The room was as clean and sharp as it was ever. The black never failed to compliment the white in a cold, sharp fashion. The room's changed from what we know of the room 15 years ago. There's a more professional and empty feeling to the room, the bed seems bigger, as if it was made for two people. There was glass furniture and the lone grand piano that stood in the middle of the room as if every object in that room was a spectator to the empty recital to which no sound was playing. The same person still lived in this room, as did another person. Thus was Adrien Agreste's room for a long while if we were to count years. It has been remodeled and is bigger than before but the feeling of emptiness remains the same.
"Adrien, remember you have that event at your old fencing institution today, and since we're both fencing champions, your old mentor thought to invite both of us as special guests, isn't that great?" A woman with a blue haired bob cut said as she helped Adrien put his blazer on. The man before her let out a chuckle before turning his neck slightly and replying.
"Yes Kagami, I'm perfectly aware, don't worry, we both got this in the bag, it's been a while since we've been to an event about fencing, let's have some fun with it!" Adrien turned around and Kagami straightened out his blazer, leaned up and pecked his lips, making him smirk.
"Alright then! Let's go!" Kagami patted him on the shoulder and walked out of the room leaving Adrien to linger for a bit before following her. Adrien felt his eyes flicker towards a picture he had on his nightstand. It was a picture of him and a certain bluenette. His hand was on top of hers, showing two charm bracelets on their wrists. They were smiling so brightly in that picture. He still had the charm bracelet, he still wears it, even if it's importance has weakened over 15 years without its other half of the pair. He wondered if Marinette, the girl in the picture, still had her charm bracelet. It's been 15 odd years... and it seems to be a distant memory now, but you couldn't get Adrien to stop wearing it, even if you tried. Adrien sighed and then went out the door, closing the memory behind him, to be reopened another day. He had a fiancée now, but it didn't hurt to remind himself of those days. He wonders how the bluenette in question is doing after all these years, if she's still alive that is. That, is very true, as our favorite bluenette is in fact still alive, but could be considered dead for better or worse.
Louis rushed to put on his teal sneakers as he hopped out the door to find Marinette and Hugo waiting for him outside. Louis then zipped up his navy blue jacket with gray around the collar and smiled at his little brother and mother.
"Louis, you sure took your time, our sister has that event for her fencing class today remember?" Hugo asked as the three started down the stairs and out the door. Louis rolled his eyes as he ruffled Hugo's hair.
"Yeah, I know, there was a famous fencing champion coming to her class right?" Louis inquired as Marinette unlocked her car and the kids got in.
"Hey Hugo, did Emma ever tell who exactly was the fencing champion?" Marinette asked as she looked in the rear view mirror. Hugo thought about it for a moment before answering.
"Hmmm... nope, she said it was gonna be a surprise," Hugo replied as they all tucked in their seatbelts and Marinette turned on the ignition.
"A surprise hmm? Oh well, I guess we'll know when we get there," Marinette sighed as the three of them headed down to the fencing institution that Adrien used to go to when he was younger for Emma's event/special class. The fencing event was held at Marinette's old high school, and they have fencing classes Monday's, Wednesday's, and Fridays after school. However, the event was on Saturday so everyone could take the day off. After 10 minutes of driving, Marinette finally pulled up into a parking spot and the trio exited the car and entered the building. There was a giant courtyard where the classes were held but today, there was a large rectangular platform added in the middle of the yard, "I'm guessing that's the fencing match platform for the special guest." Marinette scanned the tens of fencing students in the crowd and spotted her daughter's high ponytail in the crowd. Louis called out to her before she could though.
"EMMA! We're over here!" Louis called out, making the girl in question turn around and call back excitedly.
"Hey Louis! MOMMY! HUGO! It's about to start!" Emma called back as she ran towards the group and sat next to them as the event was about to start. Around the platform there are seats all around so you can spectate the event from every angle. Soon, a tall, strict man with a refined demeanor stepped onto the platform and cleared his throat. Many families were gathered with their fencing children to spectate the event.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, fellow students, thank you all for coming to the special event we have for you today. The special guests appreciate that all of you take the time out of your day to come here. Merci beaucoup!" The man announced as Marinette leaned over to talk to Emma without taking her eyes off the stage.
"Sweetie, I'm just wondering... who exactly are the special guests that are coming for the fencing exhibition today?" Marinette asked, calm but slowly getting anxious for the answer. Emma turned so she could face her mom with a big smile on her face.
