-Marinette-

Marinette sat at her desk, writing in her journal as the reporters on the news babbled away on her computer. She paused in her writing, glancing up at her screen. A picture of Ladybug and Chat Noir came up behind the reporters who sat at an official looking counter.

"And now we'll turn it over to Steven, who's currently at the Agreste residence." One man said, smiling an obvious fake smile before the screen changed to show Steven. He was dressed in a suit coat and was holding a microphone, giving the camera a smile just as fake as the others.

"I'm here at the Agreste Mansion in hopes to catch a glimpse of Adrien Agreste, who is supposedly Chat Noir." Steven said, the camera panning slightly to show Adrien's huge mansion behind him.

Marinette frowned. "You've probably been there for days." She mumbled, glaring at the screen as Steven continued to chatter on about the rumor and how "crazy" and "totally true" it was. Marinette sighed as her eyes fell away from Steven the reporter. She continued to write in her journal, resting her head on her free hand. "Tikki, I'm worried about him." She said quietly.

"Who?" Tikki asked, who was sitting next to Marinette's journal with a cookie in her tiny two arms. Well, it was leaning on her more than it really was her holding it.

"Adrien!" Marinette answered, glancing at the reporter on the screen, who was still rattling on about that stupid rumor. However, now the screen was split in two with the man from the counter on one half and Steven on the other. "At this rate, the excitement is never going to wear off about Adrien's identity."

Tikki took a small bite from her chocolate chip cookie. "Don't worry, Marinette. At least it's just a rumor, right?"

"About the Agreste family, Steven, has there been any word from Gabriel Agreste? I've heard he hasn't been seen since that akuma Blaze attacked the city." The man at the counter said, his hands laced together as they rested on the counter in front of him. Marinette's head shot up, and she turned up the volume on her computer.

"It's true, Jeremy. Mr. Agreste hasn't been seen or heard from for about a month. However, his industry is still running smoothly. It's simply another mystery to uncover." Steven replied, nodding.

Marinette looked over at Tikki. "I hate to say it, but they've got a point. He hasn't shown his face in forever. Adrien and I even tried looking for him in his office but Nathalie stopped us."

"He's a reclusive guy, Marinette. He almost never shows his face. Those reporters are blowing it up like a balloon to get more attention." Tikki said, looking at Marinette's computer screen with a sour look.

"I guess you're right." Marinette agreed. But Adrien's really worried about his father. I know he almost never wants to be seen, but it's been so long…

"Thank you Steven. Just last night a major car wreck blocked traffic. Miraculously, no one was killed. John is currently at the hospital, speaking with one of the victims in the wreck. John?" The newsman Jeremy said, Steven's panel sliding out of the screen.

Marinette's eyes snapped back to the screen. "Wait… John? Wasn't he Imperiumal?" A new panel slid onto the screen, showing a lanky man with black hair, holding a microphone. That's not John. Marinette thought to herself, curious to see what this other John had to say.

The reporter John was standing in a white hospital room, with equipment and a picture of a lake and mountains behind him. "Thank you, Jeremy." John said, nodding his head to no one in particular.

"John, can you tell us what happened last night?" Jeremy asked.

"Yes, of course. This silver car suddenly stopped in the middle of the intersection, and a black van t-boned into it." John explained, a silent video playing as he talked of the scene. The silver car was completely smashed in the side. The black van sat smoking next to it, it's front all smashed up into twisted metal. Other cars were gathered around the two, some with scrapes and scratches while others had dents. A few had headlights missing and shattered windows. Paramedics were scurrying around, carrying people on stretchers. Ambulances blinked around the scene, their bright lights playing along with the chaos.

Marinette's gut twisted. I should've been there. She thought to herself guiltily.

"Surprisingly," John continued, once again catching Marinette's attention. "The driver of the silver car, Lindie, has a peculiar story to tell as to why she stopped in the middle of the intersection." The camera panned slightly to the right and a young girl that looked around 20 who sat in the raised hospital bed, with a bandage around her head and arms. She looked okay, but her eyes were confused like she didn't understand why this was all happening. "Lindie, thank you for letting us talk with you." John said politely.

