Adrien breathed a sigh of relief when Marinette was given a clean bill of health, minus a few scratches and grazes. Dr. Max Kanté, who had been a long time friend of Adrien's, recommended bed rest for a few days though since she had hit her head fairly hard. Marinette knew she probably should have gone back to her own time, and she was sure Luka was probably due back any day, but there was also this overwhelming feeling that she was exactly where she was supposed to be.
Adrien had been nothing but caring and attentive to her. It hadn't stayed much of a secret that she was not only sharing Adrien's house but also his bed, and Marinette simply couldn't bring herself to care despite the tut tuts she knew it would cause. They were happy and they were in love, blissfully so, even if what they were doing would ruffle the moral police otherwise known as Mayor Bourgeois, or so Alya said. The man according to her was a complete prude and seemed to have had it in for Nathaniel and his nude portraits which failed the Mayor's moral compass.
Marinette didn't take much notice though, she could only see Adrien and in her mind she began to picture a whole life with him - a life of travel, a life with children and grandchildren, of growing old together. The way he looked at her set her heart on fire, the way he touched her ignited her soul in ways she had never known possible and the way he made love to her made her feel like there was nothing else in this world but the two of them. There was no 1975 or 1899, there was just them in their own world, living in their own time.
The illusion of their perfect life together however soon began to unravel. It started when Nathaniel excitedly ran down the stairs one morning to tell them that he had finally finished the painting he had been working on and he really wanted Marinette to see it. When Nathaniel pulled off the cloth covering the canvas, Marinette was sure her heart momentarily stopped when she saw her own face looking back at her from the painting.
She had all but forgotten the sketch Nathaniel had made of her the day she met him when she was wearing Kagami's lace dress and her wide brimmed hat. He had taken that sketch and turned it into a beautiful painting, the same painting she had seen hanging up in the Town Hall in 1975. She smiled and told him she was flattered but in reality it caused a sinking feeling in her chest that she couldn't explain. She had hoped that her perhaps her presence had somehow changed the timeline and that Adrien's fate had maybe already been altered? Yet that same painting was in the future, mislabelled and forgotten.
A few days later on a warm afternoon, Marinette woke up with a start from a nightmare. Her and Adrien had spent the morning together while Nathaniel had been out, taking advantage of the privacy to express their love for one another, like they had so many times this past week, despite doctor's orders to take it easy. Contented, Marinette had allowed herself to drift back off the sleep in Adrien's arms.
In her dream she had watched on as two men stood in the shadows with their backs to one another. A count soon began 1… 2… 3… and at each count the two men took a step away from each other. As the count grew closer to 10 Marinette realised one of the men was Adrien. At 10 the two men turned and Marinette screamed Adrien's name as they both fired.
Marinette was startled awake, finding herself not in a field in the dark, but still warm in Adrien's arms. He gently brushed her hair from her forehead, softly whispering in her ear. "It's alright my love, it's just me here with you."
But for how long? Her brain unhelpfully added. In these last few days living with Adrien, she had forgotten the real reason she was supposed to be there in the first place.
Adrien could see her eyebrows furrow. He lifted her chin with his finger so she would look up into his eyes. "What's wrong?"
Marinette ran her hand from his chest, along the side of his neck and up into his hair. How could she tell him the truth? Would he even believe her? She didn't want to lose this, she didn't want to lose him, but she was afraid he would think she was just a mad woman. Down stairs she heard a loud female laugh ring out and she sat up slightly, pulling the sheet up over herself.
"Was that Chloé?" She asked. Adrien nodded.
"Her and Nate came back not that long ago. I can't imagine what must be so funny that they are doing down there, but they've been giggling like a couple of children for a while now." He gently grasped her chin between his fingers and guided her to look back at him. "I'm not letting you off the hook that easily m'lady." He said playfully, but there was a serious undertone. "This isn't just about a bad dream is it? There's something else that's been bothering you. I could see it in your eyes the last few days. What is it?"
Marinette looked at him for a moment, but her mouth struggling to find words. She wrapped her arms around him and snuggled her face into the crook of his neck. "I wish we had more time." She murmured. Adrien chuckled and pulled her closer to him, running his had down her bare back.
"What are you talking about, my love? We have all the time in the world, unless there is somewhere else you'd rather be."
