Chapter |Twenty-Three

"Marinette is safe, she's with my sister Yelena right now safe and sound."

This sentence brought a wave of relief to everyone, especially Peter. After all this time of wondering and worrying she was hurting, it was nice to have the peace of mind that she was okay. She was somewhere with someone that was indeed trust worthy, but even then there was this look on Natasha's face that didn't bring reassurance.

"She isn't coming back to New York, is she." Tony didn't ask, he stated it knowing the look that the red head had. It was a look that everything wasn't okay yet.

"No." Natasha says, her shoulders slumping slightly as she looked at the other teens quickly and refocused on Tony. "She's been through it, from what I understand and she wants to see things through before she comes back."

"See things through?" Alya asks, unsure what that was supposed to mean for her former friend.

Natasha nodded, looking back at the young heroes that she hadn't filled in completely. When her eyes met Peter's though, she could see he was waiting for her to say the truth of what was going on. She knew he deserved to know the truth of what happened, as well as the other teens. They weren't children, this world they were now in proved that they had grown up a bit too fast and as unfair as that was to them, the deserved to know the truth about their friend.

"She was taken by Lucas, and from what I could gather she was tortured for a while until she broke mentally. He had a technology the size of a chip implanted into her neck and gained full control over Marinette." Natasha pulled up the news articles on the technology Tony had around the tower. She pulled up the unknown cause of disaster sites, "Marinette was the cause of all of these. The chip was created to shock her mind, but it cracked and she regained the awareness to run. By pure luck she ran into Yelena, who has been helping her."

It dawned on Chloe first, "She wants to kill him, doesn't she?"

Natasha's long pause was enough for the rest of the room to get the general answer. For Chloe, this didn't seem like Marinette at all. The Marinette she knew would never hurt someone else, let alone want to take the life of another human being. This wasn't settling well with Chloe, but it wasn't settling well with anyone else either. Yet Natasha stood there like she understood why, and Chloe so desperately wanted to understand as well.

"You need to stop her. Talk to her Nat." Steve says, not agreeing with this either. "She's still a kid, and if she does this- if she sees this through, there isn't any way of coming back from that."

"I tried, but you haven't gone through that before either. Lucas's family was part of the Red Room, and he is making something like it in it's place." Natasha shook her head, "I spent my life running and thinking I destroyed that place only to find out my sister had been stuck chemically subjected to listen for years, along with thousands of others. Lucas can't be allowed to do that again."

"She's a kid!" Steve argued, standing up from his seat. "She shouldn't have to do this."

"He killed her parents." Natasha revealed, and Steve grew silent. "She has this anger, this hate in her heart that she doesn't want anyone else to see. I know how that feels. She would rather stay away than let anyone here see that. She knows what she's doing, she understands what will happen and she's accepted it. I couldn't change her mind."

"Did you even try?" Peter asks, "Marinette isn't a killer. Not even four months ago she was having panic attacks and was grieving. She hasn't had time to process everything to make a rational choice."

"She isn't coming back." Natasha tells him, "Not yet."

"Call her." Peter says, but there is an underlying plea in his voice. Natasha knew he needed to see her himself, she could see that in his eyes that he needed to see her and see she was okay. They boy cared deeply, and a part of Natasha pitied that the girl he loved had changed deep down in a way he probably couldn't understand. In a way none of her team could understand.

Not even saying anything else, Natasha pulled out her phone and pressed face time on Yelena's contact name. It rang a few times as Tony connected the phone through his technology system that ran through the tower. As it continued to ring, Natasha wasn't even sure there would be an answer until the connecting words loaded the signal.

"Natasha." Yelena's voice answered as her face popped into the screen, "And friends? Are these the other mighty Avengers? They look rather...young..."

Natasha refrained from rolling her eyes, "These are friends of Marinette's. They wanted to see she was okay with their own eyes."

Yelena nodded, understanding when she looked over the younger faces. Of course she recognized the faces of Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, but the others were complete strangers to her. "Marinette, come say hello to your friends!"

