"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!"

Before she could toss the Lucky Charm in the air, Cat Noir stopped her. "Wait! Let me see that!" Ladybug sheepishly smiled and handed it to him to inspect. I know what this is. Not only have I seen it before, I'm pretty sure if I detransformed right now, I'd pull it out of my jeans pocket. Why did Ladybug get this as the Lucky Charm? I mean, it's *a* Lucky Charm, but it's Marinette's Lucky Charm… or, rather, the one she gave to me after we practiced Ultimate Mecha Strike III at her house.

My head feels fuzzy from the akumatization, but I remember, when I was fighting the akuma's influence, there was more than one Lucky Charm. Let's see… come on, Cat Noir, think! There was… a baseball cap? No… a motorcycle helmet. And there was… a phone. No, not a phone, a laptop. No, that wasn't it either!

Ladybug looked at him expectantly.

It was… a video game controller?! Why would Ladybug get…oh! A vision of a girl, concentrating over a video game tournament. A memory of time shared in a movie theater. A kiss stolen before defeating a giant ice cream monster. Countless times where Ladybug saved the day with the combination of her magic and intuition. "I've got a secret. This is why I win. I'm lucky." His eyes opened wide as the final puzzle piece fell into place. He handed the lucky charm back. "This… belongs to you."

"Not anymore. I gave it to a friend," Ladybug whispered.

"He's more than a friend, I hope," Cat Noir whispered back.

"Much more," Ladybug agreed. "We have work to do first, partner. Then we'll talk. Deal?"

Cat Noir nodded.

She threw the lucky charm in the air and called for her Cure.

Ladybug smiled as the magical ladybugs washed over the scene. I feel better. Not jump-to-the-top-of-the-Eiffel-Tower better, but I think I can function again. She walked over to Lila and Nathalie. I hope they're doing better… that was pretty brutal. Lila was rubbing her head like she just woke up from a long nap. Nathalie was motionless. "Lila?" Ladybug asked.

The girl looked up at Ladybug, an expression of confusion on her face. "Whaa..? Ladybug? Who…?" Her eyes narrowed. "YOU! YOU DID THIS TO ME!"

"Lila, what are you talking about?"

"Not you, Ladybug… him." She pointed over Ladybug's shoulder to Gabriel Agreste, who was standing behind her. "You…" she seethed. "You left me! You promised me that we would get Ladybug… and in the end… you gave me nothing. You used me. You abandoned me. You left me for dead because I wasn't useful to you anymore. You said you wanted my talents? All you wanted was someone who you could control, like this was a video game or something. You never wanted my talents. The only thing you wanted was a willing accomplice. You're scum," she spat.

"Lila, you should go to a hospital. You seem fine, but I don't know if there was any permanent damage done," Ladybug urged.

"I don't care," Lila snapped. "My life is over anyway. You win, Ladybug. Now leave me alone. For the rest of my life."

"At least let me take you home, Lila. Your parents might want to know what happened."

"What, so you can humiliate me one last time? I'll tell my parents what happened. Or don't you trust me to? I mean it, Ladybug... stay out of my life." She turned on her heel and stalked out of the courtyard and through the front doors of the school.

Alya and Nino were crouched over Nathalie. "This doesn't look good, Ladybug," Alya worried. "She has a pulse and is breathing, but she's not responding to us. The blood from her mouth earlier probably means she has internal injuries of some sort. What should we do? Did the Miraculous Cure fix it? If it did, it didn't fix it all the way."

"I have my suspicions. I've seen something like this before, unfortunately." Gabriel frowned. "I'll take her to the hospital. It's the least I can do." He reached in into his pocket, pulled out his phone and tapped the screen a few times. "My driver will be here shortly." He reached for his assistant.

"Wait, M. Agreste," Ladybug called. "I'll need her Miraculous before you go." She held out her hand.

"Of course," he said wistfully. Reaching down to his assistant's lapel, Gabriel unpinned the peacock brooch and held it in his hand. This is where it all started. Where it all went wrong. We began with something beautiful and ended with disaster. I'm sorry, Emilie. He wiped a tear from his eyes and placed the brooch in Ladybug's outstretched hand. Then he picked up the unconscious woman and gently carried her to the door. Alya ran over and held it open for him. After he passed through, Alya closed the door and ran back to Ladybug.

"That was… wow. I'm not even sure I have words for it. It's over. You did good, Ladybug."

"You did good, Alya. All of you did. I couldn't be more proud of you than I am now. Nino, Chloé… you did great."

Chloé was sitting on a staircase, tracing the restored Bee Miraculous with her finger. "It was fun, Ladybug. I guess I won't need the Queen Bee signal anymore, though."

