So the Greek words epi logos becomes Latin epilogos, which in French become épilogue , to English's epilogue. Hahaha, I'm not fooling anyone, am I? Of course I know what an epilogue is.
After a little over a month, I finished this story, leaving 20 Questions at around 60 thousand words. I have made so many friends, and received so many great ideas.
Special thanks go out to:
The excellent epcot97, who allowed me to see the reader's side of the emotional rollercoater.
The marvelous Littlemixup, who allowed me to brainstorm ideas, and help 20 questions reach its potential.
The brilliant JollyWonderBat, who shared some ideas, and helped encourage me at the beginning, when I was quite nervous about writing.
The spectacular ChubbyUnicornMama, who provided ideas, and reaffirmed some of my authorial decisions I worried about.
The intelligent Hkt29, who provided reviews and criticism on every chapter. I hope the advice helps me with my later projects.
And to the rest of you, guests and account holders who read this, encouraged me, taught me new things, shared your stories as well, and gave me ideas. I wish I could thank you all by name. This Fan Fiction was a product of our mutual adoration of Miraculous Ladybug. Thank you all.
Disclaimer: So y'all probably will be surprised to find out I don't own MLB. I still am.
SIX MONTHS LATER
Adrien felt his jaw drop as Tom walked Marinette down the isle of the small chapel.
Technically they had already been married an hour ago at the council office, but this setting felt more real, more purrsonal.
Her snow-white dress stunned the entire chapel. The dress was an A-line that she had designed herself, along with the help of her father-in-law, Gabriel Agreste.
She walked, step by step, begging herself not to trip.
As they neared the front of the chapel, she finally did the one thing she had just prayed she would not.
She let "Clumsinette" out of her cage, and the evil spirit took its chance to knock her to the ground. However, in some unexpected proof of soulmatehood, Adrien caught his bride to be, carefully sweeping her upward, to make the fall look almost graceful.
Nino began to clap, but quickly ceased as he felt an elbow lodge itself into his ribs. Alya gave him a "don't embarrass me at my best friend's wedding" look.They were in the first row of chairs, along with Tom, Sabine, Gabriel and Nathalie.
Tom smiled at his superhero son. He recalled over half a year ago when he got a call from him.
SIX AND A HALF MONTHS AGO-
"Hi, Monsieur Dupain. This is Chat. I was wondering if you had a little bit of free time one of these days in the next two weeks? I need to ask you an important question".
Tom couldn't help but break a grin.
"I can be free at any time you aren't busy saving Paris, son".
Chat froze over the phone. "Son"? Was that just a friendly title or was that a sign Tom knew why he was calling.
Chat forced himself back into the conversation.
"How about tomorrow afternoon?"
"That would be excellent, I'll be ready".
MLB...
The next day Adrien transformed, though he put the extra effort of putting a suit over his costume.
The gentle rasp on the residential door of the bakery felt like a gong, echoing the sound through all of France.
Slowly the door opened, revealing the friendly baker.
"Chat, come in. We made some fresh croissants just for you".
Chat nervously accepted one, and munched away.
"So, Chat, what brings you here this fine afternoon?" Sabine inquired.
"Dear, I think this is going to end up being a man to man talk," Tom gently inserted.
Sabine smiled in frustration, if that were somehow possible, then walked away.
Tom knew he would pay for that later.
"So, Monsieur Noir, what would you like to talk about?"
"S-sir... I hope you know. I l-love Marinette," Chat chattered. He knew he needed to be confident in this next part.
"So much so, that I can't imagine my life without her. So, with your permission, I plan to ask her to marry me".
He waited for the harsh "no" that television had taught him to expect.
"Son," the baker sighed, putting an arm around him,"I couldn't be happier".
Chat grinned.
"Plus, the sooner this happens, the sooner I can watch over some beautiful grandbabies".
The statement brought a squeal from elsewhere in the business, and caused Chat to redden like tomato.
After he left, Sabine approached her husband. He took the chance to speak to his wife, though his "MariChat is victorious" grin was already speaking volumes.
"By the way sweetie, I think this means I win the bet".
