"Fourteen," Adrien declared.

Marinette blinked yet again, saying, "What progress do we have?"

"Watch and learn, m'lady. We… we've learned quite a bit. Mirage!" Adrien pulled his flute to his lips, carefully crafting the image of Ladybug and Chat Noir just after Hawkmoth completed his transformation.

"What in the- Ladybug? Chat Noir? No, you're an illusion," he breathed. Marinette hadn't removed her hand from Adrien's arm, and she could feel it tighten as she watched.

"Correct," Ladybug confirmed. "We may not be here in person, but that doesn't make what we have to say any less true. Hawkmoth, Gabriel Agreste, we know why you want our miraculous. And we would like to offer an alternate solution."

Hawkmoth stiffened, and Adrien realized it would be far more convenient to be across the room where he could see the man's expression. After all, he had always turned to the elevator for the previous mirages.

When Hawkmoth said nothing, Chat Noir's image continued, "You wish for your wife to recover from her coma. She wore the damaged Peacock Miraculous before, and that's how she fell ill."

Ladybug nodded. "It's a Miraculous induced illness. Which can only be healed by a Miraculous. I have been training to become the Guardian, and it may be possible to cure her, without making a wish."

Hawkmoth was silent. Adrien watched nervously, he seriously wished he could his face. He glanced at Marinette, but she had her full attention on the scene before him.

"…Why?" Hawkmoth said at last.

"Pardon?" Ladybug asked.

"You both appear in a mirage the moment I transform, claiming to magically have the answer to solve my greatest problem. What reason could you possibly have for simply solving my wish? You know my identity; you easily could have apprehended me. You have the miraculous available to do so," Hawkmoth began reasonably.

Adrien began trembling, to any other ears, he would sound completely collected. But Adrien heard the tremor in his father's voice. It wasn't anger, was it fear? He wasn't sure, but his father was filled with emotion at the moment. Unlike anything Adrien had seen since Maman.

Since Maman.

That was why he never healed. He never spoke of Maman. Because he never grieved her, he had always been Hawkmoth, he had always been trying to get her back. He had been so distanced, he never had any time and stayed in the house, all because he had to become Hawkmoth. He always had to disappear to become a supervillain just as Adrien had to become a superhero.

It all made sense, he had the book, Nathalie was becoming sick, Maman mysteriously disappearing, everything made sense. And yet, why did it feel so numb? Finally, he had answers, he saw his father, his true father, a broken man trying to resurrect his wife.

He suddenly recalled words he didn't remember listening to, back in the third run. Back when Hawkmoth, Gabriel Agreste had been lecturing Adrien Agreste, his son. "I'm doing it for you too, Adrien. You don't understand son, this isn't about Paris. I know I am not good enough to raise you, that is why you must have your mother. You love her, don't you? Why can't you understand? Without her, our family is nothing."

Adrien couldn't breathe. He hadn't been listening, he wasn't listening then, why were the words coming back to him? Was that truly what his father thought? Their family was nothing? That's why he never saw fit to spend time with his own fucking son? Because he knew wasn't good enough as a father, and didn't even try?

Adrien always hated it, whenever anyone would point out just how garbage Gabriel was as a parent. He wasn't that bad. He loved him. He- he-

But what proof did Adrien have?

"-at! CHAT NOIR!" Marinette practically screamed, shaking his arm. Adrien jumped, feeling returning to his body. Marinette's fingers gripped his arm fiercely, her eyes were wide with tears, and her entire body trembled? What had happened? What was going on?

Adrien realized tears were streaking down his face, and that the illusions of Ladybug and Chat Noir had completely stilled, and that Hawkmoth was shaking in fury.

"Marinette," he choked out.

She gasped, loosening her grip slightly. "K-kitty, are you okay?" She then slapped her free head to her forehead. "Stupid, obviously not," she muttered. "Kitty, I need you to breathe for me. Listen to me. Can you hear me?" Her voice was smooth, with a controlled steadiness, yet she couldn't hide the small tremor beneath it.

Adrien nodded dully.

"Unclench your jaw," she began, and he complied slowly, his eyes squeezed shut. "Relax your shoulders. Take a deep breath, yes, just like that," she murmured soothingly, her thumb stroking his arm slowly.

He simply breathed, listening to her voice, as she continued to soothe him. Her Shellter fell, and he spun the bracelet without warning.

