As the petite snowflakes drifted in the December wind, Alya trudged through the snow, holding a bouquet of flowers. Wrapped head-to-toe in warm clothes, handcrafted by her best friend Marinette, she made her way to the nearest coffee shop.

Upon entering, she realised she'd just walked into the coffee shop that her and Marinette used to hang out in. It was always the four of them: her, Marinette, Adrien and Nino. She would always talk about the LadyBlog, while Marinette rolled her eyes and joked about Hawkmoth's disgusting taste in fashion. She always knew how to make people feel better about themselves. That was why they were best friends. Just the thought of those times brought a tear to Alya's eye.

She placed an order.

"Can I have an Americano with 2 sugars and plenty of whipped cream on top, please?" She choked on her words. 'Marinette's favourite,' she thought as she gratefully accepted the warm beverage.

She exited the shop, with the bouquet of flowers in one hand and the cup of coffee in the other. She had to make a few stops before she made her way to her final destination. Zipping her coat up all the way and bringing her scarf to her ears, she readied herself for an hour-long walk. The snow had become slosh atop the pavement, mixed with dirt and worn down into thin slushy liquid by the feet of all the Parisians.

A long walk, as such, had given Alya time to think about the events of the past year. Think about the downfall of Hawkmoth. There were no more akuma attacks. Ladybug and Chat Noir were nowhere to be seen afterwards, for different reasons. After that one fateful night, Alya's life had never been the same. Ever again.

She thought about collège, and Marinette's obsession (Marinette disagreed completely with the word 'obsession') with Adrien Agreste, son of the famous fashion designer Gabriel Agreste, who turned out to be Hawkmoth in the end. She thought about all those times that she played 'Matchmaker', trying to get Marinette and Adrien to get together. She thought of her very devious schemes, leaving Marinette alone to talk to Adrien when she could. Alya let out a monotonous laugh. Her life really had changed. And not for the better.

Arriving at the gate of a cemetery, Alya heaved it open. As the gate creaked open, she trod down the gravel pathway towards the gravestone of a certain someone. She stood still for a while, collecting her thoughts.

"Marinette," Alya knelt by her grave, sobbing uncontrollably. "I know I promised to stay strong. But it's been so difficult! I can't. It's been, what, 6 months since I broke up with Nino. I couldn't take it anymore, Mari. He blamed me. For everything. For letting you out of my sight, for not moving at all, and for not saving you, for being too damn late. Marinette, we argued for so long. He said hurtful things I was sure I would have laughed at 5 years ago. I dumped him. It was too much. I couldn't take it anymore. You know, I really thought we loved each other. We had a future, and I ruined it. I dreamed and dreamed for a proposal, but we don't always get what we want. I guess your death really did do crazy things to us all."

Alya placed the flowers she had been clutching to her chest onto the grave. They were roses, pink ones, Marinette's favourite. Taking a deep breath, she continued.

"I miss you Marinette. It's been a year. Can you believe it? Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the sweetest girl in the whole of Paris, died a year ago as of yesterday. Trust me, I had a hard time coping. So did your parents. Everyone else, too. Surprisingly, Chloe cried. A lot more than I'd have expected her to. I remember it so clearly. That night. When the akuma struck you. The painstaking look on your face." Alya's sobs had grown vigorous, and she was sniffling while thinking again. She remembered Ladybug's pale face, as all blood had been snatched away, pouring everywhere. She remembered Chat beating the crap out of the akuma and purified it, returning to his Lady's side. Alya smiled at that. She remembered her ship. LadyNoir. Each individual being one half of a whole. The Yin to the Yang. But now, it was incomplete. It can never be whole again. She remembered rushing to the hospital, not caring at all about identities. Ladybug's life was at stake. She can never forget the little comments Chat left at the hospital.

I love you, Marinette…"

Princess…"

Please…"

Don't leave…"

All hope was lost the moment the machine beeped. Chat's face, a mixture of distress, anguish and anger. There was no sign of him after that. No sightings of them at all, the superhero duo went to bed. Alya wiped her tears away.

"I remember you telling me to stay strong. Not to cry. To stay happy. But Mari, how could I? I've tried so much in the past year. Therapy, hobbies, seminars. God, I've even tried moving on. But no. I can't. Everything reminds me of you. I have to remind myself, you're in a better place. The world didn't deserve you. Marinette, Adrien's gone. He's moved to the USA. From what I know about him, which is a little, he's still mourning over you. He left without saying goodbye, he cut all connections. I wish I could run away from my problems like that." Alya took a sip of her, now cold, coffee.

"I've got coffee. Remember, your favourite? Americano, 2 sugars, extra whipped cream?

"You know, I miss when we used to chill in that one coffee shop. I talked about the LadyBlog a lot. Ah, yes. The LadyBlog. I stopped that after the incident. It brought too much grief. I…still have video footage of that night. I kept it. I don't know why."

She took out her phone, scrolling through pictures of her and Marinette, stopping on one with her arms around Nino and Mari being wrapped in a bear hug from behind by Adrien, a soft blush dusting her cheeks.

"Hey! Remember this photo? When me, you, Adrien and Nino went to the cinema to watch that scary movie and I had to sleep over at your house for a week because you got nightmares?" Alya released a wobbly laugh.

"Marinette, I've lost everyone. My family have moved away, you knew that though, Nino won't even look at me and Adrien's gone. It's too much. I'm sorry Marinette. I can't keep my promise."

Alya reached into her bag, rummaging through all sorts of items before she too out a bottle. Of pills.

"I'm so sorry, Mari. I want you to know that you're my bestest friend and closest ever sister. I want to join you up there."

The world stopped and wept at the loss of another angel in its grounds, taking her up, up and away, to her friend who she dearly loved. She made it to her final destination.

Author's Notes:

Ummm…. well hehe. It happened again. I got an idea at 1 in the morning and, you know, made it happen. Apparently, all ideas at 1 in the morning lead to death, like my last one.

So for those of you that don't know, Chat's identity is still a mystery so no-one knows he is Adrien.

I just thought I'd say that I DO NOT OWN MIRACULOUS LADYBUG. I just write about it. Yeah. Just to make that clear.

Also, this is a one-shot and will stay a one-shot because, I don't know it wouldn't be the same otherwise.

As always, enjoy and stay safe.

:)