It had long since gone dark and the moon shone brightly over the streets of Paris. Adrien knocked on the bakery door. He saw a light switch on and a rattle of keys, Tom and Sabine opened and smiled at him. They both walked out and hugged him tightly. Adrien was taken aback but happy to feel loved, even if they weren't his parents. Another figure came from behind and Adrien froze when he saw his father. But instead of his usual stern look, he looked tired and unkempt. When he looked at Adrien, joy washed over him and he joined in the hug, making Adrien want to pinch himself.
The old man came and stood next to them and waited for them to finish. When they all stood back, Sabine's happy look turned back to the grief stricken one he saw earlier that day.
"H-have you found my daughter?" She asked, choking up.
"Yes, but she is very ill, we must take her to hospital." The old man answered.
"S-she's alive? Oh thank goodness, thank you, thank you!" Sabine turned and embraced her husband, who didn't say anything but his face said it all, tears of joy streamed down his face. Gabriel too, had a relieved look, which surprised Adrien. 'Where is Gabriel Agreste and what have you done with him?' Adrien thought. But no matter how much his father was acting out of character, he enjoyed every second of it. He had come to believe that his father was void of emotion, that the only thing resembling emotion was disappointment and anger. But tonight, he was showing emotions like never before, sadness, worry, relief, joy. How strange and life changing today was starting to turn out. Marinette the love of his life, Marinette is Ladybug, Plagg showing love and affection to Tikki, Gabriel acting like a real father, showing real emotion. Adrien would have been jumping for joy, if it wasn't for the state that Marinette was in. He turned around and walked to the car. He climbed back in and cradled her once again. The old man offered everyone a lift, Gabriel accepted and sat in the front passenger seat, Tom and Sabine politely declined and followed behind in their own car.
On the way to the hospital, Adrien pulled his phone out and started typing to Nino.
02:38 Hey Nino, I found Marinette, we're on the way to the hospital. Please will you let Alya know? I'm with Mari's parents. A
02:44 Dude, how bad is she? Alya's been cryin all night. We'll come n see her in the mornin, don't wanna overcrowd her wen she needs sleep. Send our love. N
02:45 Pretty bad, but she will be ok, I hope. Yeah probs best, see you in the morning. Will do. A
He put his phone back into his pocket and began stroking Marinette's hair. Gabriel looked behind and gave Adrien an awkward, sad smile. He turned back and took his glasses off, cleaning them on the corner of his shirt.
"So...you really like this girl then?" Gabriel awkwardly asked.
Adrien blushed and his eyes immediately shot the the rearview mirror, watching the old man. He thought for a moment and said "Yeah."
"Why haven't you told me that you've got a girlfriend?" Gabriel asked, a bit less awkwardly.
The old man stifled a smile, but focused on the road in front. Adrien could feel Plagg, jabbing his ribs and Tikki shaking her head. He almost laughed, but quickly bit his lip.
"She's not my girlfriend, she's just a friend." Adrien murmured.
"Oh, I see." Gabriel answered.
'Oh, I see? What DO you see exactly father?' Adrien frustratedly thought. He sighed and carried on playing with Marinette's hair.
"Sooo...have you told her how you feel?" Gabriel continued.
"N-no...not yet. I will when she's well enough. Right now, I just want her to get better…" Adrien replied. Gabriel nodded and remained silent for the rest of the journey.
The next morning, Alya came bursting through the doors to the room Marinette was in, startling everyone in the room. She could tell they had all just abruptly woken up to the sound of the door squealing as she opened it. She regretted being so loud, she didn't realise people were with her. Sabine smiled and got up, she walked over and hugged Alya and turned back to everyone.
"Shall we go and get some breakfast in the cafe?" She asked her husband.
"Definitely, my stomach is roaring." Tom chuckled, making Alya and Nino giggle.
"I will join you if you don't mind, Mrs Cheng?" Gabriel asked.
"Of course, do you want us to bring anything Adrien?" She smiled, turning to Adrien.
"Yes please, buttery toast would be great!" He beamed at her.
The three adults left the room, leaving Adrien, Alya and Nino with the still unconscious Marinette. Alya quickly walked over and sat next to Marinette, gently picking her hand up and stroking it with her thumb.
"Oh gurl, please come back to us soon. I miss your clumsiness." She weeped.
Nino came up behind and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Dude, she looks so...fragile. What have the doctors said?" He asked.
"She's got a lot of broken bones, she was bleeding internally but they rushed her into surgery and managed to stop it. They won't know how bad her concussion is until she wakes up, but they are optimistic as the brain scan was all normal. So they're monitoring her closely." Adrien explained.