He could still feel himself shaking. He was so certain he would do this without falling to his emotions.

"Chat? Kitty? Are you okay?" Marinette's voice drifted in as he remained silent. He was so sure of himself.

Gabriel's booming, "Nooroo, Dark Wing's rise!" filled the room. What a joke.

Adrien burst into tears. "My name is Adrien Agreste," he burst out. He didn't wait for her reaction as he continued, he couldn't look at her reaction as he continued, the words simply tumbling from his lips. "Hawkmoth is my father. I tried, I tried so hard," he gulped. "I wanted to do this without- without acknowledging anything, without processing this, but I- I can't-" he gulped, the tears streaking down his cheeks.

"He's trying to resurrect Maman. This whole year, this whole time, this is where he's been. This is why he hasn't been anywhere. He's been trying to protect me- from- from himself. No, not quite what I mean, from his own akumas. He knows he's a terrible father, he hasn't even been trying. He seems to think that bringing mother back would fix everything- that poof, everything would be okay-" This wasn't even his first breakdown. He broke down before, in front of his mother's coffin. No, she wasn't even dead, was she?

Adrien choked on a sob. "This whole time, he- he- he's been the villain. I wanted to ignore this, Marinette, I tried, I tried so hard-"

Suddenly, she pulled his head to her chest, interrupting him without a word. Her heart was beating rapidly, but she took deep, sure breaths. "Adrien. Chat Noir. My sweet, sweet kitty," she whispered. "I'm so, so sorry." She wrapped her arms around him, and he melted into her embrace, simply sobbing. There was a tremble in her arms, but she put her full attention into him.

There they sat, as he began to process everything. Well, not everything, just what he was capable of. He idly wondered how Marinette was taking things, he had just revealed both his own identity and the knowledge that he knew hers- along with everything else that he had spilled.

In proper Ladybug fashion however, she took it like a goddess, and simply comforted him. She seemed not even to be taking in any way, she was at the moment stroking his hair gently, her eyes closed tightly. Despite the horrifying bad luck that made his father one and the same as his archnemesis, he was so, so lucky to have Marinette as his Ladybug.

His breathing slowed in minutes, and as the Shellter fell, he was unafraid to set back the bracelet, to begin his next chance.

"Fif- no, sixteen," he remedied. He never told Marinette what try he was on last time, he realized with a jolt. It was somewhat disconcerting, for his breathing to so completely change, although the location was the same with the new Second Chance.

Marinette bit her lip. "How are you feeling?"

Adrien blinked in surprise. "I'm-" he gulped. He wanted to say he was fine, but that wasn't quite true. Was she going to ask that at the beginning of each of the tries now? Or had she read his body language? "I'm… better, now," he said carefully.

Maybe burying his emotions was a poor choice, but what else was he supposed to do? Well, they seemed to pop out anyways, despite all his efforts to hide them. How many tries were left?

Besides, he really was feeling somewhat better. He didn't feel numb and had a moment to really come to terms with what was going on. Yet there was still an exhaustion in him, and it had only been sixteen tries. Perhaps it was because he was allowed these moments to rest, that he was able to face his pain in real time.

"I can do this," he murmured. "I'm going to create a Mirage, and- well, just listen," he told Marinette. "Mirage!"

"Ahhh, I see, thwarted and lied to by love, and these emo-"

"Just one moment, Hawkmoth," Chat Noir's illusion interrupted from behind the supervillain, and Hawkmoth spun around, his concentration lost.

Chat Noir's illusion was resting lazily on his baton, while Ladybug stood strong beside him.

"How-" Hawkmoth's eyes widened. "How are you two-" He moved to a defensive stance, and Adrien wanted to smack his forehead. There had been a reason he created the illusion in plain sight before Hawkmoth's eyes in the previous Chance. Well, the Chance before it.

Adrien vaporized the baton and the yo-yo. "We're just illusions, Hawky, no fight necessary," Chat Noir held his hands up, proving them to be weaponless. The claws don't count.

"But that doesn't make what we have to say any less true," Ladybug's illusion added.

Hawkmoth stiffened, narrowing his eyes, but said nothing.

"We would rather end this war between us peacefully," Ladybug's illusion began. "Chat Noir and I could have chosen to take your Miraculous in battle, I believe with an ambush it would have been simple. We could have even taken it in your sleep, or in a variety of other ways. However, we instead wish to do this peacefully. So, we investigated, and we know what you want to wish for."

