The few days they had spent at the Dupain-Cheng bakery so far were like a vacation. Not that their routines were much different…a lot of naps, video games, TV, reading…sometimes, Adrien would sit at the keyboard with headphones and tap out a tune. Whenever Marinette asked what he was playing, he'd just give her a little shrug and admit, "it's not ready yet."

The dinners with just Tom and Sabine were a lot more relaxed and warm, and they were usually followed with board games or a movie. At night, Adrien and Marinette would sit out on her balcony under a blanket, just enjoying the view of Paris.

Just in general, the bakery felt more like a home than whatever the mansion was. Marinette's loft bed was cozy, and provided privacy and comfort. Like a cradle or a cocoon. Many nights, Marinette and Adrien would sit up late, talking about anything and everything, or sometimes nothing at all. Allowing the soothing presence of the other to fill the silence. Yes, the move proved to be for the best. Marinette's room provided an environment that aided healing, and allowed the two to indulge in old hobbies. Marinette had yet to touch her sewing machine, but she had sketched a little in a sketchbook. It was the start that counted.

"You remember when you asked me to get that constipation medication for you from England?" Adrien asked one night, late.

Marinette had almost been asleep, but she groaned. "Ugh, yeah? Why did you have to remind me?"

"What was that about? I just assumed it was something we couldn't get in France…but I wanted to do the friendly thing. But honestly, it's been on my mind for a while now."

She pushed up, propping up on one arm so she could look down at him. "First of all, that medicine wasn't for me. It was for Master Fu."

"Wait what? Why?"

"So here's the story: He got really sick and asked me to deliver a love letter to his sweetheart. He wanted to connect with her in case it was the end. The doctor gave me the prescription. And because Master Fu was taking the leap to confess, I thought I would too, so I wrote you a letter. So I delivered a piece of paper to Master Fu's girl, the pharmacist, and to you."

"Oh no…"

"I gave Fu's letter to the pharmacist, the prescription to you, and my letter to Fu's girlfriend, which was so bad that it got her akumatized!"

"Oh my lady…I'm sure it was lovely, just out of context."

"That was probably my worst attempt." She groaned, rolling away from him.

"Worse attempt? There were others?"

"Good night, Adrien."

He snuggled up behind her, whispering into her ear. "Please tell me your failures, my precious lady."

She groaned again, kicking the blankets off of her legs so that she could sit up and face him. "Fine, you know what? Because of Alya, all of Paris already knows how hopelessly in love with you I was. And because of Lila, you know how much of a stalker I was."

"A cute stalker."

"Gee thanks." She rolled her eyes. "God, where do I even start? Oh…you know that blue scarf that you got for your birthday one year?"

"Yeah?"

"It was actually from me. I don't know how the mix up happened, but you thought it was from your father. It made you happy, so I let it be."

Adrien leaned closer to her, his mouth opening in awe. "My lady…"

"That beret that Ladybug hand delivered was also from me. That was my closest attempt, but I had to erase my name on it…"

"Whatever for? I would have cherished it more! It's collecting dust in my closet somewhere now."

Marinette looked away, trying to find the words to explain. The beret brought up so many sour memories, and even more trauma that she didn't need right now.

"My lady?"

"I shouldn't have mentioned that one. It's stupid."

"Don't shut me out," he begged. "Please. I can't stand it when you shut me out. I want to know everything about you, Marinette. You're my best friend…and my wife. For better or for worse, right?"

She nodded, swallowing the thickness in her throat. "The first time I dropped it off at your house, I was shortly after stopped by Bunnyx. She said she needed my help because something had gone wrong in the future. So she took me into her burrow and dropped me off in Paris…" She shut her eyes, exhaling harshly. She had never gotten to tell anyone about this, and it weighed on her heavily, even after all this time.

"In Paris…?" Adrien urged her on.

"It was flooded. The Eiffel tower was toppled, and I could see the moon in the distance, completely shattered. You were there, all alone, and…akumatized."

"Into Grimalkin?"

She shook her head. "Chat Blanc. All white suit, hair, even your skin was pale. And your eyes were piercing blue."

He frowned, imagining that image.

