Alya dropped Marinette off at the Gabriel Fashion Headquarters before heading off to pick up Nino from work. Marinette promised to call if there was any change to Adrien's condition and she would come around that evening to sort out what message Ladybug would give to the public.

Heading to the lift, Marinette had to hold back a groan when Ricardo waltzed over to her, leaning his arm against the wall next to her head and giving her a flirty grin.

"I hear your "boyfriend" got himself into a bit of trouble this morning." He said, looking at her with an air of victory in his voice. "It will be lonely for you in that big office all by yourself."

"You know you could at least try to look a little less pleased about it." Marinette seethed between her teeth. "Adrien could have died."

When the lift opened Ricardo indicated for Marinette to enter first before following her in. It was going to be a long trip to the 20th floor.

"Well we wouldn't want anything happening to the face of the brand now would we." He said sarcastically, taking no notice of the stink eye Marinette was throwing him. "It would be a shame if a new lead model was required." He pulled on his lapels and rolled his head around.

Marinette in response rolled her eyes. "Please don't tell me you're offering yourself for the part."

"I could if I wanted to." Ricardo retorted, leaning in closer to her. "You like models, don't you?"

Marinette glared at him as the elevator doors opened. She quickly exited, leaving Ricardo chuckling behind her.

Entering the meeting room, only Nathalie was in there. The assistant stood up and surprised Marinette with a hug. She didn't say anything, only gave Marinette a meaningful look before sitting back down. Marinette made a point of sitting on the opposite side from Ricardo.

"Mr Agreste has been held up with Officer Raincomprix. He will only be a moment." Nathalie informed them.

"Why is Officer Raincomprix here?" Marinette asked with concern. Ricardo also sat up more interested.

"Just routine." Nathalie replied flatly, looking through her paperwork. Marinette had a feeling there was more to it than that, but wasn't going to ask further in front of Ricardo. A few moments later Gabriel entered the room, his countenance looking clouded.

"We have a mole in the team." He announced as he sat down. Marinette and Ricardo both looked at each other before looking back at Gabriel for him to continue. "Marinette, show me the sketch outlines you completed last week."

Marinette opened her sketchbook and slid it across the table. Her and Adrien had done a collaboration session with Alya and started planning the designs for Rena Rouge, Vesperia and Viperion.

Gabriel looked over the designs and his eyebrows knitted into a frown. "Just as I suspected." He muttered under his breath.

Nathalie took a sheet out of her folder and slid it across to Marinette. Her mouth fell open to see a print out of a dress in an almost identical design as the Vesperia dress, only in a different colour with a few slight changes.

"I don't understand." Marinette exclaimed. "Where did this from?"

"They call themselves "Illusions" and they are based in Milan." Nathalie replied. "They are nothing but rip off merchants. Usually they take dresses from events, award nights, red carpets etc and manufacture them with inferior fabrics to cheaply sell to the public with just enough tweaking to avoid a copyright infringement of the design."

"Who are they?"

"Nobody knows." Gabriel replied, his voice clearly expressing his displeasure. "They operate almost entirely online and no one has ever seen or heard of who is behind the label. This, however, is the first time we have seen them blatantly steal a design that had yet to be released publicly."

Marinette was astonished. "I swear to you Mr Agreste, I never showed anything outside of the design team. The only other person to see anything was Alya and she would never…"

Gabriel held a hand up to interrupt her. "Miss Marinette, I am not making any accusations within this room. I am simply bringing the situation to your attention and asking for due diligence. We must be extra vigilant with this collection that leaks do not get out. In the meantime, I'm going to continue to investigate who is behind this company so they can be held accountable.

Unfortunately the Vesperia dress will need to be redesigned. With circumstances being what they are, I'm bringing Ricardo back into the couture team and I will give the evening section to someone else. I would not expect you to do this work on your own."

Marinette made a point of ignoring the smirk on Ricardo's face.

"Mr Agreste, I'm sure Adrien will still want to be part of…"

"Adrien is another matter." Gabriel said sharply, before dismissing them with a wave of his hand.

As everyone rose from the table, Ricardo was first to exit the room, followed by Marinette. The Italian slowed down his pace before walking beside her.

