An old man falls to his knees, his cane clattering a few feet away.

"Sir! Are you okay?" a girl runs to his side, dropping her bag to help him up.

"Yes, yes. Thank you…" the blonde girl smiles as a boy, older and with darker hair but with the same slightly Asian eyes, picks up his cane.

"Emma" she answers, turning to the young man who hands him his cane "This is my brother Louis. Are you sure you are okay?"

"We can escort you to wherever you were going, it won't be a problem"

"Oh, no, don't worry. I'm just fine. Thank you both" he starts walking, his steps slow and careful. He wasn't getting any younger, after all.

"Master, do you think they will be?" his companion asks, hidden from view.

"Yes, I can't think of anyone better"

Emma is fifteen, and the wind that messes her hair up is cold and freeing. She jumps from one rooftop to the other, silver metal clenched tight.

"Chat Noir, for my sake, slow down!" the voice behind her doesn't sound angry, but rather annoyed.

"For your sake? I'm not feline it!" she laughs, but falls silent when her back hits the rooftop that once was under her feet "Ladybug" she huffs, crossing her arms as the black wire of his yoyo untangles from her feet "You, young man, are no fun"

"You really sound too much like my sister. It's unnerving" he crosses his own arms, looking down at her.

"You still love me" she smirks, extending her hands so he can help her up.

"Of course" he rolls his eyes, black gloves against black gloves.

She doesn't know much about him, except that he sounds and looks older, and that he has a sister that is, his words and not hers, just as annoying as she is. She prefers to think of herself as charming.

And, if she thinks about it, he is like her brother too. Same black hair, same green eyes. But, obviously, Ladybug is not Louis, because Louis tells her everything. And she told him everything...

She did. Before.

Ladybug likes to yell at her, when there are few minutes left and she's as tired as he looks.

It's always the same, and as guilty as it makes her feel, she jumps again and again in front of him. There is no thinking, there is no hesitation. She looks at Ladybug, and sees his smile and the way he hugs her. She sees her father in his eyes and Louis in his walk. She sees her mother in his hair, Hugo in his mouth and her whole life in his miraculous. She knows that without him there is no way for everything to go back to normal. So she jumps, she pushes him away and she takes whatever blow is aimed at him, because he feels like family and she's just Emma.

And there is never regret, for Emma is a small price for her to pay if everything she knows can go back to the way it was.

She never thinks what could happen if she doesn't come back.

She's watching TV with her father one evening, her head resting on his shoulder and his arm around her when she feels him tense.

"Emma" he says, slowly and hesitating "Where did you get that ring from?"

"Oh" she mumbles, turning it around with her thumb a few times "I didn't tell you? Félix gave it to me!" she fakes a big smile, and prays so her father doesn't see through it "It's a replica of the one Chat Noir has! I didn't want it black, though, so he got it in silver for me!"

Plagg feels heavy against her pocket, but not as heavy as her chest feels when her father nods.

"I didn't know you liked Chat Noir" it's just a comment, but suddenly her smile doesn't feels as fake.

"Oh, yeah. I just think he doesn't get enough love" she shrugs, looking back at her father.

"He?" he raises an eyebrow,

"Yeah, the one from before!"

Her father gets a small (big) smile for the rest of the day, and it makes her feel the slightest bit less guilty.

Ice shots through her veins, her feet thinking by themselves before she even processes the fact that Félix is in the way.

"FÉLIX" she screams, running as fast as she can, and yet it doesn't seem quick enough. His blue eyes widen and she can see when his chest stops moving, frozen by fear.

Her arms go around his waist, her chest colliding with his side with enough force to knock them out of the rock's way.

"Are you okay?" she asks, looking up from her spot on his stomach and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She breathes through her mouth, panting as the fear starts to slowly go away.

"...yes. Thank you" Félix frowns, looking away. She stands, blushing and dusting her knees off. He stays where he is, the black of his shirt contrasting with the clear patches of dust and dirt.

"You're welcome, handsome boy" she winks; she takes her baton and extends it so she can reach a roof. Once she's away from his eyes, she reaches for her hot cheeks and sighs. Her eyes open in panic a second later.

