"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!"

Just as Ladybug threw the red, spotted water gun into the air, millions of tiny ladybugs flew through the sky, fixing everything around them. The streets returned to normal, the books were restored and back where they belonged, and Lucien was on the ground, himself once more. Though, like all the other akuma victims, he was completely in a daze.

Confused, he looked between the two superheroes standing above him.

"Huh? Where… Where am I?"

"It's all right, Lucien."

Lucien jumped to his feet at the sound of Jacqueline's voice. In an instant, he recalled what happened in the store. He loosely held her arms, unlike the vice grip he had as Vellum. This time, instead of fear, Jackie felt relief as Lucien attempted to speak.

"Jackie! I, uh, did… did I…?"

Without a word, Ladybug and Chat Noir stepped aside. They could sense this would be a more private moment.

"You got akumatized because of my problems," Jackie sadly stated. "I'm so sorry."

"No! No, I mean, you have nothing to be sorry for. I'm… I'm the one who stuck my nose where it didn't belong." Lucien sighed, releasing her. His head lowered with shame. "I just… I wanted to help. You didn't make me an akuma. I was the one who got angry—"

"For me, right?"

Lucien's head shot up in surprise as Jackie offered a small smile. There was a sparkle in her eyes that he could not escape, and before he could answer her, Jacqueline kissed his cheek and embraced him. Neither of them noticed Ladybug gasp in delight or Chat Noir gape in shock!

"Being apart from my family will be hard," Jackie whispered, "but at least now… I know I'm not so alone after all."

"Jackie, I…"

Lucien closed his eyes and returned her embrace, holding her tightly to him. "You're not alone. You'll never be alone, Jackie."

From afar, Ladybug swooned at the budding romance. She really was a sucker for these situations. Though, she did note that Chat Noir was not making any moves of his own. Wouldn't he normally try to flirt or something?

She glanced at her partner, and he was looking away from the couple.

"Chat Noir? Are you okay?"

Chat jumped a bit before smiling awkwardly. "I'll be fine, M'Lady. I just have a lot on my mind; that's all."

Which was the truth. It wasn't easy watching his aunt be so affectionate with a man. It just felt weird. At the same time, it was good to know she had someone to support her, even if he couldn't.

'I guess I'll leave her in your hands, Lucien.'

Chuckling, Chat Noir held up his fist. "Pound it?"

"Pound it," Ladybug giggled as her fist met his.

Meanwhile, at the Agreste mansion, Natalie took it upon herself to confront her employer.

"I don't understand why you were accusing Jacqueline like that. You know exactly what happened to Emilie."

Gabriel was not fazed in the slightest. "Yes, that's true. My accusation was merely an excuse to keep her away. I can't have her snooping around."

That was for good reason. He couldn't risk anyone discovering his secret. Adrien, he could control, but should someone else stumble upon it, there would be serious consequences. It all made sense, yet Natalie still had questions.

"And the restraining order? You realize Adrien could fight you on this."

"To be honest, that was a bluff," Gabriel admitted. "I had hoped to make an akuma out of her." He conveniently left out the fact that his attempt had failed.

"And now?"

"Now, if we keep her around, I am certain there will be more opportunities. And Adrien will be satisfied for quite some time."

Having heard her fill, Natalie left to make a phone call.

Ladybug and Chat Noir had won the battle against the akuma, and Lucien was back to himself and starting life anew with Jacqueline. Things couldn't have ended any better.

But now Adrien Agreste had a different fight to face.

Life was back to following the schedule, though his body was practically on autopilot. His brain was far too distracted for anything else. Every thought was focused on his current family problem.

If his father was going to take legal actions against Jackie, how was he going to stay in contact with her? He had heard mention of restraining orders, but he had no clue how they worked. Could you really get an order against anyone you wanted? Didn't you have to have some sort of evidence against someone to do that?

His mind was swimming with questions, wondering if this was really happening, and, if it was, how he was going to handle it. There was no way he could stand by as his father forced Jackie away for good.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he almost missed the announcement at the start of fencing practice.

"… will be our new assistant instructor. She will be working individually with each of you. You may request other appointments with her if you so desire."

Adrien looked up to see a fully uniformed fencer next to his teacher, Armand D'Argencourt. For him to bring up extra requests right from the start, this new instructor had to be good.

Curiosity was getting to the cat.

"First, Adrien Agreste. You will duel so she can analyze your skill. Everyone else, we will hold practice as usual."

With his shoulders back, Adrien approached his new teacher. He smiled politely and offered a small bow.

"It's a pleasure to work with you, ma'am."

"No, really, the pleasure is all mine. I've heard so much about you from Monsieur D'Argencourt. Now I'm more excited to test those legendary skills of yours."

She raised her helmet to reveal her face, causing Adrien to falter.

"J-Jackie? What are you doing here?"

"Obviously, I'm a new instructor," Jackie giggled.

"But what about the—"

"Your father and I finally had a talk."

Adrien could only imagine what that must've been like. Gabriel Agreste was an intimidating man, and Jackie was one of the most stubborn people he knew. Where the heck was he when this was going on?

"I won't say it was pleasant, but we've reached an understanding. I told him that I was taking this job part-time, which meant I would see you at fencing class. He has accepted it."

"What about your argument?"

"I told him the truth, and for some unknown reason, he finally acknowledged it. That's behind us, now."

With that said, Jackie lowered her helmet and got into fighting stance.

"Now are we doing to duel or what? Fair warning: I won't go easy on you!"

Adrien could practically feel warmth bubbling up inside him as he got into position.

"You've got it. Prepare to be blown away!"

Beneath the helmet, Adrien was wearing the biggest smile. His aunt was back in his life again! It was a miracle!

"So, what's going on between you and Marinette Dupain-Cheng? She seems like a nice girl."

"Marinette? Oh, yeah, she's a good friend."

"Friend, huh? If you say so."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing." 'Keep fighting, Marinette!'

FINE