Sabine sighed and handed him 10 Euros.
"Her hapiness is obviously most important, but I really thought she'd end up with Adrien," she confessed, preparing to give up on Adrienette.
MLB...
It was a couple weeks after this that Marinette and Chat had reluctantly approached Tom and Sabine.
"Mom, Dad, We need to tell you something," the couple confessed hand in hand.
They had known that they would eventually need to admit their identities to a few close family members, and now that there was no Hawkmoth, they had decided that they could brief the Dupain-Cheng family.
"Spots on!"
"Claws in!"
The couple said in unison.
Mild surprise showed on their faces, though it seemed more amused. The pair were caught off guard, but the truth was apparently not too unbelievable.
The couple explained their plan to date publicly as Adrien and Marinette for a few months, and then get married. It was easier to file paperwork than if Marinette tried to explain to French officials that she wanted to marry an unnamed superhero.
"Tom, it seems that Marinette is marrying Adrien. Technically that means I didn't lose".
Tom returned the 10 to his wife.
"Ahem," she said,"and Chat is not marrying our daughter".
Tom handed her another 10 Euros.
"Does everyone bet on us?" Adrien groaned.
This prompted a laugh from the whole family.
BACK AT THE WEDDING-
Gabriel looked at the artwork in front of him. Of course the dress was beautiful, but he couldn't help but feel pride in his son.
Adrien was a superhero, studying to become a doctor. He was about to marry an amazing, talented, girl who he really loved.
Gabriel knew he had grown a lot in the last six months. He remembered when everything had begun to change. His court case had descended into havoc.
The prosecution wanted a severe punishment, but his defense had contended that Gabriel had not harmed anyone, nor caused the destruction of property.
Furthermore, the judge was hard pressed to find any previous case in which an individual had suffered a deep loss, and turned to magically giving strangers evil powers to undo the accident.
The lack of legal precedent had resulted in a surprising sentence. Six months in the city sanatorium, followed by a year of biweekly counseling.
Through the ordeal he had had many meetings with doctors, discussing his life and the decisions he had made. There were ups and downs, but overall the man was finding his forgotten humanity.
In the half year he was at the asylum, Gabriel had had three regular visitors. Adrien, Marinette, and Nathalie.
He had begun a healing relationship with Adrien, and his soon to be daughter wanted to get to know him on a personal level, but Gabriel couldn't help but wonder why Nathalie had remained vigilant.
He decided to inquire at this less than opportune moment.
"Nathalie," he whispered,"why did you keep visiting me whe I was... well... You know... staying at the institution?"
"Why do you think I kept coming back Gabriel?" she asked hopefully.
The first thought in his head was that she "was a good friend", but he refrained from saying that. It would take someone truly incompetent to say something so blatantly understated.
"Is there..." he began, as she looked at him longingly.
"Is there perhaps the possibility you have romantic feelings for me?"
The normally aloof woman shook her head in embarrassed affirmation.
Gabriel thought of something his therapist, Dr. Martin had encouraged.
"Gabriel, I want you to focus on your heart. If you feel something, even if it doesn't make complete sense, I want you to act on it".
So Gabriel acted. Quietly he slid his arm closer to hers, until they were holding hands.
The maneuver went almost unnoticed by the attendees, except by Adrien, who shot his father a playful wink.
Gabriel smiled, and returned the intentional nictation.
As Marinette slowly got her bearings, she looked at the man between her and Adrien.
"Master Fu?" She whispered.
He smiled softly and replied.
"Today it is Pastor Fu, I was recently certified online," he admitted,"anyhow we should probably get started".
He went through the introduction, then asked if anyone opposed the union.
Suddenly all eyes fell on two back row guests.
The first was a well groomed man. His suit was a plain black design, and his tie a deep blue, both of which complimented his well kempt hair.
It had only been several days since Marinette had found out. Luka, the suave ladies man turned homeless man was actually in his first leading role in a rather large movie.
He played a secret agent who was forced inro hiding when he was burned. In an attempt to hide from those who were looking for him, he had disguised himself, and lived as a transient for 3 months.