She had just called her best friend 'handsome boy'.

As her superhero identity.

Having never spoken to him as Chat Noir before.

She doesn't know if the blame is on her mother or her father.

"Emma" his voice is low, barely a whisper, but his voice alone sends butterflies to her stomach.

"Fé" she smiles, turning around. It falls when she takes in his face. There are bags under his eyes and he's paler than usual. "Are you okay?" She reaches for his shoulder, but he flinches away.

She tries to hide her hurt as her hand falls to her side.

"Can we talk?" he doesn't look at her, choosing instead to stare to a point over her shoulder.

"Okay? Where?" she tries to sound optimistic, happy even. She fails, but he doesn't comment on it.

They walk side by side to their school's doors, quiet as they never are around each other. While Emma talked a lot, Félix was always the quiet kind of guy.

But not with her. Never with her.

Her father is waiting on his car outside her school, Louis and Hugo already on it. They all wave to her, broad smiles on their faces. She waves back before turning to face her best friend.

"I know that you have a crush on me" he says, finally rising his eyes to hers.

She freezes. Her stomach drops, her chest tightens and a cold shiver runs down her back.

"You...you do?" She whispers, blinking back her tears. His face is not one of someone who found out the person they like liked them back.

No, his face was one of someone who didn't quite know how to avoid breaking someone else's heart.

"I don't like you, Emma. Not like that. You are my best friend and I-"

"I get it. You don't need to keep going. I'm your best friend; I won't stop being it because of this. I just...need this moment for myself. Excuse me" she musters up a shaky smile and brushes past him, her knuckles going white with the force with which she's holding her bag.

"Emma" he calls after her "If it's worth something...I'm sorry"

She almost trips on her way to the car, breathing heavily to avoid tears.

"Take me home" she manages to say, burying her head on her hands.

Her father stomps on the accelerator.

She dries heaves, coughing as fat tears trail down her face. Her sobs leave her breathless, ugly sounds coming out of her. She barely stands, leaning on a wall for support.

Emma hugs herself, letting her body slip to the floor. Her hands are shaking as she tries to wipe the wetness off her face.

"Emma"

She hates her name in that moment. Emma Emma Emma, let's talk I don't like you I'm sorry Emma Emma Emma.

"Go away!" her voice comes out stronger than she wants it to be, anger bubbling on her chest "Go away, go away!" She cries, hitting the floor with her fists.

"Emma, open up"

"NO!"

"Emma Agreste, open up right now!" her father is not one to raise his voice, so leaning over and with a shaky hand, she opens her door.

He kneels in front of her, taking her chin on his fingers and looking at her eyes.

"What happened?"

"Daddy" she stops breathing for a moment, her chest quivering with a suppressed sob before she throws herself at him. He catches her on his arms, letting her bury her head on his neck.

"It hurts" she cries, her voice breaking.

"I know, sweetheart. I know" he rubs his hands against her back and tries to stop his voice from shaking too much.

He has always hated seeing people crying.

"Emma!" Louis knocks on her open door. Through her sleepy eyes, she can swear she sees Ladybug, but it can't be. Because Ladybug has shorter hair, and Ladybug doesn't know her civilian name.

Louis walks to her bed, snapping his fingers in front of her eyes. She stares at him, noticing with a small frown the holes in his ears. Since when did Louis wear earrings?

Her brother pushes his long hair in front of his ears and it's like she's waken up from a dream. She jumps from her bed and thanks heaven for Plagg sleeping in a drawer and not where Louis could see him.

"We're late!" she screams, running past him to the bathroom.

"Make it quick, Hugo is already waiting!"

He says something, but his voice is low and she can't hear him.

She's not sure if it was for her.

"Hey, Kiddo" Louis smiles from the doorway, a tray of sweets on one of his hands and three glasses of juice on the other.

"Food!" Hugo jumps from his bed, taking the glasses and placing them in his night stand.

"Oh, nice. I'm dead after fencing" Emma comments, slipping between her brother and the door and flopping down on Hugo's bed, her wet hair sticking to her forehead.