Nino and Alya nodded. They sat there for a while, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest, listening to all the machines around her beeping. Alya looked over to Adrien, who looked absolutely awful, his hair was a mess, he had big bags under his eyes, she could tell he had not slept much at all. She smiled warmly at him, knowing that if Marinette were to wake up, she'd probably pass out again seeing a sleep deprived Adrien at her bedside, clasping her hand.
"It's so strange seeing your Dad here. I didn't know he knew Mari?" She thought out loud. Adrien looked up and gazed at her.
"Yeah, I know. I've seen a whole new side to him these past 24 hours."
"Why don't you go and join them in the cafe. We'll let you know if anything changes." Alya said.
"No, I want to be here when she wakes up. I have to be." Adrien looked back to Marinette and silently prayed that she would be ok.
The world was spinning, bright colours surrounded her. Tikki was dancing with another Kwami that resembled a black cat. An old man sat meditating beneath the dancing Kwami's. Marinette reached out to try and touch them, but they all disappeared. A shadow got closer and closer. She tried to run but her legs wouldn't move, she tried to scream but her voice wouldn't work. Her world got darker and darker.
Adrien had begged his father to let him stay off school for the rest of the week, but Gabriel refused, saying that going to school would be good for him. That he needed to see his friends. He had been very different since the evening the akuma attacked, but he would quickly fall back into character when he wanted his own way. Adrien reluctantly agreed, after Sabine and Tom promised they would ring him if Marinette woke up. He was beginning to feel like they were his second family, he really enjoyed their company. Tom was very funny, but very caring and Sabine was full of motherly love. She fussed over him like he was her son. He had learnt a great deal about Marinette during the days he'd spent glued to her bedside.
He felt so happy, but as each day passed that she remained unconscious, the more worried he had become. He knew this is why his father wanted him back in school. He knew that the hustle and bustle of school would briefly distract him, even so, Adrien still didn't want to go.
He walked into the classroom with his head down. He dreaded seeing Chloe again, he wasn't ready for her to be her usual suffocating self, but he was pleasantly surprised when she remained in her seat, merely smiling at him before turning back to Sabrina and quietly chatting. He sat next to Nino, looking at the empty seat behind him and Alya who wasn't her usual bubbly self. She sat there quietly, exchanging notes with Nino. He watched as Nino drew love hearts around what he had written before passing it back to her, making her blush. It warmed Adrien's heart to see how close his best friend and Alya had become. He could see the depth of their love everytime they exchanged glances. He longed for the chance to tell Marinette how he felt. Even if she turned him down, he knew he wanted her in his life so he would settle with friend, no matter how difficult it might be. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and looked at the clock. He just had to get through today and tomorrow, then he could be back with her.
She was swinging through the air as Ladybug. She flew over rooftops, enjoying the sunset each time she swung up to the sky. Chat Noir was running behind, they were laughing so much, at what she didn't know. She swung higher and higher, but she suddenly lost her grip and began falling. She tried to scream for Chat Noir, but he couldn't reach her in time. She fell into the river, the water was rough, the weather had turned stormy, creating big waves. She could see Chat desperately trying to swim to her. But she couldn't keep her head above the water. She sunk to the bottom, but instead of drowning, she felt she could breathe. Brightly coloured fish swam around her. They seemed to be dancing in the water. Then she saw Chloe swimming towards her. She tried to yell at her to stay away, but she could no longer breathe. She started to panic as Chloe got closer and closer, a menacing grin plastered on her face. She tried to scream but darkness surrounded her again.
A week had passed, but Marinette showed no signs of waking. Doctors said she was healing nicely, but she had been so close to death that her body was working too hard. Her room had been filled with lots of cards, balloons, teddies and flowers, showing how much people cared for her. Almost everyone in her class had visited her, even some of her teachers had popped their head in to offer support to her parents. They had told her parents they would allow her to sit her exams when she was ready. That they don't need to worry about her missing out at school. Adrien and Alya came everyday. Sabine and Tom took it in turns staying with her. Marinette was rarely alone.
It was finally the weekend again and Adrien knew he would be on his own with her, he'd rang around to ask when everyone would be there. He'd been looking after Tikki, the old man said she could have come to stay with him but Adrien had been insistent on having her stay with him. Tikki was always in Adrien's shirt whenever he visited but hadn't been able to come out because of everyone around. So Adrien had made it his mission to be alone with Marinette to let Tikki spend time with her. He was very fond of Tikki and he knew Plagg was head-over-heels in love with her. He denied it everytime they'd been alone but the blush on his face said it all. He even wondered if Plagg loved Tikki more than cheese. Was that even possible?