Ladybug started toward the girl but it was Alya and Nino who got there first, sitting down on either side of her. "You can be a superhero even without the Miraculous, Chloé."

"Yeah, dude, you might need the mask and the costume to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but there's nothing stopping you from doing good deeds in your everyday life!"

"You may want to consider something more than signing autographs like you planned for Heroes Day, though," teased Alya.

Chloé looked at her, mouth agape. It's gotten me friends… I actually have people care about me. That wasn't just a line in the heat of battle. Friends… not followers. She grabbed Alya and Nino and pulled them in for a hug. "Thank you, guys. For everything."

Alya was patting her on the back. "No worries, girl. I think you're choking my boyfriend, though."

"Oh, whoops! Sorry!"

Nino coughed and waved his hand in acknowledgement.

"Here you go, Ladybug. If you ever need me again, you know where to find me."

"I certainly do, Queen Bee." She took the comb and gave Chloé a hug.

In turn, Alya and Nino handed their Miraculous to Ladybug. "Take good care of them, Ladybug. Until we meet again." Alya hugged Ladybug, and Nino shook her hand.

"Dude, wait a minute. Before we all split up, there's something I gotta do." He adjusted his cap and walked over to stand directly in front of Cat Noir. "Dude… I don't know what started all of this. I know that Hawk Moth promised you something, and I'm gonna guess that you didn't get it. You know who I am now, and I don't have to know who you are… but if you need family, you can count me in. I'm guessing there aren't a lot of people our age who know what it's like to fight supervillains. We can talk about what you've been through for the past year-plus, or we can chill and play video games or listen to music or whatever. If you need a bro, then that's me. All right?"

"I'm sorry I didn't come to you sooner, Nino. I'll definitely take you up on the offer."

"Dude, you didn't even know who I was before today, don't beat yourself up over it. I think we took care of the 'beating each other up' part already, anyway." He laughed and punched Cat Noir in the shoulder.

"Thanks, Nino."

"We're all your friends, Cat Noir. To be honest… when we came here, it wasn't to fight Hawk Moth. It was to save you," Alya pointed out, causing Cat Noir's eyes to water. "We might not know who you are, but we know what kind of person you are. And that's all that matters."

"OK, enough with the sappy stuff, already! Let's go back to the hotel and eat some breakfast. I'm starving. I'll even have Daddy foot the bill." She turned to go. "Ladybug, Cat Noir… are you coming or what?"

The two superheroes looked at each other, then shook their heads. "We'll take a raincheck, Chloé. Thanks."

"Suit yourself, then. Come on, friends!" She took Alya and Nino by an elbow each and marched them out the door.

Ladybug and Cat Noir chuckled and turned to each other. "We have a lot to talk about, My Lady," he smiled, rubbing the back of his neck.

Ladybug put her hands on her hips and blushed. "You first," she giggled.

Cat Noir took a deep breath. "My Lady… I don't know what to say. First off, I need to apologize. For everything. I put you in danger and almost killed you when I should have trusted you as my partner and worked it all out. Nathalie found my kwami and told Father. They used that against me to try and get me on their side… and it worked, for a bit. Father promised me that he would bring Mother back with the power of our Miraculous combined. My family hasn't been the same since Mother disappeared - I thought that if I pretended to play along then I might be able to get her back and stop Father at the same time. I was selfish. I got in over my head way too quickly… but I never wanted to hurt anyone. I was a bad partner to you at school and a bad partner to you in the mask. I was untrustworthy, unreliable, and… lethal. And somehow through all of that you were a good enough person, an amazing enough person, to see me for who I really was and never give up on me. You had every right to throw me off of your balcony the other night, and you didn't. You welcomed me, let me cry on your shoulder, comforted me… you loved me." He held his arms out at his sides. "All I wanted was a family, and you were right there in front of me all along. I'm not sure if I deserved that, or if I ever will deserve that, but I will try to earn it for as long as you let me." Oh, man… I hope that wasn't too much all of a sudden for her. He kissed her hand. "Your turn." Please don't hurt me. He gulped and looked into his Lady's eyes.