"You knew my name, and you said it was our love that destroyed the world. We fought, and I fell in the water, where I found myself and Hawkmoth frozen in stone. I touched my statue and it turned to dust. I don't know how long you'd been like that. But you were desperate to get my earrings. You said…you said a lot of terrible things. It was horrible to see you like that…so deranged, so lost and unhinged. A little like Grimalkin, to be honest."

"I assume you won."

"Yes, but you still knew my name afterwards. I realized that in that timeline, learning my identity led to you becoming an Akuma. And I figured, you, Adrien-you, must have seen me leaving your room when I left that beret for you. And somehow that led to my identity. So, I erased my name."

"Why didn't you tell me any of that earlier? That couldn't have been fun to keep bottled up."

"It wasn't. But...I prevented it. So it never happened. It was just a bad dream."

"But...it wasn't. Your Miraculous Ladybug undoes all the damage akumas do. It's like those never happened, but the memories remain. Why is it different if you're the only one that remembers?"

Marinette shrugged. "I guess I just didn't want to worry you. I'm sorry."

Adrien leaned forward to bump his head with hers, affectionately. "As long as we're being honest about erased timelines...there's something I should have talked to you about too."

"What's that?"

"Aspik."

"Oh…that's right! You used the Snake and Second Chance for a while."

"25,913 times." He answered, his voice portraying the pain the number brought.

"How do you remember?"

"Every time I restarted, the number flashed in front of my eyes. It went up and up…every five minutes. Every time I lost you. Every time you turned to dust. Every time I failed."

"You tried so hard…"

"You insisted that you needed the snake, and that you didn't need Chat Noir. Several times."

"But it was only when you passed the snake onto Luka that we won. I did need you. I always need you, and I'm sorry if I made you feel like I didn't."

"Plagg warned me. Over and over, he said I was making a mistake. And I kept shutting him down. I was being selfish. Every time I restarted, I got five more minutes with you, as Adrien, not as Chat Noir. I wanted to do so good you'd fall in love with me. But I just ended up hurting myself, because I kept letting you down. It was so painful…"

"I'm sorry for putting that burden on you. That wasn't fair."

"You couldn't have known." He sighed, feeling lighter than he had in a long time. There was still plenty of trauma to work through, but getting this out of the way paved the road for clearing his head. "I'm sorry for traumatizing you in another timeline too. I know I'm not at fault for that, but I hate that any version of me hurt you."

Marinette held his face gently, letting her thumb roll over his cheek bones. Her mother's cooking had done well to fill in his face, but there was still a sunken look to him. His cheeks and his eyes especially.

"You're wonderful to me, Adrien. Always have been, in and out of the suit. And even with all the pain, trauma, and sadness…I'd still rather be with you than anyone else."

"I feel the same. I feel connected to you. It might sound corny, but I feel it right down into my soul. When I was in solitary, there were moments where I would just hold my breath and see if I could feel you. If maybe I could somehow sense if you were still alive or not." He looked away from her. "That sounds insane. I'm sorry."

"No. No it doesn't." She urged. "I did the same thing. Sometimes during akuma fights, I can tell when something bad happened to you. I'm sure it's because of the bond of our Miraculous, but I had hoped it had extended beyond that."

Tikki's sleepy voice spoke from the bedside table. "You really felt that way?"

"Oh, sorry Tikki, did we wake you?"

"A little. But it's okay. Are you really able to tell when Chat's harmed?"

"I…think so? Yeah…even when I don't see him, I can feel a little pain."

"That does happen, but not usually so early into a partnership. but…you both have gone through a lot together. It would make sense."

"So...we are bonded?" Asked Adrien.

"Loosely. It'll grow stronger the longer you're together. A pair of holders in their 80's were able to read each other's minds!"

"Oh wow! That's...that's a little daunting."

"I'm not crazy then," Adrien stated, with a hand over his heart. "Pretending like we were connected was just about the only thing that kept me going through solitary. I thought that maybe…maybe as long as my heart was beating, yours was too."

Marinette fell forward into him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into his chest.

That strong heartbeat beat for her in her ear. "I thought as long as I thought about how much I loved you, you'd feel it."

"I did, My Lady. Every time you whispered it to yourself, I got a warm feeling inside. Even in my darkest moments, I knew you loved me. Thank you. Thank you for loving me."

"It wasn't hard."

—

Interacting with Gabriel came sooner than they hoped.