Marinette slowly shook her head. "No, but there is something coming." She said tentatively, resting her head on his chest. "Someone is coming for you and I don't know how to stop it."
Adrien shifted around and sat Marinette up so he could look at her. There were tears brimming in her eyes. "What would make you think that? Did someone say something to you?"
"No…" She replied. Marinette could feel a panic start to rise in her chest. "I… I'm… (sigh)… Lila wasn't entirely wrong when she said I wasn't from around here, but I wasn't lying to you when I said I was."
Adrien raised an intrigued eyebrow at her. "But you don't want to tell me about it?"
Marinette pulled her knees up to her chest and held them. "I don't think you will believe me." She said, her voice quiet and vulnerable. "I tried to tell Luka about it, but he didn't believe me either."
Adrien sat up beside her. "Try me." He said earnestly. "Tell me anything, everything… trust me with your secrets. There's nothing you could tell me that would make me love you any less."
His words filled Marinette's heart with his and she took a deep breath. "Do you believe in immortality?"
Adrien sat back against the backboard of the bed and thought for a moment. "I hadn't really thought about it before. Maybe." He folded his arms behind his head. "I guess it's like Nate with his paintings, that's his piece of immortality. That someone a hundred years from now will see an artwork and wonder who the creator was, what was he thinking when he made that. When I write a piece of music and I play it on the piano, and everything comes together, I feel like that's a part of my immortality. I'm writing a song for you. I'll play it for you when it's finished." He sat up, grinning at her excitedly. "One day someone might find that music when I'm long gone and feel the music the way I felt it and bring it to life again." Adrien traced his fingers down the side of Marinette's face and across her lips. "I feel that way when I make love to you. You bring me to life, Marinette. When I'm with youI feel like part of me becomes part of you. I think that's what they must mean when they say that two become one." He took her hand in his, softly kissing the inside of her wrist, making her shiver. "One day, I hope you and I can create our own piece of immortality."
He kissed his way up her arm, up her neck and along to behind her ear. "Marinette." He breathed, turning his emerald eyes back to meet her ocean blue ones. "Will you come away with me? I know it seems sudden…, but we can go anywhere you want. London, Amsterdam, New York… I would take you to the moon if I could."
Marinette reached up and touched his face. "What if I told you one day people would. They will fly to the moon."
"I'd believe it." Adrien grinned, leaning in and kissing her. "I've read Jules Verne too, you know." Adrien held her face between his hands and looked desperately into her eyes. "I love you Marinette, with all my heart I love you. All I want is to keep loving you for the rest of my life." He suddenly picked up her left hand, holding her engagement ring up to her. "You don't love Luka. He doesn't need you like I need you. I believe fate brought us together and I just want to spend the rest of my life loving you if you love me too."
Tears began to well up in her eyes again. It was only a few days until Chloé's engagement ball and she was sure that was the day the fateful duel was going to take place, but she was no closer to knowing what caused it or how to stop it. "I do love you Adrien, but your life might be over in a few days."
Adrien let go of her and looked at her curiously. "Why would you think that?"
Marinette worried her bottom lip, her mind and her heart racing at a million miles an hour. "Adrien…" She breathed. "You are the only person I want to be with. I did love Luka once, I know I did, but I never felt about him the way I feel about you. But… There's something about me you don't know." She pursed her lips again and closed her eyes. Adrien rested his forehead against hers.
"Tell me Marinette." He whispered in encouragement.
"I don't belong in 1899." She said slowly, pulling back to look at him. "I came here from 1975. I traveled through time to find you."
Silence fell between them and Marinette could see Adrien trying to process the information. He didn't look shocked or surprised as he tucked her hair back behind her ear and let his fingers linger on her cheek. "I knew you were magic." He said softly, kissing her. She melted into his kiss before he pulled back again. "How do you do it? Move through time that is."
Marinette almost wanted to burst into tears. He never even questioned the validity of what she had said, he just believed her. Marinette leaned over to where her dress was on the end of the bed and found the hidden pocket she had sewn into it. She held the watch out to him.
"I bought this house in 1975 and I found that watch along with Kagami's dress in the attic. At first I couldn't control it very well, and ended up at random points in time, but I've gotten more used to it now."
