They'd been married for two years now, and it felt like they'd tried everything to get pregnant. Just the idea of coming home to a little bug or a little kitten and just feeling at peace, to decorate their fridge and walls with a child's artwork, to even possibly see little designs, the hint and highlight of a child's imagination, of his or her dreams, and they knew that somewhere along that way, there'd be a profound love and peace.

When they'd first tried for a child, Adrien blamed himself for month after month with no conception, with no little baby growing in his wife's womb. The 'it had to be my fault's seemed to last forever, no matter how much encouragement and love that Marinette had showered him with. They'd even begun praying and with that little daily practice of praying with each other in the morning, Adrien eventually found peace and stopped blaming himself.

Still, Marinette wasn't pregnant, and yet today, joy was felt. It could be described as a feeling similar to those little pink lines on a pregnancy test, the very tests that always read negative for Marinette, or the moment when a mother and father finally look down at their little boy or girl in the hospital room, just knowing that this child is somehow a combination of both parents and so much more, to know that they held a life in their arms that they helped create.

Marinette would claim later that it felt a lot like the moment of purification, of watching little ladybugs fill the air, of just feeling that light feather dusting of wind, of watching as broken became fixed, as old became as good as new with a single shout and a moment of practiced ease. Ladybug never grew tired of watching Paris be restored, of seeing lives made fresher, made much newer, much more alive in just simple moments.

Often, life never seemed to work like the Miraculous Cure. Most things weren't just instantaneous, but looking towards a little boy with an almost bright smile, just shy of reaching that level of excitement and joy, as bundled in nerves as he was. His glasses had slipped and were a little skewed on his head still, but Marinette wasn't sure if she should tentatively reach down and brush them right back into place like she'd seen people do with their own glasses.

"I'm sorry." Murmured the woman, again and again; her blue eyes almost sad as she looked on at them. "I just couldn't. This year's been so rough, and I love him, but what can you do?" It came out all hushed and so rushed that Marinette wondered if she almost didn't want them to hear the words.

Adrien leaned down, and Marinette wondered for a moment if his mask had slipped back on again, "So you're quite a gentleman, huh?" Adrien's smile was so bright and alive that Marinette's breath got caught on its way upward.

"A-A gentleman?" Timothy's voice was soft, and Marinette found herself leaning in just a little bit to hear it.

"Yeah, you've been taking care of your mom, haven't you been? Already so strong." Adrien praised, and Marinette couldn't help the smile that bloomed on her face as she bit her lips to keep happy laughter at bay, scared that if someone heard it that they'd think it was degrading and not nearly unrestrained joy. But just seeing Adrien, reminded her of her father in a way. She could see Tom in him, just a little, and looking at Timothy, she saw a heart just as broken as hers had been back before she learned to stand up to Chloe and way before, through Adrien, they became friends.

"Really?" Timothy's voice rose an octave in breathless excitement, "I have been looking after Mom. Someone has to do it, since Dad left. And, Mom, sometimes needs someone to dry her tears." Never mind, the fact that Timothy had likely spent just as many nights up late, crying himself to sleep.

"Yeah, I do too." Adrien admitted as if it was easy to throw pride out the window, and Marinette admired how at ease and just how fatherly Adrien became around children; it was almost, well, it was tender in a way that warmed her heart and made their decision much, much easier for her.

"You do? But, you're grown up, and you're famous, and rich, and your wife works with you and is so, so pretty." Timothy rambled before he could stop himself, and Marinette's smile found itself even more tender somehow under his excited surprise and his rambling.

"Yeah, even I cry." Adrien straightened up, and Marinette remembered the conversation that they'd had on the way over here, hands holding on to each other tightly, 'What if I'm just like my father was?' He was nothing like his father in this moment; nothing was hidden behind a cold exterior. He wasn't icy cold, but rather warm and gentle.

"You cry? Why?" Timothy looked worried, and Marinette almost reached out to pull him in a hug though she still wasn't sure that she'd interrupt or accidentally pull him out of his wheel chair in a sudden and completely accidental feat of superhero propertions. She was nervous too, and Adrien had been telling her for two years that she'd be a great mother and for months recently as they talked through the process of adopting much more that she'd be an incredible mother to their son or daughter, no matter what.

Being a mother felt a lot like a learning curve that she hadn't figured out how to take the test or scale the difficult hill before her. But, Cat Noir was rarely wrong when he spoke so honestly and genuinely.

"Well, I miss my Mom sometimes." Adrien paused, "And, my Dad and I used to fight a lot." That was putting it rather mildly when your father ended up being the supervillain that you fought against to save Paris when you were his superhero son.

"Did she leave like Dad did?" Timothy's voice went quiet again, and Marinette's heart ached for him. She'd never known what it was like for a parent to leave or to die, but she knew from how broken, Adrien could be over his own family that it was not a situation that she'd ever wish on anyone, even Chloe when all that they used to be able to do was fight with each other.

"No," Adrien paused, and already, Marinette sensed tears that hadn't yet came; he'd never gotten used to speaking about his mother even after all this time since Hawkmoth's defeat, "She went up to Heaven, to be with God." He spoke softly, and Marinette realized that not only had Adrien found peace in prayer, but he'd found faith too. It wasn't anything that they'd talked about more than shared, with the pain, the tears, the longing, the frustration, and even the sometimes worthlessness that they'd felt before.

