So...I kinda fell off the face of the earth, well, the fanfic earth. I was surprised with a trip after school ended, a trip that limits my internet - technically I have no internet... I know I promised I would be cranking out a bunch of chapters for my other stories, but with my lack of a functioning computer and internet, I won't be able to post new chapters or stories like I wanted for at least another week. I was granted one hour of internet (thank goodness) for today and I used it wisely: to write and post this little epilogue. Enjoy! :3

A Closure for Paris

"Hello, Paris! Nadja Chamack, here, live with the son of Paris' favorite fashion designer, Adrien Agreste. Now, Mr. Agreste told me he has something to share with us, today," Nadja leaned forward and gestured for Adrien to speak.

He hesitated a moment, taking the time to look around the set. It was a typical news talk show setup with two chairs either side a stand with a vase of fresh flowers. There were several cameras pointed in his general direction, but the blond payed no attention to the lenses that the whole of Paris was tuning in through. Adrien knew there had to be at least three fourths of the city watching him live on television...even his father might see him on the news. He may have forgotten to let the famous designer know he would be making an appearance with the reporter.

"Mr. Agreste is my father. Please, call me Adrien," the blond finally collected himself and made eye contact with the woman. He dared to allow a warm smile to brush against his lips as Nadja continued.

"Well, Adrien, why did you request this last minute interview? I'll bet you have something pretty big to share with Paris," the woman's golden eyes flickered with life and her growing curiosity.

"I...um..." Adrien's smile faltered, the corners of his lips dropping down into a thin line of sorrow. His emerald eyes glazed over with tears that begged to fall and roll down his cheeks. The blond told himself he wouldn't cry on television...he wouldn't let all of Paris see his weaker self and break down into tears.

"Take your time, Adrien," the pink-haired woman wheedled.

Adrien ran a shaky hand through his somewhat disheveled locks and swallowed a hard lump that resided in his throat. He firmly gripped the arms of the white chair he sat in, opposite of Nadja.

"You, um...I'm sure you know of my friend's recent passing?" Adrien gulped whilst the reporter nodded and smiled sadly, "Well...for anyone who doesn't know, her name was, or rather, is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She wa-is an amazing girl, one of my closest friends, and she's beautiful, too...really beautiful...Well, it's my fault that she's gone...because I couldn't protect her. Most people blame her father, but it was really Hawkmoth's doing. Also, my doing for not saving her in time. She...she..."

Adrien felt his eyes and throat sting as the dam broke, letting the tears flow freely down his sun-kissed face. His peridot eyes became red and swollen with heartache as he tried to finish his statement about the girl that he loved.

"It's okay if you can't-" Nadja was cut off by Adrien's weak and broken voice.

"No, no, I'm okay," he sniffed and wiped away his salty tears, "Marinette, she...she died in my arms. Not many people know that I was with her in her last moments...actually, I don't think anybody knows. She told me that nobody should feel guilty or upset about her death, and that she still...still loves everyone who was, is, close to her."

Adrien could feel fresh tears that had yet to fall gather and gloss over his vivid green eyes. He sniffed once more, looked to his feet, let out a trembling sigh, and lifted his crying eyes to glance at the woman before him. He positioned himself to look at the main camera instead. Adrien now only spoke to the camera, to his city.

"I've heard most people talking about Ladybug's failure to show up in public alongside Cat Noir, and I've heard rumors as to why that is...But, Ladybug won't be seen again. She's...Ladybug's gone and won't be coming back," the blond slowly spoke as he stared into the news camera. He eyes twitched with pain and his lower lip quivered as he thought through what he would say next.

"And...how do you know this information about Ladybug, Adrien?" the gold-eyed woman asked inquisitively.

"You already know why, everyone already knows why. Nobody realizes it, but you all know why Ladybug won't be coming back...she can't come back...even if she wanted to," Adrien answered, his gaze never straying from the camera lens, "After all, you can't come back from death..."

"Adrien, are you saying that Ladybug is...deceased?" Nadja questioned, bewilderment laced in her voice and facial expression.

"Ladybug's death isn't news...we all knew of her passing. Marinette died a hero. Marinette, my Marinette died saving this city from Hawkmoth," Adrien said with a touch of venom in his voice as he spoke the villain's name. A collective gasp sounded from the crowd of staff members working on and off set of the studio with the realization that Ladybug was but a sixteen year old girl who had died protecting Paris.

"You mean-" the reporter's confusion was interrupted once more by Adrien.

"Yes, Marinette Dupin-Cheng was, is, Ladybug. She didn't want to tell anyone about her double life because she feared it would put others in danger. But, Paris needs to know who their hero was, is. Paris needs to know who my hero is, the beautiful, smart, kind, funny, and overall amazing girl behind the mask."

It was so incredibly silent in the news studio that a pin could be dropped a block away and still be heard. In fact, it felt as if the entire city became unnaturally quiet. However, the silence was suddenly broken when a multitude of phones began ringing, Adrien assumed it was a combination of the studio's and the staff's phones going off...presumably from the announcement the blond just made to the world.

A panicked look overtook the pink-haired reporter's face as she moved her mouth to speak up, but no words left her lips. Finally, Nadja found her voice as she steadied herself in her chair, frantically looking between Adrien and the camera closest to her. The news of her daughter, Manon's, savior being departed must have struck her hard.

"Um...if you don't mind my asking, Adrien...why tell the world who Ladybug was?" the woman egged on.

"Is," Adrien corrected. He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath before calmly facing the camera again. The blond opened his emerald eyes slowly and, somewhat trembling, spoke up again, "And, it's because..."

Adrien reached his shaking hand into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out the lively red and pink rose. He felt the tears slip out of the corners of his eyes and roll down his face, but the blond didn't care. Adrien clutched the flower to his heart and smiled down at the gradient petals, imagining his lady, his princess, his Marinette with him.

"...that's what my lady asked of me."

Well, that officially concludes this angsty fanfic. Thank you again so much for enjoying and supporting this story, I greatly appreciate it from the bottom of my heart!

Hopefully in about a week or so I'll have additional chapters posted to my other two stories and have a few of my new ones up as well.

Toodles! :D