Peter felt his breath get caught in his throat as he waited too see her face. They had spent so many nights together watching movies and talking, but he had also gotten to see her fall asleep. He got to see the peace she had been in when she was with him in the apartment. He had missed her presence, laugh, and over all her smile. The phone shuffled and there she was, alive and breathing. She offered a small smile that didn't reach her eyes, and all Peter wanted to do was pull her into his embrace.

"Marinette." Peter didn't even realize he said her name, the relief showing as the tenseness of his shoulders finally dropped.

Chloe though, she knew that smile. It was the smile she gave before she left Paris, the tell tail that she was closing them out. There were things she didn't want them to know or get involved in. That was why she didn't want to come back to New York, because in her mind she somehow convinced herself she was protecting them. Chloe wanted to feel touched, but it pissed her off that after everything they've been through Marinette would still go and do this.

"Hi." Marinette says in greeting, but anyone could tell her eyes were looking right at Peter. Adrien could see all the emotions going through them as she looked at him. The love, the fear. She didn't want anything happening to him.

"What happened?" Tony asks, drawing Marinette's attention to him. "What happened exactly because triple imposter over here gave us the cliff-note version."

Marinette's eyes glanced back over Peter, and she pushed down the longing feelings she felt. She missed him, very much but she needed to stay focus. That was hard to do as well seeing her team looking at her with expectant eyes, but she did take not that Luka was no where to be found. She knew that she shouldn't take it personally but she wondered if he even came to New York. Natasha had mentioned him by name, but maybe he didn't want to see her. They never really spoke too much since everything happened, and he never got the closure he deserved.

"I didn't remember everything, not at first. That's why it took me so long to even make contact," Marinette admits, "Apparently a chip was put into my neck, and it was a memory type of chip that was programmed with two different personalities. Then it broke inside my neck."

"So you've required a personality disorder?" Kagami asks, eyebrow raised. Somehow it would make sense.

Marinette shook her head, "Eh, more like I have memories from what feels like three different lives and I had to sort through what was real and what wasn't. As I pieced it together everything got a little clearer. Yet the emotions came back too, and I have this deep anger that I still can't shake."

"It's a scary anger when her powers activate." Yelena quipped into the conversation.

"Powers?" Steve questioned, not sure he heard of this before. Looking at Natasha, it wasn't news to her but it was something she kept to herself from them. It made him frown.

Marinette sighed, "I blew a building up."

"You had to be there." Yelena says, nodding her head. "It was super cool, bad for everyone else around but really cool."

"Yelena-" Natasha started, but was cut off by Yelena.

"She helped me locate more widows Nat. That building was no good to begin with." Yelena tried to justify it, but Natasha only shook her head in disapproval. "She got caught up in emotions. It was an accident that worked in our favor."

"And what if it didn't work in your favor?" Steve protested, and Tony got flash back to this same conversation happening about Wanda. "That's blood on her hand."

"Lucas already put blood on my hands." Marinette's voice grew more colder, "I did a lot of things I didn't want to, hurt people I didn't want to hurt. If people like him are taken out because of me, I'm okay with that."

"Revenge isn't the answer Marinette." Steve tried to reason with the younger girl, but it seemed like his words went in one ear and out the other.

"It's justice." Marinette retorts.

Tony frowned, "I'm sure when you come back to New York everything will come together."

"I know enough to be in my right mind, Tony," Marinette says, "My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I had the ability to go home, but the chance to do this was too tempting. He doesn't deserve to live, and you would have stopped me before I had the chance to do what I need too."

"Revenge isn't the way Marinette." Adrien shakes his head. "Do you even hear yourself? Months ago you wouldn't even think like this."

"What? Are you going to tell me to take the high road again?" Marinette's eyes flashed a brief gold, but the words were as if she physically slapped Adrien.

