Author's Notes:

wyomingparmesan: Greetings, everyone! I am very excited to post this one because it is my very first collab! This was co-written by my friend Kat aka Forsaken Xenon. It's pretty dark, so be warned.

Forsaken Xenon: So, this was my first collab, and actually I had so much fun! Nat's amazing, and we had an amazing time! Hopefully we'll do another one sometime soon. Hope ya like it~! -Kat

Finally, after all this time, Hawk Moth had gotten those meddling kids right where he wanted! Those miraculous were as good as his for sure, now. Thanks to help from his accomplice, Catalyst, he was able to akumatize a whole army of people. They brought him Ladybug and Chat Noir, just as he asked. Unfortunately for the heroes, they were caught off guard, and had been tied and restrained several times. There was no hope for escape for them… but hopefully their last chance would pull through. Just before she was captured, Ladybug entrusted use of the rabbit miraculous to fellow classmate, Alix Kubdel. She couldn't see the transformation for herself as she gave Alix instructions to run, but she had the utmost faith in her. As she looked at her partner and crime, who was trying his best to squirm free of his bindings, she was worried about what could be holding her up. Could she have been captured as well?

As the army of akumatized citizens dropped Chat Noir and Ladybug to the ground, Hawk Moth loomed over them, and grinned wickedly. His plan was finally working, a plan that wouldn't be possible without Catalyst. They truly were better as a team. She stood by his side now, as he chuckled deviously. "Well well, look at what we have here… if it isn't Ladybug and Chat Noir, brought to me, thanks to my army." He knelt down in front of the hero pair. His eyes searched for just what he was looking for- their miraculous. His hand reached for Ladybug's left ear, fingers gripping on the earring as he began to wiggle the backing off. "Don't you worry, Ladybug, I'll give these earrings right back when I'm done…"

Before he could successfully remove the earring, he found himself tackled to the ground at high speed. What was this? A new miraculous holder? Just when he thought there was no more of them in Paris, he was wrong. He looked to see a rabbit-themed hero was standing over him as she roughly grabbed the back of his collar, and held it tightly in her right hand.

"Not so fast, Gramps! You're coming with me." She says to him. Using her left hand, she traces a circle with her index finger, as it materializes a portal. She shoves the portal entrance forward, and begins to drag him towards it. She managed to at least shove him in, before hopping in herself. Hopefully, that would give her partners a bit more time to take down the akumatized victims. As the burrow closed behind them, he stood up and looked around. There were so many windows to different points in time… he was intrigued.

"You expect to defeat me by dragging me into here? Where are we?" He sounded slightly irritated, as he raised an eyebrow at her. He materialized his cane.

"I have other plans for you. I know you want those miraculous, but I'm warning you, you're making a big mistake!" She said to him sternly, drawing her umbrella.

"Mistake? You have no idea what you're talking about. You have no idea what I'm going to do with those miraculous!" He took a swing at her, as she leapt backwards.

"No, I don't, but knowing you, it's not going to be good." It was her turn to take a swing, aiming low, and thrusting the point of her umbrella into his abdomen. That hurt, as he hunched over, using his cane as a support.

Suddenly, someone else stepped through the burrow, an older version of the pint-sized rabbit hero. She comes over and looks at her past self. "Don't worry, I got this. This will require a more advanced technique." The older rabbit grabbed Hawk Moth's arm roughly, and glared at him. "So… you want those miraculous so bad, huh? Well, let's find out what will happen if you get them." She sneered, as she roughly dragged him through the burrow, to the future he would be creating.

"Who…who are you?", he asked, trying to pull his arm free from her grasp.

"Hmm, I guess it won't hurt," she contemplated. "My name is Bunnyx. I was chosen by Ladybug to wield the rabbit miraculous. I have the ability to go back and forth in time."

The man continued to wriggle around, causing Bunnyx to tighten her grip. "You may wanna stay put," she said, throwing him through the portal. "What you're about to see will shake you to your core."