"Kitty… you've put me through the wringer on both sides of the mask this past week. You're the kindest, bravest, most selfless person I know. Knowing who you are doesn't change any of that. What you went through at home these past few months, this past week, even… my heart aches." Ladybug wiped a tear from her eye. "You told me that you were afraid that the world was going to win. We're together, and we always will be if you want. You and me against the world… always. You're more than my partner, you're my other half. I can't be complete without you in my life, and I was ready to give up my life to save yours. I've wanted you from afar and pushed you away from up close for so long… I hope you can forgive me." She reached out and took both of his hands in hers. "I do love you, and it took me a long time to see that. But once I did… there was no stopping me. I told my kwami that I would do anything for you, on either side of my mask. Now that I know that my Kitty and my crush are the same person, I still would. You don't have to try to earn it; you earned it a long time ago." She blinked and looked deep into his eyes. "Just by being yourself, whether that's Adrien Agreste or Cat Noir… I'm yours."

They stepped toward each other and embraced. Adrien nudged and nuzzled Marinette until her head was turned toward his. He captured her smiling lips with his own.

"We need to go see Master Fu," sighed Ladybug into Cat Noir's neck after a few minutes.

"Lead the way, My Lady."

She stepped back and kissed Cat Noir. "For luck," she said with a gleam in her eye. Then she grabbed her yo-yo, slung it out into the Paris sky, and took off.

Cat Noir extended his baton and followed.

The two superheroes arrived at Master Fu's rue Poirot hideout. "He moved?" Cat Noir asked.

"He had to… he felt the Miraculous were in danger at his old apartment."

"Oh." The heroes climbed to the second floor and knocked. Master Fu quickly admitted them.

"Ladybug, Cat Noir, so good to see you. I trust things went well?"

"Yes, Master. We have some things for you." Ladybug held out the five Miraculous she recovered.

Fu's eyes widened. "You did it!" He looked from one teen to the other gratefully. "Please, tell me how. But first, I sense that you both need to detransform. Do that, and we will help your kwamis before anything else." He took the jewelry from Ladybug and put them in their respective places in the Miracle Box.

Ladybug and Cat Noir each spoke their detransformation phrases. After a flash of light, Marinette and Adrien stood there, each holding a very exhausted kwami.

"Master Fu… my kwami has been weak for a few days now. I've been pushing him really hard." Adrien laid Plagg on the massage bed.

"Tikki stretched herself during that last battle. I don't know how she did it, but she saved my life a couple of times… and I'm pretty sure she saved Cat Noir, too." The girl placed her kwami next to Plagg.

Master Fu produced a gong and mallet and knelt in front of the kwamis. He lightly tapped the gong and then set it aside after the ringing stopped. He held his hands over each kwami in turn. Their auras are very weak. I am going to have to have a long talk with these two. In all the history of the Miraculous, I have never known of kwamis so devoted to their holders as they are to these children here. He sighed and tapped the gong again, mentally reciting the ancient invocation that was passed down from Guardian to Guardian over the centuries. When the gong finished sounding for the second time, he put it down, stood up, and then faced the teens. "Come, let us make some tea. They will need to rest, and I'm sure you have very interesting stories to tell."

Master Fu put the kettle on and sat down on a chair. Adrien and Marinette followed his lead. "Marinette," Master Fu began. "Please tell me everything that happened since you came here last night."

"I delivered the Miraculous to Carapace and Queen Bee, and told them to be ready when I needed them. Afterwards, um…" she looked at Adrien out of the corner of her eye, folded her hands in her lap, and mumbled "I went to see if Adrien was awake."

"You what?" Adrien spluttered. "How did you manage that?"

"Ladybug landed on the roof across the street from your mansion," Marinette babbled, not meeting Adrien's eyes, "and then Marinette sent you that text. I wanted to make sure you were OK since you were still struggling a bit at school."

Wow. "Marinette… I don't know what to say."

"Oh, Adrien, everyone on the planet knows I've had the biggest crush on you ever since our second day of school, when you gave me your umbrella. I've tried and tried to make it work with you, but never got the courage up. And when I finally did, Lila came along and threatened to ruin everything." Marinette sniffed. "I thought I was going to lose you… but then Tikki told me something very important. She told me -"

"Marinette, I hate to interrupt, but was this something that happened last night?"

"No, Master, sorry."

"We can cover that later. Please continue with what happened after you texted young M. Agreste."

"After I sent the text message, I made my way home as Ladybug. When I got inside, I tried to sleep, but what could happen with Cat Noir weighed too much on my mind. I talked with Tikki for a bit and then went to sleep. She wound up waking me up the next morning when Adrien texted… me… back…! Wait a minute! Adrien… I thought you had just picked up the information from hanging out with Lila! You texted me because you were part of the plan… but you didn't know I was Ladybug, or that Alya was Rena Rouge… right? Why did you do that?"

