I know I have other stories to work on, but for now, I want to get this story up and out there. I want to tell you all make sure you spend time with your family and loved ones, leave nothing unsaid. Because you never know when your chance will be gone. It may be hard, but don't let your pride get in the way of what you need to say.

I don't own Miraculous Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir, all rights belong to Tomas and his creative crew.

Gabriel and Nathalie drove back to the mansion in silence. Since their roles in the illusion that was Hawkmoth had been revealed to the two heroes, things had moved rather quickly. Ladybug and Adri-Chat Noir had relieved Gabriel of his miraculous. Depowered and defeated, both of the young heroes were able to accomplish what the fashion designer had set out to do. Restore Emilie to her former self.

Of course, she hadn't woken up just yet. The guardian of the miraculous had told him it would take a bit of time, but she would soon wake up. It was almost too much for Gabriel, though a year of reigning in his emotions made him a bit more stoic than his son who clung tightly to her still form. Gabriel ached to comfort his son, but the glares Adrien had sent his way through out the whole process told him it would be a bad idea. He'd likely set off the boy's already unstable emotions.

"Are you sure Adrien will be at the house?" Nathalie asked. The very moment Gabriel had tried to talk to his son, the boy just bat him away and took off. "We both know he has the means to go wherever he wants."

Despite everything, Gabriel knew his son. He knew that Adrien would most likely be sulking in his room somewhere. They'd have to talk about his status as Chat Noir. Knowing the danger that being a hero entailed, Gabriel couldn't-wouldn't allow it. The hero business would come to an end that night.

The mansion was quiet and dark when they had arrived. Gabriel was sure that Adrien had probably entered through one of his windows. Part of Gabriel wanted to leave the boy be. He knew how deep his son's temper could run, especially when it was stirred. Adrien was like coals in a fire place, they were cool unless you stirred them up.

He was just like his mother. Gabriel looked down at his hands, thinking back to the chaos he had caused in his office the day he turned himself into the Collector. Maybe Adrien was more like him than he thought. With a deciding sigh, the designer hesitantly marched himself up the stairs. Adrien was probably curled up onto his bed or maybe sprawled on the couch glaring up at the ceiling.

When Gabriel reached the door he froze, he hadn't ever had any inhibitions about entering his son's room before. So why did he now? His heart began to pound painfully in his chest as he remembered the hurt look that flashed in his son's eyes. Adrien would forgive him, he always did. Gabriel knocked gently on the door.

"Adrien…" He called to him softly. There was no answer. "I'm coming in, son."

Walking into the room, it felt eerily still. The bed was perfectly made, Adrien's game system remained untouched. It all felt wrong. He searched the room, high and low, but there was no sign of the teen. It took a moment for Gabriel to realize something almost terrifying. The computers were completely shut down. Adrien almost always had them on with Emilie's pictures plastered on every single one.

Set neatly in the center of the desk was a hasty-half written letter. Gabriel gently lowered himself into the computer chair to read it:

Dear, Gab-Father,

By the time you read this, I'll be as far as possible from the house. I don't know what to think about any of this. You've terrorized all of Paris. And why? Why did you chose not to ask for help? You've locked me in this house, away from everything. From you. I need space, I need time, I need to get away from you. I'm not exactly sure where I'm going or even what I'm going to do. Maybe leave Paris…I….

Gabriel felt sick reading the note, letters were smudged and written in various sizes. Obviously Adrien was just rambling on paper, but that didn't make anything he managed to write any less terrifying. Leave Paris? The very thought made bile rise in his throat. He needed to find Adrien. But he needed help.

"NATHILIE!" He shouted, the note fluttered out of his hand and onto the ground. "Call Miss. Dupain-Chang, NOW!"

Nathalie did. She was on the phone when he rushed into the lobby, but when frantic, Gabriel wasn't a patient man. He tore it from her hand, mid-sentence. The young girl, also known as 'Ladybug' stuttered in confusion on the other end of the line.

"Is Adrien with you?" Gabriel demanded sharply. "Where are you?"

Marinette growled in annoyance. "He isn't with me, I haven't left Master Fu's home. Why do you ask?"

"I believe he's run away." The words spilled shakily out of Gabriel's mouth with more emotion than he had shown in over a year. "I…I don't know where he's gone. He may be leaving Paris. It's so late at night….I'm not even sure where to begin searching…and…and…"

"I'll be at the mansion shortly. We can look for him together."

The girl hung up without another word and left Gabriel once again surrounded by the quiet of his empty mansion. He had his wife back once again, but now he was losing Adrien. Gabriel hadn't noticed his legs had given out until he saw Nathalie kneel with him, that sad stoic expression remained on her face. She had been his rock through all his trials. Sticking by him when he was at his most…. despicable.