"Stop being a bitch and come back here." Chloe snapped, "You let us all think you were gone. Didn't even call to tell us you were alive and well and you know, not fucking trapped somewhere! Do you understand how selfish that was Dupain-Cheng?"

"Language."

"Killing him won't resolve anything kid." Tony says, noticing the look in her eyes. It was a look he seen a lot when someone lost everything, or at least thought they lost everything. A blind rage.

"He killed my parents." Marinette confirmed that fact for them herself, "I was tortured for weeks, and that was because they nearly beat me to death before Tikki merged with me. They took Tikki from me. They put a god damn chip in my neck to make the perfect little play thing for Lucas to parade around. I was trapped in my own mind, watching me be some else. The sister and a killer. I killed people for his fucking resolve. Then this chip broke, I was confused because of the three different personalities living in my head. I lost control of my power, I hurt innocent people. Lucas is the last person worthy of mercy."

Plagg flew into the screen, "Tikki merged with you?"

There was a long silence as the others learned that Marinette no longer had Tikki. That she had in fact lost someone else that was dear to her, and Adrien could only imagine the pain of losing a kwami. He knew that Tikki and Marinette were close, almost as close as him and Plagg- if not closer. A piece of him probably would have been angry at the world and who ever had caused such a pain, so a part of him understood deep down.

"I'm sorry Plagg. She didn't give me a choice." Marinette offered softly, looking at where she would think Plagg was. She couldn't see him through the camera.

"Of course she didn't, it was Tikki's choice." Plagg's eyes hardened, "Doing this will dishonor her memory. She gave you this new life to save you, and you want to use it to inflect pain? It's disgraceful."

Marinette withheld the urge to flinch at his words or even react at all, "I already inflicted pain, Plagg. My will or not, I did it and nothing will change that."

"This would be a choice of your own mind, of your free will." Plagg hissed, "I will never forgive you as guardian for doing as such."

Marinette's own eyes harden, and Plagg takes in the golden glow that emerges again with the anger she was feeling, "I'm not asking for any forgiveness, Plagg."

"What does it mean that Tikki merged with Marinette exactly?" Nino asks from somewhere in the room. It was a question that the rest were wondering as well.

Plagg huffed and flew away, arms crossed as he floated in the air. "It's an ancient spell only a few kwami's know. It's performed with a kwami and a holder from the same bloodline as the kwami's original bloodline. It allows a kwami to rest dormant in that holder, and in turn the holder gains the power of the god or goddess inside."

Wayzz shook his head, "More like a kwami is one half of a whole. The true holder from the bloodline of the original bloodline is the other half thus the god or goddess is reborn. Tikki was creation, her merging healed Marinette. Now Marinette harnesses the power within herself"

The room was silent, as they all processed the story Wayzz and Plagg shared. Then there was Yelena who was looking at Marinette in mild surprise, "So you are a goddess, all mighty and such."

"It's a type of chaos magic." Plagg says it matter of factly, "One of the types that aided in the creation of the Infinity Stones."

"So like Wanda's magic?" Steve asks the small pocket cat god, "She got her magic from the Mind Stone."

Plagg and Wayzz both gave the super solider a surprised look, since most humans would die if exposed to that particular stone. "It would be similar, yes."

"Wouldn't she have creation powers then?" Alya asks, a bit curious and confused at what was going on.

"Chaos can be creation as much as it can destruction." Wayzz tells her, "In the same way creation can be destruction and destruction can be creation. It's why Tikki and Plagg balanced each other."

Pollen flew up next to Plagg, a questioning look on her face, "Wouldn't that make Marinette the Enchantress?"

"Tikki wouldn't want you to do this." Plagg ignored Pollen, "You should come back to New York. Where we can help you as kwami's with this power."

"No." Marinette's finalized tone made Plagg's eyes narrow even more, "I'm sorry that I'm doing this to you all, after all this time but I can't just let him wonder around. He is a threat to you, to the miraculous, all of you and the kwami's. Just him knowing my identity can throw off the balance. I can't allow that."

