Author's Note:

I do not own any of these characters.


Plagg was bored... too bored. He knew he shouldn't leave Adrien's side, but the boy was just sitting in front of his computer drooling over pictures of Ladybug. Plagg knew, short of an akuma, it was futile to try to get his attention. He needed to do something... anything.

Plagg decided to try to break his boredom with some of his beloved camembert. He phased through the cabinet to find all the camembert gone. Defeated in his quest, he tried to get Adrien's attention once again...

"Adrien? Hey, Adrien... Adrien! ADRIEN!"

Nothing. Not even a blink... just the unending clicking of the mouse as the pictures of Ladybug cycled in front of Adrien's zombie-like gaze. Plagg grimaced, and then yelled, "AKUMA!"

"What? Really?" Adrien responded immediately. The only thing better than looking at photos of his lady was seeing her in person.

"No... worse!"

"Worse?"

"What's worse than an akuma?"

"We're out of camembert!"

"Ugh... Plagg! There's more in the kitchen. I'll get it for you in a bit... when it's safe for me to sneak down there and swipe some." Adrien returned his attention to his computer... drool once again making its way down his chin unabated.

Plagg knew he shouldn't... but he also knew he could sneak down to the kitchen easier than Adrien could...


Plagg phased through Adrien's bedroom door, high up so as not to draw attention. He looked around a bit to make sure the coast was clear and then flew down to the ground level. He swooped around behind the main stair case and approached the kitchen door. He phased through and spied out the area to make sure he was alone.

Plagg sniffed the air trying to get the scent of his beloved camembert. He slowly made his way towards the oversized cooler. Plagg heard the kitchen door swing open behind him and he darted into the cooler to hide. He could hear a man's voice grumbling outside the door.

"It's impossible to get any work done around here when I have to do everything myself. I can't even get someone to make a simple sandwich for me so that I can keep working."

Plagg didn't hear anyone talking back. But instead, heard the man fumbling around and opening cabinets... hearing random objects hit the countertop. Plagg was floating close to the door trying to listen for when the man would leave when... the door to the cooler flew open and Plagg came face-to-face with Gabriel.

Gabriel's eyes widened instantly. "A kwami!" An evil grin instantly spread over his face as he grabbed for Plagg. Plagg instantly dodged his hand and was flying as fast as he could towards the kitchen's door. "Stop!" Gabriel ordered.

Plagg stopped instantly. Gabriel's force of will was strong... really, really strong. But, thankfully, Plagg was very much aware of the rules. He turned to face Gabriel, summoning all of his inner strength and stated, "You have no power over me. You're not my master!" Plagg immediately flew out of the kitchen and heard the kitchen door slam open as Gabriel pursued him. Plagg knew he couldn't be followed back to Adrien, so he flew out of the mansion and high up into the sky.

Plagg looked back down at Gabriel who was standing outside in the dark and looking as hard as he could at the sky, but obviously couldn't see Plagg. Gabriel yelled, "Not yet! But I will be your master... eventually!"

Plagg waited until Gabriel returned inside and then phased through Adrien's bedroom window. "AAAADDDDRRRIIIEEENN!"

Adrien jumped up and looked at Plagg like he half expected the kwami to be on fire. "Plagg! I told you I'd get you some camembert later... when it's safe to do so!"

"Not that. I... I..." Plagg thought about what Gabriel had said and done. How Gabriel had noticed he was a kwami and that will power... that will power he had felt before, when... when they were trying to contact Nooroo! "I need to see Master Fu! Tonight!"

"Are you that bored, Plagg? That you'd go bother Master Fu this time of night just to get out of the room?" Adrien huffed and shook his head. "How about we go for a run?"

"I'm serious Adrien. It's really important. I think I figured out who Hawk Moth is!"

"Let me guess... He's the one who stole your camembert?"

"Adrien! I'm serious!"

Adrien had been chuckling to himself when he finally got a good look at the expression on Plagg's face. Adrien's humor dropped and he was instantly sober. He'd never seen Plagg look so serious. "Okay... Okay... I get it. Should I go with you?"

"I think it's best if you don't. I don't want to say anything until we have proof."

Adrien nodded... signaling his approval for Plagg to go to Master Fu's alone.


Plagg flew into Master Fu's apartment. "Wayzz! Master Fu!"

Master Fu woke immediately and hopped up from his bed. "Plagg? What's the matter? Has something happened with Adrien?"