"It seems we will be working together a whole lot more Marinette." He grinned, draping an arm around her shoulders. "Too bad you have to redesign that dress though. I could come around to your place tonight and help you with it?"

"I have plans tonight." Marinette said flatly, shrugging his arm off her as she unlocked her office door. "We will work on the new design here later in the week."

Marinette pushed past him into her office, shutting the door in his face behind her. She leaned back against the door, taking in a deep breath and then letting it out slowly. Why does Ricardo have to be so damn insufferable?

"What are you going to do about the dress, Pigtails?" Plagg asked as Marinette sat at her desk. The bluenette swung around in her chair to the view outside.

"I have another idea in mind, so I'm not worried about that. I'm just perplexed how the design leaked so quickly. I have heard of "Illusions" before. Their knockoffs have been posing quite a bit of competition in the market, especially at their cut prices..."

She was interrupted by a knock on the door. She groaned internally and hoped that wasn't Ricardo coming back.

"Come in." She said, sounding a little annoyed, but quickly stood up when Nathalie entered. "Ms Sancour?"

"No need to be alarmed Marinette." Nathalie quickly said. "But I have some news I'm sure you would be interested in, and that was not for the ears of others."

Marinette looked warily at the assistant. "Is this about Adrien?"

"As you know Officer Raincomprix came to see Mr Agreste just before our meeting in regards to Adrien's incident." She began. "At first he believed it was the result of rider error, a mixture of inexperience and fatigue. However closer inspection of the vehicle has proved there is evidence of sabotage."

"What?" Marinette gasped, a hand to her mouth.

"According to the report, the brake fluid line had a very small cut in it allowing the fluid to leak out over several days relatively undetected. That crash was ready to happen at any time and…and Adrien wouldn't have even been aware of it."

Marinette slumped back into her seat, her mind swimming. "But why?"

"That is precisely what Mr Agreste is trying to find out."

Marinette looked up at her and saw that Nathalie was visibly shaken by this information. "Mr Agreste wanted me to let you know before you go back to the hospital this evening. He trusts you will keep this information discrete. Officer Raincomprix believes it would be prudent not to let the media get hold of this."

"Of course Ms Sancour." Marinette replied, trying not to sound too surprised that Gabriel Agreste was trusting her with this information.

"I think we have known each other long enough for you to call me Nathalie." The assistant smiled. "Tell Adrien his father will come and see him in the morning." She said before departing the room

"I can't believe it. Who could ever want to hurt someone as sweet and kind as Adrien?"

"If old stony face finds out who it is, I'll go and cataclysm them for him." Plagg responded, his fur puffed up and his tail flipping in annoyance. "Are you going to tell my kid about it?"

"He needs to know." Marinette replied. "And I'd rather he heard it first from me then from his father."

"And the other thing?" Plagg prompted her. Marinette bit her bottom lip and swung her chair back around towards the window.

