Sorry about the wait everyone, life is hectic right now. I'm changing jobs and moving. So little crazy.

I was also hoping this would be the last chapter, since I've been working on a Kingdom Hearts fic too. But, as I was at work I had a couple more ideas. So, we'll see where this goes.

—

It hurt.

It felt like Chat's arm was being ripped off his body. Everything within him burned, but the pain in his arm seared. He wanted to cry, to scream, anything, but he just laid in misery. There was a roof above him now, and a mask on his face. His vision blurred, but he could see the faded shadow of his lady hovering by his side. Her dainty fingers were still gripped in his fist.

"Marinette…?" He called out.

Faintly, he heard her voice, but she wasn't talking to him. "Maman?…No, I'm fine. I'm with Adrien, on our way to the hospital. He got hurt…No, I didn't, could you call him?…Thank you….I love you too…see you in a bit."

He closed his eyes, but a warm hand caressed his cheek. "My parents are going to get ahold of your dad, okay?"

If the pain wasn't so intense, he'd be protesting. He'd had been so careful, but now his dad was going to swoop in and take everything away.

It was dangerous territory he was going into. Where everything was bleak and hopeless. He clung to Mari, her hand warm and soft within his own.

But then it was gone.

"Mari...?" He wanted to shout it, but his voice halted behind gritted teeth.

"She's in the waiting room," Someone replied.

"I need her," He begged. "She's my lucky charm."

"I'm sure her luck will reach you from the waiting room."

Adrien shook his head, his arm aching with each slight movement. "Please!"

They weren't listening to him anymore. "He's going into shock. Go ahead an introduce the anesthesia."

As his head filled with fog, he fought to reach out to her.

"My lady…"

—

Marinette sat in the waiting room, a silver ring sitting in her palm. She fingered it gently, her mind absent. She had taken it in the ambulance, before they were separated. It was a safety precaution, if anything. And yet, seeing another miraculous, especially the partnering one to her own, was odd. She didn't know what to think, so she didn't.

A tiny black cat hovered near her, but out of sight of the few people in the area.

"Plagg…do you think he's going to be okay?"

"I don't see why not. He got hit in the shoulder, not in the heart."

"If he can't use his arm anymore…will you have to get someone new?"

The kwami considered it a moment. "Perhaps. But I wouldn't worry about it."

"But—…"

"Do you think they have any cheese in the food court? I'm starving!"

"How can you think about eating at a time like this?" Marinette held back her voice. "Do you not care?"

Plagg got close to her face and looked her in the eye. "I am the god of chaos and destruction. My charges are always unlucky. That baton could have gone anywhere, and it landed in his shoulder. You may think that's unlucky, but I think it's extremely lucky. So no, I'm not worried. Because Ladybug is here, and he's going to be fine."

The heroine sniffed. "Are you saying that this kind of thing might happen again?"

The kwami rolled his eyes. "Geez, is that what you pulled away from this?"

"Please answer me Plagg."

Plagg was never good at being serious. He was a playful sassy kitten, and thus Adrien had been a good wielder for him. But now, looking at Marinette, and knowing that she cared for his boy, he made a vow to be serious when she addressed him. But only her. Adrien would still get attitude.

The cat dropped down into her hands and curled his tail around, holding it in his tiny paws. "To be completely honest, more often then not, Chat Noir's don't retire."

The weight of the phrase was not lost on her.

"There has never been an Chat Noir that used his power for evil and survived. And typically those that work alone don't fair well either. But, the ones that work with Ladybug, and rely on her the way she relies on him…they thrive. Emotionally, they do better, and in battle they are nearly unstoppable. Don't get me wrong, the bad luck is overwhelming, but Ladybug's luck is so strong that it powers through and neutralizes it. To put it simply, he'll be fine, thanks to you."

"Really?"

Tikki spoke from her shoulder. "If Plagg says so, I'd believe him."

Uncertainty was scrawled all over Marinette's face. But she nodded once and scratched him once behind the ear. "You said you like cheese?"

"Camembert is my favorite!" Now he was excited, especially in the face of food.

"Then let's go see if we can't find some for you?"

