"Good morning."
The door chimed as the next customer walked in.
"Good morning." The old man said with a warm smile.
"What can I get you?" Sabine asked returning the smile.
"Some advice if you have the time."
Sabine frowned, "You're asking me for advice?"
The old man nodded gravely. Sabine went and turned the open sign to closed, "Come in, I'll make tea."
The old man sat at the breakfast table while Sabine put a kettle on the stove.
"Sabine-" Tom called before he noticed the elderly man, "Oh hello again Mr. Fu."
Fu smiled at the giant man, "Good morning Mr. Dupain."
"Honey-" Sabine started pulling out two tea cups.
Tom nodded and grabbed his apron, "I know, no questions asked. Let me know when it's safe to come back into the kitchen."
And with that Tom left.
"You never told him." Wayzz zipped out of fu's pocket.
"No, it's not a part of my life anymore. It's easier to leave it behind." Sabine handed Fu a cup and gave him a look, "It would be easier to leave behind if my daughter wasn't Ladybug."
"You don't disagree with my choice do you?" Fu smiled.
"She is a wonderful Ladybug, I can't argue there. But sometimes it's a parent's job to think of her daughter before the rest of the world."
Master Fu hummed.
"What did you need my advice with?" Sabine asked.
"I think it's time for Wayzz and I to part ways."
Sabine's mouth opened and she blinked dumbly in response. A sharp whistling sound came from behind them.
"Your kettle."
Sabine stood up and poured hot water into a tea pot, before bringing the pot and some tea bags to the table.
"I already told you I wouldn't leave your side till I was dead." Wayzz said floating back up to meet Fu's gaze.
"I don't know if we can afford that luxury anymore old friend."
"What do you mean?" Sabine poured tea for herself and Master Fu.
"Rekko already has the butterfly miraculous, and according to Chat Noir he has the Bee miraculous as well. He's stolen the turtle miraculous before, he must not be allowed to get it again."
"Without me you are vulnerable Fu." Wayzz insisted, "It's too dangerous."
"Sabine." Fu turned to her and picked up his mug, "I need your advice."
Sabine thought for a moment, "if you give up Wayzz, you are making yourself a target for Hawkmoth. He'll know the moment the new jade turtle appears that you no longer have the miraculous."
Master Fu sipped his tea.
"But you'd rather you die and the miraculous be safe with someone else." Sabine looked at Wayzz sadly.
"I am old Sabine, I can't fight like I used to. If Rekko gets a hold of Wayzz, Ladybug and Chat Noir don't stand a chance."
"Tell him he's crazy Sabine." Wayzz piped in.
"I agree with him." Sabine said mournfully. "Rekko cannot be allowed to get the title miraculous."
Master Fu nodded, "And in my absence, can I count on you to guide them?"
She nodded and gave her old master a sad smile. "I will help them as best as I can."
Sabine waved after her old master as he left the shop.
"Is everything ok?" Tom asked standing behind her.
Sabine didn't respond at first, she just stared after the old man and lifted her hand to wipe a tear from her cheek.
"He's going to die soon."
Tom held his wife lovingly, "I'm sorry."
"It's going to be my fault. I told him he had to…"
"Sabine," Tom turned the smaller woman around carefully, "Fu wouldn't do anything he didn't agree with. It's not your fault."
"I'm sorry." Sabine said shaking her head lightly.
"For what?" Tom was worried now.
"Fu asked me to take over when he was gone." Sabine wiped the last tears from her eyes, "I can't be retired anymore."
Tom sighed, "it'll be ok, Sabine. And listen," he gave her a smile, "You don't have to tell me anything, our old deal still stands."
"Thank you." Sabine went on her tiptoes and Tom leaned down so she could kiss him, "I love you."
"I love you too."
…
Sabine waited at the bus stop patiently. Her suitcase was sitting in front of her with her bag on top of it. Paris was very different from China, and she had never been more grateful for the small Mandarin to French dictionary tucked inside her pocket. Her brother and her had been to Paris before when they were younger, it was for a cooking competition that her brother had advanced to the finals for. They had had the most delicate pastries while they were here. Sabine wondered if she would eat them again as she was here.