Chloe shook her head, "And you not running head first to go kill a man isn't going to throw you off balance, and in turn everything else? Mari, you can't do this."

Peter watched as Marinette stared Chloe down through the screen. Watched as Marinette didn't even hesitate to blink, and he knew that she had made her choice. She was stubborn, so he also knew she wasn't going to change her mind.

"Will you come back to New York?" Peter asks, and he can tell the question surprises her because she was focused on the others. "You say you remember everything, and that you know what you're doing, but do you remember you have a home here? If you go through with this... Mari this is killing someone you're talking about. Heroes don't kill."

Marinette couldn't help but wonder when they all became Batman and adopted this rule. She knew they were the reasons some people were dead because of the threat level they had on the world. He was right, heroes don't kill but she hasn't been a hero in a while. Yet she could see Tony's facial expression, how it was grim and upset. The one thing she learned in Paris was that she couldn't make everyone happy, and she would have to make peace with that. A part of her already did.

"Kid, you go through with this and it makes headlines the consequences will be worse that Wanda in Sokovia." Tony tells her, his face serious as he took place in front of the screen.

Steve frowned, already sensing deja vu on where this conversation was going, "Tony-"

Tony ignored Steve's warning tone, "You're not a US citizen, and they don't grant visas to weapons of mass destruction."

And there is was, the accusation of being dangerous. Marinette had been ignoring that part, where she knew she was potentially dangerous. Yet what choice did she have? She couldn't just go back and act like everything was fine, like nothing happened and be happy. She just couldn't until she saw this through.

"She's a kid, Tony." Steve reminded, "Just like Wanda was when she came here too."

Marinette heard enough, understanding where Tony was coming from seeing the articles of destruction she had caused a few times along with the death reports. This was all Lucas's fault, he took everything from her. She looked over the faces of her teams. Chloe, her best friend she never saw coming and gave her a purpose again. Adrien, her partner in crime that she's been thick and tin through with. Nino, the brother she never. Kagami, a friend that was also unexpected but needed. Alya, they had a lot to fix still but Marinette never wanted to see her hurt. Then there was Peter, the boy she held dear to her heart. She would be damned if she let Lucas hurt them, and he was never going to get the chance too.

"If she makes a scene, hurts innocents and the media catches wind then she may have to live in hiding for the rest of her life." Tony reminds, "The world wouldn't understand her any better than they do Wanda. They fear Wanda! Marinette has a life, a career that is promising! I can't let her do that. I doubt her parents would either!"

It made her flinch, because what would her parents think of their little girl now? He had a good point, many of them really but yet the fact was she would be looking over her shoulder the rest of her life if she didn't do this.

"Then it's a good thing you aren't my dad." Marinette murmurs, "My parents raised me to do what I thought was right. I accepted a long time ago that I would probably never pursue a career in fashion, not when I need to be Guardian of the miraculous. It was nice to experience what I did, but in the end look where I'm at."

"Wanda can help you control it. I'm sure she would help you." Natasha says, drawing Marinette's attention. "She has an ability similar to yours, and she can help you. You would just need to come back to New York."

"You know why I can't until after Lucas is dealt with." Marinette reminds Natasha, "Besides I'll have Yelena, I won't be alone."

"Please don't." Peter tries again.

Marinette could see his eyes begging her not too, but how could she ever really explain how she felt? She would want more than anything to be back in New York, especially with Peter. She missed the nights she spent in the Parker household, how that apartment became so very dear to her like the people who lived in it. All the dinners she had with Aunt May and Peter, or the sleep over movie nights. She missed their long nights talking about nothing and everything. Peter was her home, she knew that deep down. He was one of the main reasons she needed to deal with Lucas.

"If you had an enemy that threatened the ones you love, would you go back home or would to ensure they never hurt your loved ones again?" Marinette's voice lost all edge to it, every single defensive octave dropped into a soft tone.