"Oh." Timothy went completely quiet, just staring up into Adrien's green eyes, perhaps seeing the beginning of those tears that Marinette knew were coming in just a matter of moments even though Adrien hated crying in public and outright avoiding mentioning his mom if they were anywhere in or near public. He'd barely even told Alya and Nino what happened, and Chloe'd somehow read between the lines of the words that Adrien couldn't quite say.

Marinette had gotten used to being his wall, and standing by his side, with her arm around his waist right now, she was more of his wall, his armor, than anything else. She'd vowed to be his support through whatever suffering, whatever heartbreak, came their way a long time ago and even now, she grasped on to that tightly. She'd never leave him. Ladybug could never leave her Kitty, especially now, when loved bloomed and banged in her chest for him more than anything ever felt like it had.

"It will be okay." Adrien smiled, past the heartbreak in his eyes, "She's happier now." His voice was still as soft as it had been the whole time that he talked with Timothy, and Marinette marvelled over her husband's strength, a strength that she'd never seen like this before in him.

"I believe you." Timothy mumbled, "You aren't trying to replace my parents, are you?"

"No," Marinette spoke up without really any words to explain herself. They couldn't do that, and memories never were worth erasing in the long run or at least never seemed to be for her despite how difficult a superhero is to be.

"We can't replace them." Adrien murmured, "But we'll love you like a son of ours, you'll be our son in our eyes, and your mom will visit, and everything will be okay." Adrien sometimes had more confidence than Marinette could ever hope for, so as worried as she was that he'd cry and need her support more than ever, she almost slumped against him. He'd get her through these nerves, this exhaustion, and the lack of any solid idea of just how to live this life, how to be a good parent, and how to raise a three year old boy that already, she felt great love for.

He kind of reminded her of a younger version of herself in a way, and his hair was blonde, sort of like Adrien's, just lighter, and his light blue eyes could probably light up like Cat Noir's when he's really happy and comfortable. She could just see their family life now, except sometimes those ideas became lost in a stream rapidly leaving her. How do you be a good parent to a boy that already feels like a blessing in your life regardless of how difficult times may be from here on out? He'd needed a father's love once again, and his mother hadn't wanted him to spend any time in an orphanage, and somehow she'd been led to them.

The money for the bills for Timothy's mom's apartment hadn't been coming in since her husband left, and now between a dwindling bank account, looking for a job, and still wanting her son to get full time care somewhere along the way, she'd turned to finding him a home that would care for him well and that she'd be able to visit regularly to see her baby boy.

They'd just spent a lot of time and money, these past few months making their house wheel chair accessible, in getting a room around for another member of the family, and doublechecking and rechecking and buying things to make the bathroom much easier to use from hand rails to special seats for the shower. Everything had to be around for this moment, the moment when they might be able to bring home a new member to their family.

"Is the house ready?" The much waited for question arrived.

"Yeah, the downstairs works well, but I ordered those things they advertize for going up and down stairs, and I almost ordered elevators, but they'll take too long to install, and I didn't know if it were make more sense for now to carry him up and down the stairs if he wants a room upstairs instead, but we prepared a downstairs bedroom." Adrien rambled. Marinette had only just barely convinced him not to buy a whole new wardrobe for Timothy since he would have enough clothes from his old house from before he moved in. 'Besides, eventually we'll probably design him some new clothes, anyway.'

Timothy's mom's eyes grew wide as she stared at him, "How much have you been doing since we started talking several months back?"
"A lot." Adrien admitted, "I got so excited to have a son, and..." He trailed off as the words seemed to have left him.

"We both got excited. We've already grown to really care for Timothy since we started talking, and we, both, couldn't really wait." Marinette felt the need to speak up though her face went red, and she was sure that Timothy's mother probably wondered about the excited, young couple that was on her doorstep.

"I'm glad. This is difficult for me, and I haven't stopped praying about it. I'm just really happy that he isn't moving into a place that is indifferent or feel upset by it." She mumbled, looking relieved.

"We'll treat him just like our own son." Marinette assured, glancing over to him and smiling. Hopefully, things would just become easier in time and not just grow and grow and grow more difficult, though she'd take the difficulty gladly if it did just keep on piling up.

"Thank you. I'll be over as much as possible." If she could, she'd probably move in just to stay close to her son. She really loved him, and it hurt so much that she couldn't provide for him in the way that he needed, but she was willing to keep on being there by his side regardless. A mother's love is truly limitless.

"We wouldn't like it any other way." Adrien reassured her with another softened, warm smile.

"We just need a little help at learning to be the best kinds of parents that Adrien and I can be for him." Marinette muttered, looking a bit embarrassed, but all the more determined despite that.

"I'll show you. Don't worry." And, though it meant another step to a whole new beginning, it wasn't a type of future that they dreaded though they did want to do their best and be the best kinds of parents and along seemed to come worry. Timothy was the answer to their prayers, the answer to their hopes and their trials, and to learn to care for him well might take time, but that was a risk that they were willing to take.

Already, a mother's love was forming in Marinette's chest, and a father's love in Adrien's, and it would all be okay even through the storms that life always seemed so full of.