"Are you Cheng, Sabine?" A beautiful blonde woman appeared in front of her, she spoke in a french accent but her Mandarin was understandable.
"Yes."
"I'm Celine, Master Fu sent me to pick you up," Celine smiled, "Ready to meet everyone?"
Paris looked like every postcard she had seen. She had to hold back from pressing herself against the car window to stare.
"Take a left," Celine sat beside her giving directions to a man dressed in a suit who was driving them.
In Sabine's experience people associated with the miraculous came from old money. Whether the correlation was only the rich could afford to have no job and have all the time to research the miraculous, or that the old money came from when the miraculous was not so secret and people paid tribute to those who wielded their power. It may have been a combination of both but the result lead to a trend in wealth among miraculous researchers and Celine Allard was no exception to the rule. The car stopped outside a small massage parlor and Celine waited for the driver to open her door.
"The master requested to see you as soon as you arrived." The blonde explained giving the driver a grateful smile as she stepped out of the car. She waited for Sabine to do the same before opening the door to the shop. "Ready?"
Sabine gave a nod and followed Celine inside.
The shop felt warm and cozy compared to the blonde woman's car. It was full of books and oddly patterned wall paper and the smell of green tea could be smelled from the door.
"Madame Peacock?" An old man peeked around the corner and smiled at Celine, "I see you've brought Ms. Cheng." He looked over at the shorter woman, "It's good to finally meet you Sabine."
Sabine gave a bow of her head, "It's an honour to meet you Master."
Master Fu waved his hand to dismiss her formalities. "I already have a pot of tea ready, come in."
Celine followed after Fu, as Sabine tentatively entered the main room.
….
A girl looked up from her book in the corner of the room, "Who's she?"
Sabine tried to smile politely as Celine introduced her, "And Sabine, this is Amira, the most recent descendant of Asa."
"It's an honour to meet you." Sabine bowed her head respectively. "I was not aware that the current descendant of Asa was in Paris."
"I brought her here." Celine stepped forward slightly, "I'm surprised you didn't know, the news spread fairly fast through the miraculous community."
"Yeah, ok." Amira got up and pushed past Sabine waving the book at Celine, "I read the stupid book, can I please go out now?"
"Oh?" Celine looked amused, "What's it about?"
"You gave it to me, you should know what it's about blondey."
Celine didn't look phased. Amira grumbled something and went back to the corner opening the book to the first page.
"I saw that the car is back, and thought I'd stop by." Another woman entered the room. She was tall with medium length dark brown hair and the same dark brown eyes. You could see the muscles through her jeans and t-shirt, and Sabine was glad that the woman looked friendly. Her smile lit up her face, which despite her muscle tone was still soft and round.
"Sabine this is Sage Dalton, Sage, Sabine Cheng the new apprentice."
Sage gave a warm smile and turned fully towards Sabine. It was then that she noticed the distinctive shape of the Fox miraculous on the woman's necklace.
"It's an honour to meet you, Volpina." Sabine gave a little nod again.
"Thank you," Sage smiled, "I could say the same to you."
"Oh everything such an honour, don't you love it!"
"Amira, do shut up." Sage chuckled and looked over at the girl in the corner.
"Only if you let me out of this stuffy library." Amira complained tossing the book down on the coffee table.
"Fine," Celine threw her hands up in defeat but her playful smile said something else.
"God finally!" Amira flew up and was almost out the door.
"You can show Sabine around if you want to get out of the library."
Another grumble before picking up one of Sabine's suitcases and trudging down the hall.
Sabine gave a quizzical look to Celine and Sage before picking up her remaining bags and chasing after the girl.
"So you're going to be the next master huh?" Amira asked as they climbed a flight of stairs.
"Yes. I hope to be."
"Aren't you a little young?" Amira gave her a sideways glance, "Aren't you like 18 or something?"
"21," Sabine corrected, "And I'm nowhere near to being the new master, I still have years of training to complete."
"What the hell are you going to learn in years of training? How to make tea? Cause that's all Fu can tell you."
"He's a great Master who has protected the miraculous for decades."
"He's on old fart and his house smells weird, and he just smiles at you instead of answering anything."
