Author's note: Officially last chapter. Sorry again for the delay. Maybe one day there will be a follow up, maybe not. Haven't decided yet. At any rate, thanks for the reviews. Dark, on the contrary I really like constructive criticism, which is what you gave me. You're right. Re-reading the chapters, I can see what you mean and will take it into account for any potential future works. Thank you.

/

Nathalie hasn't scolded him for his indecisiveness or tried to push him one way or another. Instead, she stands by his side. Letting him think things over and reflect on matters in his own time. He's talked himself out of it three times before deciding to go through with it once more. This is perhaps the single most nervous she's ever seen the teen. Perhaps it's a new side to his persona that he no longer feels obliged to conceal from the rest of the world or it could be that he's about to embark on a new stage of his life and is realizing the importance of the next few moments. She offers some words of advice and comfort when she deems them required but otherwise prefers to remain silent so as to offer the teen a chance to reflect on the matter in his own time.

Plagg is naturally rather less patient and grows frustrated with his partner's lingering:

"Get a move on kid… Or else they'll be starting class without you."

"I know! I know!" The nerves make him irritable. "It's just… You think this is the right choice? I mean really?"

"You can't know until you try." Nathalie informs him softly. "If you don't, you'll end up wondering "what if" for the rest of your days. It'll be fine… And even if it wasn't, we'd find a way to make it work or an alternative."

"Think about everything we've done." Plagg reminds him, floating next to him. "Are you really going to let this get the better of you?"

He shakes his head. Trying to appear more convinced than he actually is. He doubts that it fools either of them but still he tries to look brave. Maybe some of the fake bravado might become real… Reaching out, the teen takes the bag that he prepared the night before and slips it over his shoulders. There are butterflies in his stomach as he contemplates the other teens down below. He won't be the only new kid there. There's an entire class about to start the year off but still he's uncertain and feels as if he's about to take a plunge off of the deep end.

So he finds himself hesitating. There's only one figure present who he feels that he can turn to and so he does.

There's a thousand things that he wants to say to Nathalie Sancoeur right now. One in particular. He's never said it before. It lingers on the end of his tongue but refuses point blank to come. Why? He can't say. Maybe at this point, the words don't quite need to be uttered. The way that she looks at him, wearing the gentlest of smiles, he's aware that she knows just what he's thinking, what he feels. So he doesn't bother saying it and instead offers the woman with a hug. She doesn't protest or even tense up uneasily as she might have done a few months ago. Instead, she returns the gesture. It actually feels natural.

"Thank you..."

"You are always welcome." She tells him, speaking quietly. "Now get on your way before you really are late!"

He nods and transforms. Using Cat Noir's agility to clamber down quickly and silently without being noticed, he makes his way onto the street and changes back. Plagg hides inside his pocket. A place he knows well.

It's somewhere during that process that something occurs to Nathalie. She calls after the teen but he's far too focused on where he's going to hear her. She stops herself from making a real commotion, even up here people might hear. Then they'd find themselves asking just how a woman had ended up on top of the roof. Suddenly reminded that she's six or seven stories up, the assistant finds herself backing away from the edge as carefully as possible. She opts to sit. It's not entirely comfortable sharing space with pigeons but she's safer. He'll figure it out… The woman tells herself. At the very least, she has a bird's eye view of what's going on. She's reminded that Paris can be quite pleasant at this time in the morning.

There's something about all of this which almost seems familiar now that he's staring at his new school. Unfortunately, there isn't the same sense of excitement when he had first attended Collège Françoise Dupont. It's not quite foreboding but he finds himself nervous, apprehensive. One year has sufficed to change his entire view of the world. He's a little more weary, cautious. No longer does he harbour the innocent impression that everyone else is good and pure. He's not his father however and is willing to give things a go. He can't cut himself off from the rest of the world…

And he isn't alone.

In the crowd, he spots her. Warm blueberry eyes and a gentle smile greet him. Instantly, he feels a swell of relief inside his chest. He makes a b-line for the girl who waits for him patiently. In silence, they slip away from the crowd, finding a slightly more isolated part of the street to shelter themselves in. It affords them just a little bit more time and some much needed privacy. He'd seen her just the day before but right now, it seems like an eternity ago since they were last together. They forgo the traditional French greetings.