"The boy's fine... but his father... his father is... Hawk Moth!"

Master Fu scratched his chin. "I was afraid of that. His akumatization seemed too timely. How did you find out?"

"I was sneaking into the kitchen... yeah, yeah I know I shouldn't have been... but Gabriel came in and I hid. As I was waiting for him to leave, he suddenly opened the door I was hiding behind. He instantly knew I was a kwami and tried to order me to stay."

"You got away okay though..." Wayzz half stated and half asked.

"I did. I remembered he couldn't control me as long as he didn't possess the ring. So, I told him he had no power over me and fled. But... his will power was so strong, it reminded me of the time we were trying to contact Nooroo and Hawk Moth came back across the link."

"Did you tell Adrien?" Master Fu asked.

"No. I just told him I needed to see you."

"Very good. You did the right thing Plagg."

"Thanks Master!"

"We need to get Ladybug over here. Wayzz! Bring her here please."

"Yes Master." Wayzz flew off, leaving Master Fu and Plagg alone to discuss things.


Marinette was sketching in her book when Wayzz phased through her window. "Marinette! Master Fu needs you!"

"It's not constipation again... is it?"

"No... It's Hawk Moth!"

Marinette jumped up and grabbed her purse. She knew she couldn't sneak out the front door, so she put a few cookies in her purse for Tikki to eat later. "Tikki! Spots On!"

Ladybug exited through her trap door leading to her balcony. A few swings later, she dropped into an alley near Master Fu's apartment and detransformed. She rushed over and knocked on his door. "Come in Marinette."

Marinette entered and was surprised to see Plagg next to Master Fu. "Plagg! Is Cat Noir okay? Did Hawk Moth get him?"

Marinette was about to hyperventilate when Master Fu assured her, "Cat Noir is fine. Plagg had been away from him and bumped into who he believes is Hawk Moth."

Marinette sighed and then looked at Plagg. "He didn't hurt you... did he?"

"Nah... I'm more durable than I look."

"It's hard to hurt a floating stomach," Tikki chimed in.

"Hey! I resemble that remark!" Plagg flirted back with a grin to rival Cat Noir's best smirk. Tikki just rolled her eyes.

Marinette shook her head at the exchange and then refocused on Master Fu. "So... Wayzz said this was about Hawk Moth?"

"Plagg... accidentally... bumped into a man he believes is Hawk Moth based on their interaction."

"W-Who?"

"Gabriel Agreste."

Marinette's eyes widened. "I... I though we excluded him? He was akumatized."

"Hawk Moth has the power to keep his akuma active even when he's not transformed. So... it is possible he created the akuma and then detransformed to akumatize himself."

"Or perhaps... Mayura used the Moth Miraculous?"

"Either way... we can no longer exclude him. In fact... he's at the top of the list after his interaction with Plagg."

"I'm telling you... it's him!" Plagg huffed while defending himself.

"I believe you Plagg." Marinette smiled at Plagg. "But... it'd be irresponsible of us to act without more proof. We can't exactly call you to the witness stand in court."

"So... let's get proof!"

"We will. But, we need to be careful. He's the father of one of my friends."

Plagg and Master Fu exchanged glances... which thankfully went unnoticed by Marinette. Master Fu cleared his throat. "We will be very careful. Right Plagg?"

"More careful than I've ever had to be... That's for sure. After all... I'd hate for your friend to get hurt..."


Nathalie returned the next morning to find Gabriel pacing in the foyer. "Mr. Agreste, is something the..."

"Yes something's the matter. A kwami was in the mansion last night and was able to escape. I'm sure he's reported back to the guardian by now."

"Do you know which one?"

Gabriel stopped pacing and headed quickly into his office, pulling up his electronic copy of the Miraculous Book. He scrolled through the pages and then stopped. Pinching his nose he looked at Nathalie. "It was Cat Noir's kwami."

"That means..."

"Cat Noir likely knows by now also. We'll need to act fast!"

"Shall I contact Lila?"

"Yes. Please."

Nathalie pulled out her phone and started dialing. She was talking to Lila when there was a knock on the office door. She looked at Gabriel in panic and he moved to the door. "Yes? Who is it?"

"It's me father. I just wanted to say goodbye before I left for school."

Gabriel sighed in relief and opened the door. He smiled at his son. "Have a good day son." Gabriel watched as Adrien walked out the front door and then shut the office door. This was perhaps the first time he was grateful Adrien was going to public school. At least Adrien wouldn't be caught in the middle of what he was sure was going to happen today.