Today was a 'progress day', as Dr. Zollar had noted. A day that would push boundaries, and challenge them emotionally and maybe physically.

They were going back to school. Just for the day, to find out graduation requirements, but even going on the property was going to hurt.

The last time they were here…well, Marinette was still a 'perverted stalker'.

They were going in with their parents, while class was in session, so it wasn't likely that they'd be cornered by anyone.

"You ready, kiddos?" Asked Sabine.

Marinette nodded and slipped her hand into Adrien's. For the first time since capture, they were both wearing jeans. The wounds on the back of their legs had healed enough to allow it, though it still wasn't very comfortable. Adrien wore a loose T-Shirt, since his skin graft on his shoulder blades was still healing.

Tom rested a hand on Adrien's shoulder. "It's okay son. We'll be right there with you."

So, they slowly made their way over to the school.

The Agreste's silver sedan waited at the curb, and the Gorilla greeted them as they approached, opening the door for Emilie and Gabriel to exit.

"So this is your school?" Said Emilie, ever cheerful.

Adrien nodded. He had yet to resolve the tantrum he had over her, now that Gabriel had come clean. But the sting of betrayal still lingered, even if Emilie couldn't have helped it.

Everything was just tense and no one was willing to talk it out.

For now, they had time, and Emilie was willing to give him space.

"It's a really nice facility," Sabine saved. "Adrien was on the fencing team!"

"Oh they have fencing? That's wonderful! Not many public schools do!"

As the mothers led the group, talking, Marinette squeezed Adrien's hand. "You doing alright, kitty?"

He tilted his head, and gave her a look, silently asking the same question.

"I'm nervous. I know I should probably…you know, at least see the class."

"Don't do anything you don't want to." Tom encouraged, patting her back patiently.

They had only been gone for about four months now, only a little longer than summer vacation, but the school just felt so small. It's like that, when your world isn't revolving around just one building anymore. In all of the nightmares Marinette had in solitude, the school was just so much bigger, and her classmates were even more vile, nasty, and cruel. Such is the poison of isolation.

Thankfully, class was in session, and no one was loitering in the halls as they made their way upstairs to Mr. Damocles office.

"Good afternoon and welcome back!" He greeted, too loudly.

"Thank you for meeting with us, Mr. Damocles," Sabine shook his hand.

"Oh it's a pleasure. I would like to do my part to make sure Adrien and Marinette are all set for whatever they have planned next in life. What are we thinking? College? Working with Mr. Agreste?"

Marinette hunched her shoulders while Adrien scuffed his shoe on the floor.

"Let's just think about getting their GEDs for right now." Said Gabriel. "This is my wife, Emilie. She's recently returned from an extended sabbatical."

Marinette held back a snort. That's what they were going with?

Mr. Damocles looked skeptical, but managed to smile and shake her hand anyways. "Welcome back, madam."

Adrien and Marinette found chairs in the back of the room, allowing the parents to lead the conversation.

"So, here we have Marinette and Adrien's transcripts. Starting in College, they are basically identical, since they took the same classes together. Adrien's fulfilled his foreign language credit, and Marinette's completed her arts credit. It appears that this semester, Adrien was planning to take Visual Arts, Physics, Trigonometry, Written Rhetoric, and World History, then he had two free periods for studying, or taking college level courses. Marinette was planned to take Chinese, Anatomy, Economics, Written Rhetoric, World History, and Visual Arts."

"Well," began Sabine, "Adrien and I can certainly help Marinette complete her Chinese credit. You know, I've been trying to teach her forever, she's just so stubborn."

"I'm just not good at it." Marinette defended. "I haven't had the proper motivation."

"I will sign off on Written Rhetoric for both of them. I think they've given plenty of speeches as superheroes to count. And I think Anatomy and Physics can be counted as well. So we will just need to get them homeschool work for World History, Trigonometry, and Economics. And Adrien will need a Visual Arts credit."

"His modeling wouldn't count?" Gabriel asked.

Mr. Damocles hummed and hawed over it, then finally asked. "Was he getting paid for it?"

"Yes."

"Then I don't think I can count it for a credit. However, if he was allowed to work behind the camera for a little while, learning how to use the camera and the lights and such, I could count that."

Gabriel turned to look at Adrien. "That's doable, right?"

Adrien nodded.

