Updated C8

"Adrien honey, why don't you go home and rest; you have been here for days now!" Rubbing his eyes sleepily, Adrien smiled at Mrs Dupain Cheng in gratitude, "thanks but its ok. I promise I will go in just a little while okay?"

Marinette's father placed a hand on his wife's shoulder and nodded with appreciation, "very well, thank you for watching over her all this time! Sabine and I have to go back now, but if her condition changes please let us know!"

Alya sat on the end of Marinette's bed and nodded, "sure thing! You can count on us, see you later." When they had left the room Alya raised her eyebrows at Adrien through the awkward silence, but when she said nothing, Adrien couldn't help but snap slightly, "What? Is there something you want to say?"

He regretted his tone once her face fell into one of quiet sadness, a small sigh escaped her lips and her shoulders fell slightly, "sorry, I just…I want to know what's going on. It's been like a week and I could already see such a difference in Marinette…things seemed to be going so well. Why would she flee from your place like that? They said that from the marks left on the road and the damage to the car, they could determine that she had to be going at a high speed for it to leave that kind of damage!"

Adrien didn't want to discuss this with Alya- not until Marinette had woken up and he had chance to talk with her first. For now, he simply shook his head, "not yet Alya, I can't talk about it now!" He didn't have to look in her direction to know she was scrutinising his face for any clues but he didn't care!

Looking at his watch before standing up and grabbing his coat, he bent over Marinette and kissed her forehead gently, whispering into her ear, "I'm sorry, I have to go take care of something. I will be back soon!"

Offering a warm smile in Alya's direction he opened the door and glanced back momentarily, "just know this Alya; I have no intention of hurting her, I want her to be happy. Please can you watch over her while I am gone?" Alya ran to the door and tugged on his collar before he had chance to leave, "where are you going? Marinette needs you!"

Adrien's head lowered guiltily; he knew he was been selfish, but he had waited ten years for this! He didn't know if Ladybug would show; but it was something he had to do, he wanted to be with Marinette- but order for him to do this he needed closure! "I know Alya! I have to go now so that I can be here for her and I can't do it while my head isn't straight!"

The small fingers that had been grasping tightly onto his collar had relaxed. She shook her head disapprovingly before taking them off altogether with a small sigh, "I really don't think you should leave, but I will trust you! But just remember that she's been through enough-okay?" Alya didn't need to tell him the depth of Marinette's despair because he had seen first-hand just how much pain she was enduring!

"You are right Alya. She has been through enough and all I want to do is give her the life she wants! I have no idea how long this will take- but I swear I will be back." As the door closed behind him, conflicting feelings started to battle within him. His feelings of grief for Marientte's current condition was at war with the excitement for his hopes of finally meeting the woman who had eased all of his pain and suffering as a child!

The rain had finally stopped by the time he reached his house. The route that led into the woods at the back of his parent's land hadn't been used for ten years and so the over flowing greenery was rather difficult to navigate through- especially in the dark. But nothing would stop him from reaching her! Sure enough his eyes fell upon the tree that they had marked as their 'lair' and climbed up to the very branch that he had been sat upon when she had first entered into his life!

Twenty minutes had passed since he had taken his perch in the tree, and the whole time his heart had been pounding uncomfortably against his chest. Would she come? Even as minutes crept closer to the hour, he refused to believe that his dream would fail him! He remained glued to the spot stubbornly refusing to believe that she wasn't coming, she was now an hour late- but surely, she could have simply been held up?

One hour and forty-eight minutes. Adrien had waited for one hour and forty-eight minutes, how much longer would he wait until he was satisfied that she wasn't coming? Heart now heavy; he raised his head to the stars with a thin smile, because at least now he knew it was time to move on- just as his Lad…just as Ladybug had.

He could not escape the feeling that he had been a fool all of this time- a fool who was chasing the dream of a naïve fifteen year old who boy who believed the girl he had cherished, would be here waiting for him ten years later!