Peter blinked at the question, his mind reeling that she included him in the people she loves. She never said it back, but now she was letting him know in her own way. The way she asked made sense, it made it all make sense in a way. It also told him she knew the truth about him as well, so she knew he would understand the nature of that question. He shook his head at her instead, brown eyes boring into the screen.

"That's not fair Mari." Peter retorts back.

"Answer the question Peter." Marinette's tone was still soft, and for Adrien and Chloe it was the first time they ever saw this side of their friend. Same for Alya, Nino and Kagami. There was a softness in Marinette's eyes she never had before, the care she held for Peter shinned brightly in those eyes as she begged him to understand in the undertones of her voice.

Chloe understood, as did Adrien, on why she wanted to do this. It didn't mean they agreed but Chloe also knew if she were in Peter's shoes and Marinette was asking her this question then there was only one answer. She would never let anyone hurt her hive, and if she needed to take out a threat on this level to ensure their safety then she probably would. Yet Marinette made a point to, she was Guardian. She was thinking from different view points.

For once Adrien would agree with Plagg, who was bristling in his own anger. Adrien could feel the loss Plagg felt at not having Tikki anymore, and the anger at Marinette for even considering this. Adrien could feel the negativity Plagg was feeling, how he thought Marinette was being selfish. He knew that Marinette wanted to protect them, but Adrien didn't think murder was the answer. Was it ever really?

"You know I would protect those I love." Peter said, ignoring how Tony groaned and ran a hand through his hair muttering about young stupid teenage love.

"Tony, wasn't because you wanted to protect those you love from outside invaders that you created The Ultron Program?" Marinette asked, her head tilting ever so slightly.

Tony wasn't ever sure how the hell she knew that, "And look how that ended kid."

"If Tikki merged with you Marinette, you are the last person who should be walking around unchecked." Plagg adds, agreeing with Tony, "You took in Tikki's magic but also possess magic of the mystic arts. You don't know how to control that yet, Bug. One negative emotion would be worse than becoming an akuma."

"I can handle this." Marinette's confidence in that statement is what scared Plagg.

"You think that, but it's like a ticking time bomb." Plagg reminds her of the familiar pressure she ignored at the back of her mind, the part that threatens to pop when she feels the anger seep through her skin. "This Lucas guy will be dealt with, but you would fare better coming here and learning how to control this with Sorcerer Supreme. We can find a way to deal with Lucas."

"Marinette." Yelena's voice reminds them that Marinette isn't alone, that she does in fact have someone with her. "Maybe they have a point. You've broken so many windows in your sleep, blasted straight energy through the walls. When you get upset your eyes glow, and that's my cue to know when you're about to lose control."

"Yelena-"

"Strength is in numbers too, not just power." Yelena reminds her, "I know this isn't what you want, you're angry. He knows that you're angry too. He's anticipating you would want to do this alone, not go back to New York and gather your resources and learn how to use what you got. As much as you hate it, he knows you. How to push your buttons."

They were silent for moment as Marinette looked off screen, and then her shoulders slumped and she sighed in defeat as she looked back at the screen. Tony felt some victory swelling inside him, and knew just what she was about to say, "We'll head back to New York."

"We?" Yelena's voice questioned.

"Yes we. You can bring that vest with all those dang pockets."

Natasha rose an eyebrow, "You got another vest?"

"You know this is the first piece of clothing anyone has ever made me" Yelena grabbed the phone to excitedly show Natasha and in turn the others, "You can put so much stuff in here!"

Peter took notice how the sight and mention of the vest being made by none other than Marinette caused both Chloe and Adrien to relax in the slightest bit. There was a hope in Peter though that maybe things could be the same when Marinette came home. Yet he couldn't stop the small flutter in his heart that she was finally coming home.

"I'll send my jet to pick you two up. Please send the coordinates." Tony says, already arranging his jet to take off soon.

"He has a jet? Of course he does that's Tony Stark. He would have a cool thing like a private jet." Yelena mutters to herself as she send the location of their whereabouts.

