Marinette was shocked at how easy it was to convince people of the truth of Adrien's situation. After all of her dealings with Lila she had gained a fair amount of cynicism regarding people's ability to discern the truth in even the simplest of circumstances. And Adrien's situation was the farthest thing from simple.

Gabriel Agreste had made a reputation for himself. He was well respected for his genius as a fashion designer. Unfortunately for him, he was also notoriously unpleasant and difficult to deal with. Hard to please and slow to praise, Gabriel was respected but hardly liked. Adrien, on the other hand, was a media darling. He was known as the sweet and gentle heartthrob of Paris, easy to please and easy to work with. And to her surprise, his fans loved Marinette as well. She had expected a lot of crazy-fan hate mail, but instead received dreamy-eyed oohs and ahhhs whenever they went out together. Their reputation was a major tip in the young couple's favor.

Thanks to Gabriel's less-than-positive reputation, Tom and Sabine were able to take full advantage of their own media connections. Combined with Adrien and Marinette's dream couple status and the video evidence of the threat against the children, the Dupain-Chengs were able to enlist the assistance of their friend, Nadja Chamack, who ran an exposé on the shocking treatment Adrien received at the hands of his father. With the abuse exposed to the world, Gabriel was lambasted in the court of public opinion and Child Protective Services launched an investigation into the the allegations. Marinette hoped Gabriel appreciated the irony that his accusations towards her had be turned back upon him.

While the investigation was underway Tom and Sabine, along with Nino's parents and (to everyone's surprise) Adrien's bodyguard, began the process of become legal foster parents. They were intent on making sure Adrien had a safe place to go when he needed it. After several months of investigating, another shocking discovery was made and Child Protective Services made an emergency appeal to remove Adrien from his home.

Marinette looked up from her sketchbook when she heard a frantic pounding on her apartment door. She hurried down the stairs to open it and was surprised to see a distraught Adrien barely holding himself together. All she could do was take him up to her room at sit with him on her chaise. She held him while he sobbed and mumbled incoherently about his mother. She held him close and gently petted his hair, quietly whispering nonsense until he calmed down enough to choke out the story.

"My mom...she's...she's in my basement! There's this giant cavern under my house and she's been in there this whole time!" He stood up in agitation to pace around the room. "And he kept it from me! He kept her from me, and never gave me any clue! He ignored me and buried himself in his work and I thought he was grieving! But he wasn't! He was plotting, this whole time he was plotting to steal our miraculous!" He stopped suddenly and clamped his hands over his mouth, turning back to look at her with wide eyes.

"Our...miraculous?" Marinette said nervously. She blinked a few times and then tilted her head to the side as she studied his face. "Kitty?"

He sat back down next to her and put his head in his hands. "I'm sorry, Marinette. This is not how I meant for you to find out. Another thing he ruined for me," he muttered bitterly.

"How long have you known?"

"Um...since you made me the beret." He looked down at his feet. "I saw you leave through the window. But I promise, I meant what I said that day! I love you, Marinette. I've always loved you."

She looked at him with a gentle smile. "I know, kitty. And truth be told, if I hadn't fallen in love with Adrien Agreste on that rainy day at school, Ladybug probably would have given Chat Noir a chance a long time ago. It's always been you, for me." She cupped his cheek and gently kissed his lips. "I love you Adrien. Nothing is going to change that. And there is no one I'd rather have by my side as my partner."

"You say that now, but you haven't heard everything yet. The reason I found out about my mother is because...because..."

"Gabriel is Hawkmoth, isn't he?"

She said it so calmly, he looked up at her in surprise. "How did you know?"

She chuckled. "I kind of put two and two together when you said he was plotting after our miraculous."

"Yeah," he sighed. "He wants to use the wish to bring my mother back. As much as I want her back, I don't think I could bear to pay whatever terrible price would be required. What if it required you to take her place?" He reached out and pulled her to him, holding her tight. "I don't want to lose you!" he whispered.

Marinette reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. "I'm not going anywhere, kitty. We're going to recover the miraculous from him, hopefully with a minimum of fighting." She leaned up to kiss him and then turned to pick up her phone. As she scrolled through her contacts to call Master Fu, she had a chilling thought. "Gabriel doesn't know that you're Chat Noir, does he?"

