Insert Standard Disclaimer Here

So, a little bit of necessary back-story (sorry folks), because I wasn't going to write anything for this fandom at first, but then I saw Volpina, and had to put this one down. Like many in the fandom, I saw the possibility of Gabriel Agreste as being Hawk Moth when I first started watching, but I still hoped that there would be a more interesting twist instead. Then Simonsayz came out, and I noticed something interesting. While others looked at the possibility of Gabriel recognizing the ring on Adrien, I looked at the cuts between Hawk Moth and Gabriel and noticed that while there was time between the two, the placement and timing made the idea of the two of them being one and the same questionable at best. Gabriel would have to be very fast to pull that off. On top of that, for a villain who's entire MO is about staying outside the action and using lackeys, putting himself in danger from one of his own Akumas seems highly out of character, and counterproductive to his overall scheme.

So why did Gabriel seem to recognize the ring? After rewatching Origins, I had a sudden idea; a plot twist that I would put in the show if I were writing it. In Origins, we see that the Peacock Miraculous is missing from the chest, Hawk Moth references he found/stole the Butterfly Miraculous, and Master Fu mentions a past mistake. My idea was that Mrs. Agreste used to have the Peakock Miraculous, and her disappearance is the mistake Master Fu mentions. This also explains Gabriel's overprotectiveness of Adrien, because whoever defeated his wife is still out there somewhere.

When Volpina was released, a new puzzle piece came into play with the book, but I found myself screaming "Called It!" internally when I saw the Peacock Miraculous in the safe. From there, a new plot twist formed in my mind, and that is what you're about to read.

He groaned in pain and his vision swam as he slowly returned to the land of the awake. His body ached from battle, and the feeling of being cold, wet, and muddy didn't help either. Every move was protested as he got to his feet, fumbling with his glasses as he tried desperately to clean them, the mud and the downpour of rain not helping in the slightest.

"Nooroo? What happened?" Only the rain answered his question. "Nooroo?" He reached up to grab his broach...

There was only air awaiting his hand. His Miraculous, and his Kwami partner; they were gone.

"Nooroo? NOOROO! SAPPHIRE!"

Mud swished beneath his shoes as his movements became more frantic and desperate, looking all around in fear for his missing Kwami and missing Partner. No signs of life reached his limited vision. He paused when he felt something nearly crunch beneath his shoe and looked down.

That was when his world shattered. How was he going to live now? How was he going to recover from this failure? How was he going to tell his son? That day with no one to witness, Gabriel Agreste fell to his knees, caring nothing for the mud nor the rain, hand clenched around a blue piece of jewelry, and wept.

Not long would pass before Paris too would weep for its missing and presumed dead heroes: Monarch and Sapphire.

10 Years Later...

The book was gone. He knew his son had seen it, and possibly taken it, and most likely lost it on top of that. He didn't know how he knew, he could just feel it. Maybe it was intuition; maybe he still had some powers left; maybe it was just because he was a father. His first feeling was anger: years of work down the drain. Remorse and guilt immediately followed and doused the flames. He should have told his son long ago, but instead tried to keep him in the dark on the truth, and out of harms way.

"Father? You wanted to see me privately?"

It was a poor choice on his part, considering it didn't work, and only created a rift between them.

"We need to talk, Chat Noir."

His son was good, he'd admit that. All those years of modeling gave Adrien a near perfect poker face. Only the slight widening of the eyes, as if he was about to sneeze, and the small bob of his Adam's apple as he tried to swallow nothing gave him away.

"What are you talking about?"

The sapphire peacock in his hand glimmered as he opened his fingers.

"I know what a Miraculous is, son. Your mother had one too."

He couldn't save his wife, and he couldn't save his friend, but maybe it wasn't time to give up. Maybe he could still be a hero.

Maybe he could save his son.