The sun's not up by the time that Nathalie's alarm goes off.

The days might be getting longer but it's still dark at 6 am. The woman lets out a yawn and buries her head in the pillow. She both is and isn't a morning person. On one hand, she would love to sleep in for a bit. If given the opportunity, she'd probably be up by ten. On the other, there's work which needs done and she's the one to do it. She has a purpose in life and that's to work. It's something which is practically hardwired into her brain. It's been that way ever since she was a little girl. A contradiction of sorts but one that she's accustomed to.

Master Fu will be here in an hour or so.

The guest room, like all of the bedrooms in the mansion benefits from the presence of its own en-suite. It's her first stop. Allowing her to show and ensure that she's ready to greet the day presentably. To all but a few privileged individuals, Nathalie Sancoeur hasn't changed a bit in three years.

She makes her way back into her room and continues with her morning routine by ensuring that everything is neat and tidy. It's after she's finished making her bed that her eyes inevitably fall upon a small old cardboard box. It's been lying there for a while now, waiting for the right moment. She approaches it slowly. She opens up the lid to look inside. Briefly, her fingers run over the item inside, remembering some of its history. Her resolve strengthens. It might as well be today. She takes the box with her, heading towards the dining room.

Coffee. She needs coffee.

It's inconceivable to start the day without it.

This mansion is too big for two people. Well, two human beings, a kwami and a dog. They could house ten times that many, probably more but then Gabriel had always been one for the grandiose. It feels a little cavernous at times and its inhabitants are terribly out of scale with it all. Even after all these years, it still feels… Well, empty. Especially this early in the morning when it's quiet. She actually prefers it when Adrien has some of his friends round or when Macaroon is barking. At least it doesn't feel quite so much like a mausoleum.

She enters the room expecting to find the room cold and empty. Instead, the heating is on as are the lights. Even the curtains have been drawn and breakfast is ready. The assistant is quick to spot the culprit.

Her charge sits there quietly. He's a bit pale and there's an absent, almost shell-shocked look behind his green eyes which seem to be uncommonly dull. Even as he looked at her, he didn't seem quite as aware as he should have been. He looks up at her painfully. He looks rough. Even Plagg is quiet. He's close to his partner, resting on his hand. In short, the young man is in a sorry state for such an early hour of the morning.

Nathalie's analysis is as rapid as it is confident:

"Nightmares again?"

Adrien says nothing. His head rocks back and forth, slowly but surely, confirming her guess.

The woman squeezes his shoulder. He reaches out and takes her hand for a moment, applying some pressure, silently thanking her. He's quiet and she doesn't try to encourage him to talk about it. He'll speak if he's ready for it. Sometimes he doesn't. Over the course of the past few years, she's learned to deal with these… Incidents. They both have. She's seen him better and she's seen him worse.

Bare feet and pyjamas are another sign that he's not enjoyed the best night's sleep. Company has taken precedence over making himself presentable. Breakfast is quiet. She encourages him to eat and eventually, he does manage to down the pastries. It's baby-steps. When he's slow to recover, her concern grows:

"Do you want me to call the school? Tell them you're sick?"

"No." He speaks softly, offering her a watery smile. "I'll be okay."

Patience is key. She sits next to him and after some effort, manages to get something of a conversation going. They don't talk about anything serious. Just little things: Jagged Stone's new record, Marinette, she even puts up with him chatting about Macaroon's latest antics for a while. Plagg joins in. He even manages to earn a few snickers from the teenager. From time to time, he seems to suffer from something of a relapse but slowly but surely, he cheers up dragging himself out of the pit he'd found himself trapped in.

He sits there, slumped slightly with his head hung low and a watery smile on his face. She gets the distinct impression that he's close to tears as he speaks:

"I'm sorry… I'm a pain."

Nathalie lets out a sigh, shaking her head with dismay. There's a lot going on in his mind between the pain of the past, the complications of the present and the uncertainties of the future. She reaches out and gently rubs his back. The teen doesn't tense up. Instead, he turns round to face her, giving her a grateful smile as a response.

"I wouldn't have you any other way."

Adrien is Adrien. Warts, breakages and all.

He cheers up promptly enough. Nathalie hesitates. The little box is still on the table. Adrien will have noticed it. Their routine is such that anything out of the norm is promptly picked up on. He's just too polite and respectful to ask about it, refusing to infringe on her privacy. Emotions might still be high. Perhaps she should wait a while… On the other hand, she's put it off for long enough already. She sounds and feels a little awkward, unsure just how the teen is going to react:

"I have something for you."

He raises an eyebrow, curious as she hands him the box. The cardboard is thin, showing its age but the weight indicates that there's something more substantial inside. With no hints as to just what it is, he opens it. Treating it with the upmost respect and caution. It's comparatively rare for Nathalie to offer him a gift – he's assuming that's what this is. In all honesty, he's already got pretty much anything that he could ever want. She knows that. Only adding to the mystery.

He finds himself faced with a wristwatch. It's an older piece and has most certainly been used before. The leather strap is worn a little and there are a few small scratches around the brass. Plagg, nosy as ever floats nearby, tilting his head to the side as he contemplates the object. For a moment, he thinks that it must have been one of hers at some point but it's a bit big to be a woman's. She must catch on to his confusion as the woman offers up a moment later:

"It was my grandfather's."

"Nathalie…" The young man mutters quietly as he contemplates it. "I can't accept this. I mean- It's yours…"

"Well, I'm not going to wear it." The woman eyes the old watch for a few moments before her gaze rises to meet his. "Think of it as an early birthday gift."

Adrien turns back to the gift, blinking a few times as he contemplates it. It's a nice watch, not necessarily in fashion but then with such a gift that doesn't really matter. His attention drifts from the present to the woman who gave it to him. He eyes her uncertainly.