"Oh Mommy! I forgot to tell you! The special guests are the fencing legends Adrien Agreste and Kagami Tsurugi!" Emma squealed happily, Marinette felt her blood run cold and she felt a seat scrape next to her and she found Louis staring intently at his sister in shock.
"Wait WHAT?!" Marinette and Louis said in unison, the outburst caught the attention of Hugo, who also moved his seat so he could face Emma. Marinette felt her hands grip the sides of her arms with a iron vice that could break her bones. Louis, Emma, and Hugo looked at Marinette worryingly as Marinette felt her sight blur immensely and zoom out until her peripheral vision went black and she could barely see. She could barely hear anything as she shut her eyes and felt tears rolling down her face, everything was just static with a few incoherent voices. It's been a while since she's had one... an anxiety attack, and a bad one at that. Suddenly she felt a strong set of arms grab hers and she jumped and felt her sight return to normal. However, she was still extremely shaky and anxious and she taking in deep, harsh breaths of air. She still couldn't pay attention fully but she could at least see her family.
"NO! Adrien! Please! LET ME GO!" Marinette almost screamed but she was quieted by whoever was in front of her with a comforting shush. She looked up to find Louis staring at her with a comforting fear. Hugo and Emma were also hugging their mom from both sides and she could see all their faces within her vision.
"Mom... shhhh... it's gonna be ok, I'm not Adrien, It's been a while since you had one of these. Are you ok?" Louis asked, rubbing his mom's arms, calming her down. It scared all of them, seeing their mom this way. This was Hugo and Emma's first time seeing their mom go through this, and it scared the living daylights out of them.
"Mommy? Are you ok? I'm sorry if I hurt you by saying their names," Emma sobbed lightly into her mom's arms. She felt so immensely guilty, she loves her mom so much and to think she did that to her mom. It killed her inside. Marinette immediately turned to hug Emma. Marinette kissed her forehead comfortingly and held her daughter close.
"No sweetie, it isn't your fault, you just didn't know. Those names just bring up a lot of memories that are best left buried for the time being," Marinette comforted her daughter, rubbing her back, eventually Emma pulled away from Marinette and wiped her tears away. Louis and Hugo smiled appreciatively before turning back towards the stage to view the performance. Marinette felt her stomach churn with anxiety, cause even though she got past her initial panic, she knew that Adrien couldn't see her, no matter what.
"Please welcome to the stage! Adrien Agreste and Kagami Tsurugi!" The stalky fencing instructor announced, causing Marinette to feel a wave of cold blood course through her and grip her arms again, although not as tightly. Marinette immediately felt Louis's hands on her shoulders, stabilizing her and warming her up.
"Thank you Louis," Marinette whispered as she felt her heart rate go back to normal. Louis smiled gratefully next to her and whispered in her ear.
"It's not a problem Mom, I'll always be by your side if you ever need anything. Just like I have been for the past 15 years," Louis whispered and hugged Marinette around the shoulders after, Marinette smiled and rubbed her son's hand gratefully. Soon, Marinette saw two people in elaborate fencing uniforms come up to the stand. They were both wearing helmets so she couldn't see their faces but she knew who was who. The taller figure in the black fencing suit with a green cape was Adrien and the shorter figure in the white fencing suit that has a shimmering pink glow with a red fencing saber was Kagami.
"As long as I don't see their faces...I'll be fine..." Marinette reassured herself as the fencing match went underway. Off in a short distance away from the Dupain Cheng family was a raven haired woman with a couple of neon pink highlights, watching the family from a solemn distance. Nathalie was still working for Gabriel after all these years and she eyed the family with an unreadable expression. She noticed the way Marinette reacted to Adrien being here and she didn't like it, not one bit. 15 years and the grip the past had on her was still just as strong. Even though she doesn't show it, she is very surprised to see Marinette here, although, she wasn't completely surprised by the kids being here. Adrien and Kagami struck with sharp, continuous movements, each strike more refined and deadly than the last. The lashes and strikes were so fast to the common eye, they were almost invisible. The only evidence that even supports the fact it was even moving was the arm movements. The saber remained invisible to the naked eye. The match went on for about 10 minutes and both fencers eventually stalemated and withdrew their sabers to a draw. The audience cheered and whooped as the fencers turned towards the audience and bowed in return. Marinette breathed a sigh of relief but that didn't last long as the fencers took off their helmets and Marinette paled as she saw them in all their glory. Marinette felt tears automatically running down her face as she saw Adrien's handsome face, it was just how she remembered it, although he did look a lot more masculine than before, she could still tell it was him. His jawline was more defined than it was before and he grew more muscular but still somehow managed to maintain his lean frame. His messy near platinum blond hair was still the same as it was and his electric green eyes seemed maintained its shine after all those years, "Oh Adrien..."