"Alright. Then I'll get the paperwork ready. I will look through my contacts for tutors in those subjects."

"I wouldn't mind teaching Marinette Economics." Gabriel volunteered. "It's something I'm rather proficient in, as a businessman."

"Can you handle that?" Sabine asked her daughter.

Marinette wanted to say no, but she didn't really want to spit in Gabriel's face. Especially since he was just volunteering for her, and not Adrien. "I think that would be fine."

"You said you were still interested in fashion design right? Then I can tailor what I teach you based on the industry."

That was a pretty sweet deal. And old Marinette would have leapt on the chance. But the new Marinette was frightened by change, by stress, by the threat of disappointment.

And with how high Gabriel's expectations continued to be, failure almost seemed certain.

There must have been a big stamp on her forehead that said 'I'm not sure' because Emile came to her rescue. "Let's just try it out for a little while. If you need something…less intense, we can switch to a tutor."

"Excellent." Mr. Damocles stated, not really paying that much attention to the conversation anyway. "Adrien, Marinette…the rest of this meeting is going to be boring for you. Why don't you both go pop in and say hello to your classmates, hm?"

Neither of them replied right away, as Adrien waited for her lead, and Marinette debated the pros and cons.

"Alya and Nino will be there." Sabine said calmly. "And your classmates were all very worried about you. It'll be okay."

Marinette wrapped an arm around her waist, squeezing the nausea away.

Adrien stood, holding his hand out to her. She took hold, and let him lead her out of the room.

After the door closed, he answered, "I thought I'd at least get you away from prying eyes. We don't have to go."

She gnawed at her lip, before finally deciding, "let's go. Just for a little bit, to prove that we could."

"We don't need to prove anything to anyone. They're the ones that failed us."

"You're right…but, I'm tired of being afraid of everything. I'm tired of being set off by every little thing. I shouldn't let a bunch of stupid high school kids bother me anymore. We have Alya, Nino, and Chloe on our side." She clenched her fist. "Do you want to say hi to everyone?"

"I don't care about them." He shrugged. "I know Alya and Nino said everyone changed their tune after we were revealed on TV, but they failed us when we needed them the most. They couldn't save us from Salo, but they could have made the days before a lot less painful."

Marinette clenched her eyes shut, feeling the sting of his words. It was as if he was a mind reader, since that was exactly how she was feeling. He didn't even need to ask. "They could have made my time in isolation hurt less. I might have been optimistic. If only they had cared when it mattered. If only they trusted me when I was just Marinette."

Adrien curled his fingers into her palm, brushing against the scar there that bore his name. "Do you think…we should say this to them? Would it help?"

"Dr. Zollar said we should let people apologize to us. That it'll help more than we think." She sighed. "But I'm afraid that they'll sweep it under the rug, and pretend like it didn't happen."

"Then, we'll sweep them under the rug. Cut our losses and forget them. We don't need anyone anyway, right my lady?"

"You and me against the world," she nodded. She took a shuddering breath. "Okay. I think…I think I can go. You'll be right beside me?"

"Of course."

He never let go of her hand as they made their way down the hall. The classroom appeared far too soon for Marinette's liking, and they stood just outside, waiting. Adrien would let her take the initiative, whenever she was ready.

She had to prepare for every bad scenario, no matter how unlikely. If she had a plan for each one, she couldn't be surprised. Right?

Finally, she nodded to Adrien and then knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Called Miss Bustier.

Marinette turned the knob, holding her breath, before pushing it open.

The class was silent, save for a few gasps.

"Well hello you two!" Miss Bustier greeted warmly, tears in her eyes. "I didn't know you'd be coming back!"

"We're not. We just…came to visit." Marinette barely whispered, looking only at the teacher.

"That's wonderful!"

"Are we interrupting anything? Do you want us to come back later?"

"No no, please come in, we'll take a little break!"

And then she dared to cast her gaze to her old classmates, her old friends.

Every eye was on her, coupled with trembling lips, tense postures, and vainly restrained tears. It looked like everyone wanted to say something, but no one wanted to be first.

She didn't know what to say either.

The front desk that her and Adrien had shared for one day was empty.

"What brings you both here?" Miss Bustier asked, rescuing them.

"We're…we're uh…looking at graduation requirements. We won't be…coming back to class."