Nathalie is not a sentimental type. She doesn't keep anything that's not necessary. This is a man's watch. She wouldn't wear it. Yet, she's kept it. That leads him to believe that it means a great deal to her. He knows that she was close to her grandfather and that the man has been gone for quite some time now. Now, she offers it to him. He's never been given something like this before. His father was never the type or maybe he'd just been too young to be trusted. Whatever the case, he doesn't quite know what to make of it:

"You're sure?"

"I'd like you to have it."

Slowly, the teen puts the watch on. Nathalie doesn't know if he's ever owned one. Perhaps as a child? At any rate, he didn't have one up until this point. It'll be useful for him during his exams given that they aren't allowed their phones to check the time. He tilts his wrist from side to side, trying to get used to the sensation of having something there. No doubt it will feel odd for a little while. Eventually, he'll become accustomed to it and its presence will scarcely even register any more.

He turns around to see her and gives her a large, wonderful grin. It's as if the scared boy from a few minutes ago has simply vanished. The woman recognizes the way that he's fixing her. She has just enough time to brace herself as he stands up and throws his arms around her. Overwhelmed by emotion, his embrace is a strong one. He doesn't intentionally crush her, she knows that he just hasn't quite got it through his head that he's no longer a fourteen year old who comes up to a little above her shoulder. Nowadays, if he isn't careful, he could probably knock her off her feet.

"And that's another trip to the chiropractor." She gives him a warning, just enough to let him know that her back isn't supposed to bend like this.

"Sorry, Man..." He loosens his grip, stepping back and allowing her to breathe once more. "It's just- Thank you… I won't take it off!"

"You'd better! It's not waterproof!"

He's so insanely happy over something which to some might seem to be relatively trivial. It's impossible for her not to smile.

It's rare for Nathalie to express her emotions so openly. Usually, she keeps them guarded close to her chest for others to only wonder about. There are some exceptions however. A few rare individuals were privileged enough to be allow a glimpse beneath the facade. Adrien was one of them. She'd spent a good few years trying to keep the act up but a while ago had given up entirely. She would never be bubbly but the occasional show of happiness such as a smile or even a little laugh? The woman could allow that.

"You should get ready if you're going to go to school!" She tells him after a few moments.

Adrien darts off with a new dose of life infused back into him. His guardian watches with a tender smile before tending to the dishes which need to be put away.

Despite the distractions and delays, he manages to grab his shower, get shaved, dressed and be ready to leave on time. He walks himself these days. The company still employs the chauffeur but there's no need for such strict security given that Adrien has grown up both in terms of physical size and worldly wisdom. He can handle himself over the short walk and almost inevitably ends up swinging by to pick up Marinette and on occasion Nino and/or Alya as well. She bids him goodbye, requesting that he enjoys himself whilst she is reminded not to work herself into the ground again.

One scenario is far more likely than the other.

Adrien enjoys lycée. Although the pace most definitely isn't the same as it was in collège. They're expected to do a lot more and then there's all the pressure which comes from the knowledge that next year they'll be in higher education. It's infinitely better than being home-schooled. He gets to see his friends. That's a bonus. He's even had the opportunity to make a few new ones. It's all made easier by the knowledge that he won't get whisked away at the end of the day and brought back to the sterile isolation of his home. He can stay out if he wants (within reason) and go round to his friends' houses.

In short, he's free.

He meets up with Marinette and the others over lunch. Their different classes means that he doesn't see as much of them as he would like. The lunches aren't quite to his liking but he eats them none-the-less, anything to belong.

It's Alya with her eagle eyes who spots his watch the first of all. Her natural curiosity is such that she can't help but both notice that it's new and an odd choice for him given that it's both second-hand and not exactly in keeping with his style:

"What's with the watch?"

"It was a present from Nathalie."

Marinette frowns slightly, obviously wondering why a woman with her salary is doing buying a watch which looks like it just came out of a second-hand store. After a few seconds however, she smiles apparently catching on and says nothing else about it. The others are a bit more perplexed at just why the Agreste family secretary (or whatever role she now played – the public were a little confused by that) would give him such a gift. They shrug. Assuming that it's for use during the upcoming exams.

It's about that time that he gets a message from Nathalie requesting that he comes home when his classes are finished. It's not an emergency but she needs to talk to him about something. That's all he knows. Somewhat tired and drained from his disturbed sleep the night before, the teen doesn't object. Reasoning that it's probably something to do with work, he bids "goodbye" to his friends that day and heads home as requested.

Nathalie doesn't come to the door to greet him as she usually does when he returns from school. Although he does receive the customary over-excited welcome back from Macaroon which threatens to knock him off of his feet. After giving the dog some fuss. The woman still hasn't materialized although she calls to him from the atelier. Curious and perhaps somewhat concerned, the teen enters. Plagg hides inside of his jacket, just in case they have visitors.

It turns out that they do have one: Master Fu.

The old guardian has been visiting them frequently over the course of the past three years. He'd informed them that he would be dropping by this morning. His quest was a simple one: to try and repair the damage done to Emilie Agreste. That meant that he could spend an entire day in the mansion and at other moments, he could go months without seeing her as he worked on something more privately. So the fact that he's still here doesn't surprise Adrien all that much. He's a little more preoccupied by the way that they're looking at him. Their expressions are both serious. The adults look from one to the other, clearly uncertain.

Nerves begin to form in the pit of the teen's stomach. He's anxious and eager for them to just spit whatever the matter is out. He's about to articulate that thought when Nathalie, knowing that like everyone he doesn't appreciate being left hanging:

"Adrien, it's your mother. Master Fu thinks he can bring her back."