Hawk Moth landed on the ground with a loud thud. The ground below him was cold. The atmosphere was quiet…too quiet for his liking. He lifted his head up, his eyes widening as he noticed his surroundings.

They were in a garden. The garden was filled with trees and flowers, radiating an atmosphere of peace and the sweet smell of roses. It was one he knew all too well.

"Why did you bring me back here?!", the man asked, turning around to look at the hero. "Why am I back at home?"

Bunnyx shook her head. "I can't explain anything," she said. "Why don't you see for yourself."

He looked around. His secret lair still looked the same as he had left it. Standing up, he looked down towards the platform where he kept his most prized possession.

As he began to walk closer, he realized that they were not alone. He hid in a bush that was close to the platform and observed his surroundings. The sound of soft crying rang in his ears.

He felt a nervous shiver go through his body as he peeked out. In the middle of the grass, sat a girl he recognized. Her hair was pulled back into pigtails and her body shook as small sobs escaped her mouth.

"Marinette…", said a voice.

Marinette. That was one of Adrien's friends from school. He remembered her now. Why was she there though? Why was she crying? Who was she talking to?

He took a closer look and what he saw…no. He dropped down to his knees, a sharp pain hitting his heart as he felt tears poking at the corners of his eyes.

"Stop it, Tikki," Marinette said, her voice hoarse. "He…he's not coming back." She looked at the boy laying in front of her. His blond hair was messy, and his now lifeless lips were the slightest shade of purple. "Adrien…"

She began sobbing again as she held him close to her. His now limp body was cold to the touch, all the warmth that once comforted her now a thing of the past.

The kwamis surrounded her, small tears escaping their own eyes. Marinette placed a soft kiss on his hair.

No… not Adrien. His only son, gone. The tears ran down his mask, his vision becoming blurry. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"This isn't what you wanted, was it?", Bunnyx said, handing him a tissue.

He took the tissue, and dabbed his eyes. "No… of course not. I want my family back together."

"Well, when you use those miraculous together, you get a wish, but a sacrifice must be made… and the sacrifice was him," She explained, "You were warned about this, but you didn't listen."

He took a second to calm himself down, though still very much overwhelmed at the sight of his son, once so full of life, just lying there, stiff, and still. It could not possibly get much worse… right? "Well… at least I still have my wife, and my dear assistant…" He mumbled, trying to look on the brighter side of things.

Bunnyx shook her head, as she opened another portal. "I wouldn't say that... You better be ready for this one…" She said, as she pulled him through. No longer were they in the Agreste mansion, but outside… in the pouring rain. She opened her umbrella, and held it over them. Hawk Moth looked around- they were in the cemetery. He had a pit in his stomach and uneasy feeling now.

"…Why are we here?" He snapped at her. Bunnyx lead him over to a group of mausoleums, and directed him to look up. His heart dropped as he read the family name carved in the grey marble- Sancoeur.

"It can't be." He said, as he pulled the metal door open, and she followed inside. There were quite a few names already carved on this plaque. He read all of them carefully. He swore his heart stopped for a moment as he got to the very bottom of the list. Nathalie was here… He was hoping he wouldn't find her here.

"No… Nathalie…" He said softly, a thumb running over her name. He became overwhelmed with guilt. All those times she wore that broken miraculous for him, so that he could get what he wanted, and all those times she refused to take it off because she wanted to help. When she meant she'd help him to the end… he didn't mean it like this. Another beautiful soul in his life was gone because of him.

"I guess I can explain this to you. She was killed in the last stand- Chat Noir was about to use Cataclysm on you, but she took the hit for you." Bunnyx watched kneel down, tears streaming down his face as he stared at the plaque before him. He had hoped that his eyes were deceiving him, but that wasn't the case.

"But… why would she do that?" He asked, his hands shaking as he was desperately trying to stop himself from crying more.

"Why? Because she loved you with all of her heart. Sancoeur… it's irony. Her heart was so big, that she wanted to do everything to make you happy, even if that meant she would no longer be with you." She hands him another tissue. Even though he was the villain… she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. She certainly couldn't take joy in seeing someone in so much pain.