"You two stay safe." Steve says.

Chloe pipped up as well, "And Mari, please leave the destruction to Plagg."


Luka knew that what he was feeling might be a little more on the dramatic side, but it was actually hard to act like everything was okay. He was used to being the calm one but nothing about life had been calm fact life was everything but calm. He just wanted to go home, see his sister and mom and play some music to calm his mind. He missed the familiar feeling of Paris.

Which was exactly why he got on the first flight her could and came home. A part of him felt like he gave up on Marinette, but realistically he couldn't put his life on hold. A selfish part of him told himself it's what she would have wanted for him, but he knew. He knew he couldn't bare to be around Peter, not when he never got to talk to her about it first. The sucky ass part though, and ironically, he couldn't blame her. He saw why she liked Peter, and he couldn't truly be mad at her.

He just wasn't ready to see that in his life yet.

Peter Parker was an overall good guy, smart and he was caring. He took to Adrien like glue, taught him more things of quantum physics that no one else ever could. Not only that but he understood more of the technology work it takes in tracking a person down, he had helped Tony with that part as well. Overall in the tower Luka felt useless in their aid of finding Marinette, and somehow that frustration turned against her.

He wished she never gave him the kwami, that he could ignore the urge to truly help others in the way of a hero. Yet now he couldn't, he realistically could not ignore a person in need. Sass says that was what happened when a true holder accepted their kwami, and for Sass it was part of the intuition abilities they both had. According to Sass, he believed that Luka himself had a strong sense of intuition when it came to people. It was partly why it pulled him so close to Marinette, because she was to be Guardian and naturally he senses she needed help. After getting the miraculous the intuition ability only grew. He just needed time to recenter himself and sort through all the emotions he was feeling. He knew he needed to do this so when he did see his friend again, there was no underlying anger.

He strolled through the city of Paris, walking through the familiar rounds he would have at his old job. The city was full of life, new statues of the heroes placed around the city. Yet he stopped when he saw Ladybug's statue, how there was flowers and candles all around her with cards and gifts. Luka realized it was in memoriam, they thought Ladybug was truly gone since she hadn't been seen and no one gave an official statement. It put a grimace on his face, forcing himself to walk away and yet he still somehow ended up in front of Sabine Cheng's and Tom Dupain's bakery.

It had a for sale sign on it, and it looked empty. It was weird seeing it look so empty when it once used to be so full of life with customers coming in and out. Where people used to rush in the mornings to get their breakfast before work, or swarm after work to pick up sweet goodies for their loved ones as a surprise. The light of the balcony where Marinette's old room was off, it was always off when she left.

Shaking his head, Luka forced himself to walk and get his mind of Marinette. He knew he would meet someone else, but Marinette had been something else. He always told himself he was okay, he would move on but he wasn't sure how. It's why he needed time and a little separation from everyone else.

He kept walking the city, no destination in particular in mind. He was sort of just reminiscing and this point. Reminiscing when things felt more simple, life was calm and he knew what he wanted to do. When he had no obligations to the world of the miraculous, only to himself and his family. It's how he found himself in the park once again looking at the statues of the heroes as the sun began to set.

"Hey, you're Luka right?" A man asks, seeming all too familiar with him as he walked up the walk way towards him..

It caused Luka to frown when he looked over at the unfamiliar man, "Who's asking?"

The man took even a few more steps closer, and before Luka could react the man was shaking his hand. The moment their skin touched, Luka felt a pinch on his finger and winced at the sharpness of the feeling.

"I'm a friend of a friend." The man muttered out, one arm going under Luka's shoulder as the world tilted on it's axis for Luka. "The name is Lucas, and I think you can help me."

Well shit.


I'm surprised how fast I've been updating! Haha well I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it was fun writing it out!

I'm curious about who to ship the MLB gang with, so if anyone has ideas let me know! There will probably be some teen angst, because well why not haha.

I hope you liked this chapter! Thank you all again for the support on this story! ❤️❤️❤️