He had closed his eyes against the starry canvas above him, willing himself to free his wish and his love for her- to allow them to rest in peace so that he could move on. As his prayer to the heavens echoed in his heart, his ears pricked slightly against the sound of snapping twigs and rustling leaves. There was no point pretending that it wasn't wildlife making those noises, why allow his hopes to rise again when he was in the process of letting them go?

The space around him was silent once more. As the echoes of his memory haunted his ears with the ghost of her voice calling out to him, he tried to ignore the floating feeling of hope that was swelling in his chest because he knew the pin would soon follow to deflate it.

But then he heard it again, this wasn't a ghost speaking out, it was unmistakeable they were calling for him- no they were shouting for Cat Noir?!

His eyes snapped open and as they adjusted to the dark once again; a shadowy silhouette of a young woman materialised, she was walking slowly around feeling through the darkness- holding on to the trees for their support. Was she injured?

Adrien had waited ten years for this moment, and yet now it terrified him more than ever- who was she? Would she be disappointed in him for leaving? Had she cherished him- as he did her?

Unwilling to be held back by his own hesitation any longer, he leapt from the tree and took another step closer. As his heartbeat thundered around his ears he reached out to her, "Ladybug…is that you?" The young woman stepped closer unsteadily until she unexpectedly she fell into his arms! But now he didn't need light to see her- the feeling of her in his arms was all too familiar!

Marinette was sore and she was confused. As she slowly opened one eye against the unwelcoming light above her, she quickly came to realise she was in the hospital. Fleeing from Adrien's house in a panic, that's what she remembered. Driving home in such a haste so she could curl up alone and make sense of everything, that she had lost control and had never made it that far!

Now fully awake, she cast her eyes over the only person who was in the room; Alya. She was sleeping in the nearby chair but was faced down on the edge of Marinette's bed. She could only feel warm affection for her friend as she realised how late it must have been.

Wincing from the pain, Marinette gently hopped from her bed and hobbled over to Alya's phone to check the time. She had expected the hour to be late, but the date on the display of her phone felt like a punch to her stomach!

As she realised she had been unconscious for 2 days, a loud groan escaped her because she was supposed to have met Cat Noir nearly an hour ago! Having no way to communicate when they were children, they had always agreed that they would sneak out after dark and meet at the same hour every time!

Hoping to slip back before Alya could wake up, she quickly pulled on some clothes in a nearby bag- noting that her parents must have rushed back from their travels! She knew it was probably a long shot that he would still be there- if he had even turned up at all, but even so she still had to go! And so, silently apologising to her best friend, she snuck out of the room and ran as fast as her injuries would allow her!

So many questions were buzzing around her mind, but she could not focus on them, she poured all of her energy into running and ignoring the pain that was screaming from her body as she pushed it beyond limits. Please Cat Noir, if you did remember, I hope you are still waiting for me!

Slowing down as she reached the wall that she had hopped over that time to avoid Chloe- and many times after. She fell down into the unkempt grass below with a small cry as a sharp pain in her leg screamed out at her. Seemingly the stitches to one of her wounds had opened and the wetness of the blood was mixing with the dampness on the grass- hopefully it wouldn't get infected!

Their 'lair' wasn't far from here, but seeing the overgrowth in the plants and trees didn't inspire her confidence that she would find her way easily, but she knew she must try! Grasping on to twigs for support, Marinette willed herself on through the darkness.

Fighting tears through the pain and confusion, Marinette began to call out softly for him. Internally begging him to still be here, but surely he would have left by now- even if he had turned up? Ignoring her scepticism, she pressed on- unwilling to believe that this was all for nothing!

Calling louder now as she battled her desperation, she limped her way from one tree to the next while trying to feel any grooves in them to locate their tree. A sudden loud thud behind her almost stopped her heart dead! Marinette could not see his face in the darkness, but fighting back the tears in her eyes as she stumbled closer to see, her leg gave way beneath her so that she fell into his embrace.

"Cat Noir? You remembered!" He was quiet as she clung onto him. The pain in her body was making her feel unsteady and along with the building anticipation, her head was starting to spin slightly. Finally, his voice broke through the silence, "Marinette?! You…You're Ladybug?!"