"He's incredibly wise, you shouldn't be so rude and immature."
Amira rolled her eyes, "You'll see what I mean when you start training with him."
"I'm sure I won't."
…...
Celine waited patiently in the backroom of the massage parlor taking in every ancient word, relic, or text she could spot. The sound of the beads that separated the room from the main part of the shop alerted Celine of Fu's presence.
"Master I know you don't want-"
"Madame Madame Peacock, why do you think my answer has not changed over the years?" Fu sighed.
"Master-"
"It is because my mind has not changed."
Celine followed behind Master Fu as he poured himself a glass of water.
"It's the logical choice!"
"A logical choice? Ms. Cheng is already studying with me, she is already aware of the responsibilities, and the history of our world."
"She has learned about this world. She is not from it. She didn't grow up with this as a constant. She will leave it, and when she does you will be stuck with no one to succeed you."
"Celine-"
"I have been studying and tracking the miraculous since I was a child, I found Amira! I don't see why you won't consider it!"
"Celine!" Master Fu rarely raised his voice and the sudden volume startled Celine enough for her to quiet. "I will not hear anymore of this. My decision is final, and it is that. My decision. I will not hear another word against Sabine Cheng. Am I clear?"
Celine stood back, "You are acting like a fool. We can't keep up this way. We need Tikki and Plagg and we need someone who is strong and educated to find them."
"Celine. I think it is time you left."
…
Sabine understood what Amira meant by Fu's weird smiling. It had been close to a month since moving to Paris and training with Fu and the other miraculous wielders and Sabine was finding her teachers methods increasingly frustrating.
"I understand, but should the situation ever arise where I need to decide between the two, what should I do."
Fu simply hummed and poured them each another cup of tea, "In the moment you will have to decide." And then he smiled wistfully as if guarding some knowledge he refused to tell her.
Sabine almost growled.
"Perhaps we should take a break for now." Fu suggested and Sabine nodded whole heartedly.
The streets of Paris were slowly getting more familiar, it didn't help that she spent most of her time at Celine's mansion and the rest of it at Fu's shop, but the little she got out she made the most of. Two more turns and she'd be at the little park near the bakery. She had gone in a couple times and gotten a pastry or a dessert, but she would always take her food and sit in the park enjoying her moments alone.
She opened the door to the shop and was greeted by the warm smell of bread and sugar. She smiled absentmindedly as she browsed the display cabinet looking for something she hadn't tried yet.
"Can I help you with anything Ms.?" The cashier asked.
She shook her head, "Just looking still."
Suddenly there as a beeping from the back, "Pierre can you take the cakes out?" Called the cashier over his shoulder. "Pierre? Sorry Ms, just a moment."
And with that the man disappeared into the back room.
Sabine returned her attention back to the cabinet.
"I'd recommend the sugar twists." A voice said behind her.
She jumped a little in surprise and turned around.
"I didn't mean to scare you." The voice, who belonged to a very tall and largely built man, apologized. "Are you alright Ms?"
"I'm fine," Sabine laughed lightly, "Just took me by surprise, I thought I was by myself."
The man looked embarrassed, "Sorry about that. I just thought it was rather sweet of you, deciding what you wanted so carefully."
Sabine felt a little flustered, "I suppose it might seem a little silly, but it's the only time I get to myself, I like to savor it." She looked back at the baked goods, "The sugar twists are good? I've never had them before."
"Delicious, but then again everything is." The man gave a deep chuckle that made Sabine smile.
"Alright, I'll take your advice then."
"I won't make you wait for Marc, I can ring that up for you."
The man went behind the counter and started working the till.
"Sir you can't do that! The cashier is coming back!" Sabine looked worriedly to the back room.
"You don't understand Ms, I work here." The man laughed again and Sabine looked at him confused.
"I've been coming here for the past month and I've never seen you before."
"Well, I'm usually in the back, being one of the bakers and all." The man laughed again, his smile bright and kind.
"You make all of this?" Sabine stared in awe at the deserts in front of her.
"Not all of it. It's my family's business, but I do a lot of the baking."
"That's amazing!" Sabine beamed, "your food is delicious!"
