Tonight Jen tucked Victoria in, William standing against the doorframe as he watched. Victoria was going over the events of the day, excited telling the story of how she played Heart and Soul with Adrien. Jen only smiled, while William frowned. Adrien could tell he didn't like hearing about them very much, and he didn't blame him.

"That's nice Victoria, now it's time for bed. I'll see you in the morning, goodnight sweetheart. Love you," Jen said with a soft voice that made even the ghosts smile. Victoria laid down, pulling her blankets up to cover herself and smiled when Jen pressed a kiss against her forehead.

"I love you too," Victoria mumbled with a yawn, her eyes slowly closing shut. Jen gently pushed Victoria's bangs to the side, a bittersweet smile on her face. She knew what was coming, she didn't even have to look at her husband.

She waited for a moment before making her way over to the door, closing it slowly. Adrien sat in his usual sleeping spot, the window seat with Marinette laying against him.

They had been sleeping like that ever since Marinette asked to that one night, they both agreed it was comforting and Adrien had to admit, he loved having her so close to him, having her right there in his arms. He would sometimes play with her hair, other times he would rub her back until he got tired.

They would have conversations about random topics, like how much society and pop culture has changed since they'd been gone. Rock music was in the past, techno was the new thing. They both still liked the classics.

They were glad they had to follow Victoria around because sometimes that meant learning new things. Like watching movies and travelling to places they could never go to, as well as finally experiencing the Mediterranean Sea. Adrien liked to believe they were on a 10-year vacation from crime fighting, but he knew that life was long gone. He wondered if people still thought of them, and if so, what did they remember them as? Heroes? Or just teens who had a death wish? Either way, he knew their friends must've missed them. At least Alya and Nino had each other.

His thoughts were snapped away when Marinette said his name, trying to get his attention. He must've really been out of it because she was waving a hand in front of his face.

"Earth to Adrien? You there? If you see a bright light, don't follow it." She said jokingly, chuckling when he blinked and focused on her. He couldn't help but blush in embarrassment.

"Heh, s-sorry." He said as he rubbed the back of his neck. A nervous habit that came with him when he died. Marinette just smiled at his fidgeting. Adrien didn't realise just what Marinette said to him until he thought about it, 'if you see a bright light, don't follow it'.

Was that suppose to mean she didn't want him to leave? Maybe he was thinking too much into this, maybe she was just saying that because it was a ghost joke, or maybe she meant as in she would be alone if he left and she wanted someone there with her. Or it could've really met she would miss him if he left, he knew he would miss her.

He shook his head to clear his thought, noticing how he was dozing off again. Marinette just giggled. And there were the butterflies that seemed to explode in his stomach whenever she did something like that, right on time.

"Did you want to tell me something?" He asked curiously, Marinette's smile dimming slightly as she glanced over at the door and the two went quiet. Adrien didn't need to ask, he could hear it too.

"-This has gone too far Jen, she's almost 10 years old and she still talks about imaginary friends."

"She's just a child William, let her imagine them."

"But what about real friends? She doesn't talk about any she's met at school,"

"Well, maybe she's just shy—"

"Or she's scared them all off. Her teacher called me saying she was concerned for Victoria because she keeps talking to herself when no ones around and that she writes in her notebook things about her imaginary friends. This has gone too far Jen, we need to get her checked out."

Oh no. This was all their fault, wasn't it? Perhaps they should've never let Victoria see them in the first place, perhaps it was too late now and the damage had already been done.

Adrien exchanged a glance with Marinette, who looked equally as worried. They both had the same thing on their mind; Did they have to say goodbye to Victoria forever?

"Alright, fine. We'll take her to see a therapist later this week, but until then just let her believe her imaginary friends are real, obviously they make her really happy and I don't want to take that away from her." Jen countered and Adrien could see from the corner of his eye that Marinette had nodded in agreement.

He heard a huff and Adrien could just imagine William crossing his arms. He was a sour man when upset or angered, and Adrien couldn't help but think that Jen and Victoria deserved better. What did Jen even see in the guy?

"She's going to go crazy before then, she might already be! We should've stopped this when she was seven, it's getting too out of control. I told you this would happen," William remarked and there was a scoff from Jen.

"What, that Victoria would end up happy? Her friends may not be real but at least she's smiling, that's all that matters."

"No, it's not! Her mental health should be all that matters, and right now she's only smiling because she's going crazy! You're only making matters worse,"

There was a gasp and even Marinette covered her mouth to stifle any reaction she might've had.

"Do not blame this on me! I am constantly taking care of her when you're not around so if anything, I'm doing a better job of parenting than you," Jen snapped and it was followed by a bloodcurdling sound. A slap, and judging by Jen's gasp, Adrien could only assume she was the victim of it.

