Walks into room. Vomits. Leaves.

—

Marinette was escorted back to her room. Her back throbbed and her throat burned with the need to cough. But she kept her head down, having nothing to say, and not wanting to see people watching her. She wasn't an exhibit.

Back in her room, John helped her back into bed, raising the back, allowing her to sit up.

Dr. Boucher brought a little cup with pills in it. "A cocktail, for the lady."

She swallowed them all with a swig of water.

Once settled, Sabine placed the Chat Noir doll on her lap. "Here darling, you must have dropped this earlier."

Marinette stared at the doll with watery eyes. It wasn't much, but it was a comfort to have him. She hugged him to her chest.

"One of those pills was a sleep aid. In about an hour, you'll start to feel drowsy, if you don't already. Plenty time to get some food in you."

She didn't fight. Didn't protest. Just let herself be strapped back into the bed, attached to all the monitors.

Another nurse came in, bringing in a tray with a bowl. "Are you ready for some chicken soup?" She asked with a perky chirp.

Marinette didn't respond as a bed table was swung in front of her, and the soup was placed in front of her. Soup with crackers, a cup with lime jello, and another cup with water.

It might as well be a five star meal from the best chef on earth with how her stomach rumbled. She took a careful spoonful, under the watchful gaze of the nurses, doctor, and her parents.

That immediately put her on edge.

She dropped the spoon back to the table. "I don't want it."

"Please eat it, Marinette. A little more," Dr. Boucher urged.

"You eat it first," she demanded.

"Ah, I see." The doctor nodded. "I would be paranoid too, if I was in your place. John, would you get me another spoon please?"

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. Marinette doesn't want to have another LSD trip from laced food. I don't blame her. So we'll put her at ease."

"Is that what's wrong?" Sabine asked her daughter. "You think they put something in the food?"

Marinette didn't answer, only stared hard at the doctor. "Why do you need another spoon?"

"You have a pretty severe case of pneumonia, Marinette." He answered calmly. "I don't want to get sick too. Then I won't be able to help you and Adrien."

Marinette unfurled her fists. "I'm sorry…I just—"

"You don't need to apologize to me, Marinette." Carefully, he sat down at her side and took her hand. "What you went through was extremely traumatizing. You are a different person now, with different goals, coping mechanisms, patience and tolerance threshold. You are still Marinette, at the core, but you're not going to react the way you used to, the way people expect you to."

Hearing it put into words eased not only Marinette, but Tom and Sabine.

"The most prevalent change I can tell right now, is that your trust for basically everyone has dropped. It makes sense, in the environment you were in, but I would really like you to communicate with me. I understand trust is earned, but I just want to make you better. Okay?"

Marinette considered this, gnawing at her bottom lip. She looked at Tikki. "Is he telling the truth?"

Tikki floated up in front of her face, and kissed her nose. "You woke up somewhere strange, in pain, and scared out of your mind. But this is a hospital. The same one that your grandpa stayed at for his heart surgery. You had to convince him that the technology in the room wasn't going to hurt him, and it 'was how it was done.' You remember, don't you?"

A tear made a track down her cheek as she nodded. "Yeah."

"I've been watching the whole time. Everyone has been gentle with you. There's nothing to worry about."

Marinette considered this, as every receptor in her brain told her to run run run.

John returned with a clean spoon, and handed it to the doctor.

Dr. Boucher scooped a bit of soup, showing Marinette the bite, then stuck it in this mouth. "Oh, wow. This is really good. I don't really care for chicken soup, but this is tasty. Nancy must be working today."

With no rational reason to refuse the food, Marinette picked her spoon up again and started to eat. The soup settled pleasantly in her empty stomach, warmth flowing through her with each cautious, shaking sip.

She glanced at the doctor, who had yet to say anything since she agreed to eat. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong with me?" She asked.