A few minutes after Adrien left, he heard Lila coming in the front door on her phone. "Yes, I know it's short notice, but you can't expect Prince Ali to make such plans that far in advance... especially when his calendar opened up so suddenly." There was a pause as Lila entered the room, and Gabriel could hear the man on the other end of the call, but couldn't make out what he was saying. "Thank you sir. I'll be sure to have a safe trip and I'll tell Prince Ali you said hi." Lila hung up the phone and returned Nathalie and Gabriel's evil grins.


Adrien was half way up the stairs at school and lost in thought. Plagg had not returned last night and he was worried his kwami might be in trouble given his state last night. Suddenly, he had an odd sensation of flying through the air. A few seconds later, he was on the adjacent roof, looking at a very nervous Ladybug. "Ladybug! Is there an akuma after me? Again?"

"I'm sorry Adrien. But... I was called to Master Fu's last night and had a very long conversation with him, Wayzz, and Plagg."

"W-Who?" Adrien tried to ask, hoping this was just a fluke.

"It's okay, Kitty. I know your identity now and I've already had a chance to freak out about it last night. I brought you here to reunite with Plagg. We thought it best if he didn't go back to your room last night."

Adrien looked puzzled and started looking everywhere but at Ladybug... when he realized he was not on a roof, but a balcony... Marinette's balcony! "Here? Plagg? But this is Marinette's house. Is... is she helping you?"

"Come inside. After all... I never did give you that grand tour I promised you." Ladybug lifted the trap door and allowed Adrien to go in first. She knew her parents were in the bakery helping customers and would hopefully not hear the freak-out session Adrien was about to have.

Plagg flew up to Adrien as soon as he landed on the bed. "Kid!"

"Plagg! I was so worried. I thought something bad had happened."

"Something bad has happened, but that's not the first order of business."

Ladybug dropped down beside the two. "We need you to believe us. So, after we confirmed out suspicions last night, we came up with a plan to help you through what you're about to learn."

"Learn?"

"Y-Yes. The first thing is... my identity." Adrien blushed brightly. He had waited for this moment practically ever since they had met. But the undertone of the conversation was still worrisome. "We'll give you some time to adjust to that... and then we have some other information for you that will be very unsettling. But... we want you to know that we trust you like you can trust us. That's why we're doing the reveal first."

Adrien nodded. Too excited about the fact he's going to learn his lady's identity and too nervous about what bad news might follow. "O-Okay. I'm ready."

Ladybug took a deep breath and sat down across from Adrien on her bed, facing him nervously. "Tikki... Spots Off," she whispered... leaving a very shocked Adrien facing a very nervous Marinette.

"M-M-MARINETTE!"

"Surprise!" Marinette smiled at him sheepishly. She watched as Adrien went through everything she must've went through last night with Master Fu and Plagg watching her. It would've been better, however, if Plagg wasn't watching them while munching on a bag of popcorn like he was watching a movie... either time.

Marinette shook her head at Plagg. "What?" Plagg asked incredulously. "I've been waiting for this moment for forever... I'm going to enjoy it."

Marinette turned her attention back to Adrien, who was still lost in his head... just gazing at her unresponsively... and leaking? Marinette noticed a small stream of drool making its way out of Adrien's mouth. She pulled out a tissue and dabbed it away. "It's okay Adrien. I understand. You should've seen me last night."

"I have the video if you want to see it later..."

"Plagg!"


After what must've been about half an hour, Adrien finally spoke again. "P-Plagg... Marinette is Ladybug... Ladybug is... Marinette."

"I know kid. I know."

"And you knew! And didn't tell me!"

"Sorry. I couldn't. Just like I can't say A-" Bubbles popped out of Plagg's mouth as he tried to say Adrien's name. "See. It's a spell that keeps kwami's from revealing their masters."

"But you can say Marinette's name. So why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because I would've killed him," Tikki answered for Plagg. Adrien's focus shifted and he was looking at the red kwami. "Hello, Adrien. I'm Tikki. I'm Ladybug's kwami."

"Pleased... pleased to meet you... Tikki?"

"That's right... Tikki."

"We've had all sorts of reveals over the years with different Cat Noirs and Ladybugs. We've found it best if they learn for themselves who the other is... even if by accident. It never really ended well when one of us would reveal the other's master's identity to our master."