"You okay?" She asks him somewhat concerned.

"Fine..." The teen averts his gaze for a moment before declaring, somewhat bemused. "It's silly but I think this might actually be the single most normal first day back at school I've had. No sneaking around my father's back. No secret identity. This is me: Adrien Agreste. Going to school."

"How's Nathalie?"

"Oh, she's fine." Adrien assures his friend. "Guess she'll be able to manage the company without having to worry about what I'm up to."

"Because it's always trouble..." Marinette shook her head amused at the mere concept of Adrien intentionally creating mischief for his guardian.

Adrien shrugs his shoulders. Bizarrely, he found his feet quite easily upon returning home. Nathalie is someone who's rather fond of routines and predictability. As such, days can blur into one another quite easily. It's comforting in an odd way. She lets him be if he needs it and is always there when required. It's a fine balance but one which she seems to have come to grips with surprisingly easily. No doubt the year that they just spent together has something to do with it.

Marinette has been paying them visits almost daily for the past two weeks since they returned to Paris. She's a friend. A little bit more in Adrien's case. She's brought Master Fu with her the once… Now he took is round regularly. Somehow, he was surprisingly forgiving about Cat Noir's failings, although they are legion. Plagg had spoken on his behalf. Whatever he'd said, it had served to get the boy off of the hook. With Nooroo and Duusuu safely back in the miracle box, he has a new mission. One which takes up a good deal of the ageing man's time:

"Master Fu said that he was going to your place early?"

"Yeah. He came by before we even left." In truth, he was almost certainly still there. "He's still trying to work out what if anything, he can do."

"I'm sorry..."

"It's better than nothing. At least she's not alone down there. There's still some hope..."

He doesn't dwell on the matter any more than that. Hope is a fragile thing. He doesn't dare cling to it too desperately out of fear that it will shatter and he will fall. His mother might wake up if Master Fu can work some kind of miracle. If not… Well, at least he'll be able to give her a proper goodbye. The teen shakes his head, trying not to dwell on the thought too deeply. When he had something as important as this to attend to, then he had better not allow his mind to wander onto something liable to depress him. As Nathalie had stressed to him the night before, he should be viewing this as a new beginning, a chance to start afresh.

Easy to say, less to actually put into practice.

Try as he might, some ghosts linger over the teen. He can't shake off some of what's happened. His father continues to haunt him. Gabriel's in China. They know that much. He continues to run his business from the country. He creates designs, even sends them through. There's no discussion. At most, they can hope for a couple of notes. All of which are strictly professional. Not once has the man asked after them. Despite everything that happened – including how perilously close he'd come to killing the man – that still hurts Adrien. Evidently his parent hasn't forgotten him but equally, he shows no interest in trying to build bridges or repair what was damaged.

"Give him time." Nathalie tells him, every time the subject comes up. "In many ways, he's as broken as you are."

He'd never taken her for an optimist…

The here and now is what he should be focusing on. It's with a renewed determination that he decides it's time to move. The bell will be ringing any time soon and there's no worse way to start a first day of school off than by being late. Adrien hesitates a few seconds before reaching out and tentatively taking his friend's hand. Marinette blushes briefly but doesn't protest, instead offering him a soft smile. Perhaps she assumes he needs a little comforting, that her presence will give him some much needed courage. As he attempts to begin heading for class however, he encounters some resistance.

She seems reluctant or rather uncertain about following. Confused, he gives her a perplexed look:

"People might stare..." The girl explains a few seconds later.

"Does that bother you?" If it does, he'll let go in a heartbeat.

"No. Just thought you should know."