"You're right, I didn't know." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I... oh, where do I start? Marinette, you were so important to me… are so important to me, and the time we spent together the night before helped me realize that. I had a huge thing for Ladybug, and it turns out I still do," he chuckled. "But Ladybug never returned my advances. I knew that she didn't feel about me the same way I felt about her. And being with you helped me make the decision that I needed to make to move beyond Ladybug and set my romantic sights somewhere else. I sent you that text because I knew that after whatever was going to happen at the school, there most likely wasn't going to be a 'Ladybug and Cat Noir'. Or even a Cat Noir. I was giving up everything I had… and I didn't want to lose you, too. Even if it meant you had to settle for Adrien."

"Oh, Adrien, being with you isn't settling…" Marinette caught the glare of Master Fu out of the corner of her eye. "Sorry, Master. Anyway… after Adrien sent me that text, I let Rena Rouge know, and she let Carapace know since he was with her. I transformed and got Queen Bee, and we all met up at the school. Right after we got there, Hawk Moth, Cat Noir, and Volpina showed up."

"Volpina was there? So Hawk Moth was using a Miraculous holder and an akuma?"

Adrien jumped in. "I think I can help fill in the blanks here. Hawk Moth was using Volpina for the past few weeks to strengthen his psychic bond with his akumas. I guess he counted on her being some sort of ultimate weapon or something. We fought… and then Volpina started to lose. Hawk Moth took control of her and started using her to cast illusions since she couldn't cast illusions and fight at the same time."

"Interesting. I'm surprised he didn't try to multiply his powers like the last time you faced him."

"I don't think he could, Master," Marinette thought. "He already had one willing accomplice who was akumatized in Volpina, but his other teammate called herself Mayura. She had the Peacock Miraculous. I'm guessing she was some sort of catalyst behind the multiple akuma scheme, but Hawk Moth must have thought her more valuable as a Miraculous holder this time around. And she was dangerous! More dangerous than any akuma. Her weapon was so sharp it actually cut one of the ribbons off of my costume. I didn't think that was even possible! And she also summoned a protector… a giant butterfly… which responded whenever we attacked Hawk Moth. It was pretty rough."

"I see." Master Fu stroked his beard. "So, you are up against three Miraculous holders and an akuma who is being controlled by a Miraculous holder directly. Continue."

"I think Hawk Moth tried to control Volpina a little too strongly. Rena Rouge was fighting her, and suddenly she went non-responsive. The lights were on but there wasn't anybody home, you know? Hawk Moth was still able to use her to cast illusions, though, but without an able body to fight, illusions could only go so far, I guess. He switched tactics," Marinette concluded.

"Turns out that Volpina wasn't his ace in the hole. Mayura wasn't, either. All along… his secret weapon was me."

"What do you mean, Adrien?"

"Hawk Moth knew that I had visited Marinette the past couple of nights. And he decided to use that information against me in the worst possible way. He cast an illusion of Marinette's house being destroyed. I didn't know she was right there with me, of course. I flipped out; I even tried to Cataclysm Hawk Moth, but I couldn't summon it for some reason. While I was standing there screaming at Hawk Moth, he akumatized me into something primal and vicious: Chat Blanc. I guess his plan was that if he couldn't get the Ladybug Miraculous directly, he'd take it off of her dead body." A pained expression crossed his face as he choked back tears. "He just used me - with promises of and threats against people I love - to do his bidding."

"Kitty… it wasn't your fault."

"He used me," Adrien spat. "And he used me well. I destroyed the Bee Miraculous. I Cataclysmed Mayura's weapon. When Rena Rouge and Carapace tried to stop me, I turned on them. Carapace used his magic force shield to protect everyone except Hawk Moth, Ladybug, and myself. Ladybug tried to stop me again… and I turned on her. She tried to use Lucky Charm against me a couple of times, but I Cataclysmed those too. Then, I Cataclysmed Ladybug. Twice. Hawk Moth must have had a change of heart, because he took back the akuma and purified it himself. Next thing I knew, I woke up and Ladybug was, um… scratching me behind my ears. She summoned a Lucky Charm again and was finally able to Cure everything. Well, most things," he concluded.

"Marinette… am I correct in understanding that not only did you sustain damage to your uniform, you used three Lucky Charms and absorbed two Cataclysms? All without transforming back to charge Tikki?"

"That's correct, Master."

The old man stood up suddenly. "We need to see your kwami, Marinette. Now."

Tikki and Plagg were laying side-by-side on the massage bed. Their eyes were open, but there wasn't any of the usual banter or playfulness. The kwamis watched as Master Fu stalked into the room, trailed by the two teenagers.

"Tikki. Plagg. You have some explaining to do," the Guardian commanded. "I'm assuming you know the danger in staying transformed, or using your magic more than once without feeding? And I'm assuming that you let your charges do all of this without telling them?"