"O-Oh... I guess I can understand that. I don't like it very much... but I understand."

"I would've been devastated if Plagg had told you," Marinette added.

Adrien snapped his attention to Marinette. "Oh..."

"You see. The boy I've been rejecting you... as Cat Noir... for is..."

"Luka... I know."

Marinette's face paled. Is that why Adrien looked so down after the reveal? Because he thought he had lost out to Luka? "Uh... no."

"No? But..."

"But nothing. You didn't let me finish. Jumping to conclusions is only going to make us weaker as a... team."

"If not Luka? Then who?"

"Y-You..."

"M-Me? B-But I... B-But you..." Marinette sat there watching Adrien as he drifted back off into his mind. Okay, so there was going to be one more thing to tell Adrien today. This was going to take forever if Adrien kept zoning out.


Adrien was getting better. It only took about 15 minutes this time. As soon as he came to, he threw his arms around Marinette, pulling her into a tight embrace. Marinette melted into him. Unfortunately, there wasn't much good news left to give Adrien... and she knew it.

She backed out of his embrace and looked down... almost despondent. "What?" Adrien gulped. "What's wrong?"

"We know who Hawk Moth is."

"You do! Who?"

"Remember when your father was akumatized?"

"Yeah... right around the time you suspected he might be Hawk Moth..." Adrien's eyes widened. "But..."

"He akumatized himself... or had Mayrua do it... We're not sure."

"Why? Why would a man who can get anything he wants... go around akumaizing people just to get our Miraculouses. Is he just that power hungry?"

"We don't think so..."

"Why not? What do you think?"

"We think... it's to bring your mother back using the wish."

"Mother! Of course. That makes perfect sense. He was so heartbroken when she left. He must've started doing this to bring her back to us, but..." Adrien had a confused look on his face.

"We can't allow him to use the wish. If he used it, some other random person... at best... or you... at worst... might suffer the same fate as your mother."

"Same fate? I thought she just left?"

"We found her... she's not missing... she's..."

Adrien gulped. "Dead?"

"We're not sure. But we know her location."

"Where is she?"

"Your basement..."

Adrien zoned out again. Marinette was certain she was going to end up killing the poor boy from an information overload.


Ten-ish minutes this time... but who really cared. This was hopefully the last bit of news that would shock Adrien so bad today. Adrien made his lucidity known with the words... "She's been under my feet this whole time?"

Marinette reached out and held his hand as Plagg hovered nearby. Adrien glanced between the two. He knew Marinette had a good heart and would be concerned for him, but it was pleasantly surprising to see the genuine concern on Plagg's face. "Apparently so." Marinette answered. "I can't even begin to imagine how you're feeling."

"Everything. I feel everything. All emotions are just swarming around in me right now trying to gain dominance. But there's just too many of them."

"We understand if you feel you can't fight your father. But..."

"He needs to be stopped. And it's my responsibility to stop him. What's the plan, My Lady?"

Marinette blushed at the term of endearment. "We need to get everyone. We're sure Hawk Moth is already working on his own plan."

"So... I'll get Queen Bee as usual?"

"No, Chloe is at school with the others... in class. I need you to get Kagami and Luka. We're going after Hawk Moth with literally everyone we can get. Get them and meet me in Miss Bustier's class."

"Are... are going to give them to everyone in person?"

"As Ladybug and Cat Noir... for now. "Tikki! Spots On!"

Adrien couldn't help the goofy look on his face. "That was AWESOME!"

Ladybug blushed. But that was nothing compared to what happened after she heard Adrien say, "Plagg! Claws Out!" It was one thing knowing he was Cat Noir... but seeing him transform was something else entirely.

"My Kitty!" she whispered and placed a hand on his cheek. She was rewarded with a blush from Cat Noir. "See you in class." With that, she was up and out of her balcony in the blink of an eye. Cat Noir shook his head to regain his senses and then followed Ladybug out of her room.


Cat Noir entered the class with Kagami and Luka. He surveyed the class and noticed Lila was missing... which was probably a good thing considering Lila absolutely hated Ladybug and would likely turn into an enemy instead of an ally.

"Now that everyone is here," Ladybug started, "we need your assistance in taking down Hawk Moth." The class murmured.

Chloe spoke up. "I knew you'd need me again. I knew it was just a matter of time."

"Okay Chloe. You can show the rest of the class how this is done since everyone knows you're Queen Bee."

