't be asking themselves the same thing. She is Adrien's friend too.”

"People will always ask questions," Amélie said wearily. "But a friendly reporter is about the best we can manage in this scenario. Others wouldn't be so generous."

“I have a couple of minor edits to suggest, then I think it will be ready to publish,” Natalie added. 

“Great! Let’s get those to Alya as soon as possible,” Emilie said. “Su Han should be here any minute now, right, Marinette?”

The young lady shrugged. “I think so. Timekeeping was different back in his day. I'm not sure how much he's adapted to that aspect of the twenty-first century.”

Natalie set to work on the edits while Emilie's stomach twisted itself into knots. This was it. It was finally time for the Order of the Guardians to assume custody of Gabriel. She didn’t know if she would ever see him again. Emilie supposed she ought to feel more … something? She just wasn't sure what. She knew she ought to feel relieved to see Gabriel walk out of the mansion one last time. But did she? 

Meanwhile, she was nervous about meeting the guardians. Would they judge her, criticize her for what she had done? For the trouble she had caused. Would they take her away too? Take the boys? Or… something else? She shuddered. Emilie had tried to ask Marinette as much as she dared about the guardians without actually revealing her private apprehensions. If they did try anything with the boys, she would fight with everything she had, powerless as she was by comparison.

“Em?” Her sister placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. She hadn’t even realized she was pacing. Before she could figure out how to answer Amélie’s concerned look, the door opened. 

“Hey,” Adrien announced jovially, “look who it is.”

An imposing man in traditional red robes and modern trainers entered the library. Behind him came two men similarly dressed, down to the trainers that didn't quite match the rest of their aesthetic. Félix brought up the rear. Emilie looked to Marinette to confirm, who introduced the first monk through the door as Su Han. The other two were unfamiliar to Marinette as well, brought along to assist in escorting Gabriel. 

Her fist met the open palm of its counterpart as Emilie bowed. “Master Su Han. It is an honor to meet you. Welcome to our home.” Likewise, she greeted his companions. 

“Ha!” Su Han barked out. “Finally, someone who has some respect and knowledge of the old ways! When I first met young Marinette and Adrien here, they tried to fight me!”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “You showed up out of nowhere trying to take our miraculous away. Not to mention, as the guardian whose memory is now intertwined with possession of the box. What else were we supposed to do?” 

“Besides, you know who else was always trying to get our miraculous?” Adrien added sarcastically under his breath. 

Su Han glared at the pair of them. “This is exactly what I mean about young people these days! No respect!”

“And yet,” Amélie started carefully, bowing to the trio of monks, “Monarch was an adult who grossly abused not only the miraculous and the citizenry but these children as well. As is always the case in war.”

The monks looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before Su Han spoke. “Well said. And you are?”

“Amélie Graham de Vanilly. Emilie is my sister and Félix my son,” she said, gesturing to each of them. 

Su Han gave her a measured look, like trying to decide what to make of her, while Amélie kept her gaze steady and unwavering. Like two rival forces of nature playing a mental chess match. The whole thing wasn't doing Emilie’s stomach any favors.

“Su Han, this is Natalie Sancoeur,” Emilie said, redirecting his attention. “She was critical in the downfall of Monarch.”

Su Han nodded. “The world owes you a great debt, Madame Sancoeur.” 

Natalie shook her head, “I was just a piece of the puzzle. Adrien, Marinette and Félix are the real heroes.”

Su Han’s companions looked taken aback by the discussion. “Brother, you didn’t tell us the miraculous were in such young hands.”

“Young? Yes. Still learning? Yes. But they’ve also proven themselves capable. I'm sure Wang Fu chose these young people for the ladybug and black cat because of the pureness of their hearts. And as Madame Graham de Vanilly pointed out,” he sent the lady in question a look of begrudging respect, “the one who had the greatest responsibility to protect and use the miraculous appropriately, an adult, chose the opposite.” 

Emilie felt like they were venturing into dangerous territory with all the subtle Gabriel references. Afterall, using a miraculous to deal with infertility probably wasn't exactly in their monk-approved, terms of service. “Would you all like some refreshments? I can make some tea and Marinette brought pastries.” 

“Yes, thank you. While you’re doing that, my brethren and I would like to inspect the prisoner.” 

“Are you going to do anything to him?” Emilie asked. Why did that thought make her anxious? If they did, didn't Gabriel deserve it? Why did she care anymore? Why was it still so hard, after every vile thing he had done, to let go? To sever their last tie.

“Just place a little spell on him. In case he gets away for some reason before we get to the temple. Standard protocol for a prisoner transfer.”

“Like a magical ankle monitor?” Félix suggested. 

“Hmmm. I suppose so.”

“I’ll take you to him,” Adrien spoke up, startling everyone. 

Before Emilie could protest, Marinette took the words out of her mouth. “Adrien! Are you sure?”

Adrien’s eyes were grim but determined as he gave her a curt nod. 

“I’ll go with you,” Marinette and Félix said, practically in unison. 

Adrien looked like he was about to object, but hesitated. Her son! Bravery wasn't the absence of fear but confronting it, pushing ahead despite it, meeting it face on. And not every brave act has to be done alone. 

“I think that's an excellent idea.” Emilie said. “Natalie, will you escort them?” She hoped she could read her intention. They needed to be able to trust the monks but they had no idea what their reaction would be if every single thing they had done to get to this point suddenly came out. Emilie had already committed herself to another task by offering to make tea. But Natalie had proven she was willing to protect the kids.

She nodded at Emilie. “Of course.” Then, gesturing towards the door as she redirected her attention to the monks. “Gentleman.”

Emilie worked to look relaxed and content as she watched them file out of the room. As soon as they were out, the tension bubbled to the surface and she collapsed in an armchair.

“Emilie!” Her sister was immediately at her side. 

“Sorry! It's just, I know Adrien and Marinette trust them but the monks are an unknown for us. Can we trust them? There are things Marinette and Adrien don't know.”

“So don't tell them what they don't need to know. Let them have Gabriel and send them on their way.”

Emilie remained silent as she stared, trance-like, at a random book on one of the shelves, one with a green cover and gold lettering.

“What?”

Emilie sighed. “I'm having mixed feelings… about letting him go, for one.”

Amélie's spine stiffened as she gasped. “Have you lost your mind?! After everything he’s done to you? To this family?! You’ve changed your decision?! You want him to stay here?!”

“No!” Emilie smacked her hands down on the armrest. “I can’t stand the thought of that either. There’s just … some sorrow… about the finality of it all. Something that I can’t quite put my finger on.”

“Scoot over,” Amélie insisted. 

“Huh?”

“I said scoot over,” she repeated. 

Emilie did her best to hug to one side of the easy chair as her sister wedged herself in next to her. They sat there for a moment, not saying anything. Despite being physically squished, Emilie felt like mentally she was on the edge of a precipice, after her comment and her sister’s reactions. 

Amélie released an exaggerated sigh before turning to her. Her voice softened as she broke the silence. “I think what you’re experiencing is less uncertainty about what needs to be done, what Gabriel deserves, and more regret over the person he used to be, mourning the life you used to have together and the possibility of a future that’s nothing like the one you once envisioned for yourself.”