"That's Dad..." Louis murmured to himself as he saw his dad for the first time. Louis wiped away his tears with his arm and plastered his million dollar smile that he inherited from his father because he couldn't stop smiling, "That's really him..." Hugo and Emma stayed oblivious to this fact still, but they still watched Adrien and Kagami with the same awe as their older brother, although their older brother's feelings were vastly different.
"GIVE IT UP FOR THE FENCING LEGENDS ADRIEN AGRESTE AND KAGAMI TSURUGI!" The fencing instructor cheered as everyone stood up and continued cheering. Even Louis, Hugo, and Emma stood up and clapped for Adrien. Marinette was the only one who didn't stand up. The clapping soon ceased and everyone sat down as the instructor said there was to be an interview with the legends themselves shortly. Marinette tried her absolute hardest to not make eye contact with Adrien and she put on her dark violet floppy hat that covered her eyes from his gaze. On the hat was a white rose that was painted various light colors in random places around the petals to match the outfit she was wearing today. Marinette sighed as the interview began.
"Alright! Does anyone have any questions for Mr. Agreste or Ms. Tsurugi or soon to be Mrs. Agreste?" The instructor asked as several hands went up in the audience. Kagami laughed bashfully and hit the instructor lightly in the shoulder and kissed Adrien on the cheek. Marinette felt herself narrow her eyes at the couple but that was the only indication that showed that Marinette was even the slightest bit bothered by what she just heard.
"Of course... he would have moved on... I don't blame him... it has been 15 years... I guess I should be happy," Marinette murmured to herself, sucking in a harsh breath that hurt her chest after a long period of holding her breath. Adrien picked a hand that was far over to the left from where the family was sitting.
"How did you and Kagami meet?"
"Ahhh... that story, well one day, I was minding my own business in fencing class and I was sparring with a friend of mine at the time..." Adrien started but he felt himself stop for a moment with a feeling of remorse before continuing. Marinette knew at that moment that Adrien remembered that he was actually sparring with her , "Kagami came in here suddenly, demanding to fight the person with the best skill and I took her on, my friend refereed the match and when we got a touche on each other. The referee asked my friend who did she think landed the touche first. My friend said it was me and it basically broke Kagami. I remember later that day I comforted her about good sportsmanship when it comes to a debatable loss and it all went from there." Adrien finished with an audience approval as he moved on to the next question. The questions went on for a while with Adrien and Kagami taking turns answering questions before Adrien picked the last question. There was a couple of hands but his finger eventually landed on the hand of a 8 year old girl who eagerly had her hand up: Emma. Marinette, Louis, and Hugo looked at Emma with slight shock, but Marinette didn't think there was any harm in having Emma answer a question. After, this is the first actual conversation Emma has with her dad, ok... maybe something to worry about. Adrien had a big smile when he interacted with Emma, there was something about the 8 year old girl that he was immediately drawn to, he just didn't know what.
"Hi! Might I catch your name?" Adrien asked enthusiastically with Emma practically beaming in happiness, however when Marinette realized the humongous risk that came along with that question, it was too late.
"Emma wait!"
"Emma! Emma Dupain Cheng!" Emma happily replied with Adrien and Kagami widening their eyes in shock.
"W-w-wait... can you repeat that? Did you just say your name was Emma Dupain Cheng?" Adrien asked slowly and before Marinette could stop her daughter again, she replied.
"Yep! That's my name!" Emma confirmed with Adrien eyeing the crowd around the girl in question. Marinette immediately lowered her a little so he wouldn't be able to see her face and Louis closed his eyes and winced for what was coming, while Hugo had the calmest face as if he wasn't even bothered by the fact that their name potentially be exposed. Hugo was extremely far from dumb, he looked calm so Adrien wouldn't group the people sitting next to Emma together so he wouldn't put the pieces together.
"Alright... what's your question?" Adrien asked lowly, and Emma's face immediately changed from practically beaming to a slightly serious expression.
