Burrow time
Bunnix was in her burrow and watched a screen that showed the flat above the bakery. Adrien and Marinette woke up and were not able to find their kwami, they opened the miracle box, then Marinette took the brooch and Adrien took the pin to check on Nooroo and Duusu, but the two kwami did not appear. Then they got late to school and Nino did not know where Adrien was.
Bunnix looked into the classroom. Lila was sitting next to Felix in the first row, while Lila's teaching assistant was seated just behind them next to Marinette. Nino and Alya were in the last row. Adrien was in the last row next to Nathaniel.
"You see how nice I am, I let you keep your old seat." Lila was practically singing.
"I thought you were supposed to sit with your teaching assistant." Marinette protested.
"But she is right there, and this enables me to be more independent in doing my tasks." Lila replied.
Bunnix switched to the next scene.
"My sister had this nice brooch, in the shape of a peacock, I think I should have it now." Amelie smiled at Felix.
"Isn't that the peacock miraculous, mother?" Felix inquired.
"You are such a smart boy." Amelie smiled gently. "So I think you already know who might have the peacock brooch and the pin." She suggested.
"You mean those two who took them?" He replied rather flatly. "I am aware they said they returned them to Ladybug and Chat Noir … " Felix folded his hands.
"But they might have been allowed to hold on to them as a reward as a some sort of souvenirs?" She smiled knowingly.
"It is either that or the two of them are Ladybug and Chat Noir themselves." He replied.
"But in the interview we saw … " She noted, but her knowing smile never left her.
"It could have been an illusion or some other kind of magic." He realized.
"You mentioned they were late for school because they were looking for some pets, what kind of pets would they have in a bakery? And how did Adrien leave Nino's home without being seen? You said Nino got to school and said that Adrien already left." She reminded him.
Felix confirmed that.
"You see, when Emilie was wearing that brooch, she also hid a certain creature, she called it Duusu, and I heard her and Gabriel talk about Duusu and Nooroo and I suspect that Adrien and Marinette were looking for them." She explained.
"So what do we do mother?" Felix smirked.
"We have to find the pin and the brooch, but you are right, perhaps we mighht be looking for earrings and a ring." She looked through the window. "If I'm right and they have it, then we can learn what happened with Emilie and if there is any way to help her."
Felix got quiet and his mother walked away.
"You still consider us children, mother, but you're wrong. So it is easy, I will use my magic hands and get any jewels that they have on their bodies and then we will know. And I will get a date for the evening" Felix whispered and typed a message to Lila.
The next scene showed Marinette and Adrien asleep on a sofa. Felix expertly removed the pin from Adrien and then went for the brooch, but Lila then ripped off the earrings with a grin.
"What happened to them?" Bunnix muttered.
Bunnix switched onto the next scene.
"Here are the brooch and the pin as well as the ring and the earrings, mum, but no magical beings appeared." Felix smiled.
"Oh my little magician." Amelie took the pin and the brooch. "I'm sure these two are real. I saw them before." She smiled. "I will just wear them until those creatures appear." She attached both jewels on her clothes.
"And the earrings?" Amelie inquired.
"She has them." Felix replied flatly.
Bunnix moved on to the next scene.
Adrien and Marinette had an argument about how they lost the miraculous and where were the kwami, then she took the miracle box to her grandfather because her room was not safe any more. Plagg and Tikki floated out from the box some time later and got to Felix and Lila.
Adrien and Marinette tried to get the earrings and the ring from Felix and Lila as they ambushed them in the park, but the two transformed and hit back with full force.
The next scene showed Adrien and Marinette were in a hospital, attached to machines.
Bunnix cried and switched to the next scene.
Someone who looked much like Ladybug was giving a press conference.
"I am sorry to report that Adrien and Marinette both lied. They held on to the butterfly and peacock miraculous with an intention to continue terrorizing Paris. Chat Noir and me had to put a stop to that. Unfortunately, the evil magic turned against them." Ladybug smiled slyly.
Then the screen showed Tom and Sabine in their living room.
"I guess now we know what happened to our kids. We know this is not true, darling, we will keep where they are a secret." Tom whispered to crying Sabine. "Even not Alya, because of the Ladyblog."
Bunnix moved onto the next scene.
Amelie was getting weaker and weaker but she never took off the brooch and the pin. She collapsed and Felix took her body to the sarcophagus.
Bunnix looked away from the screen, 'come on' she muttered.
Ladybug and Chat Noir kneeled in front of the miracle box in the attic of Roland Dupain and orange glowing circular portal formed in the attic.
"You did it." Bunnix said while she motioned for the heroes to pass the portal. This time they were in her burrow.
"At which times have you been looking for us?" Ladybug asked.