An unbidden sob escaped her throat and her sister pulled her into a hug. “I think you're right. It's not so much that I've changed my mind or how I feel about all the terrible things he's done but once he's gone it really means that part of my life is over. That door will really be closed after two decades of marriage. What will be left for me, of me, on the other side?” That thought of how she would have to manage to continue picking up the pieces of their broken life once things slowed down, once the crisis was dealt with, was a terrifying one. 

“I know. But you’ll get through it and on the other side, you’ll find new dreams and you’ll make a new future, for your son and for yourself. And it will be beautiful. I'm sure of it.”

Emilie hugged her sister back. “That was very sweet. You always know just what to say. Thank you.”

“Remember, you're not alone in this.” Amélie gave her back one last rub and a final pat before releasing her. “Shall we go make that tea now?”

While waiting for the water to boil in the kitchen, Amélie asked, “You said letting go of Gabriel was one of your concerns. What's the other?”

“How will they react…when they find out that Adrien and Félix were conceived with the miraculous?”

“Why would they?”

“It's integral to Gabriel's crimes! Why did he terrorize Paris? What did he want? I have no doubt they're going to ask. That leads back to me. And why I was in a coma in the first place.” 

Amélie quietly reflected on that. “You want to tell them, don't you?”

“Not really. I don't want them to turn on the boys. What if they take them back to Tibet? Or …worse…” She couldn't finish exactly what she meant by “worse” out loud. “But at the same time, keeping it a secret feels like there's a sword hanging over my head that could drop at any time.”

Amélie sighed.

“You disagree, don't you.”

“I get that you're trying to do the right thing, but doesn't keeping them safe feel like the right thing? Doesn't that outweigh the omission?”

“I used to think so. Then I woke up and witnessed what too much of that type of thinking led Gabriel to.”

Amélie groaned in disgust at the comparison. “He lost his ability to see the difference between right and wrong. The place he went was one where he was always in the right, no matter how despicable the means or the outcome. The fact that we're even having this discussion proves that we're not following his path.”

Emilie nodded but she could tell that Amélie didn't believe that she had really swayed her. 

“If you're determined to do this… this confession, at least they're outnumbered and we have home territory advantage.”

That was as close to a blessing as she'd get from her sister. Not that she had actively sought it but it was a relief to have someone to spin out her thoughts with instead of letting them cycle endlessly inside her head. “I'll ask to speak to Su Han alone.”

“Let me do it with you. I'm involved in this as much as anyone. And I'm committed to ensuring that we reach a good outcome.”

Emilie shook her head before leaning it on sister's shoulder. “I want you and Natalie to stick close to the boys. If things turn out badly…” she swallowed thickly. “They'll have their magic. And they'll have you two.”

“It's not a responsibility we take lightly.”

“Good,” Emilie said through a strained smile. “I'm counting on it.”

The group was waiting in the library when they returned with the tea service. Emilie poured for everyone. She had to mix tea sets to have enough cups to go around. On one tray, her purple pansy and green leaf set she'd gotten from her grandmother after she'd passed her A levels. The other was the one she had bought on that trip to Tibet. 

“That's an interesting tea set you have, Madame Agreste.” Su Han indicated the colorful geometric pattern adorning the cup in his hand, breaking her out of reminiscing.

“Yes, thank you. I've always had an interest in learning about different tea traditions across cultures, including the wares used as a vessel to serve them.”

She sipped quietly, glancing at the liquid, before darting her eyes up to check his reaction. He was staring at her. While the rest of his face was neutral, his eyes carried an unblinking intensity. She locked her eyes with his, doing her best to match him, despite her lack of some thousands of years of experience. 

A soft thunk broke the tension. They looked for the source and found that Marinette had dropped her cup. Fortunately, the rug under her feet softened its fall, preventing it from breaking. “I'm sorry. I'm so clumsy.”

“Madly clumsy?” Adrien smirked, resulting in Marinette’s subsequent blush.

“It's fine, Marinette. This is an old rug. It's seen a lot worse than spilled tea,” Amélie reassured her.

The young guardian knelt down to retrieve the fallen drinkware. “Where are the cleaning supplies?”

“I'll show you, My Lady.” They exited the library, Marinette cradling the nearly empty cup in her hands.

Once the door closed, Emilie flicked her eyes to her friend. “Natalie, would you be so kind as to present our dossier to Master Su Han?”

Félix and the women waited silently for the monks to review the indictment. Emilie felt like her nerves were all pins and needles. She wasn't often grateful for all those dull etiquette lessons when she was young. But that combined with her martial arts experience helped as she worked to control her desire to squirm. Instead, she tried to focus on maintaining a neutral expression and keep her breathing as even as possible, especially as Su Han's thick, bushy eyebrows climbed closer and closer to his hairline.

“Madame Agreste, these are very serious. Quite severe. Are you sure?”

Emilie nodded. “He hurt a lot of people and he hasn't expressed any remorse about it.”

“I know I'm still adjusting to the way things are nowadays but I don't think children normally sign these.”

“He stole part of their childhoods. A time they ought to feel safe and secure. It felt important,” Emilie said. 

“Besides,” Amélie added, “these children have been the soldiers in this civil war against a rogue holder. If that doesn't qualify them to validate the testimony against him, what does?”

“And what was the cause of all this trouble? Do you know his motives?”

Just then, Adrien and Marinette returned with towels and carpet cleaner. 

She could change the subject, wait for another time, stall out to see if it came up again. But she was tired of these games. Better to get it over with and see what his response would be. Emilie stood up abruptly. “Master Su Han, allow me to show you to the facilities.”

He sat there staring at her for a moment until he realized everyone was looking at him. “Uh, oh! Certainly,” he bumbled, getting up to follow her out the door. 

Emilie led him to Gabriel's office. She didn't exactly like being in here but everyone had already been in and out, traversing down to the basement and back up again, including herself. As she closed the door behind her, she took a deep breath before turning around to face him, leaning her back against the door. 

“I can tell you why Gabriel did what he did,” she recognized the slight tremble in her voice and worked to regain control, smoothing it back out. Her eyes drifted from the cold, sterile tile on the floor up to meet Su Han’s eyes. “But I need your word about something first.”

He looked at her calmly, but no promises, out loud or otherwise. She realized she would have to make a concession first. The ball was in her court. Or at least, in his mind it was. 

“Promise me, no matter what happens, you and yours won't do anything to the boys.”

He looked perplexed at her intensity and urgency. “Why would I do anything to them? They're innocent, aren't they?”

Emilie knew he didn't know them, not really, and after everything they'd been through, it was natural to tack that question onto the end. But the emotional, mama bear, part of her brain overruled the logical, the rational, at the audacity. She snarled, “Of course they are!” Fighting to pull the edge off of her voice, she managed only barely. “Your word, Master Su Han? As a celestial guardian and a representative of your order?”

He studied her for a moment before nodding solemnly. “You have my word. As a celestial guardian and as a member of my order. We have no intention to harm them.”

She felt the tension in her muscles begin to thaw but she wasn't out of the woods yet. “Gabriel's motive… for all those evil deeds… he wanted the black cat and ladybug miraculous to revive … me.” 

She waited as that sunk in.

“Are you saying he used the wish?!” 