He smirked at her bluntness. "Physically, you're very weak. Dehydrated, malnourished , and your muscles have atrophied. You've got infection in the wounds on your feet and on your hand where you were branded, so we've got you on antibiotic for that and the pneumonia. The flagellation wounds on your back have been stitched up, and are healing very nicely. Other than that, we are monitoring the lasting affects of the strangulation and electrocution. Because you were strangled earlier in your capture and there's been no physical adverse effects except a rope burn scar, it's unlikely that any will emerge. But let us know if you feel any pain in your neck at any time."

"What kind of effects are you looking for?" She asked.

Dr. Boucher paused. "I hesitate to tell you, only because I don't want you to be paranoid, but I also want you to communicate with me. Any of these symptoms could be related to something else, and not necessarily to your strangulation."

"Okay."

"Raspy voice, difficulty breathing, coughing, difficulty swallowing, and nausea are already present from pneumonia. Please let me know if you you get headaches, hallucinations, dizziness, trouble using the bathroom, or if your tongue or lips feel swollen. As for the electrocution, your muscles might hurt or contract without your permission, but we're watching for seizures."

"I do have a headache. Right in the back of my head."

"Okay, I've given you some ibuprofen. That also could be stress related, or because your eyes aren't used to the lighting. Let me know if it persists. Anything else?"

"I don't think so."

"Alright, that's good then." Then he took her hand uninjured hand and squeezed. "But Marinette, please don't try to tough it out. If you feel pain, anywhere, let me know. I want you to relax and heal. We can help ease your pain, so you don't have to deal with it right now."

"I don't want to be drugged up."

"Would you rather be in pain?"

She didn't reply.

"I understand your hesitation. We'll try to find a balance."

Marinette's eyes started to feel heavy, but she reached for the jello cup. Still worried, she held it out to him so he could take a little bit to test. When he scooped a little out without hesitation, she deemed it safe to eat.

It was impossibly hard to watch your child being so on edge and distrusting to everyone. Sabine planned on bringing in homemade food for a while, at least as much as she could.

Finished with her meal, Marinette put the spoon down, and pushed the table away.

"Warm enough?" Asked John.

She nodded.

"Alright then, I'm glad you could choke that down. I'm proud of you, Marinette." Dr. Boucher praised.

I'm proud of you.

Dr. Boucher was basically a stranger, but that struck a cord in her shriveled heart. "Thank you…" She whispered.

"Get some sleep. I'll check in on you in a few hours." He patted her hand and stood.

"We'll be here while you sleep," Tom assured. "Someone will always be here to keep watch. There's also police officers outside the door that refuse access to anyone not approved by us. You're safe, my little croissant."

She couldn't fight off her exhaustion anymore anyway, so she closed her eyes. A small warmth, she assumed was Tikki, settled on her hand. There was shuffling around the room, people leaving or settling into chairs. The door shut. A paper fluttered. A cough. A beep. A hum.

—

Only a few minutes later, after Marinette had fallen asleep, Dr. Boucher returned, with Gabriel Agreste with him. "Tom? Sabine? May I speak to you in the hall please?" He spoke softly.

They nodded and left the room, closing the door softly behind them. He led them a little ways down the hall, out of earshot of the police, for patient confidentiality.

"I must admit, I'm pleased with the progress Marinette is making physically. The fact she was able to sit up and eat on her own is encouraging. However, I am very concerned about her mental health."

"Absolutely!" Sabine agreed. "I've never seen my daughter act like that before! It was terrifying!"

"I had hoped that the behavior she had developed as a defense mechanism would go away once she was away from Salo. But it seems that she's adopted it permanently. Did you notice how quickly she ate her dinner?"

"She wolfed it down! Like—"

"Like she was afraid someone would take it away." He finished. "Mr. Agreste, it's likely that Adrien will be in this state of mind too. I'm not positive though. But I'd like you to be prepared."

"Understood," Gabriel nodded. "Is there anything we can do?"

Dr. Boucher thought for a moment. "It would be best to remind them of good things. Hobbies, favorite movies, favorite foods, things that they enjoy. They need to be able to have them and enjoy them, without the threat of them being taken away. That's a very simple place to start."

