Au travers des doutes
Des travers de la route
Et de plus en plus fort
On va s'aimer encore
Au travers des bons coups
Au travers des déboires
À la vie à la mort
On va s'aimer encore
(Vincent Vallières, 2009)

"Plagg, could you check over Louis please?" Marinette said, not lifting her eyes from the bras she was packing into her suitcase. "I think I hear him fussing in his crib."

Plagg let out a long sigh, but he still zoomed in the corridor, disappearing into the infant's bedroom wordlessly.

Marinette resumed putting her clothes away in the oversized suitcase, folding her lingerie with a fond smile on her face. A lot of changes were coming her way, but she had gone through worse in the past, on her own, and she knew that with Adrien by her side, she could go through anything.

Not to mention both deities living with them who were hopelessly head over heels about their infant son.

Plagg flew back in the kitchen, an obviously fake bored expression schooled on his face, "he had lost his pacifier. I gave it back to him, but I think he'll need purring to fall back asleep. Again." He grimaced, but it was so blatantly forced that Marinette couldn't help but giggle.

Tikki stared at her counterpart from her charge's bookcase from where she was watching with a smirk. "You know you aren't fooling anyone? We all know you're really fond of your little kitten."

"Well, it's my first grand-kitten, after all. Someone's gotta keep an eye on him," Plagg answered dryly before disappearing down the corridor again.

"He loves him to pieces, you know," Tikki said softly. "A thousand years of partnership, and I've never seen Plagg so fond of something that drools everywhere and can't even eat Camembert yet."

Before Marinette could reply, familiar strong arms wrapped around her waist. "What are you doing, my love? I told you the moving crew would take care of all the packing."

Marinette revelled in the feeling of his husband's lips leaving a trail of kisses on her neck, leaning back in his loving embrace. "You do know I am not going to let strangers handle my underwear, right?"

He chuckled, burying his nose into her shoulder, planting a soft kiss on her shoulder blade. "Is Louis sleeping?"

She chuckled, turning around in his embrace so she would face him. "Yeah, Plagg just went to cuddle with him, stating Louis needed purring to get back to sleep. I asked him to check up on him earlier because he was fussing in his crib, and he tried to make it seem like he was doing me a big favour."

"He tries to hide it, but he really loves our little man," Adrien smiled against her neck. "Sometimes I think he even likes Louis better than me. However, my lovely lady, plane tickets are bought, Louis is getting his own seat for his car seat as you requested. The moving crew will be here first thing tomorrow morning to pack and ship our stuff, and I called your mom. She said the apartment is ready for us, and she took care of the appliances and furniture we won't bring with us with the money I sent her."

"You did well, chaton," Marinette gently said. "Now we just have to pack all the stuff we don't want the moving crew to handle by tomorrow morning. Easy peasy."

Adrien chuckled, eyeing his lady carefully. "Honestly Mari, by this point, Paris is only waiting for us. No regrets? No take backs? You did say you liked your life here before."

She pressed a quick kiss on her husband's lips, smiling at him softly. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you do realize that, yes?"

Adrien sighed, leaning into her touch. "You know that if you wanted to stay in China, we could create a brand new Marinette Agreste brand right here. I have enough savings to get you started, and-"

"Silly minou," she gently chastised, "opening a Xinlelu branch in Paris not only allows us to move back home, but also to gain some sort of independence. I won't have to pay my employees out of my pocket, and I'll be able to set up things quite nicely before the baby becomes a problem."

Adrien laughed, hugging her closer. "That's ridiculous. Louis only breastfeed at night now, and I'm staying at home with him. He shouldn't be a problem anymore."

Marinette smiled, taking his hand and putting it on her abdomen. "Maybe so, but this little one will be quite demanding for the first few months."

He froze, looking at her quizzically. "Wait? You're pregnant again? Already? But Louis is only ten months old!"

"Well," she laughed, "breastfeeding is far from being a reliable birth control method, even more considering that Louis only feeds once a day now, as you just pointed out. And as we never bothered to use anything else…"

Adrien's entire face lit up, staring at her like she was some kind of marvel. "You're serious? We're gonna have another baby? How far along are you?"

"Six weeks. Doctor confirmed it this morning, along with the news that my lungs are now officially spots free. Everything is fine and I have his blessing to board the plane tomorrow, so don't go worrying that pretty head of yours."

The wave of happiness that washed over Adrien upon hearing those words was unprecedented.

Another child.

They were going to have another child.

Louis already had been a blessing to him. He hadn't minded the 2 a.m. bottles of milk, the nearly radioactive diapers, the pacifiers that always seemed to disappear in times of dire need.

He had a son. Of his own. Thanks to Marinette.

And he was going to take care of him as is his life depended on it.

And now?

Now she was going to gift him with another child.

Another breathing testimony of their love.

He pressed a searing kiss on her lips, almost vibrating from the excitement. "I love you, my lady. I love you more than anything."