Luka took the role quite seriously, and in a supreme display of method acting, even to the point of embarrassing himself, he had begged for money, cementing in the ability to become someone else.
The actor was now incredibly successful, but he had had only one thought on his mind as he entered the chapel. To stop this union.
The eyes also darted to the short haired ravenette. She had won multiple times in the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime World Championships, a fencing tournament. She was even a Japanese entrant in the upcoming Olympics in fencing.
Kagami was known for taking what she wanted, and in this case everyone knew what she wanted. She had been spurred on even more by the fact that she believed both Adrien and Marinette had been seeing other people prior to 6 months ago.
So, when no one had expected it, she slipped in the back, ready to take advantage of what she thought was a new relationship.
Fu scanned the room, looking for dissenters, and to everyone's suprise Kagami and Luka were distracted with one another, whispering and giggling between themselves.
He took the unexpected boon, and moved on.
"Lad- ahem- Marinette and Adrien have taken the opportunities to write their own vows, Adrien, if you would".
The young man's eyes shimmered as he looked into his wife's eyes.
"Marinette, for years I referred to you as "a friend" or "a good friend". Eventually you became my best friend, and everyone knows one of the smartest things you can do is marry your best friend".
He breathed, thinking everything was going well so far.
"And it really is the smartest decision I have ever made. I am so indescribably in love with you. A part of me loved you for as long as I remember. At one point, I felt like my love for you reached Everest. I stood on the peak, and sighed knowing I couldn't love any more than that. But, I was wrong, because I got to know you better, and spend more time with you, and see who you really are. And let me tell you- even though you are the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen, miraculously, you are even more beautiful on the inside. Suddenly my love reached the far side of the Moon. And it continued, exiting our solar system".
He shook as he spoke, but Marinette's teary eyes told him to continue.
"And so today, in front of all the people we love, I vow to not only stay by your side, nor to simply keep loving you, but to love you more every day. I swear to love you to the ends of the infinite universe and back and then some".
By now tears were streaming down both of their faces.
"Marinette, I have always loved you, I love you today, and I always will love you".
And with those words he carefully slipped a ring onto her finger.
Marinette cried for several minutes, and Adrien wisely retrieved a handkerchief from his pocket, allowing her to use it to abate the flow of tears.
In the corner of his eye, he saw something particularly unusual. Gabriel was offering him a thumbs up.
Finally, her composure regained, or at least with enough of it regained, she spoke.
"Adrien, I began to fall in love with you over six years ago when you offered me an umbrella, which is almost silly," she confessed.
"And it remained in that primitive state for so many years. Then, that one fateful day, you sang to me on the rooftop. My heart had just been broken and so had yours...and I kissed you. I played it off as nothing, my grief talking. But it was my subconscious mind. I saw emotions in you that... that pawsitively shocked me," she said, adding a special pun just for him.
"And from that day I loved you in a much deeper sense. It took me a while to convince myself to say it, but eventually I did. Now I wish I could declare it to you every moment of every day"
He was grinning wildly, tears now pouring from his face. His eyes looked vaguely reminiscent to a leaky faucet.
"You make me feel like a Princess, and I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone else. You are my best friend, my partner, and now my husband, and one day you'll be the father of my children. I look forward to a lifetime of happiness with you, and I vow to always let you know I love you with all my heart".
By this point there were were few dry eyes in the crowd. Suprisingly there were a few sobbers, including Nino and Nathalie.
"Shhh, it's ok babe," Alya soothed.
"They're just soo perfect for each other," Nino wept.
"I know, babe, I know," the young mother told her husband,"and when they finish we can go to the reception with Todd and Catherine and our little family can congratulate them".
On their right, Nathalie tried to hold in the heavy tears.
Gabriel panicked...
"Now or never," he told himself, then did the most unGabriel thing.
He put his arm around her and pulled her close.
"What's wrong?"
"N-nothing," she said bashfully,"I've just come to love Adrien so much, and I am so happy he gets the happy ending he deserves".
Gabriel's heart melted, and he squeezed her shoulder affectionately.