"At least tell me you showered" Louis pokes her leg, moving it to sit.

"Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't" she smirks, raising her hands above her head.

"Ow, gross, Emma!" Hugo laughs, pushing her face away from his pillow with one finger.

"Come here! Smell me!" she hugs him, pressing his face on her shoulder.

"Emma, don't torture him" Louis takes a cookie and bits into it, his lips curled into a fond smile as crumbs fall to his lap.

"No, she showered! For once!"

"Look who's talking, Mr. I-only-shower-once-a-week!"

"Mooom, nooo!" she whines, trying to get away.

"Emmaaa, let me love you!" her mother laughs, her strong arms around her waist.

"Mom, we're in a restaurant!"

"And you are my daughter" Marinette smiles, peppering with kisses the slightly taller girl "My daughter who won a fencing competition!"

"It's not like it's special" she mumbles, crossing her arms. Still, it feels nice and a smile slips to her face.

"Honey, it's very special! You did it by yourself" her father takes her hand and ruffles her hair.

"Dad, my hair! You know how hard it is for it to be tamed" she bats his hands away, a playful pout on her mouth.

"Yes, of course I know. It's my hair. My only child with my hair. The only one who got this amazing hair" he runs his fingers through his hair, and Louis and Marinette roll their eyes at the same time.

"But I have your nose!" Hugo peeps up, kneeling on his seat.

"Yes you do!" Adrien laughs, hugging his younger child and dragging him to his lap.

"Marinette. Please. It's a really nice shirt"

"Adrien, no"

"Dad, yes! I want one matching!" Hugo peeps up, taking a smaller one.

"I am not being left out of this. We'll look pawsitively purrfect" Emma places one of the awful Chat Noir's shirts in front of her own and poses jokingly. Chat Noir's merchandise never had the quality that Ladybug's had, but it always felt nice to have something in her honor, made her feel like she was doing her job right.

"Oh my god, they really are your children"

The sound of a window breaking stops her laughter.

"AKUMA!" the yell of a civilian makes her head turn around, and just like that the shop goes into chaos.

"Louis, Emma!" Marinette yells, taking their hands.

"I got Hugo! C'mon, out!" Adrien shouts, turning with Hugo in his arms.

There are people pushing to get out, and in the middle of that, Emma lets her hand slip out of her mother's.

"EMMA" her mother screams as she stops walking, the crowd making it impossible for Marinette to go back, no matter how much she tries to push.

"I'll go for her!" Louis lets go of her, pushing people out easily thanks to his height.

Emma runs to the first place she finds she can hide in and opens her purse.

"Hurry, girl!" the black kwami frowns, surprisingly serious.

"Plagg, transform me!"

"Pick up, pick up, pick up" Ladybug mumbles to his yo-yo, his eyes darting everywhere.

"What's wrong?" Emma asks, cocking her head to the side.

"My sister. We got separated from our family, and she won't answer her phone"

"Do you know where your family is? Maybe they met with her" she looks around the desert street, faces peeking through the windows of stores.

"No, I already called my mother and told her I found his son, but my sister. Won't. Pick. Up!" he presses a button on his yo-yo and closes it.

"Well, we better find this guy before he makes any more damage" she whispers, touching his shoulder and starting to jog towards where the akuma influenced woman had ran away.

Ladybug runs alongside her, looking around them every few seconds.

"Tell me where your family is, so we don't lure him anywhere near them"

She'll think of an excuse for her own family later.

Emma never mentions it, but she can feel when Plagg leaves her room.

She never asks, and she knows he would never answer, but more than once she has woken up to no Plagg.

He's there in the morning, and she pretends she didn't notice.

He must have places to be, people to watch sleep, never being able to talk to them.

It must be tiring, to be thousands of years old.

Emma opens her door, leaving it open as she flops face down on her bed.

"C'mon, kid. It was only one test"

"One big test and I missed it. My parents are going to kill me if they find out, and they will" her voice is muffled and Plagg flies to sit on her head, patting her with his tiny hand.

"Emma?" her father knocks on her door, and she freezes on her position.

