Marinette carefully peeked around the door into the darkened hospital room. Alix had asked to speak to her alone, a request Jalil was apprehensive to fulfill, but ultimately gave in on. She stepped fully into the room, allowing the door to shut quietly behind her.

Jalil had tried to prepare her for what she was going to see, but the full realization of Alix's condition had not hit her until it was presented in front of her eyes. The absence of natural light in the room gave it the look of those found footage horror films. The ethereal glow of the monitors backlit the figure sitting in the bed, creating a silhouette that made her appear as a looming shadow.

The closer she came to the bed; the more details Marinette could make out. The frailness of form, the unkempt hair, the feeding tubes, and the blindfold. All the more fitting for the horror aesthetic.

"It was you." She made the statement a fact, not a question.

Marinette's body gave an involuntary jerk. It had just dawned on her how nervous she was.

"I'm not sure what you mean." She took a seat in the chair closest to the bed.

A weak grin creeped its way onto Alix's face. A moment of silence passed and Marinette could not tell if the young woman was thinking or listening to a voice only she could hear.

"You don't have to dance around things with me." Alix turned away and eased herself into a more comfortable position on the bed. "I've known Adrien's secret for a while now, I haven't told anyone. I won't tell anyone about you either."

"He never knew about me in that time…" She dropped all pretenses.

"I've seen that day in my head over a hundred times from every possible angle. You and Ivan were the only two people I didn't touch, and I highly doubt he could be Ladybug."

"But I was there when Ladybug showed up." Marinette pointed out.

"True," Alix admitted "though we both know that was just the you from the other timeline. "

"Let's say that I am." Marinette offered. "What tipped you off?"

"In a way, it was Adrien that gave it away. Of all the flashbacks I'm forced to live through, the feelings he has for Ladybug are by far the strongest. They are honestly some of the few memories that give me some peace. The last memories of everyone I touched involves them running away. He was the only one that ran towards me. No fear for himself, only his feelings for Ladybug. For you. He didn't know who you were, but he knew how he felt." She stopped a moment to breathe. Marinette could tell that this was taking a lot out of her, but was afraid to interrupt.

"By the time the memories started coming, I had already seen the way he looked at you." Alix gave a light laugh. "Everyone could see the way he looked at you. It was around that time I started to make the connection. There is no way he could have looked at anyone that way except for Ladybug."

"Was it that obvious?" Marinette blushed at this bit of information.

"That, and you were the only two people in our class that hadn't been Akumatized." Alix's voice went softer. "Still, my biggest question for you is…. Why?"

"Why what?" Marinette was still trying to absorb all of this information.

"Why take so long to answer? Why answer at all?" The sadness and frustration were evident in her tone, and Marinette guessed that she would see tears running down her cheek if she hadn't been wearing the blindfold.

"To be honest, I wasn't even aware of the changes to the LadyBlog until this week. I've recently become aware that I've cut myself off from a lot of people over the last few years, and I'm trying to make it right.

"I saw your post, and I knew I was the only person that had any chance of being able to relate. I don't carry the same burdens, but I have to admit, I sometimes get confused over which timeline is real." Marinette hung her head. "There are times I have to convince myself that Adrien is real, that he's alive. I get flashbacks of Chat disappearing, and it often feels like Adrien will be gone if I look away for too long."

"Why do I get the feeling that I'm the first person you've told about this?"

"I've sort of talked to Adrien about it, just not in those same words." Marinette admitted. "The two of us have only ever talked to each other, but there are just some experiences we never shared."

"Can we make a deal?" Alix asked.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Come visit me." Alix adjusted back to a full seated position. "My parents have no clue what I'm going through. Jalil gets the part about being Akumatized, but he didn't actually hurt anyone in the grand scheme of things. I know you don't get all of it, but maybe we could hash some things out. The therapist that sits in here and talks at me mentioned talking it out might do me some good, but she's never even been through anything like this."

"You know, I would have agreed to that, even if you didn't know my secret." Marinette answered. "I can guarantee a once a week visit, but anything beyond that will be a little rough. I just started my internship this week, but I can stop in anytime I have a free moment."

"I'm not looking for around the clock time." Alix's lips quirked into a weak smile. "Just come in when you can, the surprise of not knowing might make a difference." She yawned and stretched to lay back on the bed.

Marinette sat quietly waiting for her to continue. She strained her eyes in the low light and noticed that the girl on the bed was breathing steadily and evenly. Being extra careful to not make any noise, she slipped back out into the hallway.

She turned around, putting her nose to nose with Alya.

"What did she say?" Alya's brows furrowed with the question.

"Shhh." Marinette shushed as she pulled her nosey friend away from the door. "She asked if I would come visit her, then fell asleep."

"Really? That's all?" Alya tilted her head and looked skeptically over her glasses. She backed down after a moment and sighed. "Her meds must have kicked in."

"That's funny." Jalil piped in as he approached the two of them. "The nurse didn't mention giving her any meds before we went in. They always tell me if they've given her anything."

"Talking seemed to tire her out." Marinette volunteered.

"You don't understand." Jalil explained. "She doesn't sleep. She hasn't slept without medication since she's been here."

"She mentioned something about me not triggering flashbacks, could that make a difference?" Marinette bit her bottom lip in thought.

"It could." Alya cradled her chin between her thumb and forefinger. "I've triggered a couple of them in her myself, it's downright terrifying."

"I'll go talk to the nurse about it." Jalil placed a hand on Alya's shoulder. "Thanks for coming out. Keep me updated, okay?"

Alya nodded and Jalil headed towards the nurse's station. She turned to Marinette.

"I don't know about you, but I could really use something to eat."

"Do you want me to make sure you're pumped full of coffee, too?" Marinette smiled in return.

