Ch 10 Ten Years Later
Author's Note: Hey everyone, the story is going to go in a weird direction for a chapter or so, but it should all make sense soon after that.
As the title implies, this chapter takes place (about) ten years after Plagg died. In all that time, Adrien could never convince Bunnix to go back and change that fateful day. And then…
Alix stepped onto her balcony to get a better look at the devastation from yesterday's (what were they calling it?) a "storm"? Yeah, like THAT would fool people.
"Yeesh," a little voice commented. "It looks like a hurricane blew through."
"Not quite, Fluff," Alix answered, "but close." Tree limbs and debris littered the street and grass, and this was AFTER Ladybug repaired most of the real damage. Yesterday's akuma multiplied and infected close to a hundred people.
Heading back inside, Alix said, "You know, if I never saw another akuma attack, I'd be perfectly fine." She shrugged on a jacket. Her neighbors were out trying to clean up the mess, and she wanted to help. She found a quiet spot and set about raking the rubbish into piles.
When nobody was looking, Fluff popped up next to her ear. "Alix?"
"Yeah," she answered absently.
"Were akuma attacks always like this?"
"No," she answered without thinking. Then a second later, "Well, sort of. When Hawkmoth first attacked, Ladybug repaired any damage his fights caused. Then, she lost one of her earrings, and after that - I'm not gonna lie – THAT was a lot like this. Neighbors came together to fix things after akuma battles." She did not add, or they just packed up and moved away when it got too bad. Looking on the bright side, "Fortunately, Ladybug got her earring back a year later, and it was just a few months after that, that Hawkmoth disappeared."
For more than five years, Hawkmoth went dormant. Then just two years ago, he came back with a vengeance.
"I wasn't front and center like the others were," Alix continued, scooping leaves and paper trash onto her rake, and then dumping them in a trash bag, "so I can't speak from personal experience with Hawkmoth. But if his old attacks felt like strategic chaos, these are just like, TOTAL chaos. Heaven knows where Hawkmoth went for five years, but he came back unhinged."
The tiny bunny fell silent a moment, going to retrieve a twig that fell outside the bag. "Do you think the Butterfly Miraculous might've passed to someone new between when he disappeared and when he came back?"
Alix's knee-jerk reaction was "Of course not! Hawkmoth is Hawkmoth. How would anyone else even get their hands on his Miraculous?" Alix laughed at the ridiculous notion.
But Fluff said, "Maybe the Team lost it when they fought him."
"The Team wouldn't..." Alix trailed off. Wouldn't what? Wouldn't lose a Miraculous? History said otherwise. In fact, the "World-Revered Ladybug" had lost more Miraculous than the rest of her team combined.
Not following his mistress' thoughts, Fluff said, "You're probably right. If the Team had lost track of the Butterfly Miraculous, they would've told us."
"Sure they would," Alix muttered.
"What? You think they'd keep it a secret?"
"I think that if the team DID lose another Miraculous, they'd keep that tidbit to themselves." Alix finished clearing one pile and went to another. "The Team keeps millions of secrets from the world. Really, what's one more?"
Innocently, Fluff asked, "Like the secret about Emil?" and Alix froze.
All Paris knew a child was akumatized yesterday.
A decent number knew the akuma left his bracelet to multiply and infect others before Ladybug could stop it.
But only a handful (plus their kwamis) knew that the destruction started BEFORE Hawkmoth joined the fun.
"I know the news called it a 'storm,'" the kwami said, weakly. "But Emil caused this, didn't he?" Unable to catch Alix's gaze, the kwami asked, "Are you going to talk to Adrien about it?"
"Unless you have a better idea."
"We could go back and…"
"Fluff," Alix cut him off, "before I change anything, I want to hear from Marinette and Adrien. If they have a game plan, we might not have to chance it."
"And if they don't?"
"Then, Bunnix will have to do what they can't," Alix affirmed. She wasn't the sort to sit around weighing every possible outcome of her actions. She left the worry-wart mentality to Marinette. No, Alix was the type to hear the facts, make a decision, and face the consequences.
Whatever they may be.
That mindset made her an excellent choice for the Rabbit Miraculous. You couldn't waste time second-guessing yourself when you were dealing with time travel. You made a choice. You took a risk, and you welcomed the fallout. That was it.
Speaking of which, Alix couldn't put this off any longer. Waiting only made it harder. She handed her rake off to a neighbor and set off for the Agreste Mansion.
As she walked, she reflected on the huge downside of time travel. As useful as it was, it didn't come with a giant neon sign saying "Disaster Ahead!" when you veered off into dangerous territory. There were always changes, but WHAT changed was anyone's guess.