He walked through the doors, over to her bedside, replacing the flowers he'd brought with him a few days earlier. He'd never bought flowers before, but since Marinette had been in hospital he had become quite the expert at arranging them in a vase. He looked back at the door, checking the coast was clear and opened his shirt for Tikki to fly out. She went straight to Marinette's cheek and cuddled her. She led there for a long time, talking to Marinette about all the adventures she was having with Plagg and Adrien. But no matter how much fun she was having, she wouldn't be happy until she woke up. Tikki placed a kiss on Marinette's cheek and the heart beat monitor suddenly started bleeping madly. Tikki panicked and flew straight back to Adrien, just as lots of doctors and nurses came flooding in. He stood there feeling helpless, watching as they battled to save her. She flatlined twice, but each time they worked their magic and got her heart beating again. Adrien stood there, watching them pump her chest, then shock her back to life. He fumbled in his pocket, desperately trying to ring Tom and Sabine. They finally picked up and said they would be there as soon as possible. He dropped into the chair behind him and started to cry. Once they had managed to stabilize her, a doctor came over with a box of tissues and rubbed his shoulder. They explained they were rushing her back into surgery as they suspected she was bleeding internally again. He could feel Tikki silently sobbing in his shirt, he wanted to take her out and comfort her, but he would have to wait until they got back home.
The sky was blood red, the buildings in the distance were so black she couldn't see any details. She turned to see Ladybug in front of her, she said 'Spots off' and became Marinette. She looked into her own eyes, they looked tired and sad. She reached her hand out to touch her, but she vanished. The floor began to swirl, pulling her down and down. She tried to grab onto something but she wasn't strong enough. Suddenly Chat grabbed her hand, shouting for her to come back to him, she tried to pull herself up but their hands separated. The last thing she saw was Chat turning into Adrien. Then her vision became black.
The doctors had told Tom and Sabine that their daughter, although she was fighting, they weren't sure how long she could for. They had rushed her back into surgery to stem yet another bleed. But her heart was getting weaker. It was struggling to keep up with extensive damage done to her body. Adrien stood there, his world collapsing around him. He saw the grief on Marinette's parents faces. They turned to look at him, Sabine broke from her husband's arms and walked towards Adrien. She hugged him tightly, slightly swaying like she would sway a baby. Adrien released all of the pain he was feeling, sobbing uncontrollably. Tom came over and placed his arms around them both.
"She's a fighter, she will fight, I know she will. She will come back to us." Tom said supportively.
They stood there for what felt like a very long time. Adrien could feel Tikki hugging him too. He decided he would go to see the old man again. Surely he could do something.
When visiting hours were over he walked to the Gorilla and told him he would ring him when he wanted picking up. He had said he needed to clear his head, hoping that the bodyguard would understand that. He was relieved when he nodded and drove away.
Adrien made his way to the old man's house. When he got there, he was about to knock when Master Fu opened the door, smiling at him.
He walked through and sat on the floor, letting Tikki and Plagg fly out to munch on the cookies and cheese laid on a plate for them. Adrien almost felt as though the old man was expecting him.
"The doctors say she is weak. Why isn't she getting better? Why didn't her magic heal her? I don't understand?" Adrien asked.
"It is very complicated. But the cure would not work on her because she sustained too much damage and transformed when her body normally couldn't do. She only managed to transform because of the strength of her will power. She didn't want to fail. She had to save Paris even though she was aware of the risks. She alone made this decision and she alone is the one who can save herself." Master Fu explained.
"How can she save herself if the doctors can't save her?!" Adrien shouted. He immediately regretted it. He knew it wasn't the old man's fault, he just felt so helpless. He had come here hoping that Master Fu could heal her, but to learn there was nothing anyone could do had cut him deep.
The old man sat for a while, allowing Adrien to calm down.
"Sorry." Adrien said when Tikki and Plagg stopped eating and looked at him.
"Some things, man cannot do, technology cannot heal. She has to find the power within, then she will live." Master Fu said. He walked over and placed a hand on Adrien's shoulder "I believe in her, so should you. She is strong, she just has to realise it."
Adrien nodded. He knew she was strong, he just hoped she knew it too.
She was back in her room, sat on the chaise, but it was so quiet. She stood up and walked to her ladders. She climbed up, through the skylight onto the balcony. In the distance she could see the monster destroying buildings. She put her hands up to her ears to feel for her Miraculous, but they weren't there. She stood, watching the chaos in front of her but what could she do? Marinette was nothing without Ladybug. But then she remembered back to when Chloe first became akumatized. Tikki had told her that she was Ladybug, with or without a Miraculous. So she climbed up the railings and jumped. She expected to fall, but almost like magic, she had transformed into Ladybug. She shouted with joy and swung towards the monster which she swiftly defeated.