Hours later, Marinette would wonder where her husband had wandered off to.

Hours later, she would find Adrien standing in front of their son's crib, watching the infant's sleeping peacefully with Plagg curled up on his chest.

His son.

Corn blond hair, sky blue eyes.

The perfect mix of years of devoted love.

Hours later, Adrien would look into his wife's eyes, wondering how in the world he had gotten lucky enough to get to live this life.

Marinette put Louis's pacifier back in his mouth, letting him drift back to sleep. They were about to land, and she wasn't looking forward to dealing with an upset infant because of the shift in air pressure.

Adrien grabbed her hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

They were in this together.

Through thick and thin.

For better and for worse.

The plane began its descent toward Charles-de-Gaulles airport, and sure enough, Louis began fussing in his car seat. Adrien was quicker than her, unfastening his seatbelts and gently rocking him back and forth in his arms.

He managed to keep the upset baby under control until the plane came to a stop, then surrendered him to Marinette's open arms as they painstakingly made their way out of the plane.

Louis was exhausted and hungry, a combo that wasn't great for a ten-months-old baby boy. Hopefully, going through the customs was quick, and they went to luggage claim with a fussy child on their hands. Even Plagg, pretending to be a plush toy and gently purring in the crook of the infant's neck, wasn't enough to calm him down.

Tikki crept out of Marinette's purse, gently cuddling the baby's cheek and quietly humming him a lullaby. This seemed to do the trick, seeing as Louis finally rested his head in the crook of his mother's neck, closing his eyes and revelling into the kwamis' care.

Adrien wrapped his arm around Marinette's hips, pulling her close to him as they walked to the luggage claim. They were beginning their new life together, beginning a new chapter of their story.

The second they walked out of the corridor, Louis safely cradled in his mom's embrace, they saw them.

Tom and Sabine, eagerly waiting for them with a stroller ready, bright smiles on both of their faces. Alya, her phone already recording their arrival, trying (and failing) to hide the happy tears streaming down her face. Nino, his signature headphones missing for once, watching them coming out of the airport's maze with a fond smile stretching his lips.

Their family.

The first thing Marinette knew, Louis had been ripped out of her arms to be cuddled by a very eager Sabine, sour about how she hadn't seen her grandson in more than six months. Tom wrapped both his daughter and his son-in-law in a bone-crushing hug, rambling about how happy he was they were back for good. Alya sniffled not so subtly, begging them to never go away again, while Nino was just awkwardly standing there, unsure of what to do with himself.

And there, in the middle of France's busiest airport, Marinette finally broke down.

She dissolved into a mess of tears within her father's embrace, unable to cope with the love they were showering her with. Apologies were mumbled, reassurances were whispered.

Adrien stared at his wife, quietly sobbing against Tom's broad chest, and he couldn't help the relieved smile from spreading on his lips.

They were home.

Finally.

Marinette closed the door behind her, having set Louis in his crib just a second prior.

"Is he asleep?" Adrien asked, lifting his gaze from the box he had been unpacking.

She giggled, wiping the grim he had smeared across his forehead. "On the verge of. Plagg offered his purring services, so I thinks it's gonna be a few minutes at most."

"Did we really had all of this stuff in Shanghai? I kinda feel like they added boxes only to mess with me."

Marinette smiled, going around her husband to open another box. "You know, you are the one who insisted we moved everything we could so we wouldn't lose any memories. It probably would have been less expensive to buy Louis brand new toys."

"What?" Adrien loudly gasped, "and keeping him from his early childhood memories? What kind of monster are you, Mari?"

She wrapped her arms around his waist, smiling fondly in his back. "You know, Louis is the luckiest baby of all France."

"Because Marinette Agreste is his mom?" Adrien replied, planting a soft kiss on the crown of her hair.

"No," she answered, pressing her lips onto his. "Because Adrien Agreste is his father. Because he's not even a year old and you've already researched every suitable preschools. Because you love us more than anything, and I know you'll love his sister or brother just as much."

Adrien chuckled against her neck, pulling her closer to him. "You're playing unfair, my lady. As if I could not love anything coming from you."

Marinette smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his midsection. "Are you sure you're fine with us moving back here? I mean, there's nothing but bad memories for you here."

"I do have happy memories of my life here, Marinette. They just happen to all be related to you. Besides, the neat thing about memories is that you are constantly making new ones. And I'm pretty confident that the ones we'll make in the next few decades are going to be nothing short of amazing. No pressure," he ended with a playful wink, earning himself a glare from his wife.

"You're the worst," she said as she resumed unpacking.

Adrien walked up behind her, lacing his strong arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. "Good thing you married me for better or for worse then," he cooed in her ear.

Marinette turned around, pulling him into a deep kiss. "I really am Lady Luck. I'll be forever grateful that life gave us another chance at being together in that cemetery."

He nodded, smiling against her lips.

"A second chance."

The End