Author's note: Thanks for the reviews!

/

Adrien awakes with a start. Breathing rapidly, green eyes dart around the room. Where is he? Is he alone? For an instant, he can swear that there was another figure, standing there at the foot of his bed, clad in purple, the steel of his blade glinting in the moonlight. He says nothing. Just watches in silence.

The teen flicks the nearby switch and light fills the room chasing away the ghost. He sits in his bed, heart thundering, shaking slightly, he tries to focus, to stop his panting and remember just where he is. He runs a hand through his hair which has been dampened somewhat by sweat and brushes it out of his face before rubbing his eyes, struggling to remove the image of the man's face from behind his eyes. His shoulder hurts. He grips at it rubbing the skin in an attempt to alleviate the tense, almost burning sensation which runs through it.

Little by little, panic gives way to recollection.

Nearby, there's a whine as Macaroon awakes from his sleep. Adrien manages a watery smile before tapping the space next to him on his bed, calling the dog over. The animal doesn't need to be told twice, it runs over, colliding roughly with its owner. He smiles softly but doesn't indulge in the regular rough and tumble that he often does. Instead he pats the creature, taking some comfort from its presence. The mutt has something of a calming effect on him that he can't quite explain. His other companion however is far from thrilled:

"You're going to get dog hairs all over the sheets again!"

"I know..."

Plagg floats nearby. He's not too keen on the canine and therefore prefers to keep his distance least he be mistaken for some sort of chew toy.

Whilst the physical effects of the nightmare are shaken off soon enough, those lingering images products of some dark fantasy mixed with his own terrible memories can prove to be stubborn. Whilst there's no denying that he's tired, the teen isn't too sure if he'll manage to close his eyes again tonight. Still running a hand across the dog's back, he glances over towards the table by his bed. His clock reads 3.27 am. Too early to even contemplate rising. He lets out a heavy sigh, burying his head somewhere in his covers.

"What was it this time?" Plagg questions his voice somewhat softer than it usually is.

"Hawk Moth..."

Adrien mutters but doesn't go into any detail. The kwami knows just what a nightmare with Hawk Moth in it implies. He's told his friend before, described it not in detail, there never seems to be much of that but at least the basics. The effects of such a dream on him are all too clear.

Shaken, the teen slips out of his bed. He needs to breathe. He can't do that like this. Plagg and Macaroon follow him as he heads over to his window. There are a few little tricks he's picked up which help him recover. Fresh air is one of them. He opens his window wide and practically leans out of it. The night is still chilly and it sends shivers down his spine but that also serves to remind him of just where he is: he's in his bedroom, he's home. Plagg's here and Nathalie's presumably sleeping in her room a little bit further down the hall unless his screaming had woken her up again. Judging by her absence however, he's going to assume that he was comparatively silent.

The residences are still dark but the streets remain lit. It's a nice sight. He contemplates them for a while, allowing his heart to begin to slow and return to its regular rhythm. Plagg settles on his shoulder, sharing the view.

"Do you want me to go get Nathalie?" The kwami offers, he's done it before but doesn't necessarily ask.

"No. Let her sleep."

He feels guilty and stupid enough about saddling Nathalie with his issues, let alone his mother. No, best she assume that everything's alright. He'll be okay. At least that's what he tells himself. It's the same thing he's been telling himself these past four years.

Taking in a deep breath of the night, he allows himself to slum down with his back to the wall. Macaroon comes over and dumps himself down unceremoniously on his owner's lap. Adrien smiles rubbing the dog's neck and scratching behind his ear. Plagg curls up on his shoulder. He stays there for a while, trying to feel alive again, reminding himself that this is reality. The teen's eyelids are heavy and flutter.

He wakes up on the floor. His back is stiff and his left arm has fallen asleep. The teen groans. It's his alarm that has woken him up. He knows that the ringing signifies that he has no choice but to get up unless he wants to miss his classes. Pulling himself together, he makes his first stop the showers if only to warm up his muscles and get rid of some of the tension in them.