Adrien nodded his head. Opening the watch, he looked at the timepiece inside and Marientte explained it only seemed to work when she used it. "That's when I thought you were Kagami, in that lace dress, down by the lake." He turned the watch over in his hand, observing the engravings in it. "You know, I'm sure I've seen this watch before, but it wasn't Kagami's. I think it belonged to…"
The sound of a carriage caught Adrien's attention. Moments later a scream came from downstairs, and voices yelling, one belonging to a man Marinette didn't recognise. Adrien jumped out of bed, throwing on his long pants and shirt. "Stay here. I'll go see what's wrong."
Adrien raced down the stairs and his mouth almost hit the floor at the sight that greeted him. Nathaniel had his easel and paints set up in the lounge room, an outline of a naked Chloé on the canvas. Chloé for her part was clinging onto a sheet around herself, clearly still naked underneath while her father the Mayor was pulling her by the wrist.
"What kind of low life would seduce a woman who is clearly engaged to another man." Andre demanded, pointing an accusatory finger at the artist.
"What are you talking about?" Nathaniel said exasperated with his hands up in the air. "Sir, I don't know what you think was going on, but I'm a professional artist and Chloé commissioned me to make a painting of her."
"Naked?" The Mayor retorted.
"Daddy!" Chloé screeched, pulling on where her father was holding her. "I am a grown woman in case you hadn't noticed and besides, it's a gift for Félix. Lila thought he would like it."
"You be quiet!" Andre scolded. "I received an anonymous tip-off that there was unsavory activity going on here in this house and I came to find my daughter naked and parading for another man. You're lucky Félix hasn't heard about this.
"But it was for Félix!" Chloé protested again.
"Get your dress and get yourself into that carriage outside young lady." The Mayor growled. Chloé ranted and protested over how archaic her father was as she wrapped the sheet tighter around herself and stormed out the door with her dress in her hands.
"You have tarnished my daughter's reputation and I demand satisfaction." Andre said fiercely, pulling on his suit collar and looking Nate dead in the eye. "My seconds will be calling."
"There won't be any dueling." Adrien interjected from the staircase before making his way to the ground floor. "I am sure Monsieur Mayor you are very much aware that dueling has long since been outlawed in this country, or does the mayor hold himself above the law?"
Andre gave him an indignant glare as he took in his disheveled appearance. "Let's just say being friends with the chief of police helps." Andre chuckled. "Besides, I am sure you are aware that dueling has continued in practice despite French law. Anyway, you can't talk Adrien, I've heard all about the woman you keep here. Shameful, after your engagement to an impeccable lady like Kagami you would sully your own reputation this way. Your father would be disappointed."
Adrien folded his arms. "Then I guess nothing would be new, but the last time I checked this was my house and I can have whom I want living in it and right now you are an unwelcome guest here."
Andre's face was practically turning red. "Fine, but I expect that thing…" he pointed back at Nathaniel, "to front up like a man and take responsibility for his actions. You might not care for your own moral compass Adrien, but I care about my daughter's. I won't have her hanging around with a perverted artist or the trampoline you keep here to warm your bed at night"
Adrien stood in front of Nathaniel, his eyes blazing in anger. "You're crossing a line here, Mayor Bourgeois. Your issues with Nate are one thing, but insulting the woman I love is completely another. If you're determined to go through with this farce, then I'll stand in Nathaniel's place." He said, his hands fisted at his sides.
"Adrien no." Nathaniel called out. "You can't do this."
Adrien turned around and grabbed Nathaniel by the shoulders. "Nate, you've never fired a gun in your life. Trust me on this."
"So it's settled then Agreste?" Andre demanded. "Midnight at the ball tomorrow. I will be waiting for you." He then stormed out of the house.
"Adrien…"
The pain in Marientte's voice as she stood on the stairs pierced Adrien right in the heart. She had heard everything. Before Adrien went to her, he looked back to Nathaniel. "You better make yourself scarce for a while. Go to the apartment in Paris, I'll send word when things settle down."
Nathaniel raced past Marinette on the staircase as she slowly walked down. She was wearing one of Adrien's long sleeved white shirts and her hair hung messily around her shoulders. She rested her hands against Adrien's chest and could feel his heart thumping under her fingertips, the adrenaline of the argument still pumping through his veins. Marinette could hardly contain the tears that welled in her eyes as she fisted up his shirt in her hands.
"Why did you do that?" She asked, her voice cracking under her emotions. "Why are you throwing your life away like this?" She buried her face into his chest and he could feel the wetness of her tears seep through and onto his skin. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her tight to him.