"That's understandable. Well, I'm sure any of your classmates would be willing to study with you anyways if you need help."

"Alya and Nino have been coming around a lot…keeping us in the loop."

"Oh that's good! Well, don't let me take all of your attention, I'm sure someone has a question for you-"

"Yeah, I have a question!" A voice called from the back of the classroom. She stood, crossing her arms. "How the hell are you allowed to be here?" Lila asked.

Marinette flinched at the sound of her voice.

"Lila, I think you better sit down and be quiet." Miss Bustier warned. "You're on probation, you should watch yourself."

"I am! In fact, I have a restraining order on both of them. They are breaking the law by being here."

"If them being here is a problem, then why don't you just leave?" Asked Chloe, also standing.

"Because I belong here! I'm a student in this class and I have a right to be here! They, on the other hand, are monsters!"

Marinette clenched her fists as Adrien turned to hide his face in her shoulder.

"Lila, shut up!" Alya shouted, slamming her fist on the desk behind her. "Admit that you dug yourself into a hole and you're too proud to apologize! I'm not buying this stupid restraining order fib, just like we haven't bought a single story out of your mouth in the last three months!"

"I'm not lying about the restraining order!" Lila shouted right back, with real venom in her tone. Her sweet veneer was completely gone, and all that remained was the nasty, snarling beast that had been hiding the whole time. "They came to my house! They cut out my tongue! Ask my mother! Ask the hospital!"

"Oh yeah?" Asked Alix, "If they cut out your tongue, you seem to be talking really well without it."

"Like they would bother with you…" Someone else muttered.

"It was when they were akumatized!"

"Just save your breath." Chloe huffed. "You can't tell the truth even if you wanted to."

"She's telling the truth this time." Said Marinette, tone blank and devoid of emotion.

The class turned to look at her, seeing the look on her face. It spoke volumes of pure wrath, and Adrien's matched.

"We cut out that bitch's tongue." She said, her voice calm, deep, and vacant of regret. "The last thing we did, we went to her house. I had a pair of clamps, and Grimalkin had his claws. We ripped it out. She cried the whole time. She cried and screamed…it was the happiest I felt in a long time. I'd do it again if I could. I'd rip out her tongue, I'd crush her throat…"

The body laid on the ground.

"I'd cut her in half…"

Organs spilling on the floor.

"Make her scream…"

Red hair sprawled across the bloody cement.

"Make her writhe…"

The screams of men and women echoing through the halls, their dying breaths capping them off into silence.

"Make her suffer…just as I suffered."

"Go ahead, kill me. Let your God punish me."

"He'll get his turn…he'll get his turn…burn in hell. Burn in hell!"

Salo's body laid right in front of her, turning into dust from Grimalkin's cataclysm. Marinette kicked in vain, trying to get it to disappear.

"Go away! Leave us alone!" She sobbed. "Die! Die! Die!"

By the time Marinette realized she wasn't in the catacombs anymore, she was sitting on a bench in the school courtyard, head back with a wet washcloth on her face.

"That's right, just breathe. You're alright, Marinette." Alya held her hand, rubbing comforting circles on the back of it.

A pair of strong hands gently massaged her shoulders, and opening her eyes, she found that they belonged to Kim.

"Hey girly. You back with us now?" He asked softly.

Marinette clenched her eyes shut. "Shit."

"If I had known you were going to visit, I would have asked Miss Bustier to get rid of her for a while. I'm sorry, girl."

Marinette sat up, glancing around. Alya, Kim, Alix, and Mylene were around her, just silently watching to make sure she was alright.

"Where is he? Where's Adrien?" Was her next concern.

Alya simply pointed at the upstairs railing, where he was walking with Nino and Chloe. "He started crying when you started talking about...some violent stuff. We thought it best that we separate you until you calmed down."

"I'm sorry...I don't know what got into me..."

"Girl, you do not need to apologize. If Lila has a restraining order on you, she should have kept her mouth shut and left the room. She doesn't deserve any rights."

"Did I hear Miss Bustier say she was on Parole?"

"For 'disrupting police activity'. She couldn't get jail time just for Libel, but the judge slapped her with that, since what she did wasn't just mean, it was dangerous."

"So if she got jail time, why is she here at school?"