"Thank you," He smiled widely as he handed her her bag of food.
"How much is it?" Sabine reached into her purse.
"On the house!" The man smiled again.
"What? No really it's ok-"
"I insist, unless that makes you uncomfortable, but I'm just glad that you like my food."
Sabine smiled, "Thank you sir."
"Call me Tom."
"Sabine."
"Pardon?"
"Sabine, that's my name. It was nice to meet you Tom, thank you for the dessert."
"Anytime Sabine."
….
Sugar twists were soon becoming Sabine's favourite dessert, they were sweet and filling, and they made her purse smell like sugar and cinnamon for the rest of the day, and not to mention they were made by the sweetest man in the whole world.
Tom Dupain. The other day she had seen him stop and help a lady outside of the shop pick up her groceries. Whenever school let out he would make sure there were extra of any new recipe he was working on to give to the kids. He had a laugh that resonated in the floorboards and in the air itself, and Sabine had never smiled so much as when she was in the small bakery.
Sabine hit the mat with a thud. "Get your head out of the clouds." Sabine looked up at Amira.
"Sorry."
"Where's your head at?" Amira held out a hand to help Sabine up, which the older girl took.
"Just tired." Sabine said, "I think I've had enough combat training today."
Amira looked less than impressed, "It's been 15 minutes."
"Yeah?"
"Where else do you have to be that's so important?"
"Nowhere, I'm just going to walk around the city a little."
"What?" Amira stared at Sabine in frustration, "Why do you get to go out and do whatever?"
"Because I'm 21 and you're 16."
"So?" Amira put her hands on her hips, "I can look after myself, besides what gives Madame Peacock and Volpina control over me."
"Well I'm sure they would keep me inside if they could, but I'm training to be their boss so.." Sabine undid her ponytail and walked to the door, "You could always just take off, not like they could really stop you."
…...
"Are you sure this is alright?"
"I'm sure," Tom started kneading the dough expertly, "Besides you're helping me for free, I can't see any reason my parents wouldn't be alright with that.
Sabine smiled and watched Tom's hands.
"Do you want to try?"
"Oh I don't know," Sabine looked skeptically at the dough, "I wouldn't want to mess up and get you in trouble."
"I promise it's fine, you won't mess up." Tom stepped back from the table to let Sabine through.
Tentatively she grabbed the dough trying to move her hands the same way Tom had, "What kind of bread is this?"
"Just a simple loaf, easy as pie."
"I've never been good at pie."
Tom laughed, "Then we'll have to teach you that too."
Sabine's smile was back, "Did you always want to be a baker?"
Tom hummed a yes as he took over for Sabine, "I always liked the taste of baked goods and the smell, and when I would make treats for people it always made them happy, I think it can't be half bad of a job if it makes everyone happy." Tom looked over at the small woman, "What about you?"
"I'm in school still." It was almost the truth.
"What are you studying?" Tom asked getting out a pan for the bread.
"Ancient History and historical artifacts." Sabine covered again, skirting around the nature of her work.
"That sounds really interesting," Tom gave her a smile, "I'm probably boring you with all this baking talk then."
"Oh no, you aren't!" Sabine assured him, "I think it's sweet how much you care about your job."
"It's not really," Tom looked flustered, "I'm sure you feel the same about yours."
"Yeah." Was all Sabine said.
"So what can you tell me about ancient artifacts?" Tom asked putting the bread in the oven.
"Oh nothing worth telling," Sabine laughed nervously, "Lot's of old stuff and no answered questions."
"I never liked that."
"Pardon?"
"I never liked when there were unanswered questions, it's like a cliffhanger in a book that never got finished."
Sabine laughed, "I guess. Never thought of it that way."
"Well I hope all of your questions get answered Sabine."
"The same to you Tom."
…
A woman in a long blue dress, with hair a darker shade of her clothing stared into the mirror with a vacant expression. Iddly she played with her hair, smoothing it out and twirling it passively between two fingers. She leaned in closer to the mirror observing her eyeshadow.
"I just don't understand." Celine was lying on her bed, hanging partially off the edge, "It's as if after giving me the miraculous he doesn't want me to use it."