"Why does your name bring up bad memories for my Maman? A while ago, she had a panicky freak out and it really scared me," Emma asked with a serious expression on her face, Marinette knew she was doomed, she knew she couldn't stop Emma from asking these questions but this was the absolute worst timing ever. Adrien narrowed his eyes and raised one of his eyebrows questioningly, he's bound to figure out what Emma was talking about eventually. Marinette suddenly stood and raised her hand so she could pull down one of the sides of the hat to hide her face and she walked out of the aisle. Not a lot of people paid her much mind, but little did she know, Adrien noticed and eyed her every movement. Marinette heard Louis and Hugo call after her quietly but she kept moving and she strolled outside of the building. Marinette then leaned against the wall and steadied her breathing.
"It's been a while since I've been in a situation this bad... I just hope my quick judgement and thinking can keep my family under wraps," Marinette groaned, using one hand to rub out her eyes, trying to think of any possible way that she could get out of this without Adrien knowing who she was. Suddenly she heard a voice from around the wall she was leaning against, it was a voice she hadn't heard in a long time.
"It's been a long time Marinette... How have you been faring?" Marinette recognized who it was immediately: Nathalie. Marinette let a small breath of relief but there was no guarantee that Nathalie was here to help her.
"It has been quite a long time, Nathalie, I believe I saw you last when I exited the Agreste residence that day," Marinette whispered quietly, with a silent malice.
"Yes... then I assume you remember the terms of the contract? You took an extremely huge risk coming here," Nathalie said quietly as Marinette rolled her eyes, folded her arms, and stared off into the street.
"Yes... I'm aware... and also... I remember the terms clear as day... nothing could make me forget..." Marinette reminisced with a bitterness as deep as a black coffee.
"Good... I really hope you are careful about where you step, you could land in very deep trouble with Gabriel and I wish the best for you and your children," Nathalie sighed as she felt Marinette shift against the wall and she replied with a cold tone.
"Really? Then let me ask you this... why are you still working for that son of a bitch then? The "best" as you call it, is me and my children freed from that wretched contract and Adrien fulfilling his role as their father. Alas, there's such a slim chance of that even happening." Marinette replied coldly, causing Nathalie to stiffen slightly in shock but her shoulder soon relaxed.
"I think you're well aware of the reason why I continue to work for that man..."
"You already sold your soul to him so what does it matter? A devil's bargain... you should have known better than to stay with him, you're an intuitive woman, I bet you knew exactly the type of man he was from the beginning, why didn't you break free sooner?" Marinette asked sympathetically, turning her head slightly so she could see Nathalie's reaction.
"It is as you say, I have sold my soul to him, I fear I might be doomed for an eternity... I have no say in what he does. He was always an "the ends justify the means" type of person, he doesn't care how he does it, but just the results matter to him. That's why you have to be careful Marinette, one step out of line, and you will meet him again... and I know how much you loathe seeing him," Nathalie warned, with Marinette feeling a cold chill down her spine. She always had this unsettled feeling when she was around either Gabriel or Nathalie, but around Gabriel, it was times a million.
"I'm aware... Nathalie... I know what I'm doing... I'm not afraid of him, I've met him enough times to know that keeping face is of utmost importance, cool, collected, almost emotionless. Any sign of emotion is weakness in his eyes, I know that quite well Nathalie. Don't. Underestimate me," Marinette said lowly, looking out of the corner of her eye to see Nathalie nodding.
"Good then... may we meet again Ms. Dupain Cheng..." And with that, she was gone. Marinette listened for the footsteps that were growing quieter to completely cease before she noticed people walking out of the school courtyard.
"The event must be over then..." Marinette sighed as she decided to sneak back into the building to find her kids. Marinette turned in the opposite direction of the main entrance and and walked off to the side of the building where there was a garden and she could enter through the side entrance that way. Marinette felt her footsteps against the pavement with her silver high heels, they weren't even that high, like barely two inches? Marinette soon entered the luscious courtyard garden and made her way through the maze to the side entrance. Even though it's been a while, she still knew the garden like the back of her hand, there isn' a lot of people who go through here. Soon she found the courtyard door and when she tugged on it, she discovered it was locked. Huffing, Marinette lifted one leg onto a high ledge on the fence and with all of her strength, she flipped herself over, pushing off from her leg, landing gracefully on the other side with a thud that was a little on the louder side because of her heels. Her hat also fell off in the process and she managed to grab it out of midair and place back on her head in a clean fashion. Marinette sighed and smiled to herself in pride.