Fu smiled, wiping a tear off his own cheek with his colourful handkerchief. No one noticed the image on it. It was a kercheif with with Ladybug and Chat Noir kissing.
The supercentenarian smiled.
"Ch- Adrien, you may now kiss your Lady".
And with that, the husband and wife shared the sweetest kiss up to that point of their lives. It wasn't full of passion, but it was the most love they had ever felt.
In that moment eternity and the infinite universe seemed to gravitate to that instant. It was as if the whole Quantic Universe had been created for this single snapshot of time.
Chloe, who had made the trip to see her friends, sighed. "Miraculous, utterly miraculous".
There was no villain, only two families becoming one. Heartbreak had become love, pain turned to celebration, and hatred was forgiven and forgotten. The world stood still, and the Kwamis took note.
Wayzz, Trixx, Pollen, Tikki, and Plagg stared from above, taking in the sweet scene from a small hiding place on one of the chandeliers.
"Plagg," Tikki said apologetically,"I still owe you your cheese, but I can't get it to you. I know I promised, but I don't know how to get it". Tears welled up in the small Kwami's eyes.
"Don't worry about it," Plagg whispered so the other Kwamis didn't hear," I care about your happiness waaay more than some stinky cheese. Plus, right now I just want to savour this moment".
Tikki smiled in amazement.
"Plagg, you really are the most thoughtful being I know," she said, then gave him a covert kiss.
The black Kwami became just a little more red in that moment.
Alya and Nino. Marinette and Adrien. Tikki and Plagg.
They were perfect for each other.
LATER-
At the reception, the couple stood to receive friends and family.
Nino and Alya came first. They hugged their friends, wishing congratulations, along with a pair of happily cooing babies.
"I guess Catherine and Todd are happy for you as well," Nino joked.
Marinette laughed, and Alya took the moment to whisper to Adrien.
"Hey, I am glad you two are happy, but if you ever mess this up, just know somehow I will make your life miserable... after all, there is more than one way to skin a cat".
Adrien gulped and shook his head.
Next came old friends; Max, Kim, Rose, Juleka, and others moved through the line.
Then came Chloe.
"Adriki-- I mean, Adrien," she said apologetically,"I hope you know how lucky you are. You could've ened up stuck with me -or even worse her (she gestured to Kagami, now holding hands with Luka)- if it weren't for this beautiful bride of yours".
She hugged the pair, whispering to Marinette, "take care of him", before walking away, head held high in her regular Chloe fashion.
As the line died down, Gabriel appeared.
As he approached, Adrien spoke.
"Gabr--Fath--Papa," he settled,"I am glad you could make it".
"As am I, son," he beamed,"This was one of the most heartwarming things I have ever seen".
He paused, before saying words that choked up his son.
"Adrien, I am so proud of you. You as well... Marinette".
They each took the opportunity to hug the emotionally unguarded designer, and he hesitantly returned the motions.
"I must apologize, I hope you two can forgive me?" He asked, referring to the better part of a decade in which he had tyranized the city, as well as the personal coldness he had shown to both young adults.
"Of course, Dad," Marinette said unhesitatingly.
This time Gabriel was the one who struggled to find words.
Finally he spoke.
"Normally I would leave my gift on the table like everyone else, but this present requires specific care," he said producing a folder.
"This documentation signs over the rights to 'Gabriel' brand fashion, along with all its property, designs, and subsidiaries to Adrien and Marinette Agreste".
Her mouth dropped open as he signed the paperwork and Nathalie notarized it.
"Marinette, this isn't going to be easy, you will have to prove yourself to other designers. However this should jump start your career, and as the new owner of a private jet, you have the ability to go to work in Milan or London or wherever, and still make it home in time for dinner with your family... that is, if you make family a priority," he said mournfully, his own guilt spilling out.
His son and newfound daughter buried him in a group hug.
"Than you, thank you," they chorused.
Gabriel smiled.
Later he found himself at the dessert table, asking Nathalie if she would like to split an pastry.
Tom and Sabine who had just finished transporting the desserts greeted their children.