Hawkmoth snorted. "You couldn't possibly-"

"You are trying to resurrect Emilie Agreste from her broken Miraculous induced coma, such that you can make your family whole once more," Chat Noir interrupted. Adrien resisted the urge to put venom in the illusion's voice, it had been bad enough on his third attempt. Jeez, that attempt seriously had been a serious train wreck…. This was Chat Noir, not Adrien. This was about Superheroes and Supervillains.

That's what he told himself last time, too….And yet, it really wasn't, though. It really was all about his family, that was why his father became Hawkmoth after all. There was no Chat Noir without Adrien. There was no Hawkmoth without Gabriel. There was no Agreste without Superpowers. Adrien felt nausea in the pit of his stomach.

Hawkmoth gaped at the illusions. "How-"

"How doesn't matter," Ladybug interrupted him again. Adrien felt no remorse for not allowing the man a word in edgewise, there wasn't the time. "What matters is this: she is curable. Without the Cat and Ladybug Miraculous wish." Hawkmoth frowned, clearly doubtful, but aware that if he were to object that he would be interrupted once again. Beside Adrien, Marinette gasped as her illusion declared the truth.

"I am the Guardian of the Miraculous, and within the Grimoire is a method that can be used to heal her. I have been taught by Master Fu, the previous Guardian, and I am confident that with your help, she can be cured. Nathalie as well, I am aware she has not healed since doffing the repaired Peacock Miraculous."

Hawkmoth remained silent. Adrien held his breath. Marinette's hand snaked into his, as they waited. Please, please, just believe Ladybug, he pleaded wordlessly. Well, his own illusion of her. He glanced at the Snake Miraculous. Three minutes remain.

"Please, we just want to end this peacefully," Ladybug urged. "We can save her." Adrien didn't add, 'your family will be whole again.' He knew it could have helped, but he didn't believe it to be true. The prospect of his mother's return barely registered to him, the disappointment in his father having overridden everything else.

"And you are willing to simply let me go free after everything then?" Hawkmoth asked simply.

Adrien froze. That was the plan, wasn't it? What was he supposed to say? Last time, he had collapsed after the question. He glanced at Marinette, whose face was set. "Have her say what I say," she declared. Adrien obliged.

"Listen, I know Adrien." The illusion parroted the words, but Adrien felt somewhat nervous. She knew him, but she didn't know what he knew. "As much as I would love for you to face the justice you so deserve, where would that leave him? Like I said earlier, we wish to resolve this peacefully, and we are standing by our word. Your relationship with him has been… less than present." Adrien snorted, understatement of the century.

"I fully expect you to do as I say, return the Butterfly Miraculous to me as well as other Miraculous related objects in your possession, and find the ingredients for the cure. Additionally, I expect with fewer, ah, extracurricular activities, you will have more time to spend with him, yes?" Adrien added the blaze he was certain was in his lady's eyes to his illusion. "We are giving you an incredible deal here. Because your reasoning is so noble at the surface, I'm willing to believe that you can change. And I will be looking to see it. Because if you don't…"

Adrien watched as a startlingly evil grin appeared on Marinette's face, and he quickly recreated it on Ladybug's. "I see no problem with throwing you in jail. Hopefully, Emilie will be more forgiving than us of your Super villain lifestyle."

Hawkmoth closed his eyes. The threat felt a little pushed, but without it, the offer seemed a little too good to be true.

The offer really was a little too good to him.

But who knows, maybe he would actually change.

"Well?" Chat Noir's illusion prompted.

Hawkmoth took a deep breath. "For years, I have sent out Akuma after Akuma, each more ridiculous than the last, not just in design, but in motive. Time and time again have I sent villains under so many different paths- to simply defeat you, to discover your identity, but no matter what motive or power they held, not one was able to succeed. After so many near successes, I believed it possible. That was foolish."

He paused; his eyes low. "I understand with all the Miraculous in your possession, that you are correct. There is nothing I can currently do that would give me the upper hand, and if there was, you have even the power to change time in your hands. I will play the fool no longer."

He swallowed. "I accept."

AN: One more chapter to go. This has been an enjoyable ride, and even though this is my least popular story, the comments left here have seriously warmed my heart and given me hope. I'm so happy you enjoyed my story so much, and it really inspired me to finish this one strong, and keep going on to the next stories. Thank you, this wouldn't be here without you readers T-T