Emilie shook her head. “The kids used magic they studied in the grimoire to achieve the same goal. I wasn't dead, just asleep. Something inside me was … broken.” 

“How would the grimoire help cure an illness or injury?”

“Because my problem did not stem from a virus or a cancer, it's origin was neither genetic nor functional. It was magical.” 

“What do you mean?”

“I …” She took a breath, neither as deep nor as filling as she would've liked. “The peacock miraculous, we discovered it outside the ruins of your temple. I used it to create them.”

“You mean you and one other created them.”

“No, I created both of them.”

“That's impossible.”

“I'm not sure how much you know about fetal embryology, Master Su Han. But the short version is that I created one baby inside me, and while it was still very, very small, it split into a second baby, each with his own mind, body and soul. In short, twins. This caused the miraculous to become damaged.”

“I see.”

Did he? Was he avoiding the part she was the most concerned about? Was he planning something? “And Adrien and Félix are sentibeings, humans conceived in a mix of love, genetics and magic.” Emilie felt her teeth clench in anticipation…of what? A bad reaction? A blow? A retractation of his promise? 

“Oh. That part I knew.”

“What do mean you knew? How?!” Only one in possession of the amok or the peacock miraculous should be able to tell, to feel it, to know at a glance. 

“I didn't spend thousands of years training not to be able to recognize a magical being, even a creation of the peacock.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“Do you hold to your promise? Not to harm them?”

“Of course. They are innocent. They haven't done anything to warrant elimination.”

“They're human boys! And should be treated like any other! And even if their origins weren't tied in magic, if we thought it was within our right to simply eliminate humans at our whim, we wouldn't be turning Gabriel over to you for fair, meted punishment now.”

“Yes, you have a point.” 

Darn straight she had a point!

“What you must remember, is that throughout the course of human history, I have seen each miraculous used for good and for evil.”

“My boys are not evil!”

“I agree with you. But even your own husband created monsters for the purpose of reigning down death and destruction using the peacock, which I'm sure you're aware of considering how thick that evidence folder is.”

“What are you getting at?”

“Unlike the monsters created for the purpose of fulfilling evil desires, humans aren't born inherently good or evil. Instead they are defined by their choices.”

“Yes?” Why was their argument starting to sound like an agreement?

“So just as Gabriel could not choose for them to be evil, you cannot choose for them to be good. While you can teach them about right and wrong, and because they are human, that's something they can and should learn, no one can decide except for themselves.”

Was he… pointing out her bias? Or simply how insignificant her struggles were in the course of human events? Even if what he said was true? Emilie gripped the edge of a desk. 

“There's nothing inherently wrong with using the peacock to create a sentient being as an extension of one's strong emotions. That is its purpose. Problems arise when those creations are intended to be used to cause pain and suffering.”

And they'd already established that she hadn't. Did that mean everything was fine? That she had been stressing over nothing? Emilie released a shuddering breath as she slouched over the desk.

“Is that what you've been worried about? That we were come to punish you?” 

She nodded.

“Your responsibility is to guide and teach them along the way. And you've done a fine job with them so far.”

“I always wanted for them to be able to decide for themselves, what kind of future they would build.”

“You can't protect them forever though.”

“Yeah, I know. They'll be men soon.” Emilie straightened, smiling. “And I can't take all the credit. When the effects of the cracked miraculous put me and my pregnancy in danger, my sister became a surrogate for Félix. She raised him and became his mother, in every sense of the word.”

Su Han blinked three times. “Surrogate?” 

“It's a concept in modern fertility. When one carries the baby of someone else for the duration of the pregnancy.”

“Apparently, I have a lot to catch up on,” he said, befuddled. 

Emile laughed. “I'm sorry I was a little harsh earlier. I had to make sure you wouldn't hurt them.”

“It's understandable. Not only as a mother but after such a betrayal from your spouse.”

“Yeah.” She bit her lip. The sting was still there but somehow the beautiful things were slowly numbing the pain. “We should probably get back or everyone's going to worry.”

“I agree. Only could you actually show me to the restroom?” His eyes bulged with urgency and Emilie wondered how long he'd been waiting to ask. Poor man had to hold it while she had practically launched into a verbal confrontation. 

She laughed, part humor, part embarrassment, covering her mouth with her fist. “My apologies. It's this way.”

Chapter Text

The Undersigned have reason to believe that the Defendant, Gabriel Agreste, committed the following offense(s):

Count 1: In that the defendant intentionally or knowingly used the miraculous to commit crimes against humanity, including but not limited to murder, extermination and/or enslavement, as well as enforced disappearance of persons.

Count 2: In that the defendant intentionally or knowingly used the miraculous to commit crimes against humanity, including but not limited to torture, imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical and mental liberties.

Count 3: In that the defendant intentionally or knowingly used the miraculous to commit other inhumane acts including but not limited to intentionally causing great suffering or serious injury to body, mental and physical health.

Count 4: In that the defendant intentionally or knowingly inflicted upon a child (AA) serious psychological harm or trauma including but not limited to coercion, manipulation and physical and social isolation.

Count 5: In that the defendant intentionally or knowingly inflicted upon a child (MDC) serious psychological harm or trauma, including but not limited to coercion, manipulation, stalking and aggravated burglary. 

Count 6: In that the defendant intentionally or knowingly inflicted upon a child (FF) serious psychological harm or trauma, including but not limited to coercion, manipulation threats against said child's life.

Count 7: In that the defendant intentionally or knowingly inflicted upon the kwamis kidnapping, coercion, false imprisonment, restriction of food.

Count 8: In that the defendant intentionally or knowingly committed multiple and widespread acts of depredation including but not limited to destruction of public and private property.

Emilie Agreste

Natalie Sancouer 

Amélie Graham de Vanilly 

Adrien Agreste

Marinette Dupain-Cheng 

Félix Fathom

Chapter Text

Other than sparing them a brief glance when their names were read out loud at the end of the indictment, Gabriel’s stare was fixed in the distance. Whether he was looking at the wall, the empty space in between or simply lost in his own thoughts, Emilie couldn't say. What was clear was that his eyes were not blank in ignorance nor sorrowful with guilt. No, he was silently seething. Angry. She almost would've said he was still dangerous but that was absurd. He was outnumbered and outgunned, stripped of every last iota of power and authority he had repeatedly and unabashedly abused. If she as an adult was still having to remind herself of this continuously, she wondered how the children were faring. Did they feel comforted by the fairytales of their youth? Where once the foe was vanquished, everyone lived their happily ever after. Or would they be dealing with the very real and visceral responses conditioned by the fear and anxiety of everything this man had put them through for a long time yet?

Emilie reached out, placing one arm protectively around Adrien's shoulders and stroked Marinette's hair with the other. She caught Félix's eyes, who was standing close to his mother, and tried to send every gram of love and strength to him with a reassuring look and a nod. Brave, clever, protective Félix. He had volunteered to take the lead and go first.

“Uncle. Two years ago, a beloved member of our family was lost to us. A mother. A sister. An aunt. A friend. We should’ve been able to come together, to comfort each other, and support one another in the face of this tragedy.

“Instead, you actively and purposefully separated each and every one of us. From each other and from the epicenter of our grief. There was no chance for mourning, no chance to remind each other of the good times we shared with her. Instead of kindling and sharing the light Aunt Emilie was in each of our lives, you hid her away and tried to keep every good thing about her for yourself.