"I want to go out tonight." Duusu announced.
"Anything specific?" Celine rolled off the bed.
"I want to try the new technique." Duusu responded, walking towards her chosen. "Maybe we can find out more on Ladybug."
"Wings out."
Madame Peacock took to the roofs of Paris, her arms spread to glide between the buildings. It smelt like rain, and the brisk air was welcome compared to her room. She peered in every alley she passed over searching them for anything.
She heard a scream and looked down into the alley to her right. There stood two girls backed up against a wall by a group of half hidden figures.
She didn't wait a moment before dropping down landing on one of the attackers. Before anyone could recover from the shock Duusu and Celine switched, Duusu taking control of the body and leaping to stand, sweeping the legs out from under a man. The kwami lept back and let Madame Peacock come back. Pulling out her fans Madame Peacock charged at the last man standing. The metal weapon made a sharp sound as it unfolded. Peacock swept her arm towards the man's torso backing him into the wall. The second fan was folded and pointed at the man's neck.
"Please," The man sputtered, flat against the wall, "Let me go!"
"You have to make a deal with me first."
"We're not doing anything!" One of the attackers she had knocked out already stood up and took a sweep at her.
Suddenly Duusu appeared and blocked the man with ease, spinning his arm behind his back.
Celine stood still pinning the other man to the wall, now without the help of her fans.
"Now that deal." Celine smiled.
Madame Peacock landed on the window sill of her room and stepped inside before Duusu dropped her transformation.
"Busy night?"
"Sage?" Celine looked annoyed, "What are you doing in my room?"
"Why aren't you turning those thugs into the cops?"
"How do you know I'm not."
"I'm the regional lieutenant."
"Sage, I know what I'm doing."
"Then share. I want to understand what you're trying to accomplish by letting criminals go!"
"You're angry."
"No shit Celine!"
Celine moved closer to her friend, "Sage, right now we need to find the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous. That's the priority. And I can't find them by myself, I need a large group of people looking for them too."
"So you recruit these muggers to help you?"
"We make a deal. They report to me, and I let them leave alive and without jail time."
"That's not a deal for you to make."
"Why not? Because I'm not the guardian? Because I'm not Master Fu or Cheng?"
"Because you are not the police and you are not working by yourself." Sage shook her head, "You are in a team. Act like it. You need to let whatever obsession with being in control go, or it's going to get you killed."
Sage left as Celine yelled after her.
…..
"Well?"
Sabine nodded enthusiastically, "It's delicious!"
Tom smiled proudly, "My own recipe! Do you think they'll let me sell it?"
"Tom, I think anything you make will sell!" Sabine took another bite, "They're so good! What did you use in the filling?"
"Apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar-" Tom listed before looking up at Sabine and smiling again.
"What?" Sabine frowned confused.
"You have a crumb." Tom laughed reaching up and gently brushing the flake of pastry from her cheek.
Sabine looked at the ground with an embarrassed laugh, "Not very lady like of me."She looked up at Tom again as he stared at her face. "What? Do I have more crumbs?"
"No," Tom smiled at her, "You're just… Really beautiful."
"I-" Sabine looked away flustered, "Thank you."
"Sabine?"
"Yes?"
"Can I take you out for dinner?"
"Yes!" Sabine smiled, and then turned a little red, "I mean, I would like that. A lot."
"Tonight? At 7?"
"That sounds perfect! Where?"
"At the cafe? Around the corner?"
"It's a date." Sabine grinned, "I have to run, I'll see you tonight Tom." Sabine stood up and gave a wave before heading down the path out of the park.
"A date. With the prettiest girl in Paris." Tom grinned like an idiot.
…
"You're going on a date with him?"
Sabine just gave a smile as she held up a dress, "Yes, now Celine help me choose."
"You're going on a date? Three months in the big city and you've already met someone before me." Celine lamented.
"Celine!" Sabine whined holding up the dress.
"It's cute."
"Just cute? Do you think it says I'm trying to hard?"
"I'm going to die alone! No one is ever going to love me! I'm going to be single for the rest of my life." Celine fell back onto the bed dramatically.
"Could you please calm down?"