"We can do that!" Tom smiled, "We love having movie nights with Marinette! Adrien will fit right in!"

"That's the other thing I wanted to talk about." The doctor put his hands in his pockets. "The Marinette, and the Adrien you know…they're gone. These are two young adults that have been forced to mature and adapt to survive in grueling conditions. They will heal, and things will get better, but for a while, you probably won't recognize your children."

Sabine covered her mouth to hold back a sob.

"But, they are still your children, and you have a responsibility to love them. Without that love and support, they will not recover. They will have to find a new normal. And that may be completely different from what life used to be like. Don't force them to fit in any molds. Encourage them to do their best, but don't punish them for failing. I promise, they are going to punish themselves."

"What do you mean?"

"In all the hours of footage we analyzed, Salo hammered home the idea that they both failed Paris as heroes, and that everyone is disappointed in them. Of course we know that's not true, but it will take a while before either of them believe either of it."

"So…love them, spoil them, and be patient?" Tom summarized.

"Basically, yes. For now. Later down the line, we'll work on getting them to reevaluate their behavior. You should probably warn any visitors that may see them that they could be rude or blunt."

"We should be careful reintroducing Alya," Gabriel suggested. "From talking with her, Marinette was not happy with her the last time they spoke. It could be dicey."

"Who's Alya?" Asked the doctor.

"Marinette's best friend. Well…besides Adrien or Tikki. The Ladyblogger."

"Ah, then she'll also be vital to their recovery. If Marinette can see that her friend isn't disappointed in her, it should help. But we should gauge how Marinette feels about her first." He checked his watch. "I've still got to check on Adrien today. I think we're in a good place for now."

"Thank you Doctor. It's nice to have some guidance."

"Thank you for being so patient and willing! Some parents don't want to think about their children's trauma, or just belittle it."

"There's no way we could," stated Gabriel. "We saw what they went through."

"Yes, but seeing something and experiencing it first hand are two different things. And you could always turn off the screen."

No one argued against that.

—

Hours later, Marinette regained awareness. The room was silent, barring the humming of a machine nearby.

Opening her eyes, the lights were off, the room swept into a soft blue daylight. The bleak November sky was gray with rain.

She was alone, except for Tikki who slept soundly on her chest.

Obviously, time had marched on without her. Hours had passed. Maybe days. She couldn't tell. It hadn't felt like she had slept, the weariness still clinging to her like a wet blanket. But her parents had needs, and were thoughtful enough to take care of them while they assumed she'd be sleeping.

There wasn't as much panic in waking this time. She knew where Adrien was, and that he was safe. They were both safe. Though safe was a loose term. How long would it take before Salo found them again? Or Hawkmoth? Or even someone new? She had no energy to fight. Anyone could burst through that window or mow down the officers outside the door.

What if the police were in on it? What if they were waiting for the right opportunity?

Was this what her life was now? Just a constant state of anxiety? Preparing for the worse at any moment? Unable to rest, to trust, to laugh, and love? That wasn't a life.

She couldn't move. Her body was just too weak. Everything hurt and it was all overwhelming. How long would it be before she could walk? What about Ladybug? Master Fu would surely take Tikki away. She was surprised he hadn't yet. And then what? Everywhere she went, people would see her, and know only one thing about her:

The Ladybug that failed.

Tikki woke up to the small sniffles coming from Marinette. She blinked up at her charge and noticed a face full of tears. "Oh Marinette! Why didn't you say anything?! Where does it hurt? I can page a nurse!"

"No…" Marinette pleaded. "I don't want them."

"But…you're crying…"

"It's not physical…" She moaned. That was a lie, but the physical pain was only TV static in the turmoil in her head.

"Oh…do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm not upset by it. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Marinette closed her eyes, centering herself. What would make this better? What would help? "Could I transform?"

"You really shouldn't," Tikki winced. "Why do you want to?"

"I want to go to the bathroom, but I'm not strong enough without the suit. Just for a moment."

"We can get John in here, he'll give you a bed pan."

