Finale:

Chapter Forty: Siege: Part Two

A/N: Ya know it's the end when the title comes back to play...

I have a really long speech for you guys at the end... so be warned.

And for reference, as times goea on, I'll by slowly removing A/Ns for the sake of format professionalism.

Solace: (noun) Comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness

"You're making the right choice, Adrien." Gabriel encouraged. "With the combined efforts of both miraculous, we can erase the past. We'll be happy again."

Silence.

"But not complete."

Gabriel's face twisted into a mix of anger and disappointment as Chat Noir stood up without the earrings, back turned. "No. I won't do it. I won't betray the city I love," he glanced down at Ladybug's unconscious body. "and I won't betray the woman I love the most."

"You're making a big mistake." he warned. "Don't you ever want to see your mother again?!"

Chat Noir turned around, his eyes laced with fury. "How dare you even ask that?! Every day I think about her! Every day I think what would life be like if she hadn't disappeared! I miss her so much, but I refuse to risk innocent lives and destroy everything in her name!"

"This is why you have never been able to find me until I purposely led you both here," Gabriel snarled. "You're weak and naive. Don't you understand? We could finally have peace! And to everyone else, it would be like nothing bad ever happened. I regret her death, every single day of my life, and all I want is for you to have the life to deserve."

"We all have regrets, trust me." the blond sighed. "But we can't undo the things that we've done or the things that have happened."

"I'm giving you one last chance Adrien. One last chance to have our dream granted."

Chat Noir stared at Ladybug, before glaring at his so-called father.

"I'll take a nightmare that's real over a dream that's a lie." Raising his hand, Chat Noir yelled, "CATACLYSM!"

Slamming his fist into the ground, the repository began to crumble around the two men. Releasing himself from the ground, Chat Noir dove over Ladybug, protecting her with his own body. And the last thing the blond saw as he glanced towards the side was of Gabriel hitting a switch to cover the coffin in a layer of Plexiglas.

This is for you, Mom.

Marinette gasped, clutching a fuchsia blanket and frantically taking in her surroundings. After a few moments of panicked silence, the bluenette realized she was safe and in her own room.

"Hey hey, Marinette, it's fine, you're safe, and I'm right here." Adrien reassured.

"What's going on? Where's Gabriel?"

Adrien sighed. "In custody. The police are hunting for Nathalie and some people from a morgue are in the works of moving Mom."

"I was… I was poisoned, wasn't I?"

He nodded, holding up an empty syringe. "You wouldn't believe how much attention a place gets after a superhero implodes it on itself." Adrien chuckled darkly.

Marinette sat up straighter. "No.. you used your Cataclysm on the mansion? Did it topple?"

"It's less leveled than before- which makes sense seeing as I destroyed the ground beneath it. It's being cordoned off for the time being."

"Aren't the police looking for Adrien Agreste?"

"Your parents vouched for me, saying I'll be living here for the time being." Marinette gaped. "Marinette, they know you're Ladybug. They've known for some time now, actually."

"Oh, that all makes sense now." Marinette mumbled, before looking at Adrien. "Where do you two go from now?"

"The legal way, obviously." he joked sadly. "He's got a court hearing this week, and I'm supposed to testify."

"Who'd be crazy enough to even defend him? After all the hurt he's done…"

"With the right price, some people in Paris throw out their morals." Adrien sighed. "I wish I didn't have to do this. You'd think the last time I saw him would suffice…"

Marinette placed her and on top of Adrien's. "I'm sorry, this must be hard for you."

"He made me choose between betraying you or letting my mom die." The bluenette gasped. "I chose you obviously."

"Did you not believe he'd be able to keep his word?"

"Honestly, I knew he would be able to pull it off. But even if he erased the past and I never remembered anything, there would always be a part of me that would stay wary of him. And… me using the wish would be me betraying your trust, and I couldn't do that."

"I can't believe he did all this."

"He did it for a good reason," Adrien closed his eyes. "but he had the wrong approach."