"All those self defense lessons and training have been paying off! I literally flipped myself over a fence! Go me!" Marinette whispered proudly to herself as she turned around and saw her worst case scenario. Adrien and Kagami were walking alongside each other in the hallway and she was within their range of sight if they decided to look left. Panicking, Marinette quickly then hid behind a column, but even though that hid her, that didn't hide the fact that she made sound with her heels. Adrien and Kagami quickly noticed this as they stopped talking and looked towards the sound when she moved. Marinette then heard Adrien's voice:
"Who's there?"
"I know I heard footsteps..."
"Let's go check..."
"Crap..." Marinette silently cursed as she didn't dare to peek out from behind the pillar and she heard the footsteps getting closer. She knew if she stayed, she was definitely gonna get caught, and if she ran, there was a possibility of her escaping if she could outrun both of them, which she highly doubts she can do. They're both more fit than her, they'd be able to catch her. However... a chance is better than no chance at all, she learned that the hard way. Marinette knew what she had to do, but she had to buy some time. Marinette scanned around quickly and she found a stone that looked big enough to make a coherent sound. Marinette quietly picked up the stone and she aimed for the side where she thinks Adrien and Kagami are coming opposite from. She quickly tossed it and it created another series of thuds that sounded a bit similar to hurried footsteps.
"What was that?"
"I think those were footsteps coming from over there..."
"Really? But we haven't seen anyone move in this hallway..."
"I don't know Adrien, but I'll check over there, you check where we first heard footsteps, could be a burglar."
"Alright Kagami..."
"Double crap!" Marinette silently cursed again, she was able to shake off one of them, but not both of them. There wasn't anything else she could use. Marinette sighed and as she heard the footsteps get closer to where she was. It's now or never, she had to run for it. Marinette closed her eyes, prayed, and then, without a second of hesitation, she made a break for it. Marinette sprinted out from behind the pillar and made a mad dash down the hallway, and as she sprinted out, she caught a good look of Adrien's face before she decided to keep on sprinting. He looked shocked, and that was everything else she could read from him, she didn't bother to hide her face with the hat, so he would have been able to get a good look at her face as well. Marinette pumped as much air as she could into her lungs and sprinted as fast as her heels would allow her, which was pretty fast, they were low heels. She then felt two pairs of footsteps come after her and she didn't bother to look back, any second of hesitation and that would have been it. There's a good reason why she can't speak to Adrien... at all costs. She heard the calls from the two people chasing her, she wanted to stop but she couldn't. As she was running, she felt the air stream from her hands and that another hand was closing in on her hands. Marinette closed her eyes and ran even harder down the hallway, when she opened them, she found a turn onto another hallway, and she remembered that led back to the main courtyard where her kids were. Marinette stuck out her arm to latch onto the pillar that was supporting the archway of the hallway and spun into the hallway. Thing was, her pursuers were running so fast that when she changed directions, they didn't register it time and slipped as they tried to backtrack. Marinette laughed a sigh of relief and suddenly, she felt her phone ring. Quickly, she whipped out her phone to find that Louis was calling. She pressed accept and put it on speaker so she didn't have to hold it up. All too soon, she heard her pursuers on her tail again, and they were slowly gaining.
"Louis?!" Marinette said quickly into the phone, and she heard the worried discussion of her two other kids in the background, wondering where she was, Louis must have been holding it on speaker.
"Mom! Where are you?" Louis asked, but as soon as he heard his mom's pants into the phone, he immediately asked another question, "Mom, are you okay? You sound like you're running..."
"Running from what?" Marinette heard Emma ask and she heard Hugo give the funniest response, for an adult anyway.
"Probably from her tax audit monster?"
"Hugo... how do you even know what a tax audit is?" Louis asked wearily as Marinette let out a harsh laugh.
"No Hugo! I'm not running from a tax audit monster! Louis! Listen to me! I'm going come in from the right side, so when you see me running from Adrien and Kagami," Marinette explained, their names feeling thick down her throat, "Be prepared to run with me to the car! Louis, put your track experience to use! Get your siblings ready!"
"Oh my goodness! Really! Alright! On it Mom! I'll meet you in what?" Marinette felt Louis give a quick nod from across the phone and Marinette quickly answered, starting to get out of breath.
"30 seconds!"
"Ok! On it!" Marinette heard Louis hang up and she automatically focused on running to her kids, the finish line. Marinette took a quick peek backwards and saw Adrien was the closest to her. Close enough to feel his breath down her neck but she was far enough to where he can barely reach her clothing. 30 seconds couldn't come any faster, soon she raced into the courtyard where the seats were being packed away and the stage was still there. She couldn't see any sign of her kids when she heard a loud call of her name near the main entrance.