Sure enough, the first of the two bells rings. It's the one which signals to the students that it's time to get going. By the second chime, in five minutes, they have to be sitting down ready to be taught. It's easier to take the first few steps together. So that's exactly what they do. Only a few people pay them any attention. It's the boy who is the one who gets noticed. He's changed from most of the photos but not beyond all recognition. So naturally, there's some wondering just who the girl who walks next to him is. Although many are quick to put her together with that girl from TV when Jagged Stone had played the role of a baker for the day…

Adrien's presence here is something of a secret. Nathalie has spent her time carefully sowing the seeds for his return to the city so that it appears natural and planned as opposed to a rushed and urgent act. Everything needs to appear natural. It's okay to be nervous but it's imperative that he doesn't give the impression that he's hiding anything.

He's half way into the classroom before his phone goes off. It's a single text message. One which causes him to struggle to hold back a somewhat embarrassed laugh:

"What is it?" Marinette asks him eventually.

"Man… She needs rescuing." The girl gives him a concerned look. "I may have left her on a rooftop..."

"Maybe I can buy you some time if you want to-"

"Nah. She says she's fine and to come and get her during the break."

Marinette might have teased him a little were it not for the fact that they have just entered class. It's a different set-up from Françoise Dupont. There are some familiar faces and some less so. New people to get to know for what feels like the beginning of a new life. It's towards those whom he knows the best that he finds himself instinctively drawn. They seem stunned. His presence evidently takes them by surprise or maybe it's the fact that he's holding their friend's hand. Whatever the case, they simply stare.

He offers Marinette a knowing smile before letting her slip away. She goes and reclaims a similar spot to that which she had occupied last year, in college. The girl in the seat next to her is still too stunned to speak.

Adrien sits just in front of her row, next to a young man whose eyes are bulging out of his head at the sight of the teen sitting next to him. It would seem that their attempts to keep things quiet have paid off. Nobody seems to know just how to react.

"Surprised?"

"Yeah..." Nino stares at him as if he's seen a ghost, he can't even seem to formulate a sentence to reply.

"When did this happen?" Alya is a little more collected, excitement and intrigue take hold.

"I've been back for about a week now." The blonde teen informs her, offering Marinette a knowing smile. "Thought we'd surprise you."

"Sorry. Got to ask but are you two… Together?"

They exchange a glance. It's a question they had prepared themselves to face. Whilst it wasn't an issue for either of them, the masks had fallen after all. Some might question just why it was that Dylan Lebrun so suddenly found himself dumped and Adrien, whom Marinette had certainly fancied but had never been able to muster enough courage to speak to. It would seem odd that the two of them had gotten together. For a while, they'd contemplated keeping it a secret and instead trying to act out the two of them getting closer.

It would be more effort than it was worth. They'd decided to play things a little straighter with their friends.

"Yes…" It was Marinette who spoke for the two of them. "You know I broke up with Dylan. After what happened, he's much happier down south. He's planning on rebuilding his life down there… Says "hi" by the way."

"After a year in China, Father decided I would be better off back in Paris. I wanted to surprise you." The comment was directed towards Nino. "So I called Marinette to help. I guess things just sort of continued from there."

They seem to buy the story. After all, why would both of their friends lie to them?

It's not something either Adrien or Marinette enjoy doing but can't think of any reasonable alternative. It will be the last time they lie. With Hawk Moth no longer a threat without his miraculous, hopefully there should no longer be any need for concealing identities and sneaking around behind backs. They can be themselves, more or less. That knowledge is liberating for the both of them. There are people they can share their secrets with other than their kwamis or sometimes Master Fu.

They settle down as the teacher enters the classroom but can't help but exchange the occasional furtive glance, as if to assure themselves that the other one was still present.

Adrien's heart is pounding in his chest but now, there's something else in addition to the fear and uncertainty. It's mounting, gradually replacing them. Excitement takes hold at the promise of a new beginning. Dylan is gone, left behind after his use had expired. Adrien has both returned and changed. Sitting there, his father still casts a shadow but one that is no longer weighing down on him in quite the same way. It's impossible to forget Gabriel and everything that he did, although some of the rage has left his son. The house is warmer for his absence and no longer a place which the teen feels intimidated by. No… His father shapes him by reminding him of what he's not or rather what he can't allow himself to become.

Sitting there, he knows that he's not alone. There's Marinette, Plagg and Nathalie. The future is unclear but at the least, he's reminded that he doesn't have to face it alone.