"Sabine, I am in turmoil."
Sabine rolled her eyes with a laugh.
"So? When do we get to meet him?"
"Once we've gone on more than one date."
"Date? You're finally going on a date old hag?" Amira walked in and threw her coat on the couch.
"I'm not that old!" Celine pouted, "And no. Cheng is."
"Another miraculous historian?"
"No," Sabine held up the dress again. "A baker."
Silence fell over the room.
"What?"
"You're dating someone who doesn't know about the miraculous?" Amira sat down on the bed.
"Hopefully, yes."
"You can't."
"Why not?"
"Because our world is secret for a reason Sabine." Celine piped in.
"Then I won't tell him." Sabine shrugged.
"So he's just going to think the whole time you're dating, that you're just a historian, that every time there's a superhero fight in Paris, that you aren't involved at all?" Amira looked incredulous.
"If it's just a date it doesn't matter so much, but Sabine, what are you going to do if you fall in love with this guy?"
"I don't know…I'll figure it out if we get there I guess." Sabine looked down at the dress in her hands discouraged.
"That dress is cute." Amira supplied.
"Perfect for a date." Celine added.
"You're not going to stop me from going?"
"It's your life." Celine shrugged.
"Like you said, you're gonna be our boss, I'm not gonna piss you off." Amira smirked.
Celine rolled her eyes.
…...
"Tom!" Sabine ran to him as the man fell, the flowers in his hand flying and smashing onto the street.
She didn't look back at the hero's who were still fighting behind her, she just knelt on the ground holding Tom's face in her hands.
"He's not conscious."
"Sabine!" Amira grabbed her friend by the arm pulling her to safety in an alley. "Get your head on right! You need to stay safe!"
"He's in danger!" Sabine tried to push past Amira back to the sidewalk.
"Then help us end this."
"How? What am I supposed to do?"
Amira looked almost angry, "You're going to be the guardian, you can't afford to not know. Sabine this is your life. It has to be, people's lives are in the balance, and if it's not what you want then quit, because you have that choice."
Sabine didn't respond.
"Tell us what we should do. Lead us, and then when you're done let me know what you chose."
Sabine nodded and followed Amira out of the alley.
"It's too angry it won't talk to us," Volpina called from the top of a building across the street, suddenly her necklace started beeping, "Crud." There was a flash of light and Fanna took over, "Sage doesn't have that much energy and I have none we need to hurry."
"Give it as many smoke projections as you can, try and tire it out."
"I don't have enough energy to bring Volpina back, other than hand to hand there's not a lot I can do."
"What do we do?" Madame Madame Peacock landed beside Sabine with a gentle woosh, "We can't open the gate without the Plagg and Tikki."
"We'll have to attack it, drive it away as far as we can and hope that the next time it shows we can open the gate." Sabine said, "Cover Fanna, I'll get her some honey, Amira, make sure the citizens are safe."
"Yes."
Amira ran off and Madame Peacock flew back to the action.
Amira gave a quick nod before dashing out into the street.
Don't look back for him, don't look back. Sabine chanted in her head, willing herself to forget about the poor baker boy who was lying in the middle of the street. Ducking into a coffee shop and making a jump over the counter she grabbed a whole tub of honey. She dashed back out to the street ignoring the angry shout of a barista.
"Fanna!" The fox didn't even look behind her before diving away from the villain and running towards Sabine.
"Thank you." The kwami took a fist full of honey and jumped back onto the roof, "Ready to go?" Another orange light flashed and Volpina was back.
"Distract and tire right?' Volpina pulled out her flute and conjured copies of Volpinas all surrounding the havoc reeking Kwami.
Sabine watched Madame Peacock and Volpina push the Kwami farther and farther back, until it was no longer on their street. She turned and ran to Tom.
"Tom! Tom!" She fell to her knees beside him reached two fingers to his neck. He still had a pulse.
"So this is the guy?" Amira appeared beside her.
Sabine looked up at her, eyes watery, her heart broken. "It's all my fault, I should have told him what we were doing, I should have warned him-"
"You shouldn't have gotten involved with him."
"I love him."
"You shouldn't."