Plagg falls off her head, bouncing on the mattress as she pushes herself up.

"Dad! I-"

Her father narrows his eyes, focusing on something behind her head.

"Adrien…hi" Plagg says, peeking from atop her head.

"You!" he shouts, walking forward.

"I can explain!" the black kwami flies to the ceiling, hands raised and eyes wide open.

"Explain what?!" Adrien growls, climbing the bed and trying to catch him.

"Woah, dad, careful!" Emma rolls out of his way and into the floor, confused about what is happening.

"I'm going to kill you, you cheese lover!" her father chases Plagg out of her bedroom and she follows.

"Well, I can't really die" Plagg comments, going down the stairs with Adrien on his tail.

"Then I'm going to hurt you so bad you're going to beg for Tikki and she won't be here!" he stops a few steps from the end of the stairs, pulling off his shoes.

"Well, about that-"

"ARHG!" the blond man throws his shoe, missing just because Plagg dives to the side a moment before.

"Dad, what's going on?" Louis and Hugo come out of the kitchen, but their father pays them no mind.

"My princess! You dare to make my little princess into Chat Noir!"

"Dad, stop it!"

"ADRIEN AGRESTE! YOU LOWER THAT SHOE IN THIS INSTANT!" from the top of the stairs, Marinette Agreste frowns with her hands on her hips.

"Marinette! I found him on Emma's room!"

"Up here! NOW! Both of you!"

"Mari-"

"Now, Plagg!"

"Mom is going to kill me" Emma groans, resting her head on her hands.

"Well…maybe she won't?" Hugo peeps from the fridge, kicking it closed. His hands are full of food, and Louis stands to help him "It sounded like they knew whatever that black thing was, so maybe they knew the past Chat Noir?"

"Something tells me that is exactly why they would kill me" Emma murmurs.

"Anyway, how cool is this? My sister is Chat Noir" Hugo smiles, shaking his head "So cool"

"Oh man. Ooooh, man. Is this my time? Is this the moment in which I become better than the older brother?" she runs to his little brother, grabbing his shoulders "Hugo, who's cooler? Me or Louis?"

"You"

"OH, YES, TAKE THAT LOUIS!"

"Hugo, you traitor!"

Her mother knocks on her door, waiting for her to say it's okay to come in before he does.

"You father and I talked" she says, sitting down on her bed.

"Are you mad?"

"No! Never, Emma. We understand completely" her mother brushes her blond hair out of her eyes and smiles "Your father was just worried about you, but know he and Plagg are catching up. He's going to come to apologize in a few moments"

"Mom…how do you and dad know Plagg? And who's Tikki?"

"Your father and Plagg have known each other for years, back when your dad first started being Chat Noir"

"Dad was Chat Noir?" Emma sits, eyes open wide. Marinette hums, pushing her back down.

"He was until a few months after you were born. There wasn't a Hawk Moth back then, not after we dealt with the last one, and we weren't really needed"

"We?"

"Tikki is a kwami, Emma. Ladybug's kwami. My kwami, for many years"

"This is a lot to process"

"I know" Marinette chuckles "But you have to know that we won't take Plagg away"

"Really?"

"Of course. But you have to start remembering that Chat Noir and Ladyug are a team. They are supposed to help each other out, not to jump in front of the other at every chance they get"

"But mom! Ladybug is so much more important! I can't purify the akumas, only he can"

Marinette looks sad for a moment before she kisses her forehead.

"You are so much like your father" she whispers.

"Plagg?" she asks, late into the night.

"What, kid?" he growls from somewhere, no longer sleeping on a drawer.

"Do you go to see Tikki, in the nights?"

There is silence for a few minutes, and she thinks he won't answer before he speaks.

"Sometimes. Sometimes we go see Hugo"

They both stay silent after that.

Chat Noir is sitting on a rooftop, feet dangling over the edge.

"My family knows who I am" she says, not turning to see Ladybug.

"I know. I'm still thinking about a way to tell mine"

"Wait, what? How do you know?"

"Secrets, secrets" he whispers, letting out a snort before shaking his head "I'm part of that family, you silly cat"

She smiles.