It was late at night before they finally flew through a portal and landed back in Paris. The last seven hours had been a flurry of activity as the Heroes worked through the logistical nightmare. Some of the Heroes of Paris had returned to Angola to assist with organizing the refugees for the return to Paris; others had taken a portal directly to Paris the moment Sent-Bee assured them that the city was repaired enough for people to start returning. All of their international allies had returned to their respective countries, thanks in part to Doorman agreeing to stay in Tarascon a little longer and help Pegasus. Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Victory had spent almost an hour in heavy discussion before pulling Dino Dan into the conversation. Their emotions had varied wildly, from excitement and relief to annoyance and frustration, before settling somewhere in between the two extremes. But even now, Impératrice Pourpre could not be certain that they were fully on the same page… but they were getting there.
In a way, that could describe all of the heroes' attitudes since the red swirl of magic swept through Tarascon.
Impératrice Pourpre let out a breath, forcing herself to relax as much as she could. All of the heroes were now back where they belonged. The African Miraculous team was beginning the process of cleaning up the refugee camp. Ladybug and Cat Noir had returned to Paris a few hours ago, having resolved matters as best they could with both the United Heroez and the survivors of Tarascon. Turing had remained behind in Tarascon to liaise with the local governments. The Heretic and his new disciple had likewise stayed in Tarascon to search for Killer Bee, though none of the heroes had seen her since the battle. So much work still remained to be done – survivors had to be located, refugees had to be returned, buildings had to be repaired, governments that had been dissolved during the crisis had to be reestablished… The list went on.
But as Pegasus flew his flying car through his final portal and flew a tight loop around the top of the Eiffel Tower before gliding through the structure to land in the middle of the Champ de Mars, Impératrice Pourpre could finally start believe that it was all real. She was home. Looking out the window at the city of Paris stretched out below, so much of it felt so… familiar. Yes, large sections of the city remained dark. Yes, the traffic noise was almost nonexistent. Yes, the skyline was entirely different, with dozens of buildings either absent or missing their roofs in spite of the repairs effected by Miraculous Ladybug. But it was still Paris. They could rebuild. The last time she had been in Paris, she had watched from the Sorbonne University campus as the Tarasque had melted through one of the Tower's support legs, causing it to list to one side so badly it had threatened to topple over into the Seine; now it stood upright once more, the legs and foundation entirely repaired and intact, a sight she had despaired of ever seeing again.
The Tarasque really, truly, had been defeated.
One-handed, Pegasus shifted the flying car into hover mode a meter above the ground and deployed the wheels before slowly lowering it down until it landed with a thud on the paved walkway. There was a moment as the car shifted to one side on landing before coming to rest.
Impératrice Pourpre's grip on Pegasus' hand tightened involuntarily, and she clenched her eyes shut. A firm pressure on her hand grounded her, even as she reached out with her empathy, feeling again the so-familiar emotions that she had recognized. Anxiety, exhaustion, relief, nervousness… but more than anything else love and affection. She took in a deep breath and opened her eyes to find him watching her with concern. He was always so sweet and kind to her – she had been completely lost in Angola without him, thinking that he was gone. During those lonely weeks in Angola, she would have given anything to have him back. Looking down at their joined hands, Impératrice Pourpre swallowed back a lump in her throat. Pegasus had been dead – she had watched him die, even as he had pushed her through the collapsing portal to safety. She had mourned him. And yet, now he wasn't dead anymore. He was back! Alive and tangible – she could feel his hand in hers, feel his emotions with her empathy. It was everything she had longed for since their parting. It was almost too good to be true!
Her stomach clenched anxiously.
What if this was too good to be true? What if she let him go and he vanished on her once more, as though he had never been there? What if he left her alone again? What if fate ripped them apart, so soon after their reunion? After losing him once, only to find him again– Instinctively, her grip on his hand tightened.
She stifled a whimper. She couldn't bear to let that happen again.
"Are you okay?" he asked her, concern in his eyes, as he turned off the car one-handed and de-transformed. In a flash of light, Kaalki tumbled out of the miraculous, leaving Max behind in the same silver-metallic suit he had worn on his arrival at Tarascon. On seeing it again, Impératrice Pourpre clutched his hand, holding him in place. Removing his helmet and tossing it in the back of the car, he gave her a worried look and placed his free hand on her cheek. "Sabrina? What's wrong?"
Leaning into his touch, Impératrice Pourpre closed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe deeply. She could feel his worry, feel the anxiety building. She gulped, unwilling to look at him but unwilling to inflict such emotions on him by her silence. Finally she opened her eyes. "I–I'mjust glad to have you back," she answered him, looking down at his lap to compose herself before smiling up at him.