He settled for cheesy bread, because it was Marinette and it's the best they could find. Armed with the bread and a few cookies for Tikki, the two Kwami's retreated to her bag to finally recover from their battle.

Marinette, on the other hand, just leaned forward, her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. Her foot jiggled in anxiety.

Several minutes passed in silence.

A pair of pointed white loafers, followed by red slim fit pant legs came into view. Marinette raised her head to find Gabriel Agreste looking down on her, a neutral and unreadable expression on his face.

"Mr. Agreste!" She nearly shouted, in fright.

He held his hand out to quiet her. Then he gestured to the seat next to her. "May I sit down?"

"Yes, of course!"

Gabriel took out his phone and started typing something away, but asked her regardless. "Have you heard anything?"

"No, the doctor's haven't spoken to me yet."

"Ah…" A little bit more typing, and then he asked. "How did he look? When he was in the ambulance…you were with him when it happened, right?"

"Yes." She answered curtly, swallowing hard. "He was struck in the shoulder by an akuma. I don't know all the details, but he was bleeding pretty badly. We think he'll be fine, though."

"We?"

"Ladybug and I. She called the ambulance."

"Oh." With a sigh, the man leaned forward and mimicked her stance. She peered over and saw his hair was disheveled and his phone screen was open. All he had typed was 'asdfasdfasdfasdf' as a way to appear busy. To say the least, Gabriel Agreste was a mess.

"I really enjoyed the show the other night." Marinette stated, as way to break the silence. "It was so wonderful, it was such a honor to attend."

Gabriel smiled, ever so slightly, appreciating the effort she was making. "I remember the first fashion show I went to when I was in high school. My girlfriend at the time invited me. I was absolutely in love with everything I saw there. The skill, the class, everything. I talked about nothing but fashion after that. That girl actually broke up with me because she was uncomfortable with 'a man with better fashion sense than herself'".

Marinette giggled quietly.

"But after years and years of directing the shows yourself, they tend to lose their luster."

Marinette simpered in understanding.

"Trying to get Adrien interested in fashion is like pulling teeth. He'd rather just wear a T-shirt and jeans. It's like creating a work of art, then finding out the person who bought it hangs it in their wood shed."

"That's how I feel when I make a dress for my mom and she wears it in the bakery. Like, I'm glad you like it, but this isn't the place to wear Crepe de Chine."

He chuckled out loud this time. "What a plebeian mistake to make."

After the awkward chuckles passed, he said with sincerity, "consider making her something out of Koshibo, especially if you're making something traditional. It's light like cotton, but wrinkle resistant."

Peeking inside her bag, she pulled out a small notebook and wrote the fabric name down.

"And I can get some for you cheap, if you'd like."

If there could be literal stars in her eyes, there would be. She beamed. "That would be amazing!"

"Here's my card. I'll hook you up with anything you need."

She held the card in her hand. "Wow! This is amazing! I can't believe it…why me?"

"You've done a lot for Adrien. And it seems he holds significant feelings towards you. I look forward to see what you make in the future. And if you're looking for a job after high school…well, you have my card."

She flushed red in astonishment. "This is too much, Monsieur."

"You'll have to have your sketchbook approved of course, and I don't hire high school flunks or drop outs."

She shook her head, "no sir, that won't be a problem."

"Good. I'll be checking up on you too, to make sure you're where you need to be." His eye caught something as he glanced up to the TV nearby. "Good God, what's going on there?"

Marinette turned to the TV to see a black woman screaming at a man. The close captions read, "how could you? She was my sister! I thought you loved me! I had your baby."

"Oh, be careful sir. That's Jerry Springer, it gets addicting if you start watching it."

"What is it?"

"A show where people confess to their significant others something extreme. Like if they've been cheating or if they were born a different gender. It's really trashy TV."

"It seems like it." Gabriel stated, not taking his eyes off the screen.

—

Several hours later, and the doctor had not yet come out to speak with them.

"Come on Bonita, rip out her whore weave." Gabriel Agreste muttered to no one.

"He don't deserve you girl. Save face and walk out." Marinette muttered back.

"Agreste?" A man in a lab coat called out in the room.

Gabriel nearly jumped to his feet, straightening his appearance as he stood.

