This is in the present. It will alternate between Sabine and Gabriel's childhood to Adrien and Marinette's from here on out, unless otherwise specified.


It's the night after the funeral, and Adrien is grateful that today is the day that he is to patrol the streets with his Lady, Ladybug. The pale light of the moon illuminates his room when he shakes Plagg awake, the black spirit has the sense not to complain. The rest of the household is asleep, everyone tired from the busy day. "Transforme-moi!" he whispers, careful not to wake his father. In a flash of green light, Adrien Agreste disappears and Chat Noir appears. As Chat slips from the window, he is careful to avoid the cameras that his father installed around the house.

Chat Noir gazes across the rooftop of his family's mansion, his eyesight altered by his nighttime vision. He isn't relaxed, adrenaline from the transformation and thrill from being Chat Noir courses through his veins, but he is free from the heavy weight his mother's death cast upon him. The clouds from the funeral have not yet dispersed, and the moon and the stars are hidden from view. Adrien wonders if his mother is among those hidden stars, remembering the quotes he'd read on stars being the smiles of lost loved ones, and some of the grief he brushed off comes crashing down. He brushes the thought away, pushing off the burden of grief and pain that accompanies him whenever he thinks of his mother. Instead, he focuses of Paris, and it's civilians.

He leaps off his roof, heading towards the Eiffel Tower, where he and Ladybug meet for patrols. To help ensure their secret identites, Ladybug explained when she suggested it. Had Chat been able to argue with his Lady, he would've insisted that they shared their alter egos, but he knows that it was pointless. Instead, he agreed, and they proceeded to meet up for patrols at the Tower

As he pole vaults through the dark and empty streets, the cold Parisian air bites at the exposed skin on his face, stinging his eyes until he almost closes them. The artificial yellow light of the tower slightly warms his face, and he opens his eyes to look for his lady. He catches sight of her yo-yo first, then the beautiful sight of her swings into view. She lands next to him, as graceful as the smile that adorns her lips.

"Chat," she greets, straightening. Her blue eyes are impossibly blue and are sparkling with a freedom that he has never seen before, and it almost reminds him of a blue-eyed model, but he pushes the thought aside because there is no way that the quiet girl who let him sob on her shoulder is his fiercely sassy crime fighting partner.

"My Lady," he replies, grabbing her red-and black hand and placing a kiss upon it.

She pulls it away, the smile on her lips compressing into an irritated frown, but it doesn't stop her eyes from sparkling in that new light.

"Ready for a patrol?" She grins at him, cocky and competitive with a raised eyebrow and glimmering eyes, and Chat can feel his heart pounding at the sight. The wind that stung his eyes on his way to the tower tosses Ladybug's hair around her face, the silky blue-black strands knot and tangle in the process. Chat wonders if her hair ever impairs her vision, but it's a stupid question so he doesn't ask.

"As always," he replies, shooting her his own smirk, but it quickly changes to a smile that rivals the Cheshire Cat's.

In unison, they leap off of the tower, and as their feet land with a loud thump on the roof, Chat can almost completely forget about being Adrien and his mother's death. The steps and leaps and flips take him farther from the wearisome worries of his civilian life, and as he uses his night vision to look out for any small crimes or major akuma victims, his gaze lands on a hedge maze adjoining a cemetery, and everything comes crashing down on him.

He doesn't realize he's not moving until the sound of Ladybug's feet hitting the roof reaches his ears. "Chat?" she asks, "Are you okay?"

He wants to say yes, but that would be a lie, and he can't lie to his Lady, but he can't tell her without giving away his secret identity, and the point of a secret identity is for them to stay secret, but what can he say to tell the truth and keep a secret?

To his mortification, his vision is blurred by tears, the green-tinted Parisian landscape and Ladybug's figure become fuzzy and indistinct. "Don't worry about me," he manages to choke out, and he is relieved when Ladybug doesn't press the issue.

"You can go home, I'll finish the patrol," she offers, and when it looks like he is about to argue, she adds, "If you can't see clearly, and if you move slowly, you might fall off a roof or something."

It makes sense, and Chat reluctantly agrees. "Okay, milady." he says, and bounds away, stumbling occasionally when he lands on the roof, and in almost no time, he is slinking into the Agreste mansion.

"Claws off," he mutters, and Plagg whirls out of his ring in a black swirl.

"I want cheese," the kwami immediately states, and Adrien sighs and wipes the tears from his eyes and reaches into his pocket for the stash of camembert he always keeps for Plagg.


Sorry for the long wait between updates (again). I promise I'll start updating frequently, but life has just been conspiring against me...

Anyways, I'm planning on having the chapters alternate between Sabine and Gabriel's timeline, and Adrien and Marinette's time line, but if it breaks the pattern, I'll let you know in the beginning of the chapter.

I hope you liked this chapter, it's pretty short, but it's based off of Sabine and Gabriel's chapter, which was also a short one, so, yeah. I plan to make the chapters longer in the future, I promise!

Please let me know if you enjoyed this chapter, and the story in general, and tell me what you don't like as well! I'm always up to some constructive criticism! Also, I'm taking suggestions for Adrien's mother and Gabriel's sister, so if you have any ideas, you can also leave those in the reviews!

mayuralover: Okay, thanks! I was looking through the chapters myself, but was wondering if I just missed it somewhere, which I often do. I'll include the names and ages soon! I'm trying not to make it too carefree since it's after a funeral, but it shouldn't always be this downtrodden.

Q-A the Authoress: I hope you like this chapter! There will be some major progress in the next chapter, just giving you a warning, that I hope you enjoy!

Monster: I KNOW, RiGHT? Baby Ducks are SO cute, I really want one! Because ducks in general are cute, so even when they grow up, it'll still be adorable!

Sophia: I'm glad you liked that chapter, and hope you liked this chapter! There is going to be a major plot twist coming soon, which might get a little complicated, but it's the good kind, I think...

With that said, I'll be coming soon with a chapter, it's already almost finished, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks!
~Spots