Chloe came up and took the Bee Miraculous. "Pollen! Buzz On!" Queen Bee was standing in front of the class after a bright yellow flash. The rest of the class murmured some more.

"Kagami," Ladybug called out next. Kagami approached her and bowed. "This is the Dragon Miraculous." Kagami opened the box and Longg flew out. After a brief introduction and instructions from Longg, Kagami transformed.

Ladybug went through the rest of the list as follows: Luka got the Snake Miraculous, Rose got the Pig Miraculous, Juleka got the Tiger Miraculous, Alix got the Rabbit Miraculous (as she expected), Kim got the Monkey Miraculous, Sabrina got the Dog Miraculous, Ivan got the Ox Miraculous, Mylene got the Mouse Miraculous, Max got the Horse miraculous, Nathaniel got the Rooster Miraculous. There were three miraculouses left... the Goat Miraculous, the Fox Miraculous, and the Turtle Miraculous.

"Alya... Nino... Thank you for your patience." Alya and Nino approach and took the Fox and Turtle Miraculouses and transformed into Rena Rouge and Carapace... much to the classes surprise.

"I'm sorry Ladybug, but we're missing three students today and I see you still have one miraculous left," Miss Bustier apologized.

"It's okay... we knew they were missing today. The Goat Miraculous is for you." Miss Bustier's eyes widened as the rest of the class cheered. After she transformed, Ladybug continued, "This is going to be a dangerous mission. We're relatively certain Hawk Moth will have both Mayura and Volpina helping him. But first, most of you are new with your powers, so we're going to the stadium so you can practice your powers. Cat Noir, Rena Rouge, Carapace, Queen Bee, and myself will help you get the hang of things."

The heroes left the class and made their way across the rooftops to the stadium, which was actually the first exercise for the new heroes at using their powers.

As they arrived at the stadium, Ladybug announced, "Feel free to test your special powers. Andre has graciously offered to be on hand with his ice cream to recharge your kwamis as needed."

After a few hours of practice, Ladybug was satisfied and gathered everyone around to go over the plan.


The sky darkened overhead as Ladybug was wrapping up. "Stormy Weather?" Cat Noir asked.

"One way to find out..." Ladybug stated. "Nathaniel, fly up and check it out. If it's one of Volpina's illusions, it'll disappear when it's touched." He nodded and took off, soaring high into the sky. As soon as he reached the dark clouds, they disappeared. Ladybug nodded. "Just as I thought... Volpina."

Ladybug looked around and finally spotted Mayura on the roof of the stadium. Volpina landed next to her. Mayura smirked and pulled a feather. She evilized it and blew it away. It circled back around and landed on Volpina's necklace. Suddenly a large Fox appeared between the heroes and the villains.

"That's not an illusion!" Ladybug cried out. "Kim, Max, Ivan! Keep it busy... If it disappears on its own, then come find us." The trio nodded and then taunted the sentimoster, getting it to fight them and freeing up the rest of the team to go after Mayura and Volpina.

Volipna blew her flute and instantly multiples of her and Mayura were all around the roof of the stadium. Ladybug swung her yoyo out and around, trying to capture the duo, but only caught air as all of the images disappeared, revealing Mayura and Volpina had already made their escape.

All the heroes, sans the trio keeping the sentimonster distracted, took off after the pair of villains. They followed close to Ladybug's heels as she led the way, all the way to the Eiffel Tower. Ladybug stopped short, noticing Mayura and Volpina waiting for them. However, Hawk Moth wasn't there. "They're keeping us distracted. Luka, Sabrina, Rose, Juleka, Nathaniel, and Mylene. Go after them as we go after Hawk Moth." The six heroes nodded and took off towards the Eiffel Tower.

Ladybug turned towards Cat Noir. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"Okay then. We're off." Ladybug led the rest of the team to the Agreste Mansion. Several gasps were heard. "We were able to confirm last night that Gabriel Agreste is Hawk Moth."

As they entered the foyer, Cat Noir walked around to the back of the main staircase. "The door to the basement." He pointed to a heavily armored door. "Miss Bustier, if you would be so kind."

She backed up a little as everyone cleared a path. "Battering Ram!" She shouted as she ran full force into the door and knocked it clean off its hinges. A stairwell stretched out before them. The team descended the stairs and came face to face with another armored door. Cat Noir simply stretched out his arm for another round. "Battering Ram!" and the door was knocked clean through like before.