Smiling fondly, he ran his fingers along her cheek. "I am glad, too," he assured her. "Although I was relieved that you did not have to experience the anarchy of Paris, I missed you every day that you were gone."
Still hovering in front of him where she had first materialized, Kaalki stared up at Max in shock for a moment longer before she roused herself and shot up into his face. "I'm so glad to see you again!" the Kwami squeaked, throwing her arms as far around Max's cheek as she could before starting and backing away until she was almost out of his reach. Looking away, Kaalki cleared her throat, coughing into her paw. "I mean… it is good to have you back, Pegasus. You always were one of my most remarkable holders."
Max chuckled as he fished a few baby carrots out of one of the flying car's glove compartments and handed them to her, stroking her mane. "It is good to be back with you, too, Kaalki," he answered. Turning partway away from him, Kaalki harrumphed and let out a sound like a whinny, eyeing Max over her shoulder. He frowned. "I am sorry for leaving you to Sabrina on such short notice; it was never my intent."
Impératrice Pourpre sniffled.
Kaalki scoffed. "Of course you didn't," she retorted. "But that is what you did nonetheless." She pursed her lips. "It is fortunate for you that you gave me to a noteworthy protector for the last six weeks," she added, glancing over at Impératrice Pourpre."
Max let out a breath. "I hope the two of you – three," he amended wryly, "were able to carry on well in Angola."
Impératrice Pourpre frowned, looking down at the floor. The fact of the matter was that she had not been able to carry on well – not without him. Chloe, Bri, and the rest of the girls from the Therapy group had helped her out by staying with her almost every hour of every day. Marinette and Adrien and the rest of her friends had supported her as best they could. But they had not done enough for her to "carry on well."
If they had, perhaps she would not have tried to steal the miraculous.
Kaalki snorted. "Of course we got on just fine without you, Max," she told him, a too-wide grin splitting her face. Impératrice Pourpre's breathing hitched. Kaalki sighed heavily. "But we will be better with you than we were without."
Max smiled fondly. "My hope is that you do not have to experience that again – not for a long time, at least."
Slowly, Impératrice Pourpre could feel the anxious tension in her stomach starting to ease.
Finally, Max transformed again and opened the flying car's door. Releasing Impératrice Pourpre's hand, he started to slide out of the car, but Impératrice Pourpre's grip on his hand tightened reflexively, keeping that connection and grounding herself with him. Pegasus raised an eyebrow at her as he stood up, and she hopped across the center console into the driver's seat to slide out of his door, still holding his hand as tightly as she could. If she released his hand – even for a moment, what could happen? Would it turn out to all have been a dream? Would Max simply vanish into thin air? Deep down, Impératrice Pourpre knew that she was being unreasonable… but she couldn't shake the feeling: she needed to be right here, with him.
Pegasus gave her an affectionate smile before leading the way around the vehicle to the trunk. In the trunk was very little, part from a small black box with a pattern of thin straight lines all around the sides. Pulling the box out of a compartment in the car's trunk, he pressed a button, opening the portable portal ring and affixing it to the mounting bracket on the side of the car. He let out a breath as the portal hummed, running through its diagnostic procedure before blinking green. He let out a relieved breath. "Now that people can return to Paris…" he fixed his gaze on Impératrice Pourpre "where should I send you? Do you want to go back to your apartment? I know your father will be happy to see you."
Impératrice Pourpre pursed her lips. For as nice as it would be to see her father and sleep in her own bed for the first time in six weeks, she couldn't bring herself to face him – not yet. Not after what she had done in Angola. And especially if that would mean leaving Max for the night – would he vanish on her before the morning? Finally she shook her head. "I–I want to stay with you," she whispered, swallowing nervously and raising her eyes to gaze into his. "I want to be with you tonight. After–after everything…"
He raised an eyebrow. She could feel his hesitation. "Are you certain that is what you want?" Nervously but firmly, she nodded. He frowned, looking off into the distance, deep in thought. "The Mansion will likely be swarming with people as everyone returns…" he mused. "But what about my apartment? I have not been there in weeks, but it survived intact when the Tarasque destroyed the rest of the city."
She swallowed hard and nodded, the tension in her shoulders threatening to cripple her. To spend the night together… But that was exactly what she had wanted, what she had longed for ever since he was "killed." Steeling herself and breathing deeply, she nodded again. "Yes – as long as it means we're not separated again."
As the portal swirled open in front of them, Pegasus placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug, pressing a kiss to her lips. "I promise you," he whispered. "I will not leave you. Not again."
AN: This is the conclusion of "The Return." Tomorrow we will see what happens to the characters "As the Dust Settles."