Thank you so much for your positive feedback! Well, get your tissues and ice cream, kids, and enjoy the last part of "A Rose for Marinette"! :3

Marinette's Rose

"H-How…you were…I saw…M-Marinette?" Adrien stammered as he stared in awe at his princess, "I-Is…is it really you?"

He didn't get an answer from her, it looked as if she were struggling to say so. Instead, Marinette finally nodded and offered a small smile. Adrien then noticed his rose that he gave her clamped between her slim fingers…her rose that she held onto in her casket.

Adrien didn't know what he was feeling, but he felt overwhelmed with the weight of everything that just unfolded before him. The only thing he wanted was to hold her, to kiss her, to love her…to do all the things he didn't before because he waited too long to tell her. He practically ran to her. He ran to his spark of hope, now his wildfire of hope because Marinette was here.

The blond hesitated a moment before he reached out to touch her bare arm. He first laid one finger, then two, then his whole hand, and he gently gripped onto her arm. Adrien gave her porcelain arm a soft squeeze before he met her eyes. Her beautiful, bluebell eyes that sparkled with love and light.

"M-Marinette…you're…really here. You're really here!" Adrien cheered as he embraced Marinette in a tight hug. He lifted her from the ground, spinning her around in his arms, He felt just as weightless as she must. Adrien didn't care about anything else in the world because Marinette was alive and well and with him.

Adrien paused. His whole world paused as he noticed something. He noticed something that he noticed when he gave her the rose. Adrien slowly put Marinette down, also taking note of her face…her face that didn't bear its cheery smile.

"Marinette…you're freezing," the blond whispered, "And…I…I'm getting pretty cold, too."

The bluenette said nothing, but her eyes screamed a million words. She glanced at her feet and folded her arms, slightly crushing the rose. But, none of the flower's petals fell to the ground. The flower appeared unscathed by Marinette's action.

"You kept moving the rose…" he stated suspiciously. Again, no answer from Marinette, but she only bowed her head, causing her softly curled locks to fall over her shoulders. "Princess…M'Lady…Marinette…wh-why are you s-still wearing th-that dress?" Adrien choked as he held back his tears.

The blue-haired girl hesitated a moment before she picked her head up and stared at Adrien with pleading eyes. He didn't like how her beautiful bluebell eyes contorted with hurt. "Because…this is…this is how you last remembered me."

Adrien pretty much collapsed to the floor. He fell to his knees and stared as his tears trickled down his cheeks and flooded the tiles. He refused to look up at his princess, he knew it was just another trick of the mind because he was still grieving. He knew it was just—his shoulder felt cold and he felt goosebumps run down his arm. He didn't feel any pressure on his shoulder and arm, just chill and goosebumps.

He lifted his peridot eyes to look up at Marinette and saw her kneeling down in front of him. Her hand was on his shoulder. Marinette's cold hand was on his shoulder…but he only felt cold.

"Adrien-"

"No! You're not real! You're not really here!" the blond cried as he buried his tear-stained face in his hands.

"Adrien," Marinette said more sternly this time, ending Adrien's cries, but then her voice grew soft again, "Adrien, I'm no longer on this earth. I'm not here on the physical plane with you. How can I explain this…okay. When someone…dies…their body dies, but their soul lives eternally. Their spirit can either go to the light and cross over or stay here on the physical plane as a ghost. Usually ghosts either don't know they're dead, don't want to leave, or don't know how to. Does that make sense?"

Adrien raised his head to look at Marinette, his expression laced with worry, "Are you…"

"I crossed over, I'm just visiting you because I'm worried about you," Marinette smiled.

"Well…I need to tell you something, then. I mean for real. Marinette, I-" Adrien was suddenly cut off by the bluenette's giggles.

"I know, I heard you the first time. And…me too, Adrien. I love you, too," Marinette remarked, "But, Adrien…I've been watching over you for the past week and…"

"I know. I shouldn't have acted like that," Adrien finished as he bowed his head again in shame.

"Not just that. People need closure…my parents, Alya, everyone," the bluenette softly spoke, "Will you tell them about me? That I was Ladybug?"

"You still are Ladybug," Adrien countered as he wiped the fresh tears leaking from his emerald orbs, "But, you want everyone to know?"

Marinette nodded, causing her curls to bounce joyously. "You don't have to tell them you're Chat Noir, but promise me you'll make the announcement that I was-am Ladybug?" she giggled before retracting her hand from Adrien's shoulder and crossed her arms matter-of-factly, "And while you're at it…kick Hawkmoth's butt for me."

A devious smirk played at Adrien's lips as he brought one hand to his heart and raised the other in the air, "I purr-omise."

"There's my kitty," Marinette smiled brightly before she pecked a kiss on his cheek, causing his heart to melt. It was cold, but it was so warm at the same time.

"Adrien! Adrien!" a voice called out from around the corner of the hallway, "Adrien, please come back to class. I know this past week has been difficult for you…it's been hard on all of us, but please come back."

Adrien looked up at Miss Bustier, who wore a frantic expression on her face. She appeared to have been running all around the school to find him. He wiped his tears away one last time before pushing up off the floor and standing to his feet.

"Sorry, Miss, I was just talking to-" Adrien whipped his head around to look at the bluenette, but there was nobody there, "…Marinette?"

"Come on, Adrien, I think it's best you return to class now," the red-headed teacher gently said as she turned on her heel and made her way back to the literature room. She beckoned Adrien to follow, and he did.

He didn't follow right away, though, because something caught his eye. Something pink that faded into red caught his eye. There, on cool tile surface where Marinette stood, was the rose he gave to her. Marinette's rose.

Adrien didn't believe what his emerald eyes saw, but he knelt down and delicately picked up the lively flower. He rubbed the stem between his thumb and forefinger, then caressed the rose as if it were a child. The blond smiled as he walked away from the hallway. He walked away and didn't look back. Yes, he saw his lady, and yes, she was just as beautiful as the day he first saw her, but he didn't look back.

Adrien didn't have to look back to know Marinette was there, smiling back at him.

Sorry not sorry. Angst with a sort of happy ending...I wouldn't call it a miraculous ending, but still. Thank you again to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed! You are all beautiful people!

Toodles! :D