Her words hurt him even more, making him feel even more guilty. He had known Nathalie for many years. Back in his teenage years, he, Emilie, and Nathalie were all best friends. Nathalie was always quiet and serious, but always so dedicated to her work, and her friends. He had always wondered why she remained single after so many years- he thought she'd be a man's dream- beautiful, intelligent, graceful, hard-working, and loyal to whoever's close to her. Even though he went on to marry Emilie, his heart always had a special place for Nathalie. In the very spot where he was kneeling, he and Emilie held Nathalie as she mourned her parents, killed in a car accident. When Emilie fell into her coma, Nathalie held him and his son and comforted them. How he desperately wished she were here to comfort him now.

"My dearest Nathalie… I am sorry. There are no words to describe how sorry I am…" He whispered softly, closing his eyes. "My wife is at least with me, mourning the loss of our dear friend, right?" He then asked, hopeful for a small trace of positive outcome from his wish.

Bunnyx tried her best not to react too strongly- she knew what the answer was. It certainly wasn't the answer he was hoping for. Instead, she opened up another portal, as she helped him up. "Well, let's go look…" She says as she drags him through once again.

They landed back in a familiar place. It was a large room filled with marble sculptures and smelled faintly of fabric paint. Bunnyx was crouched underneath a desk, and gestured for him to do the same.

"How… how could you do this, Gabriel?!"

That voice rang through his ears, making him look around the corner of the desk to see the commotion. Standing a few feet away from him was none other than his wife and a future version of himself.

"Emilie… please."

Emilie, his wife. It had been so long since he hears her sweet, calm voice. Only now, her voice was filled with rage unlike any he had heard before.

"I don't want to hear it, Gabriel," she said, turning away. "I know you wanted to bring me back, but at what cost?!" Her voice broke with the last sentence and he felt his heart sink.

"I didn't know that Adrien-"

"Adrien…my baby boy," Emilie choked out a sob. "Our only son and he's gone. And you." She turned around again to look at him. "You became a monster."

"Emilie, please listen to me," Gabriel said, grabbing her hands in his. "I did it all for us, for you, for-"

"Adrien?", she said, pulling her hands away. "Oh, and our dear friend Nathalie. God rest her soul. Not to mention you traumatized that poor little girl who's now in there crying over the body of her best friend."

Her expression changed from one of sorrow to one of fury. "I remember you told me that you'd do anything to save me if something were to happen," she said. "But terrorizing an entire city?! Why, I could have you thrown in prison."

"My love, please-"

"Don't you dare call me that," she said, her teeth clenched. "I would've rather stayed asleep than have to see our son suffering the same way I did."

"Look, when I said that I'd do anything to bring you back," he said. "I meant it. I had no idea that Adrien would be taken in your place."

"And would you have stopped yourself if you had known?", she asked, raising her voice. "We both know that I was always the one who cared about him the most."

Now it was his turn to get angry. "I cannot believe you'd dare say that I never cared about our son," Gabriel said, his face growing red with anger.

"Who was the one always comforted him when he was scared? Who insisted that he should go to school like all the other kids?", Emilie said. "Who was the one who thought it was best to keep him locked inside all of his life?"

"You know I was only trying to protect him."

"And look at how well that turned out," she said, shaking her head. "Now we no longer have to worry about him anymore." She broke back into sobs.

"I'm really sorry about all of this," he said, wiping tears from her cheek. "I never wanted any of this to happen."

She smacked his hand away. "Don't touch me," she said. "I-I can't deal with you right now."

Hawk Moth watched from the desk as she began pacing around. Without saying another word, she ran out of the room, motioning for him not to follow her. The door shut in future Gabriel's face and he fell to his knees, his sobs echoing throughout the room.

"Nooroo, dark wings fall," he called for the kwami to detransform him.

Nooroo flew out of the brooch, looking up at his fallen charge. "Master?"

"Not now Nooroo, please," Gabriel said, putting his hand in his hands as more tears slid down his face.