"You always know just what to say. There's a café just down the street, we can walk there, then I'll take you home." She grabbed Marinette's hand and pulled her toward the exit.

"You know, I could just take the Metro, I don't exactly live in the city proper." Marinette kept pace with Alya to avoid having her arm tugged too hard.

"It's fine. It's a beautiful night, and the fresh air will do me some good."

The two of them strolled to the neighboring block to a cozy little place that served hot beverages and warm savory pastries. They grabbed their meals and headed for an empty seat outside. Initially, they simply ate their food and enjoyed each other's company. When they got down to drinks, Alya zeroed in on the topic at hand.

"What did she really say in there?" She was in reporter mode.

"Honestly, she asked if I would come visit her. If you think about it, her condition forced her to be isolated from all the friends she had, and it kind of prevents her from going out to make new ones. Wouldn't you start to feel a bit lonely?" She took a sip of her cocoa. "Even though I did it absent-mindedly, I've sort of put myself through the same thing. I can kind of relate. The fact that you and I have gone so long without talking should be evidence of that."

"You were in there for a long time, it just seems weird that's all she would have to say."

"From what I understand, she doesn't do much talking. It was sort of forced and seemed to take a lot out of her. It also took me a few minutes to realize she was asleep. It's not really easy to tell with that blindfold on." Marinette's phone began to vibrate loudly in her pocket.

"Hello, Adrien." Alya threw out before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Hey, I'm still out with Alya, she says, hello." Marinette covered the receiver.

"He says "Hi" back." She removed her hand. "I don't need you to come get me, Alya said she'd make sure I got home safely."

Alya reached across the table and snatched the phone out of Marinette's hand.

"Hello, Lover-boy, she's trying to convince me to just drop her off at the nearest Metro station, but I promise to take her the whole way, safe and sound. Or I might just steal her away forever to make up for all the time she's spent with you. I'm sure there's plenty for the two of us to catch up on."

Marinette stared with horror creeping into her eyes, but relaxed when she heard Adrien's laugh make its way out of the phone.

"Don't worry, we both have early mornings, and it's been a long day for me. I'm not taking her out partying or anything, yet." Alya took a quick breath before continuing. "Still, can I ask if you're free tomorrow night?"

Marinette couldn't hear Adrien's response.

"Good, then you and Nino are spending the evening together." Alya responded matter-of-factly. "You made me a promise a few years back, and have yet to deliver. He doesn't make a big deal about it, but he misses you. He just needs to know you're doing ok. I'll have him send you details tomorrow, bye." She hung up the phone and handed it to Marinette. "They'll have a guy's night, and we'll have a girl's night."

Marinette just stared blankly at her friend.

"Let's finish these drinks and get you home to Prince Charming."

They polished off their beverages and made their way back to the Vespa. Alya grabbed the helmets out of the compartment. They put them on and loaded themselves onto the vehicle. Marinette assumed the position, and wrapped her arms around Alya's waist.

"Hold on tight." Alya seamlessly entered traffic and began her carful dance of weaving between the other drivers out on the road. Five minutes into the trip, they were forced to stop at an intersection.

"It just occurred to me that I don't know where you live." Alya admitted.

Marinette opened her eyes and took a quick look around.

"Actually, you should have turned left three blocks ago." She answered.

"Hold onto thy butts…." Alya revved the engine on her little scooter, and made a very wide and very fast U-turn. "You're going to have to keep your eyes open if you plan of directing me the rest of the way there."

Marinette nodded in understanding. She had literally free fallen off of numerous buildings and structures around Paris, why would something like this terrify her so much. As they continued on, she realized it was more about control. She could control a fall; worst case scenario the ground would stop her. With Alya in control, you never knew what to expect.

As the streets became less familiar and the traffic died off, Alya reduced her speed. She began to notice an unnerving trend in the neighborhoods they were driving through. The street lights were fewer in number, until the few that were present were barely working at all.

"How does Adrien let you live out here?" Alya glanced momentarily at her passenger.

"He doesn't dictate every aspect of my life." Marinette answered.

"Your parents, then. Your family isn't hurting for money."

"They weren't on board at first, but I can be pretty convincing. Besides, I'm able to pull it off all by myself, and that's the important part." The pride almost radiated from her skin. "Here it is."

"I'm guessing the expensive piece of machinery out front belongs to Adrien." Alya pulled up next to curb. "How has it not been broken into?"

"Bulletproof glass." There was no humor in Marinette's voice. Just a statement of fact. "Would you like to come up?"

"I love you." Alya patted her scooter. "But there's no way in Hell I'm leaving my baby unattended out here."

"Come on, it's not that bad." Marinette removed her helmet and handed it back over.

"It really is." Alya dismounted to stash the helmet in the compartment. Then, she gave Marinette a hug. "Go on up. I can't leave until you are safe and sound. I made a promise."

"See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, come by the station after you get off. I'll give you a tour, and we can have some girl time." Alya hopped back on her scooter.

"Deal." Marinette smiled and ran into her building.

As soon as the door clicked back into place, Alya's phone went off. She saw Nino's info on the screen.

"What do you have?"

"Nothing on a who, but I do have a where. It's not perfect, but I do have a general neighborhood. I've sent it to your e-mail."

Alya switched to speaker phone and opened her email.

"I'm taking a look at it, now." She told him.

"It's pretty far out from the city." Nino spoke as she was taking in the information. "I can go check it out tomorrow if you want. It's really too late to do anything about tonight."

Alya's eyes grew wide as realization dawned on her.

"I'm already here." She spoke flatly.

"What?" Nino's tone turned harsh. "Why on Earth are you all the way out there? At this time of night?"

Alya looked up at the window on the top floor. A small silhouette leaned out and waved to her, indicating a safe arrival.

"I just dropped of Marinette."