Standing up to him when he was being absolutely unfair to Adrien.

"I'm going to lose him." Gabriel could feel a hand constricting on his chest. It was almost hard to breathe. Waiting for the girl to show up at the house felt like swimming in a never-ending pool. "It's all my fault, Nathalie. I can't lose him. I don't know how I'll survive."

"It's only been a few hours, sir." She assured him as she gave his ridged shoulders a squeeze. "I've already sent Gorillia searching. I'm sure he hasn't gotten far."

This was Adrien though, when he had his mind set to something. He could be so damn stubborn. Adrien might be able to go all the way to America if he wanted. The teen was smart and had access to money. There was no limit for Adrien. His boy really was perfect. So perfect that Gabriel was blinded to the fact his son was still human, he had needs. One of those being that he needed his father.

Gabriel tried to pull himself together before Ladybug arrived. She didn't need to see him looking so…pitiful. He didn't want her to either. It was enough for her to take away his broach, Nooroo. Ladybug didn't need to take his pride too. He ran his hand through his hair and straightened out his shirt when there was a frantic knock on the door. It was Ladybug.

Or rather, Marinette.

She had a scrunched-up scowl on her face and a determined gleam in her eyes. It reminded the man of his wife. Maybe that's why Adrien was so infatuated with the girl. Marinette waited for no invitation as she walked into the mansion's lobby. She didn't look too happy, her kwamii floated around in a bit of a panic herself. It made sense considering Adrien's kwamii was her other half.

"Are your sure you can't think of anywhere he'd go?" Marinette asked. She looked absolutely untrusting.

"His note said he was going to leave Paris."

The red kwamii frowned, "I don't think he'd do that, he may be mad at you Gabriel, but I know he loves you and his mother. He's hurting right now, but I don't think he'll leave Paris."

The kwamii was right, Adrien was gentle at heart. Really he was too forgiving, after all, he's spent the last year forgiving Gabriel for all he'd done. Maybe he could find it in himself to forgive his father one more time? Please, Gabriel pleaded to whatever higher force would hear him. Clenching his fist tightly over his chest. Please help him to forgive me.

"Please, Marinette." Nathalie spoke up. "We have Gorilla searching already. However, we are hoping you have some idea of where he may have gone."

Marinette bit her lip as if having an internal debate going on in her head, "I'm not sure, I've learned he can be a bit of a wandering spirit. Kind of a like… a stray cat. Huh, its strange for me to realize he and Chat are the same person. Listen, lets try a few places he and I would met up when we went on patrol. He may be there. Have you guys tried his cell phone."

"Its turned off." Nathalie told the teen. "He didn't want us to track him."

"I see." Marinette frowned. "I don't think causing a panic would be a good idea. I'm just going to call Nino, maybe Adrien went to him. If he's not there lets head to the Eiffel Tower first."

Gabriel watched as the girl walked out of the house and towards the streets. She wasn't going to slow down for him. The designer told Natalie to wait at the house incase Adrien came home. If his boy decided to come home, he wasn't going to be alone at least. Marinette was faster than Gabriel realized, marching with more determination than Gabriel could imagine.

"Okay, thanks, Nino. Keep your eyes out." Marinette was ending her call with Adrien's friend as Gabriel began walking in line with her. "When I find him, I promise I'll let you know. Bye."

Gabriel felt his heart sink knowing that Adrien's best friend hadn't seen him. He tried not to let it show, but the man was sure Marinette would see his jaw was about to shatter his teeth to bits. Marinette spared him half a glance before pulling him into an alley-way. The former villain could only give a yelp of shock before he was dragged into the darkness.

"Listen." Marinette growled. "Don't squirm too much or I'll drop you."

Gabriel scowled, "What are you…?"

"Tikki, Spots on." The girl shouted before a red light enveloped her. In moments, it was no longer Marinette standing before him, instead it was Ladybug. She quickly grabbed him and the two of them were swinging through the streets of Paris. It was a lot quicker than walking or even his car.

She carried him to the Eiffel Tower quickly, unfortunately there wasn't a cat themed hero moping on the structure. Ladybug looked just as discouraged as him. They then tried the stadium, the street where Ladybug and Chat Noir first met, the park, and then the school. It was closed, but that didn't stop the two from tearing it apart from room to room. He was nowhere in sight.

"This is your fault, you know." Marinette accused as she pointed to the man. They had just left the school and were regrouping out front. "You're so critical of him, treating him like he's some kind of product you have to sell, lying to him, abandoning him, imprisoning him in his own home. Adrien is amazing. You preach to him about behaving perfectly, and yet, you have the biggest flaw any human being could possibly have."