"Mom! Come on! He's almost gaining on you!" Louis called with Hugo and Emma jumping up and down next to him. They both had their hands to their mouths, calling out to Marinette, which gave her strength to keep sprinting.
"Mommy! You're almost there!" Hugo called out with Emma nodding and adding to the cheer.
"Just a little more Mommy!" Emma cheered as Marinette raced through the aisles and had the quick thinking to mess up the seats as she goes to make it harder for her pursuers. She took a peek behind again and she saw Kagami falling into her trap, tangled in the chairs. Marinette didn't feel any better because she felt her blood run cold again and she quickly asked the mental question: Where's Adrien?" Marinette looked ahead again and she barely registered what happened as she saw Adrien appear out of nowhere in front of her and swipe at her in an attempt to grab her. Marinette heard her children shout: "LOOK OUT!" and she immediately leaned back to where she slid under his arm barely and was about to fall from the momentum. Marinette slid past him and started to slip and fall on her back when she felt a pair of warm arms catch her and help her up.
"That was pretty lit Mom, I gotta admit, but we gotta go!" Louis smiled at Marinette with pride as they ran back to where Hugo and Emma were waiting. With all four family members in tow, all of them ran to the parking lot where they quickly located their car. Marinette whipped out her car keys, unlocked the car and everyone practically jumped into the car. Marinette jammed the keys into the ignition and turned it on. Marinette threw her hat into the back seat where Emma caught it and shifted the gear shift into reverse. When Marinette finally looked up, she saw Adrien and Kagami running towards the car and she quickly looked back and slammed into foot into the gas pedal. Luckily, there was no one behind them, and she pulled out like a maniac and drove away with her kids laughing hysterically. Glad this was a fun action scene for them, it was life and death for Marinette. Marinette watched as she left the school, Adrien, and Kagami to look off at them from their parking space. Marinette breathed a sigh of relief as she thought she had gotten away with it. Even though she technically did... she also sort of didn't and you'll soon see why.
Adrien's POV
What... just happened...? One moment, I was having an interview for fencing and the next, I'm having a high speed chase through a school after a mystery woman. I brushed away the dust and regained my breath as I relive what just happened.
Adrien's POV (Third Person)
Adrien and Kagami walked down the hallway after the interview ended, discussing the question that the little girl asked. It was the weirdest and most specific question they have heard, but also the most peculiar. The girl said that her name was Emma Dupain Cheng and he was instantly reminded of Marinette. Adrien thought to think that there are other people with the last name of Dupain Cheng, but that was when he realized that that last name came from Tom's last name and Sabine's last name. There was no doubt that girl is somehow related to the three, and if he had to guess, she's probably Marinette's daughter. The fact that Marinette even has a daughter strikes him even more odd even though he's happy for Marinette. Adrien never did actually see Marinette in the audience but that woman who left when she asked the question was suspect. He saw that she purposely hid her face and walked out of the building. Adrien was deep in thought until he heard a small series of footsteps over to the left. Adrien and Kagami automatically looked in that direction and saw the gate to the courtyard on the right. However, it did sound like somebody moved.
"Who's there?"
"I know I heard footsteps..."
"Let's go check..."
Adrien and Kagami drew closer to the pillar that was next to the gate when they suddenly heard a couple of thuds over to their left. Adrien and Kagami stopped for a few seconds to look in the direction of the sound and they both came to a decision.
"What was that?"
"I think those were footsteps coming from over there..."
"Really? But we haven't seen anyone move in this hallway..."
"I don't know Adrien, but I'll check over there, you check where we first heard footsteps, could be a burglar."
"Alright Kagami..."
Adrien moved closer to the pillar while Kagami checked in the other area. As Adrien drew closer he suddenly had the feeling that there was someone behind this pillar. When he finally drew close enough, he saw a figure dash out from behind the pillar and Adrien couldn't contain his shock when he saw her face. Her face was a very rounded oval that was more on the circle side. She had a slight tan but her skin was close to white. What he immediately noticed was her bluebell eyes and her blueberry hair, that hadn't changed, the woman wore it down but nonetheless, he knew who she was. Marinette continued to sprint down the hall with all her might with Adrien and Kagami right behind her. Adrien tried multiple to times to grab hold of her hand, but he couldn't. They kept running until Marinette suddenly turned into another hallway and both Adrien and Kagami slipped. Soon though, Adrien huffed and immediately got back onto his feet and started running after her again . He then heard a cellphone call off in the distance and he saw that Marinette was getting a call. He couldn't tell whether he was lucky that it was on speaker or not.