"Danger? What danger?" Adrien demanded.

"Not now, Adrien. Answer me, please," prompted Fu.

"We both know, Master," responded Plagg. "But I didn't tell Adrien the risks."

Marinette spoke quietly. "Tikki told me. I still did it."

"Wait, told you what?! What risks?!" sputtered Adrien.

Marinette took a deep breath and looked at Master Fu, who nodded. "In order to stay transformed and use your special power more than once, you have to help power the kwami yourself," she explained. "Using your own life force."

"You mean to tell me that doing Cataclysm more than once and staying transformed was draining me of my life?! And Father allowed that to happen!? And ENCOURAGED IT!" Adrien stood up and started pacing. "He was willing to let me kill myself!" the boy raged. Suddenly, he stopped and whirled on his partner, pointing his finger. "You… you knew. You used Lucky Charm to try to save me… a couple of times. And then you stayed transformed until we got over here. And… you still did it." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Why?"

"I love you," she said simply. "I meant it when I said I would do anything for you, even if it meant giving a bit of myself to do it. You're worth it." She walked over and hugged the boy tightly, running her fingers through his hair.

"I've made a ton of bad choices," he mumbled.

She gently took his head in her hands. "You're worth it to me, Adrien."

"You two are very fortunate," Master Fu broke in. "The bond you have with your kwamis is the strongest I have ever seen. Marinette, since Tikki is the kwami of creation, she was able to draw upon celestial power to recover from the injury sustained at the hands of Mayura. She kept that celestial link open when you took those two Cataclysms and when you used Lucky Charm. If it were not so, you would have detransformed when your ribbon was sliced off. Cataclysm would have been fatal. Your kwami saved your life, but keeping the celestial link open and maintaining your transformation is more than she has done in a while, I'm guessing. Once all of this is over, she will need to rest for a long time."

"What about Plagg, Master? If he was able to open a cosmic link, I'm sure he would have bragged about it to me a long time ago."

"Adrien…" the black kwami groaned. "I can… but drawing on that power isn't anything good. If I were to do that and you used Cataclysm more than once, galaxies could collapse, black holes could form… it's not a good idea. There must be balance in all things."

"So… that's it, then? How much of my life force did I lose?"

"Very little, kid. You know how sometimes Cataclysm wouldn't come? And how you didn't even use it last battle? Or if you did use it, it was really weak? That was me. Your Chat Blanc Cataclysms? I suppressed the akuma magic and used my own. I regulated your power to keep you from hurting yourself or anyone else. The first few times you used it, it was just a block of wood… something easy to destroy without using so much power. Staying transformed was hard, but I managed it," Plagg whistled.

"Hang on, Plagg… Tikki asked me to look at Cat Noir's ring, and then she got mad at you when I told her how faded it was."

"Oh, that… heh… whatever I couldn't regulate, I just powered with my own energy."

"PLAGG!" Adrien and Master Fu yelled.

"I'm old enough to know how to do that without damaging myself too much… besides, the kid gave me some really expensive cheese. I just need to gnaw on that and sleep for a while, and I'll be all better!"

"That was too dangerous, Plagg!" scolded the Master. "You could have been severely injured."

"Yeah, yeah… look, kid. You're a keeper. I said you were the best Cat Noir I've ever had, and I meant it."

Adrien sat down on the ground, hard. "You two… you were sacrificing yourselves for me. This is a lot to process."

"Plagg is an eternal being, Adrien. Marinette is an energetic teenager. She may sleep longer than usual for a few days, but there will be no lasting damage. You are very lucky to have people who care about you so much in your life. Since the truth has come out, I need to do additional care for your kwamis before I can let you go. Please, take some time in the other room. Enjoy some tea. Rest. You have both had very difficult mornings."

"Wait… Master. Why didn't my Cure fix Mayura? When Chat Blanc Cataclysmed her weapon, she collapsed, detransformed, and… looked really bad. That didn't change after the Cure."

"Marinette, Ladybug's Cure only works on things directly caused by the influence or actions of an akuma. Since Mayura was a Miraculous holder, what happened to her is not reversible by your Cure. Only specialized magic will be able to undo any harm that befell her. Do not worry about that or hold yourselves at fault. It sounds like whatever she did, she did willingly, and I will ask Duusu about that later. Now, go. Tea and rest."

The teens went back to the kitchen and sat down. "This… wow."

Marinette put her hand on top of Adrien's. "I know, Kitty."

"So… not that we need to worry about this for a couple of days, but what happens at school? We know who each other are, we both know who Alya, Nino, and Chloé are, and we all know who Lila is. This is going to be hard to keep track of. And I can't imagine everyone being able to keep their mouth shut, either."