Gabriel felt anger override his guilt. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

"Not me." Marinette told him with slit eyes. "Him."

A cold wind tumbled through the two of them as if death its self was rushing by. While they both had the same goal, neither of them would be able to see eye to eye. Gabriel knew that she already made up her mind on him from the moment he was relieved of his power. Marinette's earrings began to beep a warning and she gave a grunt of frustration.

"Tikki needs to eat, lets go to my loft for a moment." She grabbed his hand and pulled out her yo-yo.

"Can we not just walk there, Miss. Dupain-Chang."

"No." Marinette told him. "Aside from the fact I don't want you anywhere near my family, I know my parents would talk your ear off and distract us longer than we can spare. And if we tell them Adrien is missing, they're going to go nuts."

"What do you mean?" Gabriel asked.

"They love him." She smiled as she brought the two of them into the air. "Dad says he could be a natural baker, if he puts a bit more work in. My mom absolutely adores his personality. Tells me all the time to ask him out."

The blush on the girl's face didn't go unnoticed by the man. Had his son really fallen in love with this girl? Gabriel was no stranger to the flirting ritual that went on between the two heroes. It left a knot in his stomach to think about. Was his son really old enough to be worrying about girls? He sheltered the boy so much that he was forgetting that his son wasn't that little boy playing tag with Chloe around the mansion.

He was a teenager now…

"Are you in love with my son?" Gabriel asked as the Bakery was coming into sight.

Marinette's face almost seemed to harden at the question. "We haven't had a chance to talk about that, you know I'm not sure he's up to that conversation considering he found out his dad is a villain."

Gabriel scowled as they landed on the balcony, "Now listen, here. Everything I did was for him. A boy needs his mother."

"He needs his dad too." She shouted, throwing her hands in the air as the transformation wore off. Tikki landed on her shoulder. "I chose not to tell him his blue scarf was a gift from me because the very thought that it was from you made him happy. He's desperate for your attention and approval, he wants you to tell him he is good and that you love him! But do you?"

Any self-hating Gabriel had seemed to be erased by this teen girl. He grit his teeth and pointed his finger at her sharply. Gabriel Agreste was tall, so he easily towered over her, but the girl showed no sign of being intimidated. There was enough negative energy bouncing between the two of them to create a whole army of Akumas. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a tiny scratchy voice.

"Can you keep it down out her? I have a kit trying to sleep in here."

"Plagg." Tikki called out and rushed to give him a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Adrien wanted to be somewhere he felt safe." Plagg admitted as he shot a glance down into the bedroom. "And here's where we stopped. He was trying to run away, but I think he feels too much obligation here to do so. Besides I knew he wouldn't want to leave your chosen. Kid's crazy about her."

Gabriel had many thoughts swirling around in his head. He faintly noted the squeak of surprise the girl gave at the cat kwamii's comment, he could hardly bring himself to care. His son was only feet from him. The fashion designer had to make sure the boy was alright. Marinette tried to protest as the man threw himself down through the skylight window and into the room.

Luckily there was a bed below, and Adrien wasn't on it. The room was dark and only dimly lit by the moonlight trickling in through the windows. There were pictures of Adrien plastered on the wall by the bed. This girl really did love his son. Gabriel could hear Marinette hissing at him from the roof, demanding he get out of her room, but he payed no heed as he tried to carefully clamor off the bed.

Waking Adrien might startle the boy off.

Once he was on the floor, it only took a moment before Gabriel found the loveseat where Adrien was curled up. The kwamii apparently had taken the time to drape a blanket over the boy. Adrien looked much younger when he was asleep. Gabriel could almost see the toddler he had once so lovingly tucked into bed. The designer bit his lip to stop the quivering. Why was it so hard to keep his family together? His wife was lost and now she has returned, but now it was his son who was threatening to disappear.

Gabriel walked forward, carefully. He did his best to be silent, Adrien needed some sleep after the events of today. Once he was at his son's side, Gabriel knelt and ran a thumb over the boy's raw face. He had been crying, it had been a long time since Gabriel had seen that. After the day both of them have had, Gabriel was surprised he hadn't once again become a sobbing mess too.

The man had so much he wanted to say to his son, but the peaceful look on Adrien's face made him faulter. He looked so content that it would be a shame to wake him. Gabriel believed that it would be best to let his son sleep. With a sick feeling in his stomach, the man kissed his son's forehead before turning to the fuming teen behind him.

"If you don't mind, I'll let him sleep here for tonight." Gabriel told her.

Marinette was barely able to muffle her squawk. "My parents will freak if they find him in my room at night."

"Mr. Agreste, I'm sure Adrien would appreciate it if you talked with him." Tikki told him gently. "The fact you came searching for him speaks volumes."