“You had every opportunity. Adrien, Natalie and my own mother tried to reach out to you, to help you and to beg you to stop shutting us out. Instead, you responded with contempt and disdain. You even threatened to murder me in an egregious excuse for self preservation.

“You were and are a selfish man and sorry excuse of a husband, father, uncle, brother-in-law and friend. And now, you are finally out of opportunities to do right by the people who believed in you because Aunt Emilie believed in you.”

Félix’s passionate speech caught Emilie by surprise and despite his features returning to a neutral expression once he was done, tears were quietly slipping down his cheeks. Amélie wrapped her arms around him and Emilie joined their embrace. She gasped as she held onto them. Her heart was already breaking. She had no idea how she would manage to stay in one piece as she listened to Marinette’s and Adrien’s statements but she knew she owed it to them and everything they’d suffered through to make certain she did so. After a few moments, she was only vaguely aware of the eerie sounds of Marinette’s soft footfalls as she stepped forward to take her turn.

“Monsieur Gabriel Agreste. To myself and so many others, you were our hero. Your designs spellbound us and we believed that magic was woven into the clothes you created. To us, you were a sorcerer of thread, needle and cloth.

“But now I understand, you were never a sorcerer but a magician who creates clever illusions using smoke and mirrors to hide behind. Without your wife, your so-called muse, the monster that was hiding backstage finally emerged.

“Not only did you prove your incompetence as a designer but as a father as well. The way you treated your own son was reprehensible. It’s so infuriating, how you mistreated the kind, beautiful boy you were supposed to love and care for that some days, I don’t have space left to hate you for everything you put me through.

“The stress, the anxiety, the lying, the nightmares, the way I had to hurt the ones I loved the most to protect them from you. Because I knew then, if you caught wind of who I was or who I loved, you would spare them no mercy. For the price of my loving them, you would exact your retribution on them in full. The previous guardian, my mentor, did have to pay a price, because of my carelessness. And now your family is paying the price for yours.

“While the scars you have left on our lives will last lifetimes, I believe our path to becoming whole again and our sweetest revenge will be living full, happy lives. We can’t do that if you're still casting shadows over us and haunting our thoughts. The best thing you can do now is to be forgotten. Thus, after today, you have my solemn promise that I will endeavor to never think of you again and I will do my best to help everyone else do the same.”

Marinette walked straight into Adrien's arms and they held each other like they'd just walked the road to hell and back again. More fortunate than Orpheus and Eurydice, they'd both survived the return journey after facing the bitter, spiteful king and his minions. When they broke apart so Adrien could give his statement, Félix was there waiting. He clasped hands with Adrien and with their free arms patted each other on the backs. Emilie took hold of Marinette. Despite her brave face, she was sniffling quietly into her shoulder, trying to hold back the sobs. The action caused little waves to rock her slight frame. When they released each other, Félix and Marinette stood side by side, their arms around each other's shoulders, their attention fixed on the boy who was about to speak. Emilie was struck how in this moment, they looked like comrades in arms, united through a special type of friendship founded and bound together in mutual suffering.

“Father. I'm sorry.

“I'm sorry that when we lost mum, I didn't know how to help you grieve. That I wasn't able to convince you that I was strong enough for you to lean and rely on. If I had been better, stronger, smarter, maybe you wouldn't have gone down this path. Maybe you could have trusted me and loved me. Maybe we could've gotten through this together. But nothing I am, nothing I have ever done or said was ever good enough for you. And now I finally understand… It never will be.

“It's occurred to me that if you had ever gained the ladybug and black cat miraculous, you likely would have traded my life for mum's. It would have been so easy to erase me from everyone's memory and start over. You may not have succeeded in making the wish but in a way, the result will be similar. You and I will never have to see each other again.

“And now, I'll bid the valediction you no doubt would have denied me if you'd managed to have your way. Goodbye, father.”

Gabriel's angry, haughty façade finally showed signs of cracking, a harsh pink forming around the rims of his eyes, as bits of bitter sorrow peaked through. Perhaps at long last, he realized what he'd taken for granted for so long. A love and trust that could never be artificially constructed nor replicated. The innate faith of a child freely given to one he believed to be his protector, his hero, his best friend. Gabriel had callously shattered that, confident he could win a favor from the immortals to put all his mistakes to right. He would never win it back now. Even if Adrien chose to reconcile and forgive him some day, Gabriel had tainted every good memory, every warm feeling, every tender embrace. The shining legacy he'd once hoped their son would carry for him, he himself had corrupted with poison. She realized how wrong even that had been of him and was struck with the realization that Adrien and she were alike in that way, which she had never considered until now. They'd both had someone else's legacy thrust upon them, because each of them had parents who cared more for appearances and the opinions of others than they cared for the wellbeing of their own children.

If her husband had any regrets now, it was too little, too late for him.

Adrien became the nucleus of a large group hug. Words of affection and reassurance surrounded him, like a shield trying to repel every foul and heinous thing his father had ever done to him. Oh, how she wished they could reach into the deep recesses of his heart and mind and smooth out every sharp, jagged, painful edge. Sadly, they couldn't undo the damage that had been done. No, but the love of his family and friends could transform into medicine, a healing balm, an antidote. It would take time. Healing always does. Emilie made certain to add her words to the beautiful harmony of reassurances and encouragement for her son.

“I love you, Adrien. None of this was your fault. You will always be enough.” She gripped the sides of his face firmly so he had to look at her. His glistening peridot eyes that matched her own stared back at her. “Do you hear me? You are enough and I love you! I will say it as many times as you need me to. Until you believe it! Until you're sick of hearing it!”

He nodded weakly and she swept his fringe out of the way so she could kiss his forehead. She could've held her baby all day if not for the rest of his loved ones wanting their turn.

She gave him a good squeeze before making room for the next person desperate to dote on him. She couldn't help sparing a brief glance at Gabriel. The contrast was stark. While Adrien was surrounded by warmth and light, Gabriel was solitary and hollow. His fate was the direct result of his actions. He had chosen and sealed it by his own hand.

Master Su Han cleared his throat and Emilie turned her attention to him. Adrien was in good hands, after all.

“That was all, correct? No one else wanted to speak.”

“Yes, that's right.” Emilie had already tried reasoning with Gabriel and the result had been utterly futile. Amélie felt Félix had spoken well enough for the both of them and Natalie didn't feel right about speaking as a victim since she had chosen to work beside Gabriel for a time. She had said she preferred to stand in support of the children. They were well and truly ready to wash their hands of him.

“We entrust him to your custody to decide whatever punishment will be fair and just.”

He nodded at his companions who began moving towards Gabriel. “For what it's worth, Madame … I had no idea. Whenever I checked in with the Guardian, everything seemed fine. And the few times I interacted with your son… They were both bold and confident. I never would have guessed they were affected so deeply.”