"Amira-"
"I mean it. You're the guardian, you can't go spilling our secrets to everyone, you can never be with someone who isn't one of us. You will never be able to be honest with them, you'd be living a lie."
Sabine looked down at Tom again, "I don't want to leave him."
Amira stood up, "You have a choice, You can stay with us, work with us to save the world and all that stuff Madame Peacock talks about, or you can go with him. You have the choice to live a normal life, with kids and getting married and all that. If that's what you want, then do it. Some of us are born into this without that choice."
….
"Ugh Wha-" a series of incoherent words mixed with groans followed as Tom tried to sit up.
"Be careful," Sabine reached out and stopped Tom from sit up all the way.
"What happened?" Tom reached up and held his head.
"We were going to our date and some guys tried to mug us." Sabine explained placing a cool cloth on his forehead.
Tom gave a small sigh at the relief of the cool object, before shooting up again, "Are you okay Sabine?" He looked her up and down checking for cuts and bruises.
"I'm fine Tom," Sabine laughed lightly, "You fought them off, I think one got you in the head before he bolted though."
Tom looked around confused, "Where are we?"
"My apartment. You're going to be just fine Tom."
Tom looked over at the vase of crushed flowers, "Sorry about our date."
"I guess we'll just have to go on another one."
Tom looked up hopefully, "Another date- You want to go out again?"
"I think I could go on another 50 dates with you Tom." Sabine laughed again before leaning down and kissing him.
"It's a deal."
…...
"The boy isn't around?" Fanna asked trotting out of the bedroom as a fox.
Alya shook her head as she scrolled on her laptop. "He's spending the day with Adrien."
"Which one is that?"
"The blonde one," Alya said, "It's the anniversary of his mom's death, so he's a little shaken today, Nino wants to make sure he's ok and occupied."
Fanna nodded, "That's good."
"Are you ok Fanna?"
"Can we visit Sage's grave?" Fanna looked up at Alya hopefully.
Alya blinked off the shock, "Sure? I don't know where it is though."
"You could always ask our new friend."
"Gabriel Agreste?"
"I think he's the one who buried her."
Alya pulled up the Ladyblog on her laptop and opened her inbox.
Do you know where Sage is buried? Fanna wants to visit.
She waited for a response and saw the three dots appear in the corner of the chat to let her know he was typing.
The cemetery beside the hospital, she's on the hill next to two others. -A
Thank you. Alya typed back before closing her laptop.
Grabbing her jacket and an umbrella she opened up her pocket for Fanna who floated inside.
The bus was crowded because of the rain, and by the time they reached the cemetery Fanna was tired of being in a pocket.
She floated out and changed into a fox again. As Fanna dashed up the hill, Alya looked up at the tree tombstones at the top. Fanna sat at the last tombstone reading the inscription over and over again, no longer a fox.
"She was so kind." Fanna was trembling, her lips quivering. The rain was heavy and Alya could see it soaking through her clothes.
"Fanna-"
"Just let me sit here for a moment." Her voice was softer than normal. Her eyes were downcast. "I never get to say goodbye." Tears mixed with the rain. "One moment you're there, and the next you wake up to find someone new who is equally terrified and curious to see you. And you think, it's happened. They're gone. But you never get to say goodbye."
"I'm sorry."
"Why would anyone hurt her?"
"I don't know."
"I don't-" Fanna's sentence trailed off into silence.
Philippe Gillet
1982-2010
A friend, and a hero
Celine Agreste
1976-2010
The light that brought us all together.
Sage Dalton
1973-2004
The best of friends, and the most just of people.
"Hello Mr. Agreste." Sabine greeted politely standing next to him in front of three graves.
"Mrs. Cheng, it's good to see you again. How is business?"
"Good." Sabine said softly laying a flower next to the rose already in front of the middle grave. "How is Adrien?"
"I don't know," Gabriel confessed.
Sabine nodded and put another flower down on the next grave, "Amira should be here."
"Elle should be here." Gabriel watched as Sabine placed the last flower down in front of the remaining grave.
"I miss them too." Sabine said, "the best heroes we could have asked for."
"The best people we could have asked for."
Sabine hummed in agreement, "The best people."