"And to think, how many litres of tears do you think you lost crying over Adrien as a young teen?" Sabine ribbed.
"Enough to fill at least one Olympic swimming pool," Tom razzed.
Marinette felt her skin flush crimson.
"I suppose I better start making up for those tears by sharing some smiles and good memories," Adrien responded confidently.
"I have a feeling you two will be making some VERY good memories tonight," Sabine teased.
Marinette's mouth fell open, as did Adrien and Toms'. Sabine merely grinned, feeling like she had won a game.
"What? It's true," she said casually, strolling off to say hello to other friends.
Alya and Nino had returned to their friends, the newlyweds, who were suddenly enthralled by the twin babies they brought.
"What are their full names again?" Adrien asked.
"Come on!" Nino teased," their godfather doesn't even know their names".
"Catherine Marinette Lahiffe and Todd Sheldon Lahiffe," Alya said proudly, ignoring her husband.
"Cat," Adrien said equally proudly, as he looked at Catherine.
Marinette frowned.
"So I get CATherine... like cat and heroine. Marinette is obviously tied to the greatest person in tne world (she teased), and Sheldon is the whole shell/turtle thing... but what about Todd?"
Adrien smiled, "a tod is a name for a male fox, Purrrincess".
Nino nodded, "yup,".
"How did you know that, Adrien?" Alya asked?
"You have to know vocabulary if you want to purrfect the art of punning. By the way," he turned to Marinette,"I loved the pun you added to your vows".
"I thought you might Chaton".
The day reached into the evening.
Adrien had kindly offered Marinette a piece of cake. To everyone's suprise, she had returned the kindness with devious fiendishness, accepting the treat, and offering a slice in return, only to bring it into his face.
Gabriel fought back a grimace as the white frosting dripped onto his son's ebony suit. Nathalie gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.
LATER-
As the couple prepared to leave, they allowed for one final archaic tradition.
Marinette turned around and threw the bouquet behind herself.
What started as glee turned into shock as everyone watched the flowers sail toward one girl in specific: Manon Chamack, who was not even 12 years old.
The girl realised the mistake she had made by standing alone, and shrieked in fear.
And then everyone watched the most incredible unfolding of events.
The bouquet bounced of of her head, and sailed to the left of the young girl, right into the unexpecting hands of Nathalie Sancoeur.
She looked at the bouquet in her hands, then saw Gabriel staring at her with a lovestruck expression. She offered a sheepish grin.
Adrien smiled, and gave his papa a thumbs up before walking his lady to the car.
"How could life get better?" He wondered.
THREE MONTHS LATER-
Marinette loved their cozy little apartment. Sure they had money now, but she and Adrien agreed that there was no reason the Agrestes couldn't live in a compact apartment. If anything it meant they spent more time together.
"This can't be," she thought to herself, sitting alone in the bathroom while Adrien was ironing clothes in the living room.
They had been so careful, planned everything perfectly.
At first she had thought it was a stomach bug. But after Marinette had thrown up for several days, a thought occured. More a "what if" really.
She heard a sound outside of the bathroom, but paid no attention to it. Adrien had probably knocked something over.
Marinette had begun to wonder if the "what if" was credible when she noticed a normal pattern in her life made a change... and by change, she meant the pattern had disappeared. She was now over 2 months late.
She carefully picked up the tool that held her hopes and dreams. Looking at the confirming lines, she burst out the door.
As she saw the living room she spoke.
The ironing board was out, and the iron, still on, burning a hole in Adrien's favourite pair of jeans. Several picture frames were broken, and the front door was busted open, and Adrien was no where to be found.
"ADRIEN WE'RE... pregnant".
Ok, so I was getting ready to end it all, and then I thought up an idea for a sequel... so please forgive the "small" cliffhanger. You can find out what happens next in "Mysterious Clues", the sequel! Please don't hate me... too much.
Hopefully the epilogue will combat the sick feeling I am about to have when I change the "incomplete" box to "complete".
For those of you who are reading my other work Paradise and Purrrgatory, I double my apology, it may not come out very fast.
Stay awesome!