To be fair, Emilie had been nervous about meeting the Guardians too. Of course, she had different circumstances, different things that she was at risk of losing but the children had things they’d been afraid to lose too and people they held dear. She could have been angry with the Guardians but just as the effects on the children surprised them, Gabriel becoming a super villain had similarly caught her off guard as well. That potential in him was something she had not foreseen

“I understand why they were chosen and that it's easier to teach them when they're young.” Emilie thought back to things she had learned while her brain was still quite malleable. Music, martial arts and languages, not to mention the societal rules, power structures and social politicking. Despite not having uses for some of them, for better or worse they were wired into her, second nature. And some of the lessons her parents thought important, she sometimes wished she could forget. “But please remember,” she said, gesturing towards the children. “How much it did cost them. Maybe taking that into account is something that should be given more consideration in the future?”

“That sounds … wise,” Su Han conceded. “Good luck.”

Emilie pressed her palms together in front of her and bowed her head. “Thank you. And to you as well.”

She rejoined Adrien, standing behind him with her arms wrapped protectively around his shoulders and collar bone. Félix and Marinette stood beside him, each holding one of his hands, while Amélie and Natalie stood in front as the group watched Gabriel be loaded into the elevator.

Letting out a heavy breath, she sagged in spite of the weight that had been lighted from their lives. He was really gone now.

Chapter Text

The week after the Guardians took Gabriel into custody, Emilie found herself in a strange place. Although immensely relieved to have him out of the house and out of their lives, there was still part of her that was anxious and unsettled. She'd wake up in the middle of the night, staring blankly at the ceiling, wondering what came next.

She did have some short term things to address, but what would come after the mess Gabriel left behind had been put right? Or as right as it could get, anyway.

While these uncertainties kept her up at night, by day Amélie, Natalie and herself poured over Gabriel's contracts and finances with a fine toothed comb, which left her exhausted and turning in for bed shortly after dinner. And as promised, dinners were now a family affair. Those were easily one of the brightest spots of Emilie's tedious days.

When the three of them finally felt confident enough to confront Tomoe, the boys insisted on going with her. Initially, Emilie rejected the idea, but like Adrien and Félix, Amélie and Natalie didn't want her going alone. 

“She's an old friend. What's the worst that could happen?”

Natalie gestured towards the contracts and other papers spread over a large table in the library. “Would the Tomoe you knew have done all this?”

“She's right, Em,” Amélie said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “She's not the person you once knew. She's changed.”

Emilie looked around her. Who hadn’t changed? Her husband had become a supervillain, terrorizing his own son as collateral, while Natalie once aided as his accomplice. The kids put on smiles but they bore the scars of what they’d had to carry. Even her own sister, while she appeared more or less the same twin she had always known and loved, had slowly started to reveal that while they kept up appearances, her marriage to Colt had been anything but the carefully constructed façade she had crafted and maintained over the years. Emilie never knew, had no idea. She had only seen what Amélie wanted everyone to see. A practically perfect family. Her own sister had intentionally withheld that ugly truth from her. What was she meant to make of all that?

Félix’s worried expression caught her eye. She had promised him. For Kagami’s sake. And she knew something of Tomoe’s past. Didn’t she deserve a chance, just as much as Gabriel and Natalie? “I need to try,” she said ostentatiously. 

She imagined what it must feel like for her friends and family at the thought of her confronting Tomoe alone. If their positions were reversed, of course she wouldn’t want them to go into that situation by themselves either.

“Okay, you can come with me. But I want to talk to her privately. You all stay outside the door.”

Adrien and Félix nodded solemnly. 

“Everyone, get ready,” she said. “We’ll meet downstairs and head out.”

The car ride over was tense. Félix had completely clammed up and was nearly statue still. Even Adrien was more subdued than usual. Amélie would start tapping her foot or inspecting her finger nails then abruptly stop, catching herself. Even Natalie, who had the best poker face of anyone she knew couldn't help casting nervous glances from time to time as she was driving. As for Emilie, her stomach was winding itself into the Gordian Knot.

They arrived without an appointment, hoping the element of surprise might help tilt the odds in their favor. After asking Tatsu to tell Madame Tsurugi that Emilie Agreste was there to see her, they were quickly admitted.

"Emilie. What a relief that you are well. Is Gabriel not with you?"

"No. He's gone."

"The rot overtook him," she said matter-of-factly, as if they were discussing the weather. “I did warn him.”

Emilie already knew that Tomoe was well acquainted with the miraculous. But apparently, she knew about the cataclysm as well. It would have been too easy for her to ascertain who was behind the villainy associated with the dark butterfly of Paris. Based on the dates of the contracts and the timeline from the Ladyblog, they suspected that Tomoe had knowingly supported Gabriel's foul deeds.

"No,” she corrected. “Ladybug healed him, as she did me. I've yielded his fate to the Order of the Guardians."

Despite not being able to see her eyes, Emilie imagined the shrewd look her friend might be giving her under her dark lenses.

"Are you here to have them take me as well?"

"Not if you're willing to be reasonable. I tried to reason with Gabriel and he refused."

"So what?” Tomoe spat. “You want me to get on my knees and beg for forgiveness?"

"No,” Emilie said, working to maintain her calm and avoid letting her friend stir her into meeting her reproach in kind. “I want you to remove Adrien from the Alliance rings and void all contracts and agreements you had with Gabriel."

"So you get everything you wanted and I get nothing in return?"

"Don't be foolish, Tomoe,” she shot back. “I've lost my husband. My son has lost his father. You could lose everything, like Gabriel. Or you can do better. It’s your choice!"

"If I accept your terms, how do you know I won't blackmail you later?"

"Your hands are too dirty. You've bound yourself too tightly as Gabriel's accomplice. Exposing me would expose your family and company to just as much shame and ridicule.

“Besides,” Emilie added. “You have the world at your fingertips. You don't need all these machinations. They only serve to fuel your greed and ego.”

Tomoe's jaw dropped. Quickly, she snapped it back shut, composing herself once more. "Fine,” she grumbled. “I accept. But I'm not happy about this."

"I didn't expect you would be. But I do have a consolation to offer you."

"And that is?"

"Ladybug has graciously offered to heal your sight."

Tomoe gasped, her cane clattering to the floor. "Impossible!"

"Is it? I was revived from the brink of death."

"She…cannot revive the dead?"

"Not in the way you want,” Emilie said gently. “I'm afraid your sister is truly gone. But having nearly crossed over myself, I believe you'll see her again someday. Don't you want her to be proud of you when you do?"

Tomoe hid her face in her hands as she started to sob. Emilie walked around the desk to hold her as she let out things she'd held in for years. While it was heartbreaking to see her friend’s pain, raw and exposed, Emilie felt honored that Tomoe trusted her enough to allow herself to be vulnerable in her presence. 

"Because of what Gabriel did, his relationships with his family and friends are changed forever. I don't know if there's a way back into our lives for him. Don't let the same thing happen between you and Kagami. If you drive her away, all the money and power in the world won't be able to fix that." Tomoe nodded. Emilie grabbed a couple of tissues and handed them to her friend.

"If you need time to think about it-"

"No! I accept your terms, as well as whatever Ladybug's are. I want to see my daughter's face again."

Emilie smiled, relieved that she was able to talk her friend down. She reached into her pocket and fingered the red and black polka dotted bottle. Placing it in Tomoe's hand, she wrapped her friend’s calloused fingers around its curved edges. "Two drops in each eye, twice a day for 15 days."

"And then what?"