"It was hard to define, there were so many moments when something went wrong. And I don't want to share your future with you." Bunnix replied while she covered their heads with two bowls.
"We heard a lot about this future already." Ladybug retorted. "We have an idea how to fix some of it, but we would prefer to know when to expect that."
"Can't you just tell us the times?" Chat inquired. "We might have little time … " He trailed off because it always sounded stupid to ask such questions. How did Alix get used to the role?
"Well, it was in the morning, just a few hours after I picked you up, a week later, and a month later." Bunnix was still vague. "But keep in mind that any of this can change once you change the initial conditions."
"That is fine." Ladybug smiled. "We have to make Felix feel welcome in class and in Paris and we know when we have to be careful."
"Then we have to see about Nooroo and Duusu." Ladybug continued. "I might need the original Book of Lore to know how to fix that."
"What if we asked the monks in the temple?" Chat inquired. Ladybug shrugged. They looked at each other. They were both concerned that it would prove their incompetence as guardians and they might have to renounce their memories.
"And I'd like to know if there is a way to lock the miracle box and prevent our kwami to get inside while we sleep." Ladybug sighed.
Chat snickered.
"And we should keep Felix away from Lila." Chat added.
"Well, she has the learning assistant in school, it should not be that difficult." Ladybug shrugged.
"Since you tampered with the miracle box and brought it to the burrow as well as the wielders I have to go and fix something." Bunnix explained quickly, she took the box from Ladybug. "Otherwise, we might have times with infinite multiple miracle boxes or none at all."
"Sorry Bunnix." Chat Noir replied.
"Can you tell us what to do not to make trouble in the future?" Ladybug asked.
"Or past … " Chat Noir cut in. "Or some other present or another timeline or a parallel universe or whatever."
"You are right about parallel universes. You can stay here and watch, I call this a future that never happened." She smirked. "See you soon." She waved her hand and gout out through one window.
"What is 'soon' in her time frame?" Chat asked and rubbed the back of his neck.
"I have no idea." Ladybug shrugged. "The problem is, she probably has no idea too."
Chat chuckled.
"What are we looking at?" Ladybug frowned.
"Look, this is you in your pyjama playing with the kwami." Chat pointed to a window.
"Oh this is when they told me that I have to go to the temple? Wait … did Sass phase into my diary? Did he read my diary?" Ladybug screamed.
"You keep a diary, Bug?" Chat raised his eyebrows, his eyes wide.
"Of course I do!" She smacked him in his arm.
"What do you write inside? All your secrets?" He grinned.
"Actually I do." She admitted.
"Even about this?" He motioned with his hand. "About you being Ladybug."
"In fact yes, I do." She admitted.
"No! What if someone reads it?" He was mock incredulous.
"It is locked up." She pouted.
"Plagg and me broke into my father's safe." He grinned.
"Well, Tikki could not open the box I created for it." Ladybug grinned.
"But still, I'm sure it is not safe. What if someone steals it and finds a way to open it?" He was persistent.
"Remember the class elections when Sabrina appeared with her hand locked up in a box." Ladybug smirked.
"No!" Chat put both his hands on his cheeks.
"Yes." She nodded.
"I can't believe this. Chloe could have learned your identity! Before I did." Chat exaggerated his reaction.
"It wasn't the only time. She found Tikki once. She thought she was a toy and gave her to prince Ali. Rose got akumatized that day." Ladybug shrugged.
"I still can't believe you are keeping a diary where you write all that stuff down." He whispered.
"It is important. What if an akuma wiped out all my memories? What if I had to give up on my memories. What if ..." She was counting one her fingers, but Chat put his finger on her mouth.
"Say no more, each of those options still sends shivers down my spine." He looked serious.
"Looks like we are not going to China in this story." Chat stared at the screen that showed how his father left for the airport and he got to spend time alone. Then the screen showed how he video called his friends, Nino and Alya were busy, but Marinette answered.
"Oh, and I have you to keep me company over the screen." He cooed. On Marinette's side there were kwami floating around but Adrien was not able to see them on his screen. "Oh and look, you transformed and then you … come over for a visit?" Chat grinned.
The screen showed flustered Ladybug who talked with Adrien in his room.
"Nothing is going on in there." Ladybug threw herself between Chat and the screen to cover the picture. But Chat simply shifted his eyes to other screens. There was one screen that showed Adrien and Ladybug playing games, watching a film in another, playing a board game, playing cards, climbing his wall, playing basketball, Adrien playing a piano for enchanted Ladybug, them having a fencing match, playing table football, sitting on a sofa and talking, Adrien holding her hand and then another kissing …
"Wow, I guess we were meant to end up together in this timeline too." Chat grinned as he looked at the kiss.