"She only got a week in jail," responded Alix with an eye roll. "But her punishment isn't over. She has to stay with our class until she graduates, and then she'll be reevaluated based on performance."

Alya continued, "The judge wanted her in an environment where everyone knew what she did, and no one would want to be her friend. He wants her to focus on school, and not have an audience. This is according to Miss Bustier, of course, who instructed us not to talk to her."

"Wow. Go Miss Bustier."

"Yeah." Said Kim, "Except Lila makes sure we all know how awful we are and how this is as much our fault as hers. 'This never would have happened if you weren't all so gullible! Marinette and Adrien wouldn't be tortured if you weren't so stupid!'"

"Oh my god, she said that?" Marinette sneered. "Our capture had nothing to do with her. Chat and I still would have fought against Edward Savauge and still made…her go out for revenge. Lila knows this. She was in that room. She saw my mouth—" Marinette pressed her nails into her lip, feeling the sting of the needle.

Mylene grabbed her arm and pulled it away from her. "We're not listening to Lila. She's loud and demanding, but we know the facts. She's just angry she's not getting attention. Don't think about her anymore."

By this time, Adrien, Nino, and Chloe had reached the bottom of the stairs. He ran to her, scooping her up into a hug with a shudder.

"I'm sorry, Kitty. I'm sorry…"

"It's all okay now," Nino assured, patting Adrien on the back. "We calmed him down. I think he's more concerned about you."

"I'm…I think I'm okay. Just seeing her face and hearing her accusing me…I just snapped."

"It was pretty badass," Alix commented. "Yeah, it sucked, but it probably instilled the fear of Jesus in her for a little while. I think she needed that."

"Oh my god, you didn't hear the best part!" Said Chloe, "She got jail time! And now she's on parole—"

"Yeah, we already told her all that." Said Alix with a smirk.

"Well, did you mention the lawsuits? Gabriel and the city of Paris both sued her and her family for Libel. Her mother refused to pay it for her, so now as soon as Lila's of age, she'll be paying the city police department and both of you thousands of dollars. Most likely for the rest of her life!"

"I don't want her money," Marinette scoffed. "Especially if I have to interact with her."

"You won't." Chloe assured her. "Gabriel will be taking care of it for you."

"And you don't have to accept her money," suggested Alix. "You could put it in a fund or a grant. Give it to other people who have been slandered against! Or people that what's-her-face hurt! The possibilities are endless!"

"I don't know if I have the will to run a charity right now guys…" Marinette shrunk on herself.

"Then let someone else do it."

"I volunteer!" Shouted Chloe. "After all, I'm the one with all the real contacts. You all can help, of course."

Tom and Sabine hurried down from the Principal's office. "There you are! Miss Bustier said you had an episode, Marinette. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine now, Maman. Just…had a run in with an old enemy."

"Well, Gabriel's wrapping everything up now. So let's get you kiddos home, okay?"

"Can we come visit you?" Asked Mylene. "We, as a class, wanted to so many times, but we weren't sure if you wanted to even see us. Alya, Nino, and Chloe said you'd might not be up to discuss it."

Marinette breathed slowly, considering the question. She turned to Adrien, asking him silently. He gave a little nod.

"I suppose, that would be okay. Is that okay with you, maman?"

"Of course, baby. I'm always happy when you're willing to have guests."

"Awesome!" Said Alya with a little clap. "We'll come over after school! We won't stay too long, just long enough to say hi and bye!"

Marinette stood, holding out her hand to Adrien. "Can't wait."

—

After they returned home and closed the trap door to her room, Adrien embraced her, squeezing her tightly. "You worried me," he whispered. "What happened?"

"I…don't know. I just vividly remembered the night we cut out her tongue…and then I got lost. Salo was there, the last time we saw her. What did I do?"

"Just a lot of screaming. Over and over, you just shouted 'die' and 'burn in hell'. It was…really scary."

"I'm sorry, Kitty. You were right, we shouldn't have gone."

"Well…I don't know about that. Chloe and Nino seemed to be really proud of us for stopping by. I like it when they say they're proud of our decisions. Makes the pain worth it."

"I suppose."

There was a knock at the trap door before Gabriel opened it. "I'm sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to let you both know you're all set to start homeschooling whenever you're ready. Mr. Damocles said even if you don't finish your credits in time, you can still walk with your class, if you'd like."