This was nothing like he had envisioned. He thought that once he had gained control of the miraculous of Ladybug and Chat Noir, that everything would be perfect again. He would finally have his family back to the way he wanted it. He would have his beautiful wife and their son would have his mother whom he adored so much.

He soon realized that nothing would ever be "perfect" again.

"I think I've shown you enough," Bunnyx said, using her umbrella to open another portal. She grabbed him and pulled him back inside of her burrow, covering his eyes so he wouldn't see anything he wasn't meant to.

"Now do you see why Ladybug wanted me to show you this?", she said.

"Yes, yes I do," the man said, still on his knees. "Please, tell me how I can make sure this never happens."

Present Alix showed up again, crouching down so that she was close to his face. "There is one simple solution," she said, a small smirk on her face. "You have to give up being Hawk Moth. Forever."

His eyes went wide. Was this really the best thing? How did he know if Ladybug just wanted to scare him? Well, her silly little scare tactic worked. "I will… please, just take me home… I can't take this anymore." He begged of them. The two Bunnyxes looked at each other, and then nodded.

"Alright, alright… we'll take you home." Present Bunnyx said, as one last portal opened up, and then she pulls him through. She waved goodbye to her future self, and thanked her for the assist. Thank God, he was back home. He had never been happier to be back in the present than right now. They were currently in his bedroom. It was the middle of the night, just as it was when they had left. Bunnyx was still standing there, hand extended. "Remember what you just promised." She said, sternly. He nodded, and shakily removed the miraculous from his person. She even turned her back as he transformed back to his civilian self, and he handed over the brooch.

"Thanks." She said, as she opened up his bedroom window, and then left in a hurry. It was a cool night, and the breeze had gusted through his window. He took a look around. Everything seemed… normal. No one was outside. No akumatized people. It was almost like nothing had ever happened… but now he couldn't sleep, and he was certain he wouldn't. He picked up his cell phone, and dialed Nathalie. He needed her more than ever.

Since it was the middle of the night, Nathalie was sleeping in her room, just down the hall. Her cell phone rang, and she flailed for a second. She shot straight up and fumbled around for it, before picking it up. "Desk of Gabriel Agreste, Nathalie speaking…" She answered, still half asleep.

"Nathalie. I need to speak to you. Now," Gabriel said with much urgency. She had noticed there was something off about the way he was speaking. He sounded absolutely petrified.

"Gabriel, are you alright?" She asked, rubbing her eyes. While rare, she's learned to sometimes expect random calls from him in the middle of the night.

"No, I'm not okay. I need to talk to you… I need you with me." He sounded extremely distraught.

She picked up on this, and was concerned. "Of course. Come to my room, and we can talk."

He hung up the phone, and put it down on his nightstand. He put on his robe, and headed just down the hall to her room. He slowly opened the door, to see Nathalie sitting in her bed. He closed the door behind him quietly as he goes to sit on the edge of her bed. She just turned to look at him, still quite drowsy from the sudden wakeup call. Her hair was also slightly messy, especially out of her usual bun, as she sits next to him.

"What has gotten into you? You sound absolutely terrified." She moved closer to him.

"I just saw something awful. It was my personal hell…" He said softly.

"What are you talking about?" She was fading in and out of sleep.

"Some rabbit miraculous holder came, and dragged me into the future, after we had gotten the miraculous of Ladybug and Chat Noir, and I succeeded. Emilie came back, but then she left in fury, Adrien was forever sleeping… and you… you were dead. I had nothing after that. It was my worst fear- being alone. I… gave up my miraculous. I don't want to lose you or Adrien."

Nathalie took his hand, and held it gently. "Gabriel. Listen, I'm not going anywhere… We've been through hard times together, and I will always be here for you. Adrien will be too." She yawned as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. He felt better… not totally fine, but her reassurance was comforting. He turned to give her a hug.

"Thank you… you have no idea how much that means to me… how much you and Adrien mean to me." He mumbled softly, a hand rubbing her back. He could tell she was falling asleep in his arms; perhaps he should let her rest, now. He gently laid her back down, and pulled the blankets up over her. "Sleep well, Nathalie…" He whispered, as he exited her room quietly.