"One thing at a time. What I'm worried about right now is… how are things going to be for you at home? Do you think you can honestly go and sleep in the same house as Hawk Moth and Mayura? Especially now that you know what they did to you?" Marinette paused. "I don't think you should. I don't even think you should worry about it."

"Well, what else am I going to do? I don't have anywhere else to go… I don't think Master Fu has room here, and I'm not sure if that's even an option," he groaned.

"Stay with me. We have a couch." She spoke almost too quickly for Adrien to understand her. "My parents will be OK with it at least for the weekend, and then we can figure out what and how much to tell them over the next couple of days. In the meantime, your room is being remodeled and you're allergic to dust. Or something." She blushed. "I just can't stand the thought of you being alone this weekend." Her voice dropped. "I can't stand the thought of being without you, either." She looked up and started to laugh. "I can't BELIEVE I just said that… after so long watching you from af-"

It was incredibly difficult for Marinette to talk with Adrien's lips on hers. She melted into his embrace.

Master Fu walked into the kitchen and thought about clearing his throat, but decided against it. I'll just let them be. He sneaked back to the main room of the apartment, picked up a book, and sat down, smiling.

The rest of the weekend passed like a whirlwind for Marinette. As she predicted, her parents welcomed Adrien into their house with open arms. When Tom wasn't working, he was challenging Adrien to a game of Ultimate Mecha Strike III. Marinette napped in between games and helping out in the bakery. In front of the TV, in the middle of sketching a design, or even during dessert on Saturday night, she slept. Her favorite place to be, however, was in the arms of her boyfriend, cuddled together on the couch, the beating of his heart lulling her to sleep.

When her parents weren't looking, Adrien made sure to kiss her every chance he got. The smell of her hair… her smile… her laugh… her love. This is what I want, forever.

"I feel like we're going to be seeing a lot more of this boy, Sabine," Tom whispered, watching the pair snore softly on the couch.

Sabine covered them up with a blanket and kissed each of them on the forehead. "I wanted to talk to you about that, actually." She winked and beckoned him to follow.

Monday morning arrived earlier than anyone wanted, as Monday mornings are prone to do. Adrien got dressed in the clothes his bodyguard had brought him Saturday afternoon and joined Marinette, Tom, and Sabine for breakfast at their table.

"Thank you for having me this weekend, Mr. Dupain and Mrs. Cheng. I couldn't have asked for better."

"I'm going to tell you one last time, son, it's 'Tom' and 'Sabine'. And that's whenever you are under our roof, is that clear?" Tom playfully jabbed a finger in Adrien's direction.

"Yes, sir… um, Tom. Mmm, these croissants are delicious!"

Sabine and Tom shared a look. "You know, Adrien…"

I've never had a conversation that started with those words go well. Adrien reached under the table and squeezed Marinette's hand.

"...We know that your room wasn't being remodeled over the weekend." Sabine held up a hand, stopping Marinette's protests. "You talk in your sleep, Adrien. Now… we don't know what happened, and we don't need to know right now. But… we do need you to be honest with us. Are you safe?"

Before Adrien could utter a word, Marinette spoke up. "No, Maman, he's not. Well…" she looked at Adrien and smiled. "He wasn't. But he is now. Here. Now. He's here now. Ohhhh…"

"We get it, Marinette. Son, from both of us, we want to tell you that, if you want, you're welcome to stay here. We have a spare room we can convert into a bedroom for you."

The teenagers gasped. Adrien had to compose himself quickly to keep himself from crying on the spot. Marinette wasn't so lucky.

"It won't be much, Adrien. And we'll expect you to follow our rules here - including helping out in the bakery and keeping your grades up. But other than that, you'll be free to do as you please."

"I'll be… here? With you?"

"You'll be part of our family," Sabine confirmed. "Although, we can't adopt you, since I think that might spoil your plans for our daughter."

"Mom!"

"I've heard you talk about him for over a year, and I see how he looks at you, Marinette. There's no point in arguing facts." She laughed, and Adrien saw a lot of Marinette in that laugh. "What do you say, Adrien? You can think about it and tell us whenever you've made a decision. No pressure. And our couch is always open for you, regardless."

Adrien looked into Marinette's eyes. This is everything I've ever wanted. And you're everything I've ever wanted.

Marinette matched his gaze. This is a dream come true. I couldn't ask for anything more.