Was it enough to get through Adrien's anger? To show the boy how much his father loves him? Gabriel looked back to Adrien who was contently nuzzling into the pillow. He didn't feel right waking the boy, but he did agree that it might be alarming for Marinette's parents to find a boy sleeping in their daughter's room. It took all the courage Gabriel could muster for him to carefully shake his son's shoulder.

"Not now, Plagg." Adrien whined, his brows scrunched up in annoyance. "I don't have any camembert."

Gabriel ran his fingers through Adrien's hair. It was soft and fell between his fingers really easily. Just like Emilie's blond hair. Adrien grimaced and pulled away from the touch. After a long moment Gabriel found his voice.

"Its not your kwamii, Adrien."

The boy's eyes snapped wide open, "F…father?"

Adrien scrambled off of the chair and tumbled onto the floor with a loud thud. The designer was unable to stop the boy's fall. Marinette was quick to come around to his side to help him.

"Adrien, are you okay?" Marinette asked him as she helped the boy sit up.

"What are you guys doing here?" He asked as he rubbed his head.

Gabriel almost leapt out of his skin to explain, "We've been looking for you. I found your note and I was afraid…"

Adrien looked down, "Oh…"

"Annnnd, this is my house, Adrien." The girl reminded him with a blush. Adrien blushed too.

"Sorry for intruding, I wanted to stay on the balcony, but Plagg unlocked the window and then… well you know what happened." The blond didn't look either of them in the eye.

After that, there was mostly silence. Marinette's parents had called to ask her about the noise, but she assured them that she was alright. She glanced between the two Agrestes before excusing herself from her room. Gabriel kind of wished she had stayed. What was he supposed to say to Adrien? Son, I know my acts of villainy have come between us in the past, but hey, your mom's back so everything's okay again.

No. That wouldn't be a sufficient apology.

"So, you really came looking for me?" Adrien asked as he sat down the love seat.

Gabriel felt guilty when he heard the surprise in Adrien's voice. Was Gabriel that unreliable? There was a time that his son wouldn't have to wonder if his father would be there for him. Merely a few days before Emilie's accident. Gabriel hesitantly sat next to Adrien, afraid that the boy would shy away. He didn't.

"Of course, I would, Adrien." Gabriel wanted to reach out and hold his son, but he didn't want to push his luck, so he chose to fiddle with his thumbs instead. "You're my son and I love you. Even if I haven't been the best at showing you in a while. You've been so patient with me and my behavior. I believe I have taken advantage of that. I'm sorry, son."

Adrien had a scowl come to his face, his resemblance of his mother was flaring. "But you've hurt people. How can you make up for that?"

Gabriel remembered when he had akumatized the Gorilla and as a result Adrien went falling off of a building. It was the most terrifying moment of his life. He knew he wouldn't let his son die, but watching his boy helpless and facing death it almost made it hard for him to breathe. His love for his son overcame his desire to out Ladybug and Chat Noir. Adrien will always come first in the important moments.

"Honestly, Adrien." Gabriel began as he ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know if I could ever make up for what I've done, but I don't regret it. It was all to save your mother."

Adrien bit his lip and fidget with his ring. The designer wished that he had been given the power to read minds, rather than create villains. It would make understanding his bull-headed son a lot easier. The blond teen sighed tiredly before rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The day had really been a long one.

"I guess I can understand why." Adrien muttered. "But your reasoning doesn't excuse you're actions towards the people of Paris, father. You've intentionally upset people for your own gain. Marinette has almost gotten hurt, so have the rest of my friends."

That was true, he had done so much to hurt others. Especially the one person he didn't want to hurt the most. Though, when Gabriel thought about, he and Emilie had been hurting Adrien for years when they chose to shelter him from the outside world. Sure, it kept him pure and innocent, but it also had stripped him of his freedom. How can he ask for forgiveness for that?

"I can show you how." Adrien told him suddenly.

"How to what, son?"

"How to make amends, make things right." The boy told him. "Maybe we can fix everything together."

Gabriel felt a smile come to his face, the first true smile he's had in a while. He really didn't know what he had done to deserve such an amazing son. Adrien was perfect, through and through. The fashion designer hesitantly placed a hand on the teens shoulder. He wasn't sure if his son would reject a hug, but once again Adrien surprised him. The boy wrapped his arms tightly around his father's chest. He felt Adrien's face become buried into his shirt.

At first, Gabriel was frozen. He didn't react. Gabriel hadn't received a hug as fierce as this since before Emilie disappeared. For once, the man's rock-hard mask fell, tears coming to his eyes as he hugged his son back.

"I love you, Adrien." Gabriel sighed as he held his son close. "I know I haven't been the best at showing it since your mother had her accident, but I love you so much."

Never leave anything unsaid...