Long story short, it was complicated. For example, ten years ago, Plagg left his power to Adrien. On the same day, Ladybug lost one of her Miraculous. Those two events drastically changed the course of history, not just for Paris, but for the whole world. Marinette eventually recovered her earring, but her 'Miraculous Ladybugs' couldn't undo all the effects in that bizarre year.
On the other hand, while Alix could, the real question was should she?
"If Plagg hadn't died, the entire 'Butterfly War' would never have happened," Fluff offered, as the Mansion came into view. "The Cult of Hawkmoth wouldn't have grown big enough for him to use as an army."
"But the Team won the war," Alix countered. "When everything's basically fine, we shouldn't go tempting fate."
"You're right," the kwami agreed easily. "We can't just go messing around in the past willy-nilly. Sometimes, we have to leave well enough alone."
"Absolutely."
This was something Adrien failed to wrap his head around for the longest time. He insisted things would've gone so much better if Plagg hadn't died and Ladybug had never lost one of her earrings. But since Ladybug eventually got the earring back, and Adrien made a brilliant Chat Noir (even alone), his argument didn't hold much water.
At least not until now. Ironically, the thing that convinced Adrien to accept history as it was, was also what drove Alix to consider changing it.
She stopped on the sidewalk outside the Agreste Mansion. Taking a deep breath, she pressed the buzzer. A moment later, there was voice over the intercom. "Alix? What are YOU doing here?"
"Alya, is that you?" Alix wasn't surprised another Miraculous holder would stop by after the *ahem* 'storm.' "Probably the same thing you are. Can you let me in?"
"Yeah, of course." There was a beat, and then, the heavy wrought-iron gate slid open. When Alix reached the front door, Alya was waiting for her. "Come on in. Join the circus."
"Circus?" Alix repeated. Stepping inside, she saw most of the Miraculous Team standing there in the foyer shouting over one another. Up on the staircase, Adrien tried to quell the insanity. His skin was pale, even for him, and there were dark circles under his eyes. "Sheesh, when's the last time he got some sleep? He looks ready to drop."
"Not in days," Alya answered, "Excuse me." Alya cut across the foyer into the dining room, ignoring the insane shouting match around her. Since it didn't look like Alix would get to talk to Adrien or Marinette anytime soon, she followed Alya away from the bickering crowd.
Once upon a time, Alix wouldn't have DREAMED of walking through the Agreste House unescorted. Old man Gabriel would've murdered her and used her organs in his latest fashion exposé, or whatever it was he did. But Gabriel was gone. One day, he took off with his new wife, Natalie, and left everything to Adrien. No one had heard from him in years.
In the meantime, Adrien developed a pretty liberal policy with his friends. If he trusted you enough to let you in his house, he trusted you to go where you wanted once you were inside.
In the dining room, Nino sat with his feet up on the table. "Well, look who decided to join the party?"
"Hey, Nino, how goes it?"
Beyond Nino, a small face appeared, "Auntie Alix?" The little boy shoved off from the table, and came running to greet her. "Auntie Alix! Auntie Alix!"
The four year old threw himself into Alix's waiting arms. "Hello, Emil, how's my favorite nephew doing?"
Alix regarded little Emil Agreste with a quiet smile as he talked a mile a minute. Hunched over the table, he drew with crayons. His rosy cheeks occasionally smiled up as he scribbled in wild colors.
Emil's jet-black hair and almond eyes resembled Marinette more than Adrien. But for the first time, Alix had to admit, he looked most like a Mini-Chat Noir.
That should've been our first clue.
Alix cleared the thought with a shake of her head. "Hey, Fluff," she said, with another smile at the mess of papers, "Why don't you, Trixx, and Wayzz let Emil draw you, while I chat with Auntie Alya and Uncle Nino?"
"Yes! Yes!" Emil cheered.
"Gladly," Fluff said blurring over to the boy. After nods from their own masters, Wayzz and Trixx soon joined him.
Meanwhile, the adults stepped into a corner, and Alix's pretense of sweetness dropped immediately. "So, is one of you going to tell me what happened yesterday? Or am I going to have to go back to see it for myself?"
"It was nothing…" Alya started.
At the same time, Nino said, "He had a tantrum." The couple shared a look, and Alya let Nino finish first. "Little Dude was having a bad day. That's all."
"'Little Dude' nearly leveled Paris," Alix sassed, trying to keep her voice low.
"Girl, it wouldn't've come to that," Alya said
Alix just stared at her as if to say, Really? In unison, all three adults turned to look at the little boy happy to be surrounded by kwamis. He seemed so normal…
But he wasn't. The boy was "gifted" and not in the traditional way.