The doctor smiled at both of them pleasantly while he crossed his arms. "Hi, I'm Dr. Barret, I was the surgeon for your son Adrien today."

"Gabriel Agreste." The man stated with a handshake.

"Marinette," she grinned, "girlfriend," she added with the hope that she'd be able to see him quicker.

The doctor sent her a quick wink. "Well, the surgery went fine. We had a little episode in the middle where he woke up, but he was still heavily medicated so he didn't feel any pain. He just asked if we had seen his cat around."

Marinette giggled nervously.

"But really, this wound could have gone one of two ways. There's a tendon called the rotator tendon that runs right down the front of the shoulder, and by chance, whatever struck him just barely glanced it. Adrien isn't going to be able to raise his arm higher then his waist for a while. And there will be tingling and numbness in his hands for a few months. But the wound will probably heal in a week at most. His arm will need to stay in a sling for the next six to eight weeks."

Marinette grimaced. Chat Noir would be out of commission for a while.

"If you will follow me, he should be awake now."

Dr. Barret ushered them down the hall, through a maze of twists and turns until they reached a room at the end of a hall.

Inside, a pale boy laid propped up against pillows with an IV in his arm. His eyes cracked open when the door creaked.

Marinette nearly ran to him, as she came up to his side and framed his face with her hand.

"Hello, my lady," he whispered gently.

"I was so worried," she returned. Then she leaned in and kissed his forehead. "On a scale from one to ten, how do you feel?"

"Terrible." He frowned. "But seeing you makes it better."

"There's someone else here to see you, too."

Gabriel approached the bed, his face steely like usual and his hands behind his back.

"Dad…" He had expected Nathalie, or anybody else to come in his stead, but not the man himself. Not only was he stand-offish, but Gabriel HATED hospitals. To the point where when they dedicated a wing in his wife's honor, he only stayed to cut the ribbon and then he was gone. "You came."

"Don't be silly, of course I did. My son is gravely injured." The man then looked to Marinette, holding out a handful of coins. "Would you be a dear and stay with Adrien tonight? I left the office without leaving instructions. While I believe Nathalie is capable, the rest of them are all a mess with me."

Adrien chuckled.

"Pack an overnight bag and get some dinner while you're out."

She took the euros in her hand and looked to him shyly. "Is this just an excuse to get me to leave?"

The tiniest of smiles showed on his face. "You've seen through me."

She giggled back. "Well, then I'll make sure to take my time."

Adrien looked over the two, confused and impressed. Marinette getting along with his father? It wasn't impossible…but not exactly probable.

As Marinette left, Gabriel wandered the room, his ego filling it. "This place is nicer then the last time I was here. They've made renovations."

"It's nice." Adrien agreed. "I like the swirly light thing over there." He pointed to the far wall where a light fixture sat.

"Very Edvard Munch, I think."

"I thought Cezanne, but I see Munch too."

More silence passed between the two before Adrien finally spoke, trying to sit up in bed. "Are you angry?"

"With you? No. But I would like to hear how this happened. Miss Dupain-Cheng spared the details." He took a seat in the chair nearby.

"Well, it all started a few days ago. When I snagged the show ticket. I actually made a photocopy and gave it to Chloe, because I knew she would be pestering me about it. Then I gave the real ticket to Marinette."

Gabriel nodded in understanding, then withdrew a newspaper that had been folded and tucked inside his jacket. "I suppose that's how this happened?"

The Headline read: Fashion Police Detain Bourgeois at Tuileries. Chloe, in all her manic fury, was painted on the front page, her body twisting into the lobby and yelling at Marinette. Said teen, in response, was standing ramrod straight, her mouth in a thin line.

"I guess Marinette was right…" Adrien muttered as he held up the page and read the story. "Well, anyway, this morning, I went over to the bakery to see Marinette, and when I got there, there were police everywhere. I went in with Mari, they had confiscated everything, and we overheard something about a new bill being put in place by the mayor. The whole thing sounded like Chloe's work, to be honest. She once got our friend Alya suspended because she took a picture near her locker."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. "And so…?"

"Oh, Monsieur Dupain-Cheng, as a result of his kitchen being destroyed…and I mean, they wrecked it. The oven was all broken and dismantled…anyway, he was akumatized."