Now it was his turn to cover his mouth, he couldn't imagine ever slapping someone he loved, especially not someone who was his wife and mother of his child. He knew William had a temper but he never imagined this would ever happen.

Adrien felt Marinette's hand on his arm and he glanced over at her to see that she had moved closer, her eyes widened in shock at what just happened. He probably looked the same.

"Get out of this house, NOW!" Jen shouted, her voice laced with anger and sorrow. This was terrible to listen to, and he was glad Victoria wasn't awake to hear it. They'd carry that burden for her, they didn't mind.

Adrien wasn't sure what was happening exactly, but he heard rustling before sudden stomping down the stairs. He heard the sound of keys jingling and then the door opening and slamming shut.

"I guess he left," He muttered, Marinette nodding slightly. He felt her grip on his arm tightly slightly before loosening again completely, letting go of him and glancing off to the side. Adrien stared at her, obvious that she was very upset with everything going on. He pursed his lips to try and think of someway to make her smile again but all he could think of was laying down. Then again, he wasn't sure if that was for his own benefit or hers. Hopefully both.

"Mari?" He started, at a sudden loss for words once she met his gaze. Her sad blue eyes caused his heart to ache if he even had one, and he didn't need to think twice before pulling her into a hug. He could feel her tense up and he almost let go immediately, but he stopped when he felt her own arms wrap around him.

He needed to tell her that they would have to say goodbye soon but couldn't find it in him to ruin the moment like that, so instead, he laid back against the pillow and stuffed animals that cushioned the window seat and Marinette followed, resting her head on his chest again. Just like always.

There were so many things he needed to tell her, but couldn't find the words to say it. There was one thing that was just three words, that's all he had to say, and yet even after 14 years, he still couldn't tell her how he really felt. What would it matter anyway? They were dead, it's not like they could do what normal couples do and grow old together. They were stuck in 19-year-old bodies for the rest of potentially Victoria's life. But what if she returned his feelings? What if Marinette had been in love with him since the day they met at age 14? If she did, wouldn't she have said something about it already? Then again, he hadn't yet.

He let out a quiet sigh and pushed away his thoughts, not wanting to think about it anymore. Marinette must've noticed his little sigh because she propped her head up and met his gaze, he noticed how glossy her eyes were and he knew she was still thinking of Victoria.

Before she could say anything, Adrien got the first words in. "Victoria will be fine," He said reassuringly, and Marinette shook her head slightly.

"We're going to have to disappear, aren't we? Victoria can't be allowed to see or talk to us anymore..." She choked out, and Adrien felt a part of him break at seeing her so sad about this. She loved Victoria, so did he, so he knew the pain she was going through at the thought of saying goodbye.

Adrien couldn't deny her words so he only nodded, his eyes downcast and sad. He felt Marinette's body shake and when he glanced back up at her again, she was in tears. She was trying so hard to keep it all in, her hands gripping at his shirt as she trembled with each sob. She didn't meet his empathic gaze, she just stared off to the side as tears streamed down her cheeks, and Adrien couldn't watch her break down like this.

He pulled her closer so that her head rested on his shoulder and she would shake with each hiccup and sob. She was still trying to hold it all in and Adrien would much rather her just let it all out.

"It's alright Mari... You're allowed to cry, you don't have to stay strong in front of me." He whispered and just like that, Marinette gave in. She gasped as she overflowed with tears. Whines and hiccups escaped her as she buried her face into his shirt and all he could do was rub her back comfortingly. Seeing her like this broke his heart, but he promised he'd be her shoulder to cry on, no matter what.

After a few minutes, her sobs began to quiet down and she just became a trembling mess in his arms. He didn't mind, he knew how it felt to break down like that, he would let her have all the time she needed to calm down again. He hadn't stopped rubbing her back, it seemed to be calming her somewhat so he kept going, he didn't stop until she went completely still, her breathing evening out and her hand releasing its grip on his shirt. He would've assumed she had fallen asleep if it weren't for the fact that they couldn't sleep. She was just resting, which was a close second.

"You okay?" He asked quietly, glancing down at her slightly to see her nod. He let out a deep breath, then tilted his head so that it rested on the top of hers.

"We'll figure this in the morning, okay? But for now, just rest." He mumbled and Marinette didn't argue against him. Instead, she just closed her eyes and did as she was told. Adrien shifted his gaze to the window, staring outside like he usually did.

He wasn't sure what time it was when he suddenly felt a chill run up his spine, feeling suddenly uneasy. Marinette must've felt his small trembling, lifting her head slightly to look up at him.

"Adrien? What's wrong?" She asked with concern, he met her gaze for a moment before shaking his head.

"Nothing just got a chill. I'm sure it was..." He trailed off when he suddenly heard sirens in the distance.

"Oh no..."

A/N: Death Counter: 2

After this chapter: 3

I'm evil

(Sorry not sorry)