"Not yet Plagg. At least not while he is in hospital on pain medication with all this new information. When I tell him my identity, I want it to be when he has a clear head at least."

~~~~~

Marinette was helping her parents clean up in the bakery when the call came that Adrien was back on the ward. The surgery had taken several hours but the nurse assured her he was doing well and she could visit for a short time before visiting hours ended for the day.

Tom dropped his daughter off at the hospital where a few reporters were still hanging around. "Do you want me to escort you in, Sweetie? I don't want those paparazzi bothering you."

"It's fine Papa. It would only give them something else to talk about if you did." She said, leaning over to kiss her dad on the cheek. "Alya is going to pick me up later to have dinner at her place. Don't wait up for me."

Marinette ignored the reporters, who seemed more interested in her relationship status rather than Adrien's health. When she approached Adrien's room on the ward, his nurse greeted her in the hallway.

"Hi, you must be Marinette. I'm Esme and I'll be looking after Adrien tonight."

Marinette shook her hand. "How is he?"

"He's doing as well as can be expected. He will be quite sleepy from the pain medication, but he has been asking for you." Marinette smiled to herself that his first thoughts had been of her.

"I will warn you though. In order to try and help hold his broken bones together, the orthopedic surgeon had to attach an external fixture. It can be a little confronting, but I promise it won't cause him any pain."

Marinette nodded wordlessly, not really sure what she should expect. Esme indicated to the room Adrien was in, telling Marinette if they needed anything to just press the buzzer. Opening the door, the room was dimly lit, with only the floor low lights on and the relentless movement of the heart monitor. Marinette raised a hand to her mouth when her eyes fell to Adrien's leg on the bed.

Three short vertical titanium rods protruded out of his leg and were held together by a bolted horizontal bar that ran from the base of his knee to above his ankle. It looked horrendous and brought tears to Marinette's eyes. Chat had given of himself so many times to protect her, and nothing she could do can heal him now.

"Just call me the bionic man."

Marinette lifted her eyes from the metal fixture to see Adrien looking at her, a soft smile on his lips. "I promise it doesn't feel as bad as it looks."

"I think maybe that's just the painkillers." Marinette said, wiping her eyes and pulling up the chair beside his bed. Adrien held a hand out to her and as she placed hers in it she saw something familiar dangling off his wrist. "Is that…is that the lucky charm bracelet I gave you when we were 16?"

"Yeah it is." He looked at it fondly. I've always kept it with me for good luck. Apparently the paramedic found it on the ground, but forgot to hand it to the nurse at the time. When I came back to the ward, the nurse brought it to me and I asked her to tie it on for me. I think I need all the luck I can get right now."

He closed his eyes, his thumb running across the back of her hand. He felt something and opened his eyes, holding up her hand to see. "You haven't seen Ladybug yet?" He observed, noticing the now rose coloured ring on her finger.

"I'm going over to Alya's from her. Ladybug will be there and Alya is going to record a statement." She said, shifting a little in her seat. She didn't want to lie to him because Ladybug would technically be there.

"Is Plagg here?"

"I'm here kid." The cat Kwami announced, floating up from Marinette's bag. "How are you doing?"

"I'll be okay." He said with a sleepy smile. He then looked back up at Marinette. "The nurse said Officer Raincomprix would be coming back to see me in the morning. I'm not sure what else I can tell him though that I didn't tell him this morning." He then noticed Marinette's face dropped. "What is it?"

"Adrien…" She began, trying to find the right words. "Your…your accident wasn't really an accident."

"What?" Adrien asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Your motorbike was sabotaged. The fuel line for the brakes was cut so it would all leak out." She squeezed his hand tighter. "Officer Raincomprix came and told your father this afternoon and Nathalie told me. She said your father would come and see you tomorrow."

Adrien looked at her stunned before searching up at the ceiling like the heavens could send him an answer to the plethora of questions in his head. Plagg curled up into the crook of his neck and began to softly purr to comfort him.

"Why would…did I hurt someone that they would want to come after me?"

"I don't believe that." Marinette protested. "Adrien you are one of the sweetest, kindest and bravest people I know. You're Chat Noir for goodness sake."

He gave her a half smile. "I think that's Ladybug more than me. I'm just her shield"

"Ladybug would be half the hero she is without you." She said with conviction. "No one could ever replace you."

"No one is going to replace him." Plagg added. Adrien lifted his other hand and scratched the Kwami between the ears.

"It will be alright Plagg." Adrien said shakily. "You be nice to your new holder. I'll miss seeing you though."

"Don't worry kid, I'm sure I won't be too far away." Plagg replied, opening one eye at Marinette.

"Was I right to tell you about the sabotage?" Marinette asked, worried at Adrien's far away expression. Adrien nodded slowly.

"I would have just found out tomorrow anyway. I mean there's no delicate way to tell somebody that someone just tried to kill them. At least with Hawk Moth I knew who the enemy was." He turned his head to look at her, his eyes soft. "Will you come back in the morning? I don't want to have to see my father alone."

"Of course." Marinette promised. "I'll always be here for you."

Adrien lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. "Thank you Princess. It really does mean so much to me that you're here."

"Princess?" Marinette giggled. "So you did call me Princess last night." Marinette was sure she could see a flush of pink in Adrien's cheeks.

"Oh, you heard that? I guess the painkillers have caused me to lose my filter." He gave her an apologetic smile. "I won't call you that if it bothers you."

"It doesn't bother me." She smiled back. "It's kind of sweet actually."

A soft knock came to the door and nurse Esme came in. "Only a few minutes of visiting time left." She reminded them. Picking up the folder on the end of the bed, she noted his vitals on the monitor. "On a scale of 1 to 10, what would you say your pain score is?"

"Maybe a six." He then saw the concerned look on Marinette's face. "Oh, um, maybe make that a four."

Esme chuckled. "Don't try to be brave to impress your girlfriend, Adrien." She said knowingly. "There's nothing brave about being in pain. I'll give you some paracetamol now and I'll come back with something stronger after."

She took the blister pack from her hip pouch and popped out two tablets. Pressing the button to raise the bed, she put a straw into a cup of water and helped Adrien sit up enough to swallow the tablets down. It seemed like a real struggle and the movement clearly had caused him pain. It hurt Marientte's heart to see him so vulnerable and dependent.

When the nurse left, Plagg re-emerged from under the sheets. "I'll see you again soon kid. Look after yourself." He said, hugging Adrien's cheek before diving back into Marinette's bag.

"I'll let you rest now." Marinette said, standing up and holding his hand again. "I'll be here tomorrow, I promise." She leaned down to hug him, but Adrien turned his head and kissed her softly on the cheek.

"Until tomorrow Princess." He said, looking a little smug that it was her that blushed this time.