"I see."

"Marinette followed him, and I followed her. We got separated in the crowd, and the akuma launched a pipe at me. I don't really know what happened after that."

"Hmm…"

Adrien watched his father carefully, as he took out his phone and hit a number on speed dial. The room was so quiet, he could hear the dial tone.

"Hello, please notify Monsieur Bourgeois that Gabriel Agreste would like a word with him."

The sound of hold music came from the phone, before the Mayor's voice boomed from the speaker. "Gabriel my friend! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Monsieur Agreste is fine. Did you know I had a book?" The designer asked.

The question surprised both Adrien and the Mayor. "W-Why of course! I've read it ten times!"

"Then you should know I started out as a small business. All on my own."

"Yes, that's very encouraging…"

Where is he going with this? Adrien thought to himself.

Gabriel rested a hand on Adrien's leg, over the covers, rubbing small circles with his thumb. "And you should also know I went to law school for two years, per my father's request."

"…I don't remember that part."

"It's in the first chapter, by the way."

"How interesting, it must have been a while since I read it…" The mayor cleared his throat. "Is there something I can help you with Mr. Agreste? It's not like you to call and chit chat."

"Oh yes, I was wondering when you could tell me when you passed the new bill for bakeries."

"Oh, this morning."

"What are the stipends?"

"Let me see…wood fire stoves can't burn hotter then a thousand degrees. No part of the bakery can be used for domestic settings, there has to be a license to use cane sugar, and a license was required if importing chocolate from Africa. Along with some other little things. Why?"

"Oh, just curious. The bakeries of Paris knew all about these before the bill was passed, right?"

"Of course!"

"Even the Boulangerie Patisserie? The bakery right next to Chloe and Adrien's school?"

The line went silent.

Adrien watched in awe and reverence.

"Yes, we sent them plenty of warnings."

"Ah, good. Because if I find out you didn't…well, let's just say I'd hate to get Monsieur Bonheur involved."

Adrien recognized that name, that was his family's lawyer, the best in Paris of course.

"Also, I'd like to remind you of who financed 80% of your campaign."

"You make your message crystal clear…"

"I should hope so. I'll let you go now, I'm sure you had a busy day. I'm sure tomorrow will be even more exhausting."

Adrien couldn't hear the mayor's reply. Gabriel hung up and tucked his phone back into his jacket.

"Dad, that was amazing."

"I know."

"You really went to law school? I didn't know that."

"It's not what I wanted to do with my life, but your grandfather made me. He paid for my schooling after all. Then I was able to get my own job and pay for design school."

"Was grandpa against you liking fashion?"

Gabriel crossed his arms. "No, rather, he didn't think I'd be able to support myself as a designer. But I showed him and he did apologize. But more then once those lessons in law have helped me in the business world. Especially in our industry."

"What about me? What if I don't want to be a model forever? What if I want nothing to do with the fashion industry?"

Gabriel considered him. "I had really hoped to pass down the family business. But you are only 15, I suppose it would be unfair to have you decide on what you want to do for the rest of your life now."

Adrien smiled.

"Enough about that, how do you feel? Are you comfortable? Do you need anything?"

"I could really use some water." He said, swallowing thickly.

"Alright," and he was on his feet heading to the door.

Within minutes, Adrien had a styrofoam cup in his hand. He sipped through his straw as his father looked at his chart.

"Is this it then?" The teen asked. "When I go home, will I be pulled from school again? Is my social life over as I know it?"

Gabriel sighed, crossing his legs and leaning back in his chair. "No. Though I so badly want to. If I've learned anything, it's that you will rebel against me no matter what I do. You'd find a way to get out there, I know it. And…" He sighed again, his shoulders heaving. "I can't protect you forever."

Adrien lowered his drink and sighed. "Yeah, it's better that way though, isn't it? Don't you want your son to be social savvy?"

"It's not a bad trait to have."

Adrien grinned widely. It felt so wonderful being able to talk like this with him. Maybe it would never happen again, or maybe his father was changing. Either way, he wasn't complaining.

"So, I take it the date went well."

Adrien flushed red leaned back into his pillow. "It went really well."