"Yes. Yes, one thousand times yes." He pressed his napkin to the corner of his eye. "Part of a family…"

"It's settled, then!" Tom exclaimed, standing up. A doorbell rang downstairs. "Ah, right. That'll be your bodyguard bringing over the rest of your stuff. What, you thought we were going to send you back to that cold, empty house? We know it's just you over there, Adrien." Tom pulled Adrien into a bear hug and then went downstairs.

"I'll let you two finish breakfast and get ready for school. Maybe you can help Marinette not be late all the time."

"Mom!"

They left the bakery hand-in-hand and walked to school. Alya, Nino, and Chloé were standing outside, talking. Nino grabbed Alya and turned her to face their friends. Alya's mouth stopped moving mid-word, her jaw dropped, and her finger slowly came up to point at them. "Buh… buh… babe? Are you seeing what I'm seeing? WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?!"

Adrien and Marinette smiled. "What was it… Thursday night?" Marinette asked. "I invited him over to talk about our project, and we just… he opened up to me and showed me a side of him I never thought I'd see. I was a goner! We made it official Saturday afternoon." She looked into Adrien's eyes and smiled.

"Um, Marinette, you were already a goner. Like, months ago, girl. We all knew that! Well… maybe not all of us." Alya looked pointedly at Adrien, who chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Adri-kins, you don't mean to tell me that you're actually dating Dupain-Cheng, are you?"

"Chloé…" Nino warned.

"Um, well, we actually haven't been on a date date, now that you mention it… but we did spend the whole weekend together. Does that count?"

"You mean to tell me that you call this girl your girlfriend and you haven't had a date yet? Adri-kins, you should be ashamed of yourself! Take her to Daddy's restaurant in the hotel tonight! I insist!" She turned and marched up the stairs as the first bell rang.

"Saturday AFTERNOON? You waited THIS LONG to tell me? Girl, you are so going to spill it later…" Alya whispered.

"I know," grinned Marinette. "Let's do it tonight, though. I'll bring the pastries."

"Deal!" The girls, Nino, and Adrien followed Chloé up the stairs.

Miss Bustier was standing in front of the classroom holding a sheet of paper. "OK, class, now that everybody is here…"

Three students raised their hands. "Wait, not everybody is here, Miss Bustier! Where's Lila?"

"That's just what I was getting to, Kim. Now that everybody is here, I've been asked to read an email that Lila sent late yesterday.

"Dear classmates, I'm very sorry to say that my parents have been permanently transferred overseas, and I won't be returning to class. I enjoyed spending time with and getting to know you. You have a very special class, and everybody there is so close. I know I disrupted that, and to the people I hurt as a result: I hope you find it in your heart to one day forgive me. Best of luck always, Lila."

Marinette leaned over to Alya. "Odds that she really went overseas?"

"Girl, she had a super-rough day on Saturday; you don't even know. I'd be surprised if she didn't somehow work out a transfer to Mars."

Surprise, Alya, I *do* know. Maybe I'll fill you in on my weekend sometime, too.

As soon as the lunch bell rang and the students stood up, Nino turned around to face Marinette and Adrien. "You two want to come to the café for lunch?" He looked at Alya as if to say See, babe, I can totally do my part of the plan!

Adrien answered, "Actually, Nino, that sounds like a great idea. Can Marinette and I meet you there in a few minutes? I need to ask her about something first."

"Don't blow us off, Agreste! You two can only spend so much time in a lip-lock before you need to eat! Come on, Nino, let's let these lovebirds have their fun! See you there!" Alya called over her shoulder before leaving the classroom, cackling.

"It's going to be like this for a while now, isn't it?"

Marinette wrapped her arm around Adrien's waist and put her head on his shoulder. "Kitty, I forgot to mention, when you said you and me against the world, you were signing up for Alya to tease and hound you mercilessly. It's too late to back out, though… you're stuck with me."

"Like glue, My Lady. In fact… I was hoping to ask you for a big favor."

"Name it."

"My bodyguard texted me earlier; he said Father is home. I should tell him face-to-face what's going on… and I have a couple of other things I want to say to him. Will you… come be with me when I do that? I'll have us driven there right after school."

"This is a pretty big step. Are you ready for this so soon?"

"To be honest, I think I've been ready for this for a while now. I just needed the courage."

"Then I'm yours, partner." She turned her head and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Now let's go get some lunch before Nino and Alya send out a search party."

The couple managed to survive lunch without giving away too much, and even managed to make their friends squirm a bit by asking them about their Saturday morning. "We, uh, played video games at Alya's. With Chloé. Yeah," Nino stammered.

The afternoon at school was uneventful. When the final bell rang, Alya stood up and announced, "See you at seven, girl! Be there!" before practically skipping out of the room.