"Please don't make me do that, Tikki. I couldn't bare it." She whispered.

"Or maybe he could carry you?"

"Please Tikki…I just need to do this myself."

She looked so hesitant that Marinette was afraid she'd refuse. It didn't really matter what she said, since Marinette could transform anyway, but Tikki was already so disappointed by her, she didn't want to push it.

"Alright," Tikki finally said. "Just be careful."

"Thank you," she breathed. "Spots on."

Ladybug sat up in the bed, as the alarms started beeping again. She wasted no time in taking out her yo-yo, and hurling it into the bathroom to hook onto a railing. Then she stood, and used the line to propel her into the room, pulling the door closed behind her. She flicked the lock, muting the beeping from the other room.

With the lights off, she stumbled her way over to the bathtub, and crawled in. Then she dropped her transformation.

"Marinette?"

"It's…it's easier to think in the dark. Like this." She offered as an explanation. "Will you keep watch?"

She couldn't see Tikki's face in the pitch black, but assumed she was frowning. "Alright Marinette, but only for a little bit."

Then Marinette was alone.

She was back in that closet in the Catacombs. Back in the walls she had grown familiar with, back where things made sense. There was no future there. Just living day by day until death. Time was irrelevant. Just darkness and silence.

The door jiggled. "Marinette? Marinette are you in there?" Asked John.

She didn't answer. She wasn't there. She was in her cell.

But the jiggling stopped and John's voice was muted. He was talking to someone, probably Tikki.

But it didn't matter to her. She just wanted peace and quiet.

"Marinette, you can't stay in there," John urged. "I'm going to get the key, and bring you back out, okay? I really need you to stay in bed, hon."

"Leave me alone!" She screamed. Her throat burned with the effort, bringing tears to her eyes.

She hated this. The constant surveillance, no privacy, no control! She just wanted it to be over! All of it!

The door jiggled again, and swung open slowly, before the lights flicked on, hurting her eyes. "Turn it off!" She begged. "Turn it off!"

Darkness again, and just a line of light from the cracked open door.

"Marinette?" Her mother asked.

She sobbed, hating the concern and love dripping from her.

"Marinette, darling. What's wrong? Why are you hiding in the bathtub?"

"I…I don't know. It—It just…felt right. I'm…homesick?"

"Homesick?"

"For…for my closet."

Understanding hit Sabine hard as she gasped. But she couldn't fault her daughter. It probably did feel weird being out. Slowly, Sabine lifted Marinette up so that she could slide into the tub with her. Marinette was just skin and bones, and fit between her legs so she could lean back and use her mother as a pillow.

For a long few minutes, Sabine just held her, letting her cry as she pet her head.

"I want to die." Marinette breathed.

There were no words. What could she say? 'It'll be okay?' That seemed so far off. And honestly, if she was in the same place, she'd want to die too.

"I'm so scared." Marinette continued. "Mom, I'm so scared."

"What about?" Sabine asked softly, kissing her forehead.

"What's going to happen to me? Is Salo going to find me again? What about Hawkmoth?"

"You don't have to worry about them," she hurried to dissuade her fears. "Salo is in police custody, and Hawkmoth retired."

"How do you know? Salo's gotten away with everything! What's keeping her from getting away this time?!"

"Shh, shh, it's okay. The police chief talked to us in person. Salo is cooperating with authorities. Apparently…she's a wreck."

"…what? Why?"

"I don't know. Apparently, she's been begging to go to prison. He didn't give me full details, but she's not a threat to us. To you."

Marinette sighed, letting this information sink in. And Hawkmoth retiring? That seemed unlikely.

"Do you want to go back to bed?"

Marinette shook her head. "I can't…I can't go back out there."

"Why not?" Her tone was just soft curiosity, not demanding of answers.

"Because I don't know what to do!" She sobbed. "I was Ladybug! The girl with all the solutions! But I don't even know what's happening tomorrow! I don't know if I can go back to school or go to college or have a job! I can't survive in the world like this!"