"That's nice," Marinette said quietly.

"Are you alright? Your teacher said there was an…incident."

She turned to look him right in the eye. "Why do we remember being akumatized? No one else ever has. Is it because we had Miraculous for so long?"

Gabriel shook his head. "I'm not completely sure, but I have a hunch. Since I made two akumas at the same time, I split the tether I had on you. That's why you overpowered my control. Nooroo warned me it would happen, but I thought it would be worth the risk. I didn't know you'd keep your memories of that, however. I never wanted to add to your trauma."

"Well. If it wasn't on purpose, I suppose we can't be mad at you."

Gabriel shrugged helplessly. "You can be as mad at me as you want. I'm expecting it."

Adrien left Marinette's arms and went over to lay down on the chaise.

"At any rate, thank you for the explanation."

"Of course. Any answers you want, you deserve." He swallowed. "Your outfits for the Mayor's ball are coming around lovely. If it's alright, let me know when I can bring them over for a fitting. It's still several weeks away."

"Thank you, Gabriel. Whenever my mother is free for her fitting should be fine."

"Alright. I'll leave you alone now." He took a step down, partially closing the door. Then at the last second he added, "bye son, I love you."

—

Only a few hours later, after Marinette and Adrien had changed into more comfortable clothes, there was another knock at the trap door.

"Come in," said Marinette, as she spread cushions out on the floor.

"Um…" Said Rose from below. "Could you…open the door and then stand back?"

Curious, Marinette did as instructed.

A bunch of balloons floated up into the room, followed by a huge bouquet of flowers, and then a giant stuffed black cat.

Both Marinette and Adrien stared in shock.

"Too much or not enough?" Asked Rose, poking her head in.

"What is all this?" She asked, beckoning her classmates into the room.

"Offerings of apologies and gratitude, of course," said Max. "Everyone in our class was akumatized at least once, and we all agreed we owed both of you a huge thank you for rescuing us. And of course, we all owe you an apology, Marinette."

"O-oh…thank you."

"We sort of thought you'd never want to see us again…but you took the initiative to come see us at school…the least we could do was follow up." Said Nathaniel. He handed her a handmade card. "I hope you can forgive us for ever doubting you."

Marinette took the card, admiring the artwork. The outside showed Ladybug and Chat Noir standing proudly over the city. Inside, a cartoon-ish Ladybug, bandaged up, was putting bandaids on an equally cartoony Chat Noir. The caption read, "you're still Purr-Fect to us!"

It was enough to bring tears to her eyes. "I…I will forgive you. I have a lot of bad feelings, but my therapist is helping me work through them."

"Do you do hugs?" Asked Kim.

"Gentle. Especially with Adrien, he still has some stitches on his shoulder blades."

Getting hugged by each and every person who had doubted her did wonders. With each kiss to the cheek and pat on the head, she could feel some of the bitterness fading. It wouldn't leave fully for a long time, but to see genuine remorse was like a soothing balm on an inflamed wound.

It felt nice to have friends again. Adrien had worked so hard to get them in the first place. Losing respect for everyone he had known had really solidified his decision to stop speaking.

But for them to come around and humble themselves and apologize really took the fight out of him. Maybe cutting them off wasn't necessary. Maybe there was more to these traitors. Maybe people were capable of change.

Maybe it wasn't just teenagers that changed either. Maybe adults too. Adults like his father and Salo.

"Oh Adrien," asked Nino, sitting on the chaise lounge. "Is that the keyboard the Couffaine's let you borrow?"

Adrien nodded.

"Are you practicing anything right now?"

"Adrien's been working on something. A song he had in his head in the catacombs. It's in the works."

"Cool! Bro, you gotta let me hear!"

Adrien shook his head.

"Sorry Nino, I can't get it out of him either. He says it's not ready yet."

"Aw bummer!" Nino groaned. "But let me hear it the moment it's done, okay?"

Adrien gave a twitch of a smile.

The girls had already settled on the cushions on the floor, and beckoned the boys to join them.

"Now," began Alya, as she took a binder out of her backpack, "we have some very important business to discuss."

Marinette frowned at her. "Hey wait a minute…that's my—"

"Your dream wedding planner? Yes, I held onto it when we hid all of your personal belongings when you were first captured." She cracked it open and set it on the floor.