"I'm not trying to throw my life away. What sort of man would I be if I let him get away with insulting you like that? Anyway, even if he hadn't I couldn't let Nate get dragged into a duel. He's never shot at anything before."
"And you have?" Marinette asked, her eyes pleading. Adrien ran his fingers through her hair.
"My father insisted that every well bred French gentleman should know how to handle a weapon, but I'm not intending on firing a single shot."
"But Adrien, you'll be killed if you don't."
Adrien shook his head. "I know Mayor Bourgeois. He's watched me grow up and was my father's friend. He might be feeling self righteousness right now, but give him time and he will cool down. He would never fire a shot a me."
Marinette knew Adrien knew the Mayor better than she did, but that didn't change the fact that he still died. Adrien could see the worry laced in her eyes and he gave her a soft smile as he cupped her cheek. "Oh my love, don't fret. The future isn't set in stone, you know."
Marinette was going to refute that when Nathaniel came back down the stairs with his suitcase. Adrien got up and gave his friend a tight hug.
"If you see Lila tomorrow night, can you let her know I'm in Paris? I'd like to do a few sketches if she feels like it."
Adrien stood for a moment with his hands on his hips watching as Nathaniel disappeared down the path. Marinette could see a frown form between his brow. She got up from the couch and walked over to him.
"What's wrong?" She asked. He turned to her and it was clear something had changed.
"I was just thinking." He said, looking back out to where Nathaniel had disappeared into the distance. "Chloé said it was Lila's idea to do the painting for Félix, then the mayor gets an anonymous tip off. Does that sound a little ironic to you?"
"You think Lila might be behind this?"
"Something feels off." He mumbled, then he looked back at her with a warm smile and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry sweetheart, everything will be fine, I promise."
"I need to be sure." She said, tangling her fingers into his long locks. "I have to go back to 1975 and make sure you will be alright. If something happens to you, if it all goes wrong tomorrow night, I don't know if I could ever go back to who I was before. I don't think I could live without you."
Adrien scooped Marinette into a bridal carry in his arms, kissing her with all the fire and passion he had in his heart for her before carrying her back up the stairs.
~~~~~
Marinette couldn't shake the feeling that she was still missing something. Before she left Adrien assured her again that there was no way Mayor Bourgeois would go through with the duel, and yet Miss Bustier was certain that Adrien died that night of the ball.
Marinette returned to 1975, but before going home she took a detour to the town library. She got a few raised eyebrows at the vintage looking dress she was wearing, but she didn't care, there was no time for getting changed.
The more times Marinette had traveled between the present and the past, the more the times had begun to align, meaning she only had about 12 hours to figure out how to save Adrien's life. It didn't take long looking at the old newspaper microfilms to find that her time spent with Adrien had changed nothing.
Listed was a short obituary written by Alya paying tribute to a life cut too short with no clear answers. Further articles spoke of a short investigation into Mayor Bourgeois, who insisted he was not responsible and that a third person of unknown origin had fired the fatal shot. An interview with a woman identified only as Lily said they believed it was the mysterious woman Adrien had been living with that was responsible. An autopsy report by Dr Kanté at the inquest backed up that assertion that the fatal shot had been received to the back of the head, not from the front as would have been expected in a duel. Did Mayor Bourgeois cheat by taking a cheap shot?
Marinette also found that Chloé and Félix never got married. There was no explanation, only a short statement that the couple had gone their separate ways after the scandal surrounding her father. There was also no more mention of Alya, Nino or Nathaniel. It was like everyone's lives had been torn apart. As for Lily, this was the first time Marinette had seen any trace of them, although the article was from the ten year anniversary of the incident. If nothing else, it gave evidence that this Lily was at the very least going to be at the party.
With the clock metaphorically ticking in, Marinette took what little information she now had and scurried her way back home. The sun was already setting and Marinette felt a knot in her stomach when she heard the melancholy strings of Luka's guitar as she walked along the garden path to the front stairs. She had hoped she would have gotten back before him but she had lost track of time in the library.
Luka initially didn't look up as she walked into the lounge room. His luggage was sitting beside him, still unpacked. Marinette stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, her arms wrapped around her. Luka eventually stopped playing and put his guitar down on the coffee table before standing up and looking at her.