She didn't need to see his face; his voice was unmistakable! Adrien pulled her closer into him before pulling away again to see her properly. "Marinette! You're awake! Thank heavens!" Her eyes watered from the shattering pain of her injuries but also from shock. Adrien had been Cat Noir!

It was too surreal. Adrien had been Cat Noir! With overwhelming emotions raging war within her, she looked at Adrien through tear-filled eyes and whispered, "I can't do this!" Seeing her knees buckle slightly; Adrien's hands grabbed on to her protectively, but as her eyes fluttered slightly, she became limp in his arms- and lost consciousness once more!

"Marinette! I woke up and she had vanished! Is she okay?!" Adrien cradled Marinette in his arms having returned her to her room at the hospital. With a reassuring smile at Alya, he laid Marinette down, before slumping back into the nearby chair, "its ok Alya, she's asleep. I…uh- ran into her on the way back, she seemed a little unsteady and confused still so I carried her back." He felt it was best he didn't tell Alya the real reason why Marinette had left the hospital- surely she would kill him!

With the silence that had once again settled around them, Adrien was able to mull over his amazement that Marinette had been Ladybug. She had grown so much in ten years but now that he watched her closely he could see he certainly had to wonder how he had not realised?

Fate certainly had been kind to him because it was just too good to be true! Marinette, who he happened across randomly at a boring work meeting, had been his Ladybug! She had managed to claim his heart in such a short time and then been in a horrific car accident, before waking up too late to make it to their reunion! Despite this she still went, and Adrien had still hung on! The odds should have been against them but they still made it back to each other!

Suddenly, Adrien felt his heart sink as he recalled the love that she had held for another- the one who was ripped from her so unfairly. Had fate also done that to her so he could have his Ladybug? Had his joy come at another's expense? Was he allowed to feel the guilty joy at claiming her for his own because had her love survived, she would not be his to claim?

Alya watched Adrien curiously as his shoulders dropped- along with his smile, "Adrien? What's wrong?" With a shake of his head he grabbed Marinette's hand gently and held it lovingly to his face, "I could never replace Luka. She can never love me like she did him- I will never be enough!"

Understanding dawned on her face as she looked from Adrien to Marinette, "You know, I got so frustrated watching the two of you the other night; Marinette was so happy- and so were you. I kept wondering what was holding the two of you back from taking the leap. But both of you were so dense!

Giggles escaped her as she watched Adrien's eyes grow wide in confusion "what do you mean?" Alya threw her hands up in exasperation, "Marinette won't thank me for saying this but you can consider me your fairy god mother- who wishes to help things along a little. I figured it out when she told me where you lived…you were her secret friend weren't you?"

Pausing for a while to see the surprise light up in his eyes, Alya grinned with her head now resting in her hands, "Marinette had kept her friendship with you a secret- until you left, and then she spilled the beans to me. Marinette loved you most of all to begin with! When you moved away she was crushed. She convinced herself to forget about you so she could move on, it was only once she had done that, she got with Luka."

She giggled at his stunned face before continuing, "I realised that the wall that Marinette used to visit you was at the very edge of the boundary to your house. When Nino and I explored your beautiful family home, I came across a huge bird's eye painting of the grounds and saw just how far the land spanned out. It's so huge that Marinette never realised the location of the woods was actually inside your back yard- so to speak."

Alya had already figured it out. She had known who they were to each other before even they did, and though Adrien wanted to be furious at her for not telling them before now that she had figured it out- he couldn't be. It was his own fault that things had panned out this way.

"When you had left, Marinette also told me that you had promised to return to her in ten years- that's where you both went tonight right? I have to confess though, I never thought you would have both remembered. Even I had forgotten until the truth hit me the other night."

The cat was out of the bag! Adrien chuckled quietly before sitting forward with his head in his hands, "There was no way I would forget! Not a day went by that I didn't think about her, Alya. She was the only light in my life and when my father took me away from her, it nearly killed me! I swore that when I was old enough to escape him, I would return to her!"

His father had found out about her, Adrien had been forbidden to have friends and when his father had discovered his secret…he had immediately arranged for them to move. Adrien had hoped that ten years would be enough time to acquire his freedom, but he was never truly free! Even now, his father was surely hunting him down.