Emil Agreste had superpowers.
In retrospect, the signs were obvious, but until recently, his parents were in straight denial (although to be fair, superhero business kept them pretty busy even after Hawkmoth vanished). At first, no one suspected anything worse than a boy who needed to learn to be gentle his things, but in time, they realized that wasn't it.
For example, Emil was never rough, but he wore out brand-new toys in a matter of days. Sometimes, his clothes went completely thread-bare after being worn TWICE. His parents refused to admit anything was amiss until they found the rusted pots and pans he used as a drum set.
Adrien and Marinette had to face the facts: somehow their son inherited his father's powers of destruction. But what could they do about it?
"It's not their fault that Emil got Adrien's powers," Nino defended.
"No one's saying it is. In fact, Marinette, and Tikki run themselves ragged trying to restore stuff," Alya continued, "but that's only a quick fix. They can't follow him for the rest of his life, repairing everything he breaks."
"And the kid's powers come and go. Look at him. He's fine right now. They can't lock him up at home until he learns to control it," Nino added.
"No matter WHAT the rest of the Team says." Alya glowered at the door leading out to the foyer. Alix pitied whoever suggested otherwise in Alya's presence.
But to be fair, there weren't many good options in a situation like this. Adrien and Marinette tried to take things one day at a time, but that plan wasn't working anymore. They couldn't lock Emil up for being different any more than they could ask a four year old to avoid tantrums lest he be akumatized. Emil was an angel ninety percent of the time, but even he had meltdowns when conditions were right (or wrong, I guess).
About a month ago, there'd been an incident when Emil was tired and hungry (never a great combo). The family was out at a restaurant when his mother told him he couldn't have dessert until after he finished his veggies.
How did Emil respond?
He collapsed the roof in on top of them.
With ten years superhero experience under their belts, Marinette and Adrien jumped into action and saved everyone, staff and patrons alike, before the building went down. But their problems didn't end there.
Not only did the happy couple have to face how powerful their son was, but it also allowed Hawkmoth, whoever he was – or possibly she was? Alix still wasn't sure about the "New Hawkmoth" theory, but anyway – to know that somewhere in Paris, there was a little powder-keg waiting to be exploited.
Ever since Hawkmoth rejoined the game, he (or she) had a newfound LOVE for chaos. Some people thought the building collapsed because of a localized earthquake. But when geologists disproved that theory, others insisted it was a terrorist attack. In the resulting paranoia, Hawkmoth akumatized two dozen people in the span of ten days. It didn't even seem like he was interested in taking Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous. Hawkmoth just loved the hysteria.
Eventually, Ladybug and Chat Noir got things under control, but the citizens of Paris were still in a panic. Alix burrowed into the future just to be sure things would get better. And to her relief, she saw that one day France would enter a Golden Age free of Hawkmoth and his wretched akumas.
"But is 'one day' soon enough?" Alix asked aloud.
"Soon enough for what?" Alya and Nino stared at her, and Alix mentally slapped herself. She really needed to keep her thoughts to herself.
"Nothing," she lied. Brainstorming, she thought, You know, if Plagg hadn't died, Adrien wouldn't've inherited his powers, and then, his son wouldn't be in this position now. Sometimes time travel felt like the ultimate temptation. It was so easy to go back and fix mistakes. To wipe out problems before they happened…
But I KNOW things will work out some day, Alix repeated to herself. I need to let it go. One day, things will be fine.
Still, she wondered, Will 'one day' come soon enough for little Emil Agreste? And that took her back to the crux of the matter. The entire 'Butterfly war' didn't send her burrowing back through time. There've been HOW MANY wars in history? She reasoned, I'm not going back to undo them all.
But to help one darling four year old who called her "Auntie"? Oh, that might do it.
And like that, Alix realized she'd already decided.
This whole thing is so stupid. How many times did Adrien beg me to go back and change that fateful day? But every time, she refused. Finally, after Emil was born, Adrien came to terms with the current timeline, and now, the same kid drove Alix to throw caution to the wind.
It was too much to expect any child, even a good kid like Emil, to be perfect all the time. It was his right to lose his temper without it snowballing into the destruction of Paris. It was his right to throw a tantrum without fearing a mistimed akuma would wipe out all life on Earth.
"Guys, what EXACTLY happened yesterday?" Alix asked her friends.
Nino sighed. "From what Adrien told us, they took Emil to the park, and he had a fit when they told him it was time to go."
"He caused a nasty 'storm' that did plenty of damage BEFORE Hawkmoth akumatized him."