Shutting the door behind him, he looked at the room on the other side of the corridor. He walked towards it and stood in front of it for a moment. With a sigh, he turned the doorknob and poked his head inside.

The sounds of small snores could be heard from inside the room. The silhouette of Adrien's sleeping body could be made out from the dim light cascading through the large windows.

Gabriel tiptoed slowly to the bed where his son slept. He watched him through the dim light. His mouth opened and closed slowly as he snored quietly.

The man shivered as the flashbacks of his recent ordeal came flooding back into his mind. The site of his son so lifeless, so cold, and blue. It almost brought tears to his eyes again.

This Adrien, however, was a different kind of peaceful. His cheeks were the softest shade of pink and his nose twitched as he dreamed.

It brought tears to his eyes, but for a different reason. He sat down on the bed gently as to not wake him and sat there, watching his sleeping son.

More flashbacks came back to him, but a different kind this time. He remembered when Emilie had first told him that she was pregnant. He remembered feeling so scared and nervous, yet the joy of seeing her so happy made his heart beat a hundred times a minute.

Then came the day Adrien was born. All of those feelings of nervousness and uncertainty went away as he held this sweet baby in his arms. He remembered how elated Emilie was to see the loves of her life together.

Then those feelings of regret settled in. From the time he was born, all he ever wanted was for his son to be happy and safe. He felt that keeping him away from the dangerous world had been the best way to do that, but now he knew how wrong he had been.

"Mmm," Adrien grumbled in his sleep.

Gabriel broke from his thoughts and turned to look at him. The boy had turned over onto his back, his arms stretching up above his head. He reached a hand over and began gently stroking his hair.

Adrien responded to his touch by smiling and nudging his head into his father's hand. Seeing his son smile was always a delight to him, even if he didn't show it much.

Adrien had a smile that could light up any room he was in.

Not wanting to disturb him any further, Gabriel got up off of the bed and prepared to walk back towards the door. The shifting of the weight of the bed startled Adrien, his eyes shooting awake.

He rubbed his eyes and sat up. "Father?", he said, sleepily.

Gabriel turned around. "My apologies," he said. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Shouldn't you be asleep?", Adrien asked, slightly confused. "What are you doing here?"

The man walked back over and sat next to his son once again. "I…came to check in on you," he said, slightly embarrassed.

Adrien scratched his head in confusion. He figures it could've been lack of sleep, but this was very unusual for his father. "Um, okay," he said. "May I ask why?"

Without hesitation, he pulled his son into a hug. "I just really wanted to see you and make sure you're okay," he said, sniffling again.

He gasped, but didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around his father. "Father are you okay?", he asked.

"I am now that I know you're okay," he said. "I know I haven't told you this much, but I love you, my son. I love you so much."

Adrien hugged him tighter as he felt tears poking at the corners of his eyes. Those were words he never thought he'd hear from his father, and they made his heart swell. "I-I love you, too," he said.

Gabriel noticed his son's sniffles and caressed the back of his neck. "You mean so much to me and I want you to know that," he said. "Your mother would be so proud of the young man you're becoming."

With the mention of his mother, Adrien couldn't hold back the tears anymore. "Father…what's going on?", he asked, his voice shaky.

Gabriel pulled back, looking at his son. "I've just been doing a lot of thinking, that's all," he said, using a hand to wipe Adrien's cheek. "I apologize for causing you all of this emotional distress."

The boy wiped his eyes with his blanket. "It's okay, father," he said. "Thank you. You have no idea how long I've waited to hear that."

He smiled, a rare sight for Adrien to see. "I think I'll let you get back to sleep," he said, leaning forward and kissing the boy's forehead. He stood up and began walking towards the door. "Oh, one more thing."

"Yes, Father?"

"Your friend, Marinette," Gabriel began. "I think you should call her in the morning."

Adrien's eyes widened. "Marinette? Why? Is something wrong?", he said, a shred of worry in his voice.