~~~~~

Alya had already set up her filming equipment in her apartment when she arrived with Marinette after picking her up. Nino was working a DJ gig and wouldn't be back for several hours, so there was no need to rush. After telling Alya everything that had happened in the car, Marinette walked into the kitchen and got herself a bottle of water out. "You want a drink too?" She called out.

"Maybe I'll have something a bit stronger later." Alya replied seriously, pushing her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. "I'm still getting over the fact that Adrien's bike was tampered with. I don't know about anyone else, but Gabriel doesn't seem like the kind of person I would want to piss off."

Marinette came back into the lounge room and sat on the couch so Alya could adjust her lighting. "Do you think what happened to Adrien is related to the sketches being leaked? It just seems so strange that both things would happen so close together"

Alya stopped what she was doing and thought for a moment. "I'm not sure how, but I agree it seems strange." She made another light adjustment before giving a satisfied humm. "Now, how do you want to do this?"

"It's important that the public sees Chat. I was thinking maybe you could make an illusion."

"Why don't I use the Peacock Miraculous?" Alya suggested instead. "It might look more natural."

"No." Marinette said emphatically. Alya was taken aback by her tone.

"But why not? A sentimonster you can be more realistic with and I'm sure Duusu…"

"I said no." Marinette repeated, standing up and wrapping her arms around herself. She then shook her head and turned away from her best friend. "Sorry Alya, it's just…" she took a deep breath. "It's not just a monster you know. They are real living, breathing beings. I've done a lot of research since I became Guardian and human senti-beings are just that…human, in every way that matters. Mayura made a Ladybug senti once, and then snapped her out of existence just like that." She snapped her fingers to illustrate her point. "Right before our eyes. I couldn't do that…it would feel too - real."

Alya observed her friend as she sat back down on the couch. "I didn't realise. Forget I suggested it." She said, coming and sitting next to her. "I can do an illusion, that's no problem. I'll just follow your lead and add in where I can do it looks natural. I think I know Adrien well enough to pull off his Chat Noir." She placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder and gave her a supportive smile.

Calling on their transformations, Alya used her power of illusion to create a Chat Noir on the couch next to Ladybug. "Now just remember to not touch him." Alya reminded her before counting her down to roll tape.

"Hello Paris." Ladybug waved with a warm smile. Illusion Chat beside her also waved. "Chat Noir and I are here to make an announcement."

"That's right Bugaboo. M'lady and I are going to be taking a short break."

"Chat and I have dedicated ourselves to the protection of Paris, so for this reason we will be travelling for a few months to undertake special training at a secret location. But don't worry, we won't leave Paris unprotected from Hawk Moth. We have chosen two trusted allies to carry the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous while we are away, Scarabella and Femme Chat."

"Femme Chat? Meow."

Marinette had to resist the urge to bop the illusion Chat on the nose. She had a feeling Alya was enjoying this a little too much.