"And then Ladybug will pay you a visit and we'll see if it worked."

"What's in the bottle?" 

"The same potion they used to heal the peacock and myself. The formula is from the grimoire. But because only your eyes were affected they thought it would be best to put in an ophthalmologic solution, which meant they had to figure out how to adjust the dose and decide on the right solvent."

"Who's they?"

"The heroes of Paris."

"So a group of teenagers are playing guinea pig with my eyes,” Tomoe asked through gritted teeth. 

Emilie rolled her eyes and smirked. Thank goodness, that “group of teenagers” included Adrien who was brilliant at maths and sciences, Marinette who thought outside the box and had been taking measurements and making adjustments to patterns and recipes almost as long as she could remember and Fèlix who had already graduated from high school, not to mention was sharp as tack and double checked everything with an analytical eye, often offering new insights when they hit a wall. Instead, she offered, "Surely it can't make it worse."

"Why would they do this for me? After everything I've done to thwart them?"

"They believe in second chances. It's up to you what you decide to do with it. And it probably helps that they think quite highly of Kagami."

"Kagami?"

"She was chosen to wield the dragon miraculous, wasn’t she? So in a way, you have your daughter to thank for the extra grace."

Tomoe clutched the concoction she had ridiculed only moments earlier close to her heart. “Kagami! Oh, my noble daughter! She honored me, even when I didn't deserve it.”

“Some parents consider it a success when our children make better choices than we did. Try not to focus on your regrets, instead celebrate her successes.” 

“I… how's Adrien… in all of this?”

Emilie leaned against the side of the desk. “I won't lie…”

“I would appreciate your honesty, even if it is harsh.”

She crossed her arms across her ribs. “The things Gabriel did hurt him deeply. You supported that, as did Natalie. And to a lesser degree, you did that to Kagami.”

“How do I fix it?”

“We can't go back and change the past…” as much as she might like to. She'd seen where those roads led. “Gabriel threw his family away. He had many opportunities to turn things around. Before and after I woke up. He didn't. In fact, never once did he apologize.”

“Apologize?”

Emilie nodded out of habit even though she knew Tomoe couldn't see her reaction. “And it's not just words. You have to show her,” Emilie gripped her friend's shoulder. “Earn her trust back. I'm not sure if I deserve Adrien's. Or Félix's for that matter. But I know I won't be satisfied if I don't even try.

“Children are like seeds,” she continued. “We share a bit ourselves when we plant them and we try to provide the right combination of nutrients to protect them and help them thrive. But they were never meant to live in our shadows forever.”

“I haven't been letting her grow,” Tomoe surmised. “I've been smothering her.”

“They're at that age where they still very much need their parents but also the space to find their own footing.” Emilie bumped Tomoe's shoulder playfully. “Or are you so old you've forgotten what that's like?”

Tomoe's face finally cracked into a smile. “Ha!” Her unreadable expression returned too soon though. “But what is the right combination? Of sun and shade, water and earth?”

Emilie shrugged. “That's the thing. What every child needs is different. As is what every parent is both able and willing to provide. If we can keep that in mind, we have the opportunity to discover the answer.”

Chapter Text

Over the next few weeks, Emilie and her family worked to find a new normal. Family mealtimes continued to be a regular occurrence in the manor house. She chuckled to herself as she imagined she must have the only teenager who actually wanted to eat with his family on a regular basis. It was lovely though and gave her time to reacquaint herself with Adrien along with the rest more deeply. The only time her son was missed was when he dined with the Dupain-Chengs once a week. She couldn't fault him for that and she made sure to invite Marinette over just as often. 

Tomoe's sight had been restored to perfect vision and while Emilie was trying not to interfere anymore than she already had, Félix’s casual reports on Kagami gave her the hope that the Tsurugis were moving towards a better place as well. 

Due to their relationship, Félix desperately wanted to remain in Paris. At first glance, it would have appeared silly to let a teen move countries so he could be close to his sweetheart. The kids were fifteen going on sixteen for crying out loud. But they’d literally carried the weight of the world and as Emilie was discovering, her sister was generally laissez-faire in her parenting style. They’d never lived near each other as adults and now they were each learning what the other was like, not only as grown women but as mothers as well. And that meant learning to respect each other’s decisions, even when they didn’t agree. While not always easy, it was beautiful and she wouldn’t have traded it for anything. 

Emilie had been seriously considering selling the mansion before Amélie had decided to stay in Paris. It really was too large for only herself and Adrien and while the public story for Gabriel was that he was on a sabbatical, Natalie had taken a real one. Emilie had no clue what her friend would choose to do thereafter. But they kept up with each other through writing letters the old fashioned way, as part of Natalie’s time away included unplugging. For years, she had been constantly on the alert for emails, push notifications, social media alerts and news outlet monitoring. Even for a family of five, as Maurice had chosen to stay on, the massive home felt excessive. She never should have let Gabriel talk her into buying it in the first place. Back then, she’d been hopeful for a large family…

“Just keep it!” Amélie said, her exacerbation showing at having to listen to her sister go back and forth on the subject yet again. “When the kids are grown and start having their own babies, imagine everyone coming over for holidays or other special occasions. Our grandkids will have a place to stay here when they’re parents go out of town or have date nights.” 

All it took was Amélie’s description and Emilie could see it. She remembered her little dream, the day after she woke up of Adrien and Félix’s blissful, shining futures with their respective ladies. And grand babies. A soft smile spread across her face. “See!” Amélie said on seeing her grin. But she couldn’t lose her focus on the present in favor of what may or may not happen in the future. For now, Emilie Agreste had one more thing she needed to make right. 

Taking a deep breath beforehand, Emilie knocked on her nephew's door.

"Come in." He looked up from the book he was reading as she entered. 

"Aunt Emilie. Hello." Félix started to scoot towards the edge of the bed.

"No, it's okay. You don't have to get up. But do you mind if I have a seat?"

Félix shook his head and gestured towards the chair that adjoined his desk. Emilie sat, a slight tremble in her legs as she did so. While she was nervous about this conversation with Félix, it was a prelude to the one that would follow.

"Félix, would you be willing to lend me the peacock?"

The young man eyed her cautiously. She had chosen her words carefully, because she did want it to be his choice. But after they were out in the open, she realized they sounded like a watered down version of her husband's infamous catchphrase, "Give me your miraculous!"

"Only if it's okay with you and Duusu, of course,” she amended.

"Why?" His tone was less suspicious than it was curious.

"I need to confront what I've been avoiding for fifteen years. I need to tell my son the truth." 

"Yes, but why the peacock?"

"Privacy for one. A miraculous yields more options away from listening ears. And for two, it feels important to come full circle." EmiIie subconsciously palmed the ring nestled against her sternum.

"When are you going to do it?"

"Today. I've known since I found out what Gabriel had done while I was asleep that I needed to tell him, to explain everything, that he had a right to understand why these things happened. But every time I turn around, there's been another fire to put out."

"And the fires are all out now."

Emilie nodded. “The fires are all out now,” she affirmed.

"Would you like me to come with you?"

Emilie was truly touched by the gesture but she shook her head. "I appreciate that you would offer. And part of me wants to say yes, for moral support if nothing else. But I made the decision that started this journey alone. I need to finish this on my own terms. But if he doesn't want to speak to me afterwards, hopefully he'll still be willing to listen to you. And you'll be able to relate to him in a way hardly anyone else can."