"He lied to everyone he loved." Marinette cupped Adrien's cheek. "When you saw him for the final time, did he feel any remorse?"

The blond nodded. "Definitely. But even now, I still can't believe I never saw the signs sooner. Maybe if I paid more attention-"

"No, you did nothing wrong. Sometimes it's the people closest to us who lie to us best. You and I are a definitive example of that."

"But you never hurt people in other's vain. That's exactly what he did."

"I can't tell you whether to forgive your father," Marinette's hands wrapped around the blond's. "but I can tell you this: you can spend the rest of your life assuming you know everything about him, but no one knows a person better than themself."

Adrien looked up as he stood on the first step to the Parisian courthouse. He was a mix of fatigue and worry. Ever since that fateful night, he couldn't sleep, nor think about anything else except his father and his motives. But every night, he found himself making no progress. Maybe Gabriel was just destined to be a serial criminal. The charges? Assault, murder and embezzlement among other crimes. You could probably think of almost anything that warrants a prison sentence, and it'd be there.

As Adrien finally entered the courtroom where the hearing would be heard, he finally swallowed the fact that maybe Gabriel was never the same man ever since Emilie died. He thought he already came to terms that his father was Hawkmoth, but now he realized that maybe it's better.

"In the court of Paris, France, this third day of January, calling the people against Gabriel Aile Agreste."

And as the trial continued on and the guilty plead not guilty, Adrien felt Marinette's reassuring hand squeeze his shoulder.

"It's going to be fine, Adrien. Just because Gabriel is pleading not guilty doesn't mean he won't be convicted. You do want him to be convicted, right?"

Adrien shrugged. "I don't know. All I want is for him to face justice."

The judge turned to the jury. "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of the jury. M. Agreste is presumed to be innocent until the people has satisfied you beyond a reasonable doubt that he is guilty. The responsibility is on the people to prove each element of the crime M. Agreste has been charged with beyond a reasonable doubt. Because of the presumption of innocence, M. Agreste is not required to prove he is not guilty or to explain the evidence presented by the Agreste. M. Agreste is charged with Vigilantism, Assault & Battery, Murder, Possession of a Prohibited Weapon, Embezzlement, Offenses Against Family and Children, and being the leader of a citywide coup."

Adrien sighed at the long list of charges.

"Is the people ready to call its first witness?"

The attorney nodded. "The people call upon Adrien Agreste."

And with one final reassuring squeeze, Marinette let Adrien leave his seat and become questioned in front of the whole entire court.

'HAWKMOTH FOUND GUILTY; SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON'. If that wasn't the definition of bittersweet, Adrien wasn't sure what is. It's been a couple weeks since Adrien had to testify and be at the mercy of lawyers, and he definitely doesn't miss it. The hardest part wasn't trying to keep a straight face while incriminating his father, but making sure he didn't let something slip and expose the fact he's Chat Noir. Luckily (or so he hoped), blogs haven't been exploding with headlines such as 'HAWKMOTH AND CHAT NOIR RELATED?!'. Yay.

The blond was sipping some Chamomile tea by the time Marinette climbed down her bedroom hatch.

"Good morning," she smiled drowsily.

"Good afternoon, Sleeping Beauty." Adrien snorted. "You slept in till 1."

"Heh heh, oops." Marinette laughed sheepishly.

"Good morning, dear." Sabine greeted. "Tom's downstair at the bakery. Once you finish eating, do you think you can help take orders?"

"Of course," Marinette grabbed a croissant. "You have to go to the mansion to grab your stuff, right?"

Adrien nodded. "Just remember we have a celebration ceremony this afternoon at the Grand Paris."

Adrien smiled. "I'll be there. Definitely."

Marinette pressed a quick kiss on her boyfriend. "I can't imagine how difficult it must be to celebrate your father's capture. You're the strongest man I know, minou."

"Thank you. For everything."