"Adrien? You're in love with her- aren't you?" Alya knew he had cared for Marinette as a child. But when he had met her at work only a week before he hadn't known who she was, but even after only a week of knowing the adult Marinette, there was no mistaking that the love in him was plain to see.

Adrien sighed miserably, "yes Alya, I am. I'm just not sure if she is ready for me to love her yet. I have to confess to you; I think she may have realised it herself, that's why she fled my place- and why she was in such a hurry to get home! It…it was my fault she crashed!"

Listening as his voice cracked, Alya placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and quickly shook her head, "it isn't your fault! Marinette may have freaked; but not because she realised the depth of your feelings for her- I think it's because she realised her feelings for you!"

Alya's eyes rested sadly on her best friend as she lay in the hospital bed, "her fiancé died only a year ago- with that comes a ton of emotions; namely guilt. The question of whether it's ok to just fall in love with someone a year after your fiancé dies? Whether she is ready to fall in love again because of the fear that they too will leave her? All of these worries will be plaguing her and that's what made her run!"

As the sun began to rise, Alya stood up and kissed Marinette goodbye and with a large grin, she threw her arms around Adrien, "listen Agreste; I was always rooting for Ladybug and Cat Noir to be together. And I am once again, because Marinette needs her partner back! Just as she was your light back when you needed her, now it's time for you to be hers! Just don't disappear on her again okay?"

He was anxious for her to wake up so that he could finally explain the events that led to him leaving ten years ago, but when Marinette finally stirred, she simply blinked at him several times before shaking her head and smiling widely at him, "you're here! Thank you- I'm glad I'm not alone."

Adrien watched her nervously as he waited for her to fire questions at him regarding Cat Noir. He waited, and waited, but the questions never came- nor did the subject even arise! Marinette sat up in her bed and reached under her pillow, she pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and squeezed it in her hand tightly.

"Marinette? Is everything okay? You haven't said a word about last night!" A small frown appeared above her eyes, "The crash? I'm sorry for worrying you- I freaked out but I shouldn't have ran away like that."

Still no mention of Cat Noir? Adrien rested his head against the back of the chair while he wondered how best to broach the subject, "you know what day it is right?" Allowing a moment to check the date on her phone, Marinette's face paled.

Her fists tightened around the note in response. Adrien had a sneaky feeling what the paper in her hand was. Taking a leap of faith, his hand wrapped around hers- the one that was holding the poem.

"Our battle is over- though still not yet won…" her eyes darted to him in shock.

"What did you say?!" He shook his head sadly with a bitter smile, "the truth!" He took the note from her hand and re read his words. Though these words had been written a decade ago- each word still held true in his heart.

"I take it you don't remember? You ran away from the hospital so that you could finally meet Cat Noir again after ten years." Though clearly surprised, she didn't seem opposed to the idea that he was Cat Noir. Her initial response had been less than desirable, and this worried Adrien still.

"I thought it had been a dream! You mean...?" Adrien held her face to his before she could finish and claimed her lips for his own because he was unwilling to allow her to respond in a similar manner to last night.

"There is so much I want to tell you my Ladybug! Before any of that however, I need to tell you that I love you! Cat Noir loved Ladybug; you know that already, but Marinette claimed Adrien's heart after only a week! I had no idea who you were or what you meant to me- but somewhere deep down my heart recognised you as the one I love!"

His mouth pressed to hers again gently, "I promise I will tell you everything, about me, my father- and why I had betrayed you and left for ten years! I just hope you aren't mad at me!"

She had been quiet and listened intently, however now she simply couldn't speak due to the lump in her throat. Finally managing to keep the tears at bay, Marinette finally allowed herself to speak, "Adrien, I don't know what happened or why you left but I know this; I could ever be mad at you, I trusted Cat Noir and I loved him- No I loveyou. Nothing you could have ever done would change how I feel about you! I never thought of it as a betrayal!"

Adrien beamed at her, wondering if he had ever felt joy like this, "very well, I shall tell you Ladybug…the truth about 'Hawkmoth' and about me."