Adrien pursed his lips in thought. "I don't think so. His reveal happened after a particularly difficult interview with the social worker. I think he wanted me to understand why he's been so distant all this time. He wanted me to call off the investigation and help him to get the miraculous from Ladybug and Chat Noir. I think if he knew who I was, he would have demanded I give him my miraculous immediately and never let me leave the house." He sighed. "I guess I can kind of understand how he's feeling. He wants his love back. But she wouldn't want this. She wouldn't want to come back at someone else's expense. And what he's been doing is not ok. Effectively abandoning his own son is not ok. I don't ever want to go back there."

Marinette smiled sadly. "I don't think you'll have to. Let me talk to Papa. I think the social worker will probably have a thing or two to say about your mother being hidden in your basement. After that we're going to meet up with Master Fu." She caressed his cheek. "Everything is going to be ok."

Marinette was wrong about how hard Gabriel would fight. Once he realized Adrien wasn't coming back to join his side he went on the extreme offensive, trying to wear Ladybug and Chat Noir down before they could bust into his home and take his miraculous from him. The akumas were brutal, last ditch attempts at victory. But Marinette had learned patience, especially with Adrien at her side. The final battle was hard. Gabriel didn't pull any punches. Chat Noir fought with a fury rarely seen, determined to end his father's reign of terror once and for all. Only with the help of Master Fu and the entire Miraculous Team was Hawkmoth defeated. As Chat ripped the butterfly brooch away from his father's suit, Mayura fell to her knees in despair. The desire to fight left her when she saw Gabriel lying motionless on the ground. Nathalie relinquished the peacock brooch willingly.

Afterwards, Viperion confided in Ladybug that it took them more than eight months to successfully end the battle. She shuddered at the thought, relieved that it was finally over.

It was over. They won. The miraculous, except for the Ladybug earrings and Black Cat ring, were tucked away in the Miracle Box for a well-earned rest. Now Marinette had to be strong, to help her Adrien pick up the broken pieces of his life. Guardianship was given to his bodyguard once the Gorilla was cleared of suspicion, and although the two of them lived in the Agreste mansion for now, Adrien spent most of his time at the bakery. Marinette stood beside him through the storm that was his father's trial. She held him when he cried, comforted him when he despaired, and fiercely defended him when anyone had the gall to accuse him of being an accomplice to his father's crimes. She held his hand while they waited outside the courtroom to testify in their superhero personas. Together they wept as his mother was removed from the cavern below the mansion.

Marinette stood in the rain at the bottom of the steps, waiting for her kitty. Went the doors to the mansion opened she looked up and smiled gently, beckoning him to stand with her beneath the umbrella he had given her all that time ago. She wiped the tears from his cheeks and then kissed him softly.

"I'm so sorry, Adrien."

He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. "I know, Marinette. Even though I hoped Master Fu could do something for her, the truth is, Maman was already gone. I've been grieving her loss all this time. Now I know she won't be coming back, so at least there isn't any false hope." He gently curled a strand of her hair around his finger. "Now I can move forward and be part of a family again." He smiled at her and then looked behind her to where Tom and Sabine were standing. He took her hand and together they walked towards the car that would take them to the cemetery to lay Emilie to rest. In a small, private service, Adrien smiled through tears as he shared his wonderful memories of his mother with his closest friends and family.

Marinette looked over at her Chat with love in her eyes. She laid hand on the gravestone and quietly whispered. "Don't worry, Emilie. He is loved. We will take good care of him. He won't be alone anymore. He's part of our family now."

"Little kitty on a roof all alone without his lady." Chat sang quietly as he looked upon his city bathed in the glow of sunset. He smiled at the whirring of a yoyo and the light sound of his lady dropping down next to him.

"Not alone anymore, kitty."

He turned his smile towards her. "Hey Buginette. What was the sudden call for?"

"Does a lady need a reason to see her kitty? Maybe I just wanted to see you." She giggled as she snuggled in next to him and put her head on his shoulder.

He put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "I'm perfectly fine with that."

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I hope you enjoyed it. I certainly enjoyed writing it. Especially that ending. They were so cute!

Just a couple things:

I don't know anything about the French foster care system, so I based those details on my very very basic knowledge on how it works in America. Sorry if I got anything wrong, but it seemed like a plausible way things could have gone.

I absolutely hate the nickname "bugaboo." It gets under my skin, I don't know why. So, I went with Buginette, which is what Chat calls Ladybug in the French dub, and it seems more appropriate anyway, since Chat Blanc was entirely avoided and they got to keep their identity reveal. Yay!