"No, no, she's fine," he said, gesturing for his son to calm down. "I am just very fond of Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng and think you should check up on her."

Adrien smiled. "I'll be sure to do that, thank you," he said. Yawning, he laid back down in his bed. "Goodnight, Father."

Gabriel took one last look at his son before closing the door. "Goodnight, my son," he said, shutting the door quietly. He returned to his room, and at least tried to get some sleep.

The morning came around, and Adrien slowly woke up. He stretched his arms over his head as he sat up in bed. That was odd… it was fairly bright in his room… and Nathalie wasn't there. He felt panicked, as he grabbed his phone. It was just past 9 am! Now he knew something major happened. He never gets a chance to sleep in, let alone without being woken up by Nathalie. He got out of bed, and then headed downstairs. He didn't even bother to change into his clothes. When he got into the atelier, it was strangely quiet. He poked his head into the office room- Nathalie's desk was empty, with the computer powered off. She wasn't even awake yet, and neither was his father. He decided he'd grab something to eat, so he headed off to the kitchen. The chef was there, but a woman was too, pouring herself a cup of coffee. He was shocked- it was Nathalie, but her hair was down, and she was just in her pajamas.

"Nathalie?"

She turned around, sipping her coffee. "Good morning Adrien." She replied, not sounding entirely awake.

"Where's Father?" He then asks. Nathalie looks at him, not sure how to explain it without repeating what Gabriel had told her.

"Your father and I were up late last night working on something for the new line. It's nothing to be worried about." She says, as she walks over to him, and puts a hand on his shoulder.

"No Nathalie, I am worried. He was acting weird… you're acting weird. He told me he loved me, and he even hugged me AND kissed my forehead. I can't remember the last time he even said that to me… He even apologized. Was that real?"

She was surprised to hear all of this. As they sat down at the dining room table, she placed her cup of coffee down in front of her. "Adrien, I can't confirm whether all that really happened… but one thing I do know is that your father does love you. He's not very good at saying it, but I've known your father longer than you've been alive, and I know his word is true. And… I know no one can replace your mother, but I'll always be here for you. I care for you very much." Nathalie said, as she sipped her coffee once again.

Adrien felt so loved today. He felt his heart swell once more, as he got up from his chair, and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "Thank you, Nathalie, I appreciate you so much. I know Father does too." She was caught off guard from the hug, but she hugged him back. Soon, they were interrupted with someone else joining them.

"Good morning Nathalie. Adrien." Gabriel said, as he sits at the table. He looked tired. His normally well-kept and gelled hair was a mess, dark circles under his eyes. His eyes were dull, as he rested his elbows on the table and buried his face into his hands. They took pity on him, knowing he had a rough night.

"Good morning, sir… Would you like your coffee?" Nathalie then asks, as he nods. She gets up to get him his coffee. He looks to his son, who looked so awake. He had no idea how- he had a headache and he felt like he could sleep for the rest of the day. As Nathalie returns with his coffee, they were all served breakfast. Though his appetite wasn't fully there, he began to eat, as he took glances over at Nathalie and his son. He saw that they were enjoying themselves, partaking in casual banter over Adrien's schedule for the day, activities, and his friends. Gabriel kept to himself as he continued to eat his breakfast and drink his coffee. He reflected on what happened, and he realized how different his life would be without his miraculous. He glanced again to Nathalie and Adrien, and never realized how grateful he was for them. He's okay with not being Hawk Moth anymore, and they're his reason why. He was willing to better himself for them.

He looked at the portrait of his wife in front of him. That sense of longing he once felt in his heart was now replaced with that of satisfaction. He felt that even though Emilie was no longer with them, that perhaps it was for the best. She would want him to take care of their son and make sure that he's happy.

Adrien's phone rang and he excused himself from the table. "Marinette? Oh hi! It's so nice to hear from you today, how have you been?"

His son's rambling echoed in his ears as he took another sip of his coffee. "Don't worry, Emilie," he spoke to the portrait. "We'll be fine." He smiled to himself and looked over at Adrien, who was happily talking on the phone still. "I'm sure of it."