While Emilie was lost in thoughts of all the terrible possibilities of how her son might react, she hadn't noticed the young man before her was now sitting on the edge of the bed. 

"Aunt Emilie." Her nephew sat in front of her, staring at her with his piercing green eyes. Her and her sister's eyes. Graham de Vanilly eyes. Adrien's eyes. "He isn't going to hate you. He loves you."

"I hope that’s true."

"Trust me. Adrien isn't the type to hold grudges. He might need some time to sort out his feelings. But after everything he's been through over the past couple of years, he's strong enough to handle this. Have faith in him."

"You're right." 

Félix exchanged a quick look with Duusu, who nodded. Deftly removing the brooch, he offered it to Emilie. 

"Thank you, Félix." Emilie pinned the peacock to her blouse. The figure changed to an indigo body with ombre turquoise wings and pearls adorning the tips. Duusu immediately reappeared. Emilie pet the kwami's back with her finger. She could do this. She would do this. She'd wear the peacock one last time. For Adrien.

Emilie had no idea how fast or slow she was walking, only that each step she took towards her son's room was accompanied by the steady beat of a war drum inside her chest. Finding herself in front of Adrien's door with her hand raised, she lowered it without knocking. 

"Emilie?" Duusu asked.

"Every time I think about what to say, it comes off wrong. I worry about how each word or phrase will be interpreted from his perspective. What if I don't handle this the right way and I lose him? I've had days to work and rework how and what I'm going to say. Now I'm coming up blank."

"Be honest and speak from your heart. I think that's what Adrien would tell you to do."

Emilie took another deep breath, trying to clear the fear and anxiety from her mind and replace it with the love she felt for her son.

Hearing his heartbeat for the first time on ultrasound.

Feeling him moving inside her.

Holding him after delivery.

Getting up in the middle of the night to feed and change him.

Soothing him after he banged his overlarge toddler head on the coffee table.

Keeping up with him on visits to the zoo and the science museum.

A picnic in the gardens at Versailles 

Relaxing to the sound of his voice reading to her on days she was too weak to get out of bed.

Taking a nap in the hammock in their garden.

Every emotion she'd felt in each of those moments and more came back to her as raw and real as the day she'd originally experienced them.

Joy. 

Sadness. 

Exhilaration.

Pride. 

Humility. 

Anxiety. 

Serenity.

Exhaustion.

And the one that overpowered them all.

Love.

Her senses faded back to her present. "Did you do that?" she asked her pint-sized companion.

"You don't give yourself enough of the credit."

"What does that mean?"

"To be perfectly balanced, a holder and kwami must each do their part. You can't accept someone's hand who doesn't extend it. Likewise you can't take theirs if you aren't reaching for it." Emilie thought about that. As strange as it sounded, it made sense. 

"Thank you, Duusu." The pair exchanged warm smiles before Emilie rapped her knuckles against the polished wood.

"Come in." 

She reached for the handle with enough new found confidence to get herself through the door.

"Maman!" Adrien said pleasantly surprised as he looked up from his computer. He practically jumped out of his chair, knocking it over. 

A faint giggle from the speaker led her to suspect who he'd been chatting with. Adrien looked down at the screen, seemingly torn between the two women. "Go, spend time with your maman. You two deserve it. I'll talk to you later, Kitty." The disconnect sound notification confirmed Marinette's departure. 

"I'm sorry if I interrupted anything." 

"No, no. Marinette and I were actually getting ready to hang up. She has a project she wanted to work on today. I'll check in on her later to make sure she's eaten."

"To make sure she's eaten?" 

"Yeah, when Marinette gets in the zone, sometimes she forgets to take breaks for things like eating, sleeping, restroom. But if I hover, she says I'll distract her too much and she won't be able to get anything done. So instead, I let her alone for a few hours and check up on her later."

A bittersweet pang pulled at Emilie's heart. Gabriel used to be like that during his younger days. A wave of inspiration and getting immersed in a creative project. Feeling as though sometimes she was competing with the ideas inside his head for attention. What simple, beautiful times those were in hindsight. Oh, how things had changed. 

No, these kids were writing their own story. And hopefully if they learned anything from hers and Gabriel's, it would be not to repeat some of their mistakes. And that's what she was here to do. To finish telling her son their story. His story. "I'm glad you two are looking after each other," she said. "I was wondering if you had some time for a chat."

Adrien picked up his chair. "Sure," he said, gesturing towards the sofa.

"Actually," Emilie hedged as a mischievous smile teased across her features. "Félix lent me Duusu for a bit. I was thinking we could go for a light run first."

Adrien matched her playful energy with a smirk and a raised eyebrow that was an expression all his own. He jerked his head towards the window and Emilie nodded in understanding. 

The mother and son called out their transformations and Emilie let her son take the lead as they jumped out into the open air, soaring over the city. She didn't make it easy for him to maintain it though. 

Emilie had felt amazing when she had been revived and restored to full health. Nothing against the cure but there was a tremendous difference between feeling like a normal healthy forty something and being invigorated with the magical powers a fully functional miraculous provided. It was more than simply feeling young again, which she did by about twenty years. It was also the juxtaposition between feeling weightless with the wind whipping around her and feeling strong enough to tear down buildings if she needed to. It would be so easy to let herself get heady. But this gift wasn't intended for her benefit. 

Chat Noir whooped and Emilie howled in delight. She hadn't laughed like that in a long time.

"You wanna race to the Eiffel Tower? That's what Ladybug and I do. The view is amazing." 

Her dear sweet boy. He probably doesn't realize how special that makes La dame de fer to his girlfriend. "Maybe later." If he even still felt like showing her all his favorite spots after their talk. "What about Notre Dame? It's always been one of my favorites." 

They made it there in record time. Instead of feeling winded, she felt like she could keep going to the Belgian border. Maybe further. The pair briefly touched down on the Chimera Gallery before proceeding up to one of the towers. 

"That was amazing! We should race again?"

Her son's offer was tempting. But she was determined not to procrastinate this any longer. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you and this seems like a good place." Emilie patted a spot and her son took a seat next to her. She called off her transformation and he did the same. 

"Maman, is everything okay?"

Was everything okay? She hoped it would be. She took a deep breath. Duusu had told her to speak from the heart. "I need to tell you about your father. Why he did what he did."

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. True to their word, they mentioned Gabriel as little as possible since his departure. "He did it to revive you. Natalie told us a while ago."

"Yes. And I need to tell you the reason I was unconscious in the first place."

"You were sick. No medicine could fix it."

"And no medicine could fix it because it wasn't a normal illness."

"You used a broken miraculous, like Natalie, didn’t you? I remember when she started getting sick, it reminded me of your illness.” 

"I didn't just use a broken miraculous. I'm the one who broke it."

Adrien’s jaw dropped. "I thought it was something to do with the previous guardian?"

She shrugged. "Maybe they lost it. All I know is that it was separated from the other miraculous when I found it outside the old temple."

"So…? You broke it? How does that even happen?