"We hope you will welcome your new heroes and we promise we will be back stronger and more prepared for anything that Hawk Moth might throw at us."

"So until we return..."

"Bug out."

"Reality." The fox hero said, evaporating the illusion and dropping her transformation.

"Spots off." Marinette sighed, catching Tikki and giving her a macaron. "How do you think it went?"

"Good. But do you think Hawk Moth will buy it?"

Marinette shrugged. "It doesn't matter if he does or not. The point is Chat looks fine and well and no one would suspect he is injured, or that he could be Adrien. Hawk Moth is only interested in the Miraculous, he doesn't care about who's wearing them."

"Femme Chat?" Plagg chuckled from the kitchen counter where he was joined by Tikki and Trixx. "That was the best you could come up with?"

"I couldn't think of anything else, alright." Marinette whined. "You just worry about changing my suit so I don't look like Lady Noire. I dare say Hawk Moth won't take long before he tests out this new duo."

~~~~~

When Marinette arrived at the hospital the next morning she was surprised to find Officer Raincomprix and Gabriel Agreste walking out of Adrien's room. It wasn't even visiting hours yet and they had obviously come very early to avoid attention. The policeman shook Gabriel's hand and left. Marinette was about to walk back down the hall when she saw the surgeon, Dr Garnier approach Adrien's father. Opting instead to wait around the corner, Marinette listened to what was being said.

"How long will it take before Adrien can be back at work again? Six weeks? Eight weeks? We are going to end up behind schedule as it is but we will need him for the special spring campaign."

"Mr Agreste, I'm not sure you appreciate the seriousness of your son's injuries."

"It's just a broken leg. Broken bones heal do they not?"

"It's not that simple. Your son's bones weren't just broken, they shattered. The only thing holding that tibia together right now are those titanium rods and a plate to stabilise the knee. The question will be if those bones don't knit together right, your son may never walk again."

Marinette had to hold back a gasp. She looked down at her bag and saw Plagg's charatuse eyes looking back up at her with worry.

"I see." Gabriel replied somewhat more subdued.

"Mr Agreste, be grateful that your son is alive. That's the important thing here. Now he is young and with the right care he may make a full recovery."

"The right care?"

"As I explained to Adrien this morning, he will most likely remain in the hospital for another week or so, but after that he is going to need help at home. Someone will have to help him while the external fixture is attached. Basics like cooking, cleaning, even bathing can be a challenge, also wind care to avoid the wounds becoming infected. A nurse can be arranged to come and visit him of course, but the contact time is limited. The other option is for him to either temporarily move home with you or if there is someone who can stay with him he would prefer his apartment."

"I will be sure to make arrangements for him. Thank you for all you have done for my son."

Marinette watched Gabriel shake hands with the doctor before going back into Adrien's room. She took a few moments to compose herself before she made her way into the room as well.

"Marinette." Adrien exclaimed, holding his hand out to her. Marinette went straight to him and gave him a hug.

"You look much better this morning." She said, giving him a smile.

"I feel better." He replied. "I could actually eat breakfast this morning so that was a plus. Father and Officer Raincomprix explained everything to me. It seems the surveillance camera in the carpark of my complex had been tampered with, so they don't know who did it or why."

"I will find answers." Gabriel said vehemently. "I will not allow this to be gotten away with."

"You're okay though, that's the main thing." Marinette added, holding Adrien's hand.

"No it's not." Gabriel said angrily. "What happens if Adrien can't walk again?"

"Father…"

"I told you you should have gotten rid of that motorbike. Your image was being tarnished by it and now you just look like you have been reckless since I will not be making the real cause of the incident public on Officer Raincomprix's recommendation."

"Father…"

"Now your doctor is saying you may never walk again. Do you know what that means? What if you hadn't been wearing a helmet or a proper jacket or…"

"But he was!" Marinette interjected, standing up.

"Marinette please." Adrien whispered, but she shook her head.

"No Adrien, this was not your fault and I'm not going to allow anyone to say that it was." She then turned back to Gabriel. "Whoever had an intention to hurt Adrien would have found a way to do it. If it hadn't been the motorbike, it would have been something else and the outcome may have been even worse. Adrien did everything right. He was a careful rider, I know because I rode with him, and he was not a wild child, or a rebellious bad boy or whatever other rubbish the Twitterazzi wanted to call him. Twitter is nothing more than the toilet wall of the internet anyway."

Marinette felt Adrien squeeze her hand and Gabriel looked at her almost amused. He wasn't a man used to being challenged, but there was something about her fiery passion that intrigued him. Maybe it was because it reminded him of Emilie.

"Then perhaps we need to give the toilet wall something else to talk about." He said in his usual monotone way. Marinette sat back down and looked at Adrien who didn't seem to know what he meant either.