"Guess I don't have a choice, then, huh? Don't worry, I won't spill too many embarrassing things, Adrien. Just girl talk," reassured Marinette.

"Actually, about that… Nino? Since our girlfriends are occupied, can I come over and hang for a bit tonight? If… if that's OK, that is." Adrien reached up to rub the back of his neck.

Nino interrupted him by punching him in the shoulder. "Dude! Of course! You mean your old man's going to let you out? Or are you going to sneak out? Either way, though, absolutely, bro."

"Great! Don't worry, Marinette, it'll just be guy talk. Friend-to-friend stuff. No big secrets." He raised his eyebrows meaningfully.

"OK, I'm fine with that. Alya and I weren't going to cover anything major, either."

Adrien and Marinette looked into each other's eyes and smiled.

"Uh, dudes… am I missing something?"

"Nothing at all, Nino," Marinette said without looking at him. "But we should get going. Adrien's ride is probably here, and I'm going over to his place. Have a good night tonight!"

As she guessed, Adrien's bodyguard was waiting for them when they left the school. The ride to the Agreste mansion was spent in a tense silence, with Marinette rubbing the back of Adrien's hand with her thumbs.

"You got this," Marinette encouraged him as they approached the front door.

Gabriel Agreste was waiting for them in the foyer. "Hello, Adrien, Miss Dupain-Cheng," he greeted them. "I won't insult you by asking you to stay long enough to sit down. So… this is what you want?"

"It is, Father. Marinette's parents have generously offered to take me in. Given our… situation… it's probably for the best." He squeezed Marinette's hand.

Gabriel nodded. "Very well. Seeing as how you are no longer living here, you should be brought up to speed on a few things that will change. First, your bodyguard will take you home, but after that, he will no longer be at your service. Second, you are no longer obligated to continue modeling. However, if that is something you wish to do, then I will make arrangements with the new head of the company for that. Third,"

Adrien cut him off. "New head of the company?"

"Third, I have resigned as President of Gabriel Fashion. I will still design, but the day-to-day decisions will be made by someone else. I will be a mere employee, as I will be focusing on other things."

'You should be in jail," Adrien hissed. "After everything you did? It's a wonder you are getting away with it."

Marinette put her hand on his shoulder. "Easy, Adrien. Don't lose your cool."

Gabriel looked between the two teens. "I don't dispute that. However, this… endeavor… has cost me dearly. I've lost my wife, my son, my business, and my assistant. None of that is rebuilt easily, if at all. I'll be punished for the rest of my life."

"You lost your assistant? What happened with Nathalie? Is she still in the hospital?"

To answer, Adrien's bodyguard pushed a wheelchair into the room. Adrien and Marinette put their hands to their mouths and gasped at the condition Nathalie was in. She was dressed not in her usual dark suit, but in a Gabriel brand sweatshirt and sweatpants. Her hair was draped loosely over her shoulder, tied in a ponytail. Her head was supported by a cushion. She made no movement to acknowledge that her surroundings had changed.

"She's here, Adrien. And doctors say that this is about as good as she's going to get. Injuries of… this nature… can't be healed through conventional medicine. I've given up seeking alternate cures. The best way I can repay her for her devotion and service is to take care of her for as long as she needs it." He walked behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. Nathalie continued to stare blankly ahead, unmoving. "My new full-time job is to keep her comfortable."

"You… you… if you had shown half as much concern about me as you are doing to her now, we wouldn't be in this situation, Father," Adrien spat. "I miss Mother, but I missed having a family more. There was no need for you to do… what you did. I wouldn't have had to look elsewhere for a family. We could have had everything, and you selfishly threw it away because you couldn't be bothered to ask me what I wanted. You think you've changed? You think you're suffering? You think you're paying some sort of price? You're just as arrogant as ever, but without the… power to do anything with it. You make me sick. Come on, Marinette. Let's walk home." Without waiting for a response, he turned and left, practically dragging his girlfriend behind him.

Later, Adrien was lounging on Marinette's chaise, watching her get ready to be interrogated by Alya. "I'm proud of you, Kitty," she told him.

"Thanks, Bugaboo… wait, is it OK if I call you that again? I know you asked me to stop, but… it's too cute."

Marinette rolled her eyes and pulled him in for a deep kiss. "There's your answer," she smiled against him.

I've got everything I need right here, Adrien thought to himself. The girl of my dreams. My best friend. My partner. Someone to share everything with. And lucky for me, they're all the same person!

A shrill scream came from downstairs. "Tom, what is this THING in our cupboard eating our CHEESE!?"

Adrien and Marinette froze.

"PLAGG-!"