"Shh, hey hey, there's no reason to get worked up. School and work can come later, if you want them too. You're not going back tomorrow. Don't think about that."

Marinette swallowed and nodded in understanding.

"Here, how about this: What do you want to do?"

"I don't know."

"Just one thing. An activity, or a place you want to visit. Doesn't have to be right now."

"I…I just want to be with Adrien."

"Do you want to marry him?"

"Aren't I already married to him?"

"On paper. But don't you want that ceremony at the cottage?"

She nodded. "I do. I do want that cottage!"

"Then that's one thing to look forward to."

"But that's so far away! What if—what if I can't make it? Everything hurts! And I'm so ugly! I don't want to marry him like this!"

"Hey, shh…" Sabine petted her. "We're taking deep breaths okay?"

Marinette choked a few times, but started to calm down.

"Do you know what today is?"

"No."

"Today is thanksgiving."

"And?"

"And that means, tomorrow, we start getting ready for Christmas. We'll have hot cocoa, and we'll set up the tree. We'll watch old movies and eat popcorn and put puzzles together. And Adrien will be with us too. You can snuggle together under a fuzzy blanket while watching the snow fall."

Marinette hummed, eyes closed to imagine the scene.

"And your father will hold a sprig of Mistletoe over your heads and make you kiss."

She giggled.

"And Nonna and Nonno will come over, and we'll bake Christmas cookies."

"The first batch of dough we eat raw." Marinette declared.

"That's right!"

"And then on Christmas eve, we look for the pickle."

"Absolutely! We'll see if Gabriel will let us hide it at the mansion. I think your father has exhausted all the hiding spots at our house."

"He hid it in the couch last year. In the couch!"

Sabine laughed. "Not as bad as when he put it in the pickle jar."

"That took hours to find!"

Hope surged through Sabine. Though they were snuggled up in a bathtub in a hospital, this was a moment she recognized her daughter. This was reminding her of the good times. This was doable.

"So…you'll hang around for another month?"

Marinette sighed again, this time with content. "You know what? I think I can now."

—

His eyes were caked with crud. Even the soft light was too bright. Everything hurt and ached. It took effort to even open his eyes, feeling like they were glued shut. He twitched his fingers, feeling the soft fabric of a blanket, and what felt like a stuffed animal in one hand.

All he could move was his eyes, which blinked rapidly.

He was in a room. Well, probably a much bigger room, but his area was sectioned off with curtains. He was surrounded with various machines, and he felt something in his mouth and down his throat. It didn't really hurt, but it wasn't comfortable.

There was a man sitting nearby, with graying hair and a unkept beard. He wore designer glasses and a nice t-shirt, but still looked like a disheveled creature who was being haunted.

It took Adrien far too long to realize it was his father.

Which surprised him, honestly. He wondered if Gabriel had it in him to be worried about his son. He hadn't come for them, after all. But perhaps even Gabriel Agreste, in all his infinite wealth and fame, was helpless in this crisis.

Well, that identified one person around him, and given Gabriel's state, he likely wasn't a threat. Likely.

There were voices from beyond the curtain, but nothing in his sight, as limited as it was. He found it impossible to move his neck.

"Adrien?" Said his father's voice.

Adrien flicked his gaze over, just tiredly examining the man.

Gabriel opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it. Instead, he took the stuffed animal away and held it in front of his face.

It wasn't a stuffed animal at all. It was a little Ladybug doll. Gabriel pitched up his voice, pretending to be Ladybug.

"Good morning kitty cat! We're in a hospital! I'm sleeping upstairs. You were in pretty rough shape when we came here, so you're under constant surveillance. It's really super important that you don't try to move. We'll be together soon though, so just try to relax. I love you!" And he made the doll kiss Adrien on the forehead.

Adrien looked at him blankly, he was not amused.

"Sorry…I just thought that would be a better way to break the news to you." And Gabriel returned the doll to Adrien's hands. "She made that, you know? Very creative girl that Marinette."

He agreed, of course. But now he had answers. And now he could get back to sleeping.

And so he did.

—