"For whatever reason, Adrien chose to have you Marinette as his next of kin for the hospital to contact. Believe me when I tell you this has not gone unnoticed by the Twitterazzi as you call them. I have decided that Nathalie will release a statement confirming you are in fact in a relationship."

"But father, that isn't fair on Marinette." Adrien intervened.

"Fair isn't an option right now." Gabriel replied flatly. "If we can't have the circus talking about what you're wearing then they are going to be talking about your romance. I want the focus as far away from speculating on the real cause of your accident as possible and the media has already suspected that the nature of your relationship runs much deeper than just friendship. Once you are discharged from this hospital, Marinette will move into your apartment and take care of you. Until we know who is behind this attack, I don't want you being left alone."

"Father I don't think…"

Gabriel held a hand up. "I want you to still be involved in the Miraculous Couture line. The project was intended for you and Marinette so you could become more involved in the company on a practical level. The easiest way to do that is if you are under the same roof since you won't be in the office any time soon. That is unless you want Ricardo to completely take over your side of the project."

"I'd rather not." Adrien said between clenched teeth with an angry pout.

"I didn't think so."

"But I still wouldn't want Marinette feeling forced into this." Adrien added. "She should have a choice too. Marinette, I don't want you to feel you have to do this. Of course I would love to have you over to my place, but I want it to be your choice too." Gabriel nodded.

"Indeed. Marinette, would you object to moving into Adrien's apartment?"

Marinette had been staring like a deer stuck in headlights throughout this entire conversation.

"You want us to fake date?" Marinette asked. "But, wouldn't it seem odd if I move out again a few weeks later?"

Gabriel gave her a smirk. "We can cross that bridge when we come to it." He then stood up and grabbed his coat. "Besides, I don't think very much needs to be faked. May I offer you a lift to the office?"

Marinette got the distinct feeling that it wasn't really a question. "Thank you." She replied quietly, preparing to stand up.

"No need to leave immediately. You may talk with Adrien. I will be calling Nathalie from the car. I will send my bodyguard to collect you when I am ready."

Once Gabriel had left, Adrien and Marinette sat in silence for a few moments, both a little overwhelmed by the sudden change in status. Adrien reached out to Marinette's wrist. "Marinette, I am so sorry you got bulldozed into this. My father had no right forcing this situation into you. I'm sure I'm the last person you want to be dating, especially while I'm like this."

Marinette brought her hand over his and smiled at him. "It's alright Adrien. I don't mind really. I understand now that it's because of you being Chat Noir that you don't date anyone. Besides, he's right, you will need help when you get back to your apartment and at least this way we can still work on the project together."

"Well yeah but, it's not in your job description to babysit me, be my housemaid or be forced to be my girlfriend for the benefit of the company bottom line."

"Substitute girlfriend, remember." Marinette said with a cheeky grin. "And I think the job description has just been changed for me."

Adrien shook his head. "I didn't want your life being turned upside down because of me. And what about your parents? I can't imagine what your dad would think of me?"

"I'll explain everything to them, Mimas the Chat bit of course. Trust me, they will understand." Marinette looked down to where Adrien's leg rested on a pillow, the metal bars looking as menacing as ever. "Somehow I don't think you could be accused of tarnishing my honour even if you wanted to." She giggled when she saw his face go red. "As for your house maid, I'm sure I have that old maid outfit somewhere…"

"Now you're just teasing me." Adrien chuckled. He had to admit though, if she did decide to wear it he wouldn't object. He rubbed his finger across her hand and felt the Miraculous still on her finger. "I thought Ladybug chose a new holder? I saw the message last night. It was a smart idea using an illusion."

"Oh yes." Marinette mentally kicked herself for not taking it off to come and see him. "She…Ah…she said I could bring Plagg to see you."

"Hey kid." Plagg called out from Marinette's purse.

"So she hasn't really left Paris, has she?"

Marinette shook her head. "She thought the best way to cover Chat Noir being gone is if you both appeared to leave together at the same time. She said Hawk Moth is only interested in the Miraculous, not who's wearing them."

Adrien nodded slowly. Plagg had made himself comfortable on Adrien's lap on the bed and the blond gently scratched him between the ears. "And…was she upset…about me?"

"No." Marinette exclaimed, placing her hand on his arm. "Adrien, she completely understands you were in an accident."

"Don't tell her it was sabotaged." He said, looking at her intently. "I don't want her to worry about me unnecessarily. Besides, I'm going to be in capable hands." He then looked away from her. "I guess she knows who I am?"

Marinette nodded. "Yes, and she said when the time is right, she will tell you who she is."

Adrien looked at her a little surprised. "She doesn't have to. I know she never really wanted to know who I was."

Plagg suddenly darted back into Marinette's bag when Adrien's bodyguard came to the door. Marinette looked back at him in the bed before leaning down and kissing his cheek. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