Rena Rouge looked at Ladybug. "How come she can use her powers more than once?"

"Because she's an adult."

"Oh!"

Cat Noir walked into the basement. Ladybug stood beside him and placed an arm around his shoulders. "Show her to me." Ladybug nodded and led Cat Noir down the walkway to the casket. Cat Noir's eyes filled with tears as they ran freely down his cheeks. "Mother..." After a long pause, he turned and buried his head into Ladybug's neck, holding her as tightly as he possibly could. The others watched on in stunned silence. Cat Noir felt another hand on his back and he turned to see who it was, simply answering the touch with, "Thanks, Kagami." One by one, the others joined the huddle, trying to surround Cat Noir with as much love as they could.

"So now you know." The voice filled the basement. The group broke the huddle and turned to square off against Hawk Moth.

"How could you have done this to mother?" Cat Noir nearly yelled.

Hawk Moth was taken aback. "A-Adrien?"

"Yes, father."

"Join me son. We can bring your mother back."

"NO! Not like this. Not by hurting people. Mother would never want it this way!"

"It's the only way, son! You... you yourself are preventing me from bringing her back. It's your miraculous and Ladybug's that I need so I can make a wish."

"And to get mother back... you'd be willing to sacrifice anyone else, right?"

"That's right!"

"Even me!"

"No... of course not you. I'd never want you to get hurt."

"Except for the fact you've been hurting me every day since mother disappeared by not giving me your love... if you even have any to give."

Hawk Moth's countenance fell. Then rage bubbled up inside him and he lashed out at Adrien with his cane, only to be stopped by a sword. The sparring match went on for minutes as the younger was far more skilled than the elder opponent... but the elder opponent was much stronger.

Hawk Moth was about to land a severe blow when Carapace called "Shelter!" and a protective shell formed around the girl who was breathing heavily from the duel.

"Mirage!" Rena Rouge summoned an illusion of a thousand wasps swarming around Hawk Moth. He swung at the frantically, and they dodged every attack while maintaining his attention.

"Venom!" Queen Bee took the opportunity to paralyze Hawk Moth as he swung his cane wildly.

Ladybug was about to remove his broach when the windows came crashing down with Mayura yelling, "NO!"

Rena Rouge willed for the imaginary swarm to attack and the illusion complied. Volpina landed next to Mayura who was swatting wildly at the swarm. She reacted too slowly and Mayura broke her necklace... freeing the akuma and leaving a dazed Lila behind. Ladybug turned her attention to capture the akuma and cleanse it. When she turned back, Cat Noir had pulled the broach from Hawk Moth, leaving Gabriel Agreste frozen in his place. "Cataclysm," Cat Noir whispered and destroyed the Moth Miraculous. "No one will ever use this power again... for good or for evil."

"Battering Ram!" was heard over Mayura's frantic screaming at the swarm. Mayura was knocked across the room and completely winded from the experience. Bunnix leapt into action and pulled the Peacock pendant from Mayrua, revealing Nathalie to everyone's shock.


The police hauled off Nathalie, Lila, and Gabriel. All of the other heroes had turned in their miraculouses and left except for Ladybug and Cat Noir (who had recharged earlier in his room).

As expected, Master Fu showed up. Ladybug handed over all the miraculouses, save hers, Cat Noir's, and the Moth Miraculous which had been destroyed. "Come, let us check on Emilie."

The trio made their way to the glass casket. "Please... Please Master Fu. Tell me she can be revived."

"Now that we're alone, I must go ahead and collect your miraculouses also. I'm sorry. But it's for the best."

Ladybug and Cat Noir looked at each other and then detransformed. They handed over their miraculouses to Master Fu, who placed them with the others.

Master Fu held up his hands, but couldn't feel anything through the glass. "I must open it."

Adrien gulped and then nodded. Master Fu very delicately opened the casket. The smell of stale air filled the trio's nostrils. But, there was no smell of death. Master Fu held up his hands again to feel for any remnant of Emilie still in the body that laid in the casket. He winced. He tried harder. And finally... his expression softened. He turned to Adrien. "I'm sorry. She is no longer here. Even the wish can't change that."

Tears filled Adrien's eyes as he was losing his mother all over again. Marinette pulled Adrien into a tight embrace and he responded in kind.

"You have each other now. Don't lose sight of what you have by focusing on what you've lost. That is the mistake your father made."

Master Fu turned and left the teens alone, clinging tightly to each other.