The sunset began to set behind the Grand Paris as both Ladybug and Chat Noir swung in front of the awaiting press.

"Glad you could make it, M'lady." Chat winked.

Ladybug snorted. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

As the two gazed into each others' eyes for a few moments, Andre stepped in between them and gripped the podium's mic.

"People of Paris, today is the day we celebrate the success of Ladybug and Chat Noir. A few weeks ago, our two heroes vanquished the tyrannical Hawkmoth and saved our city. Our children can finally feel safe and we are free!" the crowd cheered. "Now, Chat Noir will say a few words about his experience defeating our villain."

The blond froze, before dazily inching closer to the mic. His breath became ragged as he clutched the mic. He sighed, the crowd silent, as Ladybug grabbed the mic, sending a sympathetic look to her partner.

"After a year of chasing Hawkmoth and saving you all from akuma attacks, peace has finally been achieved. A few weeks ago, Paris' core was shook when we learned Gabriel Agreste has been moonlighting as Hawkmoth for a while. It's taken a toll on the Agreste Family, and while everyone has been focusing on the bad, maybe it's time we focus on the good. There's two types of every legacy, two versions of what we leave behind. There's the good and then the bad. While Gabriel had scarred a city, he left behind a strong heir, and his criminal actions gave Chat Noir and I the opportunity to protect the people we love. And as fun and exhilarating being a hero is, the experience of helping others is its own reward. Thank you."

Stepping back and next to Chat Noir, she subconsciously grabbed his hand, making the blond smile. Theó Barbot stepped forward, a pillow in hand. On top of it, were two golden medallions of honor.

"I now bestow the Parisian medals of honor upon Paris' own superheroes, Ladybug and Chat Noir!" As Andre placed the medals around the duo's necks, the crowd cheered with a devoted power.

As Chat Noir subconsciously rubbed the golden medallion, he stared at the crowd, meeting eyes with a hand-cuffed Gabriel and Nathalie. While regret and apologies swam in their eyes, Chat ignored them.

No, they sealed their fate.

Noticing his frown, Ladybug diverted his attention by doing a small leap as she wrapped her spotted arms around Chat's neck. Unexpectedly, she kissed him firm on the lips. The initial shock wore off as Chat Noir returned the embrace and kiss, which made the crowd cheer even louder.

And for the first time in who knows how long, yin and yang were finally happy.

All was well.

"Is that how maman and papa fell in love?"

Childhood curiosity graced the emerald eyes of a small bluenette. Turning to the side, she noticed her two other siblings clutching each other. A cheshire grin appeared.

"Ah, their story is just beginning." I said, stroking my beard. I gazed at the ornate box that held a familiar ring that would be passed down to the eldest. "Because, heroes never die."

"After all, those two are made for each other."

Fin.

A/N: *LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE AHEAD*

40 chapters. Nearly 70,000 words and almost 6 months of writing. I honestly cannot believe it's already over. When I first started this story, I came with the mindset of "What would happen if Marinette and Chat Noir get rejected?" and from there, I took you all on an angst-filled ride to the eventually end Hawkmoth's reign. I poured all my ideas into this story and in the end, my writing has improved by an exponential rate. When I was at my lowest and wanted to give up, your encouraging words kept me going. You guys have been with me for such a long time, and for that I cannot thank you enough. And let's be honest, the world of Miraculous basically writes itself. As for sequels, I'm gonna say no on that, but that doesn't necessarily mean this timeline is going to die with this chapter. I have a couple of ideas swirling around in my head that while it can be read as its own entity, it'll be in the same universe. But am I going to do another 40-chapter fanfiction? ABSOLUTELY NOT. I'm just not going to have enough time to do as big a project as Solace was. Like I said before, I pretty much drained all my ideas into the Solace blender and now I'm sucked dry. From now on, the most I'll probably post would be a 10-chapter story.

But from the bottom of my heart, thank you all so much. I love you all and you are the people that help me keep writing.

And so for the last time...

Bug Out!