Adrien peered around, trying to get a look.

Marinette covered his eyes. "Alya, put that away! That's private!"

"Is it not accurate anymore?"

"I mean…I still would like to use it…"

"Great! We're going to start planning now! And don't worry Sunshine, this book is tailored to you as the groom."

Adrien smiled, despite Marinette's hand over his eyes.

"Must you humiliate me this way?" Marinette asked, blushing.

The class shared giggles at that.

"Don't even sweat it Marinette," said Chloe, waving her hand around. "We're going to make sure you and Adrikins have the bestest, most glamorous wedding since William and Kate!"

Still blushing, "well, I don't want big and glamorous…I want small and intimate."

"Small and glamorous it is!"

This chapter was fun because I had to recall the classes I took in my senior year of high school. I felt like I was leaving a subject out, but Adrien and Marinette have no reason to be taking Bible classes lol (I went to a pre-seminary Christian School)

A friend who wishes to stay anonymous wrote this for me. She said she was inspired, and in turn, she inspired me! This bonus scene is canon to the story:

A creaking moan gently woke him. His eyes opened—once, then twice. He took a moment to realize that the cloud caressing his body, which still stung with every pulse, was not a cloud, but a down-alternative comforter.

He was in Marinette's—his bed, in their room, in their house. And there was sound coming from his left—warmth and sound. A whimper. A cry. And, again, a moan—quiet anguish. He rolled over to face the source.

"Marinette," he whispered. "What's wrong?"

The dark figure of his wife's frail form didn't stir. He asked again. "My lady? Are you awake?"

Still nothing.

He brought his face closer to hers. The light pollution filtering through the skylight served as the only source of illumination. As his eyes adjusted and focused on hers, his stomach churned. Her face was a scrunched display of pitiful agony, and her hands were at her throat. She whimpered once more—her lips pressed together in a hard line, unmoving as her sad cries escaped them. The light reflected from her cheeks in dribbles of tears.

He sat up, electrified. "My lady! My lady!" His voice cracked. He grabbed at the hold she had on her own neck.

Her eyes shot open as she gasped awake. She saw his silhouette and was instantly sitting up to meet his gaze.

"Adrien! Adrien! What's wrong? Talk to me! It's okay! I'm here! You're not alone! You're not locked in!" She was panting.

"Nothing is wrong. I'm okay. I am worried about you. You're crying in your sleep."

She wiped at her face with bony fingers. "Did I wake you? I am so sorry, mon chaton."

"Don't apologize. I was just worried. Are you alright?" He was whispering now.

"Yeah, I am okay. Just another nightmare. Happens all the time. Go back to sleep."

"Nightmares?" It hit him as the words left his lips. She was back there. All the time. The burns at her neck, the blood and the thread at her lips. The sounds and the smells and the cold and the—he choked as he took a deep breath; there was seemingly no air to take in.

"Adrien, breathe," Marinette pleaded. Everything is okay.

He tried again, more slowly, through his nose. It worked.

"Good kitty," she praised.

Her sweet praise, like a narcotic through his veins, made his muscles relax and his pain momentarily vanish.

He reached out and brought her closer to him. They embraced in silence. He squinted his eyes tightly so that his tears would not betray his resolve to finally become strong once more.

Like a divine epiphany, the sight of her suffering in slumber awoke something in him that he thought was long dead. It growled past the shadows of his worst repressed instincts. It brought a burning feeling back to his core—his soul.

How could he continue to let himself drown in self pity, when she was so strong a life preserver to him? Was he so preoccupied with his own suffering that he didn't think to ask if she, too, was drowning?

Why? Why did she swim so strongly when he was watching, only for her head to go under as soon as he turned away? The bravery she displayed for him was full of cracks he couldn't see.

And she was dragged back to Hell, every night, alone.

Never again. He would get strong. No—he would become even stronger than he was before—his armor, bulletproof and fireproof; his claws, devastatingly destructive; his senses, heightened to an atmospheric level. He would grow powerful enough to protect her and capable enough to rescue her from any evil. His magic would evolve into a force strong enough to infiltrate her dreams and deliver her from suffering. Silent was this promise as he held his life preserver tighter to his chest.

He let out a low, menacing growl. "I've come back, My Lady."