Lindie smiled. "Yeah, sure." She replied, glancing at the camera before looking back at John.

"Now, what happened in your car that made you stop? Did it break down?"

Lindie shook her head. "No… it was really weird. It was like a brain fart. I just… forgot how to drive for a second and I slammed on the brake. That's when the wreck happened."

John's eyes widened in a look of shock, but Marinette guessed he already knew this. "You forgot?"

"Yeah it was the strangest thing. I remember now, of course, but I don't know if I hit my head, or ate something weird."

"Most strange. Thank you Lindie. We'll catch up with you later." John said, smiling as the camera panned away from Lindie. "Now, on to our-"

Marinette shut off her computer, trying to suppress her conflicted emotions. "We should go tell Master Fu about this." She said to Tikki, biting her lip in worry.

Tikki nodded. "I agree, Marinette, but it's almost eleven. You really need to get to sleep."

Marinette sighed in agreement and quickly got ready for bed. She was just about to lay down when her phone buzzed. Looking over at her lit up screen, she picked up her phone and smiled. It was Adrien. She answered and held the phone to her ear. "Chaton, isn't it a little late?"

"Have you been watching the news?" Adrien asked, his voice clear with concern. He heard about the car crash too.

"Yeah."

"... Do you think we should tell Master Fu?"

Marinette glanced at Tikki, who was watching with intent eyes. "We should wait until tomorrow after school. It's already pretty late."

Adrien paused for a second, no doubt molling the thought over. "Okay. You're right." The phone went silent for a moment, until Adrien spoke again, his voice quiet. "My head hurts again."

Instantly Marinette's stomach clenched, and she tried to cover the worry in her voice. "Is it bad?"

"No." Adrien replied, which released some of the tension from Marinette's back. "But… I think Imperiumal is still out there." He said, his voice tinged with fear.

"Do you really think so?"

"Yeah."

Marinette hesitated for a moment more before talking again, the tension already having formed. "We should scour the city then. Next time we patrol we'll be extra careful and we'll look for him."

"Sounds like a plan." Adrien replied, but even with just his voice Marinette could tell there was something more he wanted to say.

"You okay?" Marinette prompted.

Another pause. "Well, honestly, I'm scared, Mari. I know I shouldn't be, since I forgot all of my nightmares you told me about, but… If it really was that bad, I don't want to experience it again, even if I don't remember the first time it happened. My imagination is running wild with what it was like. You know, with him in my mind."

"Don't worry. I'm scared too." Marinette said. She laid down in her bed and pulled the covers over her, turning off the lights. She hated it, but she couldn't get the image of Chat's eyes flickering between green and gold out of her mind. That was probably the most terrifying akuma battle she'd ever been through. Mostly because of how helpless she felt. When Chat fell along with Imperiumal, she had no idea what was happening or if Chat would come out of this alive. The terror and despair she had felt then was threatening to swallow her whole until Chat's eyes opened. She had burst into tears, the relief flooding her shaking frame. But then… Then he had told her he didn't remember. Marinette closed her eyes for a moment, breathing through her nose to calm her racing heart. She wouldn't break down now. Adrien needed her. Paris needed her. "But there's not much we can do."

"Yeah…" Adrien sighed through the phone, the sound crackling in Marinette's ear.

Another fifteen minutes drifted by as Marinette talked with Adrien, but soon they both agreed that it was too late to talk anymore. Wishing each other good night, Marinette hung up and put her phone on her nightstand, rolling over and pulling the covers up to her chin. In the almost deathly quiet room, she could hear Tikki fly over to her small makeshift bed. The kwami whispered good night to Marinette, and she returned the call.

As sleep slowly overcame her, Marinette wished in her heart that Imperiumal still wasn't out there, lurking in the city's shadows with his beguiling indigo gaze and a shimmering golden pendulum clutched in his hand.