"Louis!"
"Mom where are you?! Wait... Mom, are you ok? You sound like you're running."
"Running from what?"Adrien heard another voice on the phone say, he was close enough so he could hear their entire conversation, even if Marinette brought it up to her ear, he could still hear it.
"Probably from her tax audit monster," Adrien heard another voice say and Adrien couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.
"Hugo... how do you even know what a tax audit is?" So there are a total of three kids speaking to Marinette on the phone, are they all her children then? Adrien assumed so but he had to keep reaching for Marinette.
"Hugo, I'm not running from a tax audit monster! Louis! Listen to me! I'm gonna come in from the right side and when you see me running from Adrien and Kagami, be prepared to run with me to the car! Put your track experience to use Louis!"
"Oh my goodness really? Alright! On it! I'll meet you in what?"
"30 seconds!"
"Got it!" That was the last thing Adrien heard behind he heard the phone hang up and Marinette sprinted even faster down the hallway. Kagami was right behind Adrien and eventually in 30 seconds, all three of them ran into the main courtyard and Adrien saw that Marinette was looking for her kids. Suddenly, Adrien heard a call by the front entrance.
"Mom! Come on! He's almost gaining on you!" Adrien looked over that main entrance to see a blond haired boy that looked to be a bit taller than Marinette calling out to his mom. Marinette had grown taller so he was actually getting close to Adrien's height and Adrien was tall. Adrien also saw two other kids call out to her, one of them was the blond haired girl from earlier and the other was a blueberry haired boy who looked the male version of Marinette from when she was a lot younger. They both looked about the same age, were they twins?
"Maman! You're almost there!"
"Just a little more Maman!" Adrien heard the kids call out, Marinette, if wasn't even more possible, sprinted even faster through the aisles that still had chairs and tossed them backward to make it harder for them to follow her. Adrien quickly ran off to the side and was about to cut her off when he noticed Kagami get slowed down by the chairs. Adrien then immediately made a sharp turn and was directly in front of her and she didn't notice him until it was too late. Miraculously though, she limboed and slid under his attempt to grab her and he turned around to see that her oldest son caught her before she could fall.
"That was pretty lit Mom, I gotta admit, but we gotta go!" Marinette and her son immediately rushed over to the other two kids and they made a dash for the parking lot. Adrien quickly followed them, with Kagami following quickly behind and they saw that the group had already gotten into the car and started the ignition. Even though it was pretty much pointless now, he still made an attempt to catch up with her. Marinette's car quickly pulled out and drove out into the street and out of sight with Adrien watching regrettably from the sidewalk, burdened by memories. Kagami caught her breath and leaned on his shoulder and sighed.
"That was Marinette I know... but she made such a desperate attempt to get away from us. She's smart, that second series of thuds we heard earlier, it was a rock, Marinette must have thrown it to throw us off because she was gonna get caught sooner or later. I wonder why she tried so hard to get away, did she not want to see us?" Kagami wondered aloud aimlessly into Adrien's shoulder. Adrien narrowed his eyes at the street in front of him. True... it did seem like Marinette didn't want to see them... like at all. What interested him more was Marinette's children, there was something about the three of them that gave him the feeling that he just had to get to know them. They all seemed like wonderful kids and whoever the father was, is lucky, even if he doesn't know it. How ironic indeed.
Later that night, Marinette sat tiredly on the sofa with a glass of wine in hand. Soon, Louis, Hugo, and Emma joined her on the couch and got comfortable. Marinette smiled wearily at all of them before turning on the TV to see something really shocking on the news.
"This just in! A Commotion was started at the Francois Dupont High-school where a high speed chase was taking place around the school! The incident has already been resolved, but who is this mystery lady that caused such a ruckus at the fencing event featuring Adrien Agreste and Kagami Riposte!" Nadia said as the rest of Marinette's kids gaped at the screen for what seemed like an eternity. Hugo was the first to laugh as Marinette looked wearily at the screen.
"They actually put this kind of thing on the news? What a joke!" Hugo laughed as he leaned into Marinette, who smiled and brushed her fingers over his hair. The rest of the family laughed after him, it was a pretty interesting day. Marinette gasped in embarrassment even more as they all saw the scene where Marinette messed up the chairs to slow down Kagami.
"Oh my god... they actually caught that on camera?" Louis asked as they saw Marinette slide under Adrien's arm and running with Louis, Hugo, and Emma out of the building.