"To understand how I broke it, you must first understand why I wanted it. You see, I very much wanted to be a mother. After a series of miscarriages, nothing was further out of reach than parenthood. The doctors said even if I tried IVF, my chances of carrying a baby to term still weren't good. Getting pregnant wasn't the problem.”

Adrien was watching her intently. Plagg had curled up in the crook of his neck, emanating a soothing purr.

"When I was your age, I thought I knew what a miscarriage was. It's another thing to live through it. The physical pain, the heartache, the broken dreams, the guilt…" Emilie's voice broke on the last word. "Which is silly. The majority are caused by errors in mitosis, something we have no control over. But sometimes when you're desperate for answers, you get caught up in your own head."

"I think I can relate…to getting in my own head anyway."

Emilie nodded and swallowed thickly before continuing. 

"When I was young, I'd heard stories … old Chinese legends about humans with extraordinary abilities. And one day I saw for the briefest of moments, a kwami." She let that sink in before continuing. 

"Another thing that happens when people are desperate? They look for alternatives to science and modern medicine. So I started researching these tales. I found similar stories recorded across the ancient world. One thing led to another and I was convinced that something in Tibet would give me a clue or a hint. What we found was so much more than I could've hoped for."

"The peacock?" Adrien asked.

Emilie nodded. "And the butterfly along with the grimoire. Of course I couldn’t read it. It wasn't in any language I recognized, believe me I tried. I researched hundreds of languages both alive and dead and kept coming up blank. So, I studied the pictures to the best of my ability and learned as much as Nooroo and Duusu could teach me. Nooroo was meant to be used to give one person a super power. To me, being able to carry a pregnancy to term was a super power. But according to Nooroo, kamikos aren’t meant to be sustained continuously over such a long period of time. Kamikos are similar to akumas but used for good."

“So I’ve heard,” Adrien said darkly. “So nine months being kamikoized would mean, what exactly?” 

“It’s like the saying ‘too much of a good thing.’ Take vitamins for example. In certain amounts, they are good for you but taking too high of a dose can lead to toxicity and sometimes affect the balance and function of other nutrients in the body.” Emilie cradled her hands where the petit peacock was nestled, rubbing her head on the inside of Emilie's thumb. "Duusu on the other hand can create … beings based on the user's emotions. And they live a natural lifespan, even if something happens to their creator."

"Maman?" Adrien's voice has a shaky edge to it. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying..." Now Emilie's voice was shaking too. "That when I couldn't seem to have a baby the usual way and modern medicine couldn't help me, I turned to magic. I'm saying that you were conceived with Duusu's help." 

"What?!" Her son's eyes blew wide. “That means… I’m a monster…” he said, clearly repulsed with himself. 

Emilie shook her head. “No! Never! I-”

“I’ve helped release them. Sentimonsters. They were like me and I killed them. Am I even real? Could I disappear like that someday?”

“Please listen to me!” Gripping the sides of his face, she turned her son’s head to look at her. “You are just as real, just as human as any other on this planet!” She kissed his forehead before releasing his head. She grasped his hands gently but firmly, hoping to somehow ground him while conveying her sincerity. “You have ideas and thoughts in your head. You learn and grow. Your heart beats and in that beautiful heart you feel things deeply. And when you get hurt, you bleed just the same as me or anyone else.” 

Adrien was quiet. Emilie let the silence settle for a few minutes before speaking again. “There are other things that differentiate you from other sentibeings. Your father created monsters with the intention of hurting others. You were created to be our son. To be Adrien Émile Gabriel Donatien Athanase Agreste. Unlike your father, who carelessly spawned monsters out of the shadows of conceit, lust and envy, you were conceived in love. That was the emotion.”

Emilie tugged at the necklace bearing the ring she had returned to protecting since she woke. “Like any other parent, I tried to find a balance between teaching and letting you learn. But part of growing up means you get to decide who you want to be. You get to decide what it means to be Adrien Agreste.” She pulled the ring out from beneath her collar. “And this is yours, whenever you feel ready to carry it.”

Adrien stared open mouthed at the ring he'd seen a thousand times before. “That’s…” 

“Your father's ring.” Emilie glanced down at it. A perfect circle that continues forever. That's what marriage was supposed to symbolize. Technically, she was still married but that endless love and constant partnership had been broken. “I gave it to him as a wedding gift. It is more than that however, more than him. The ring has been in my family, our family, for a thousand years.”

“How is that even possible?”

“It's imbibed with magic or so the legend says. Not as fabulous as yours.” She sent him a watery smile before reaching out to stroke Plagg between the ears, causing him to preen and deepen his purr.

“Our ancestor's wish was simple. To keep our family safe and together. I couldn't think of a better object to protect your amok.” Gently, she laid it back down on her sternum but this time she didn't hide it under her collar.

Adrien's expression was difficult to measure. She waited but when he didn't say anything, she added, "I know this is a lot to take in, dear, but there's more, when you're ready to hear it." Emilie was worried he might leave before she could finish her story. But thank goodness he stayed albeit he was eerily quiet for several minutes. “Or we can talk about it another time?” she offered.

When he did speak again, his voice sounded like radio static. The sound nearly made her jump as it broke the silence that had fallen between them. "You said there was …more?"

Emilie nodded cautiously. Her responding "Yes,” came out in a breathless whoosh. "You remember how I said we have no control over mitosis? Well, the embryo I created split into two. Your cousin Félix is …"

“My brother?”

Emilie nodded. "Twin actually."

"But then, Aunt Amélie?"

"Yeah. With Duusu's power, one user isn't meant to sustain more than one being, creation, at a time. So that's how the peacock ended up fractured and Duusu and myself became unwell. When I was pregnant with you and Félix, I was so terribly sick. It was more than the usual pregnancy symptoms. Nothing helped. I was terrified of losing my babies all over again. And while your father was terrified of losing me, I was desperate to keep the pregnancy. Eventually with Duusu's help, we came up with the plan that if one of the babies had a surrogate, it could help keep all three of us alive long enough until you two were strong enough to be born and survive on your own. That's where Amélie stepped in. 

“She originally intended to give him back but as she carried him, she came to care for him, love him even before she met him. Something you'll understand when you're a parent someday. I could see how much it was tearing her apart, the thought of having to give him away. So we agreed, she would keep him and raise him as her own."

“Wow…” Adrien dropped his head into his hands, a slight rasp filtering through his voice. “You went through so much, Maman.” 

Tentatively, Emilie placed a hand on Adrien's shoulder. “Son, I didn't tell you all of this to make you feel sorry for me. I told you to help you understand… what instigated everything you've been through over the past few years. I'm sorry for the way your father treated you. He handled things terribly. But I don't regret what I did. I don't regret you or Félix. Every day I've gotten to be your mother has been a gift. You have taught me so much; given me so much more than I ever could have anticipated and certainly more than I deserved! And I know my sister feels the same way about Félix.

“I promise you, I wouldn't have traded our twelve years together for anything! And now, because of you, your bravery, cleverness and sincerity, we have more. Another gift you've given me that I didn't deserve.” A few beads of moisture spilled down Emilie's cheeks as she extended an open palm to Adrien. “But I'll gladly accept it, if you're still willing.” 

Despite everything he'd been through because of his parents, and despite all the new, heavy information that had been revealed to him, Adrien accepted her hand.