"Yes, I um … the same … you know … I liked Chat but … ugh, we've been through that, but what was Hawk Moth doing?" Ladybug searched the other screens.
The akuma that caused snow storm raged for a long time, Ladybug and Chat Noir were not there to fight it because they were not aware of the attack. Nobody was sending a video to the Ladyblog.
"Looks like he got into the temple." Chat pointed his finger to another screen. Gabriel walked the temple with Nathalie by his side.
"They got some stones and … is that another book they are reading?" Ladybug watched intently. "But they should have known that the two of them were not chosen! Pema and Dorje surely knew!"
"I do not see any of them in any of these screens!" Chat looked around frantically.
"Oh no, they got defeated by the akuma, didn't they." Ladybug realized. "Perhaps a few more people got injured or killed and the monks decided that in the absence of heroes, they should give him what he wanted."
"They were without the miracle box and without heroes, and they had so many civilians to protect and … " He stared at the screen. Gabriel returned to Paris and the mansion, he took Adrien to his office and showed him the elevator that took them to his lair.
"Tenzin probably gave him some advice on what to do or even tricked him that he received some advice." She whispered hopefully. They looked as Gabriel transformed into Hawk Moth and showed Adrien the body of his mother. Adrien on the screen was on his knees.
"He took my ring!" Chat screamed.
"He merged the powers with the butterfly miraculous!" Ladybug covered his eyes and then hers.
"He went straight after you, civilian you! How did he know?" Chat removed her hand and watched.
"I don't know!" Ladybug cried. There it was, the wish, Emile woke up, Marinette dropped to the floor. Adrien on the screen held Marinette and cried.
Chat pulled Ladybug into a hug, they were both crying.
Bunnix returned without the box and cleared her throat.
"Come on kids, that is one version of the parallel universe you removed from existence, I had to play something on those screens to keep you busy. So when should I bring you back?" Bunnix asked.
"Oh, you can return us when you picked us up, we'll be fine." Ladybug smiled.
"What about little earlier?" Chat smirked. "I'm tired I need my beauty sleep." He teased.
"The bed was occupied earlier." Ladybug smirked.
"And I still remember how you blushed about that." Bunnix rolled her eyes. "Come on then"
Bunnix released them on the rooftop terrace.
"Just one more thing." Bunnix was through the time portal only half way. "Talk to Fluff about me one of these days."
"Of course." Ladybug replied.
Bunnix turned around and returned to her burrow.
"So how do we fix that that future never happens?" Chat sighed worriedly.
"Last time it was sufficient to bring back my lucky charm and erase my name, but this time it is going to be far more complicated." Ladybug frowned.
"Yeah, like making Felix feel welcome." Chat let his shoulders sink.
"We are going to set the alarm clock and you will leave complimentary macarons for Felix and Amelie on your way back to Nino." Ladybug poked Chat Noir into his chest with her index finger.
"As you wish my Lady." Chat grinned.
They went through the hatch door and detransformed they both set the alarm. Adrien retrieved one piece of cheese for Plagg while Tikki floated away to the desk below for a cookie.
"Tikki? Plagg? We need to talk to you." Marinette called quietly. The two kwami floated over.
"You are not allowed to phase back in the miracle box." Marinette collected all her authority as a guardian.
"Especially you Plagg." Adrien smirked. "And you should let us know if you feel anything from the box."
"In that other reality we did not have you because you went into the miracle box, we did not have you and the miraculous were taken from us, somehow." She continued.
"How are Nooroo and Duusu doing now?" Marinette inquired.
Plagg tilted his head, his tail swayed left and right nervously. Tikki crossed her tiny arms but her look was the one of pity.
"I think we are supposed to feel that." Adrien noted.
"Of course we are, we are the guardians." She replied. "I should take the pin and the brooch out and see for myself." She was already crawling over the bed when Adrien grabbed her and pulled her back.
"Wait, the last time you did that you went unconscious for a while." He warned her.
"If you take them out now, you will have to keep them." Tikki warned.
"How?" Marinette asked.
"Why?" Adrien asked.
"We kwami do not know much how you guardians do that, we know how to help them ourselves." Plagg retorted.
"We can go into the box, form a magical circle and summon the energy they lost in the temple to be restored." Tikki replied.
"And how long does it take?" Adrien inquire.
"And are you able to stop that and get out?" Marinette crossed her arms.
"The concept of time in the miracle box is ruled by Fluff." Plagg smirked.
"Great." Marinette snorted."And you wouldn't stop because you wouldn't know that you're needed just like that time with Sandboy."
As there was some time left to fix the two kwami, the four of them decided to sleep on it and consult some literature in the morning. There were still hours until the time Adrien had to leave and even a few more hours before they had school. They dozed off into well deserved sleep.