Alix could testify to that. She'd seen all the shingles torn off houses and tree branches strewn across the street. Ladybug fixed everything post-akuma, but the earlier damage remained. "And where IS Marinetie now?"
"Lying down. She passed out after the battle."
"Maybe, Alix," Nino asked tentatively, "you could go back and stop the little Dude from losing his cool."
Alix shook her head. "Burrowing back in time to prevent every tantrum is no more a solution than asking Marinette to 'Miraculous Ladybug' the problem away after an incident. It's too much."
Besides, at four years old, Emil could already level a building. Out in the park, he unleashed his rage, and it hit like a small hurricane. At the rate his power was growing, what would he be able to do in few years? Worse still, when he was full grown?
It wasn't EMIL's fault that he was born with powers. It was Hawkmoth's reign of terror that triggered that line of dominoes.
Furthermore, if Plagg hadn't died, then the Powers of Destruction would not have become genetic..."It's one thing to give a Miraculous to a mature teen or adult. It was another to give such terrifying powers to a toddler," Alix commented.
"No argument here," Nino said. "But if you know some way to keep his powers in check until he's old enough to control them, then we'd love to hear it."
Maybe not control them now, Alix mused. But to change things, so Emil wasn't born with them in the first place…
If only there was a way to prevent Adrien's powers from becoming genetic. Of course to prevent that, one would have to prevent Plagg from dying and passing his powers on.
Huh, if only, there was a way to do that, Alix internally scoffed. Oh, sure there was a way. A way to undo it all, but for all she knew, changing history would only make things worse.
But would it really be worse than this? Alix doubted it. Emil was a great kid, and he deserved a chance at a normal life.
Alix took a deep breath. For ten years, she believed that, in spite of Plagg's death, everything turned out for the best, but today…
Today, she changed her mind.
She stopped deliberating and turned to her friends. "It seems you've got a lot on your plate, and I should really be going." She wanted to get this over with. She grabbed her jacket from where she'd tossed it on the table. "Fluff," she called. "It's time to go."
"You're leaving?" Emil looked up at her. He got up from the table and raced over.
"Yeah," she told him, "but I'll be back to see you soon." She squeezed him tight. "I promise. I'll be back before you know it." She left the boy with Nino and Alya, and then headed for the door.
The foyer was empty now. Alix guessed Adrien had sent the others home. Hopefully, she could slip out before… "Alix? What are you doing here?"
So much for that idea. Alix turned on her heel. "Hello, Adrien, it's good to see you too."
Adrien studied her. As if sensing what she had planned, he said, "We have everything under control."
"Do you, now?"
"Yes, we do. What happened yesterday was an accident."
"An accident that nearly flattened Paris."
"He was akumatized, and anyway Ladybug fixed all that."
"All of it?"
"Enough of it, anyway, it's all under control now."
"Sure, it is."
"I mean it, Alix. We don't need your help."
"If you say so."
"I do."
"Fine." Alix jerked her thumb toward the door. "So, can I go now?"
"Sure." Being the gentleman he was, Adrien opened the door for her. "So just to be sure, you're not going to try to meddle in this?" His fear was nearly palpable, and she understood why. Theoretically, if she went back far enough (like say to before his son was even conceived), she might prevent Emil from being born in the first place.
But while Adrien understood how destructive superpowers could be, Alix saw time travel differently. As far as she was concerned there was NO chance Adrien and Marinette wouldn't find each other and start a family. They were about as close to 'destined for each other' as any couple could possibly be. Nothing would stop that, not even time travel.
Alix was sure of it, so she said, "I'd never destroy what you have here, Adrien, not in a million years."
Her friend visibly relaxed. "Thank you."
"No problem." She crossed the threshold, and descended the stairs. Then, after she heard the door click shut behind her, she turned to her kwami. "Fluff?"
"Yes, Alix?" The little rabbit watched her pull out the Miraculous watch.
"Clockwise."
Author's Note: I'm glad to announce that we are entering the final arc of this story.
Remember how I once said this story fit as an alternate premiere to Season 3? Well, Chapters 1-4, make up episode 1. Chapters 5-9 are Ep 2. And Chapters 10 through the end are (roughly) Episode 19.
And to answer your next question: Yes, I have written an outline for the rest of the season, followed by a concluding epilogue.
Wait, you want to know WHY we jumped to Episode 19? Just wait and see, and do remember: happy endings all depend on where you end the story. (Insert quiet "mwuhaha…" here)
Till next time…
P.S. To Yellow14 who said that fixing things wouldn't be as easy as simple time travel. I have no idea what you could possibly mean. Alix is a professional. She knows exactly what she is doing. Nothing could POSSIBLY go wrong.