~~~~~

"You want to do what?" Nathalie asked as she looked at Gabriel on the screen.

"I'm moving Marinette into Adrien's apartment to look after him and announcing them officially as a couple." Gabriel replied, sounding annoyed. "Can you kindly make the press statement."

"But I didn't think they were dating?"

"I don't care what Adrien calls it, to the rest of the world they are dating,have been dating and the shareholders are getting antsy about there being no official confirmation of that fact. It will work well with the upcoming Christmas campaign. Share prices dropped 6 points today over Adrien's accident, we need to give the investors something they can get behind while Adrien can't model. That girl will be lead designer here in a few years, I can sense it, and what would be better than the lead designer being married to the future CEO? This accident may have just given me the perfect opportunity to push those two together."

Gabriel knocked on the partition and told his bodyguard to go and get Marinette.

"I understand you are anxious to move the relationship along Sir, but is this wise? Throwing two people together like this might cause more friction than romance?"

"I'm confident it will work." Gabriel replied. "Adrien is clearly in love with her, and I'm sure the feelings are mutual. In the meantime, I want you to hire a private investigator. See what you can find out about who is behind "Illusions." I want his head on a platter before the spring launch."

"Yes Sir, and what if your other activities?"

Gabriel gave her a flat look. "That goal hasn't changed Nathalie, only the reasons have shifted. Emilie might be a lost cause, but I must protect Adrien at all costs and the Miraculous guarantee me of that."

When the call ended, Gabriel tapped his fingers along the window edge in thought until Marinette arrived at the car with the bodyguard. The large man opened the door for her and she sat beside Gabriel in the back seat. For the first few minutes of the drive, no one said anything and Marinette started getting nervous, keeping her gaze out the window.

"You love my son."

Marinette swung her head around with wide eyes and looked at the older Agreste. He didn't ask her, he stated it as a fact. Gabriel looked away from her and out the window.

"You don't have to answer, I just want you to know that if you are holding back over fears for your career, you need not worry on that account. Your performance over these first few weeks has been outstanding, notwithstanding the leaked design and I intend to get to the bottom of that." He then turned back to her. "I don't trust many people right now Marinette, but Adrien trusts you, so I am willing to trust you. I am trusting you with my son. Stay with him, keep him safe and help him…" His voice trailed off and Marinette felt there was genuine emotion in his voice. "Help him to walk again. Adrien is very precious to me. When his mother…after she was gone, he was all I had. I wasn't always the kind of father he needed, but he has always been the most important thing in my life."

Marinette bit back her own emotions to hear Gabriel speaking so openly about his own feelings, to see that in his own way, he really does love his son.

"I will do everything I can for him Mr Agreste. Adrien means the world to me."

As the car pulled up to the offices, Gabriel gave her a nod of his head.

"That is all I ask."

A/N - I just want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support this year. Due to my Christmas story I will be uploading this week, the next chapter might be in 3 weeks rather than 2. I hope to see you all back for Chapter 7 in the New Year