"I'm not staying long." He said, running his fingers through his hair. "I'm going back to Paris for a while, I just wanted to check in with you before I left." He looked Marinette up and down, taking in the dress she was wearing. "I can see you didn't go to the beach after all." He said. Maybe Marinette was expecting him to be angry, he had a right to be, but his voice was gentle, almost pained.
"I just came back from the library."
Luka walked closer to her. "And before that?"
"Please Luka." She pleaded. "Don't ask me that. It will only hurt you."
Luka closed the distance between them and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I need to know Marinette. It's not like you to lie to me. Tell me what's happening and let me worry about the hurt."
Marinette looked up into his clear blue gaze. "I'm in love with Adrien Agreste, and he's in love with me."
Luka let go of her, running a hand across his chin. "Baby, Adrien Agreste doesn't exist. He died in 1899. I thought your research was supposed to bring you some closure to this."
"You're wrong Luka." Marinette insisted. "I'm part of his life now and he's become part of mine. He's asked me to go away with him, to be with him, but he is going to be killed tonight if I don't find a way to stop it."
Luka stood motionless watching her as she continued. "Look, I've been back there to 1899 and I've seen how it started but the pieces still aren't adding up. There is a duel set to take place between Adrien and Mayor Bourgeois and yet all the evidence indicates he wasn't the one to pull the trigger. If I don't find a way to stop this from taking place, someone is going to kill Adrien and I can't let that happen. I love him, Luka. I want to be with him in his time. I want to be his wife, I want to have his children and to grow old with him. I just want to be with him."
"But what if you can't save him?" Luka counted. "You said yourself before that the records show he died. Maybe his fate can't be changed."
"I have to try." Marinette's voice broke as her emotions overwhelmed her. "There has to be a way. If the past somehow still exists alongside us, couldn't there still be a way for me to change what is going to happen? There had to be a reason that the watch landed in my hands, that I was the one who traveled there."
Marinette waited for Luka to say something, but when he didn't she just shook her head and turned away from him. "You still think I'm just delusional don't you?"
Luka walked up behind her and picked up a few stands of her hair. "I believe you Marinette."
Marinette swung around in amazement at the soft, yet sad eyes Luka was giving her. He reached up his hand and gently stroked it against her cheek. "I love you Marinette. Maybe I didn't love you the way you needed to be loved, but I always did. I don't want to lose you."
"I'm so sorry Luka." She whispered back to him. "I never doubted that you loved me, and when I embarked on this journey the last thing I thought would happen was that I would fall in love like this, but it happened. I never wanted to hurt you. You were there for me when I needed someone the most and you saved me when I thought I had no one left in this world and I will never forget that."
Marinette looked down at her hand and slid off the engagement ring that was still on her finger. Taking Luka's hand, she placed it in his palm and closed his hand around it. Luka touched his finger from his other hand onto the opal pendant around her neck. "You're still wearing it."
"I told you I would, and I always will. You'll always have a part of my heart Luka, but I have to make a choice."
Luka put the ring in his pocket and took both of her hands in his. "How will I know what's happened to you? If you leave with him and never come back, how will I ever know that you're alright, that he could give you the life you're dreaming of."
"I'll find a way." Marinette promised. "I know now that it's possible to break through the barriers of time and space. Somehow, some way, I find a way to get through to you. I promise."
Luka pulled her into a tight hug and allowed himself to bury his face into her hair, breathing in the smell of the sweet perfume she always wore. It broke his heart to let her go, both physically and emotionally, but Luka knew that her heart was no longer his, maybe it never really was.
Marinette watched as Luka packed his suitcase into his car. He didn't look back as he started the car and drove down the driveway. Marinette couldn't see the way Luka looked at her in his rear view mirror. Deep down, he knew it was the last time he was ever going to see her as he turned the vehicle onto the road and disappeared into the horizon.
Closing the door, Marinette went up to the attic and opened a chest she had up there. Searching through the fabrics and dresses she had packed in there, she found a renaissance inspired red dress she had made some years ago for a play in high school with a matching red Venetian mask with black lace trims. Getting dressed with her mask in place, it was only after she had traveled back and found herself surrounded by Nathaniel's art supplies that she realised she didn't have a pocket in her dress for the watch. With no other options, she tucked the watch into her corset before heading down the stairs to make her way to the ball.