"Yeah! Maman! Where were you after the event ended? We tried looking for you but we couldn't find you like at all!" Emma asked as Marinette laughed a little as she recalled what she had to do.
"Yeah, funny story, I was afraid to run into anyone, so I had to go around to the side of the building and enter in that way. Then I ran into Adrien and Kagami and had to make a break for it. Oh my god... I'm an adult but I still act like I enjoy getting myself into trouble like this," Marinette sighed as they continued to watch the rest of the report. Marinette stared aimlessly at the droning screen until she suddenly focused again and realized the danger of her being on the news might mean for her family. Marinette felt her eyes flicker constantly to the house phone on the dining table, like she was expecting a call anytime now.
"I think being an adult would be incredibly boring if you didn't have these situations. There's more to adulthood than being stuffy and mature all the time. I feel like you miss being in situations," Hugo mused as Marinette looked at him incredulously. Marinette than smiled softly as she nodded.
"Well said Hugo, but man... I didn't think this would actually be on the news," Marinette sighed as a ring echoed throughout the house. Marinette stood and quickly walked over to the dining table to pick up the phone. Marinette then excused herself and went into her room, she then pressed accept when she recognized the number and heard a chilling, emotionless voice fill her ear. Gabriel Agreste.
"Good evening, Ms. Dupain Cheng, how have you been doing?" Gabriel asked as Marinette pursed her lips into a slight frown.
"I'm doing well, since you're asking, but I know you're not the type to care about that sort of thing, what do you want? It's been a while since you called," Marinette whispered harshly into the phone. Marinette did have a good idea about what he was going to talk about, but she wanted to hear him say it.
"You took an extremely huge risk, taking your kids into public, and especially to that fencing event that Adrien went to today. This is just a warning," Gabriel said solemnly as Marinette narrowed her eyes at what he said. Marinette then let out a harsh huff of breath as she replied.
"I'm well aware that it was a huge risk, you don't have to remind me. I've kept my distance all these years, you should have no reason to complain," Marinette whispered angrily into the phone, she then heard Gabriel chuckle on the other end as she braced herself on the wall.
"Yes, you have followed the terms of the contract exceedingly well, 15 years of loneliness and despair, tell me, do you miss the people who used to be in your life?" Gabriel asked almost mockingly as Marinette felt her head drop and her hand grip the phone tighter at his words.
"Don't test me Gabriel... I'm warning you..."
"And you'll do what exactly? Pull another stunt like this again and I will personally make sure that your family won't last, it would be a shame if three poor children had their lives ended before they could even accomplish anything," Gabriel asked coolly, but his tone suddenly turned cold and almost deadly as Marinette felt herself straighten up and boil in anger.
"Gabriel, I don't care that you are disgusted by the fact that these kids are Adrien's, that's why you're still having him avoid meeting the children, even now when he's an adult. However, you can break and drag me down however you want, but let me make one thing clear, you are not touching my kids. I repeat, they have so much life ahead of them and they don't need to watch their backs everyday of their lives wondering if you're going to eliminate them. You're not gonna get to them, not without getting through me, and let me tell you, there is no way in hell that I'm gonna fail at protecting them from you," Marinette snarled into the phone, living by herself with her kids, it made her maternal instinct strong. Her children didn't need to worry about watching their backs for Gabriel everyday of their lives, she thought this to be of utmost importance. Although, she may have failed at her job with Louis, after all, she had accidentally got him involved with Gabriel already. She didn't want to fail with Hugo and Emma.
"Very well Ms. Dupain Cheng, I trust that you can keep your children hidden from Adrien. Although, I must warn you, one step out of line, and trust me, no one would want to be in your position. Good day to you," Marinette then heard the phone cut off and Marinette felt herself breath heavily as she attempted to calm herself down for a couple of minutes. She then took a peek outside the door and found Louis, Hugo, and Emma happily discussing what other things were on the news. Marinette didn't expect her story to have that much airtime so it didn't matter to her. Marinette then smiled and walked out into the living room, setting the phone back on the charging stand on the dining room table. She then joined her children back on the couch and they all laughed and talked as if none of Marinette's situation had any effect on their lives. Marinette wasn't alone in this, it maybe true that her meeting Adrien again started to turn the wheels of fate again. Time had stopped for them, but Marinette and her children put it back in motion and there will be nothing Gabriel can do to stop the inevitable from happening. It's just a matter of fate and time. After all, this was a lucky chance encounter.