A cleanly shaven and clean Adrien staggers downstairs and into the dining room. He's dressed for class. Nathalie is waiting for him as always. He feeds Macaroon before sitting down to his own breakfast. They exchange their usual pleasantries but the woman seems to be fixing him for a moment. Does she know? Is there some superpower that she possesses which allows her to see past any facade that he might try and put on? It could be that he just looks tired. He covers by chatting, discussing the exams at the end of the week and expressing some concerns.

"You're ready. You'll do fine." Nathalie assures him in her usual matter-of-fact way.

"Of course you will."

He jumps slightly at the sound of another voice coming from the doorway. After three years of having just himself, Nathalie and Plagg around the mansion, the presence of another human being is somewhat difficult to adjust to. His mother offers him a warm smile as Plagg makes quick work of hiding in his jacket pocket. Adrien greets her warmly with a hug and the other woman offers her a coffee. The conversation is lighthearted and about their plans for the day: Adrien has class and there's a meeting at Agreste which Nathalie has to attend.

That leaves Emilie home alone and with nothing to do. A situation which simply can't last.

It's on his way to school that he gets a text from Marinette: Still OK for tonight? Of course he is. Things have to change and for that to happen, preparations have to be made.

The meeting place is Master Fu's. By the time that Adrien gets there, Marinette has already arrived and the tea is on. He sits down, settling next to his girlfriend. Tikki hovers near her partner. This time, there's no idle and friendly chatter. There are serious matters to be dealt with. The old guardian's expression is neither grave but neither is it as welcoming as it sometimes is. He offers the teen some of the warm beverage as they wait for the final member of their somewhat peculiar committee. The kwamis have their own little meals provided for them. He tries his best to relax, to pretend that this is all a formality.

He feels a familiar soft hand against his own and turns to Marinette. It's nice to be reminded that he isn't alone.

Nathalie arrives only a few moments later. She apologizes, the traffic was, unsurprisingly bad. The woman settles down near to the group which now forms something resembling a circle. The assistant is handed her own cup of hot tea which she holds. A silence has settled over the group. They all know why they're here, given that they were the ones to organize the meeting and yet now that they're all gathered together like this none of them seems to know quite where to begin.

Marinette is timid. Adrien is lost. Nathalie is reluctant to start off what she fears could turn into a toxic debate. As such, it's Master Fu who finally takes the initiative:

"I trust that your mother is recovering."

"Yes." Adrien nods once. "She's up on her feet, talking, eating… She's back to normal."

"And the Peacock miraculous?"

"She still has it." He declares neutrally.

"If she's better then it needs to be retrieved. That miraculous has been abused too much already."

Adrien glances at Nathalie out of the corner of his eye. There's perhaps something of an accusation there. Master Fu knows the whole story. What the woman did both good and bad. He's made it very clear that she will never use the jewel again. For all that, she doesn't shy away. The woman remains made of stone. Is she shameless or simply acknowledges her own faults and no longer feels obliged to apologize for them seeing that it can't change what she's already done. He's not sure if he should be admiring her for maintaining a semblance of dignity when faced with her own flaws and crimes.

It should only be a formality to get the miraculous back, Emilie has already agreed to return it.

That's not the only reason why they're here. If it was, it would only take a few instants. Instead, there is a much more serious matter which hung over their heads. This time, it was Adrien who spoke:

"We can't keep her locked up anymore."

"She's asked to go outside?" Master Fu raises an eyebrow, curious.

"No. Not exactly." Adrien clarifies, Emilie's been remarkably well-behaved in that respect. "-but it isn't right to say that she can't leave the mansion."

"I assume that you have a cover story prepared."

"We do." Nathalie's assurance is given briefly.

They've been working on it since the woman first woke up. Emilie's case is both complicated and very simple. She disappeared. That's all anyone knows. Unfortunately, she's been gone a very long time indeed and nobody's heard anything about her. The initial plan had been to claim that she'd been ill. They would need medical records. Nathalie had reminded them. Journalists would go digging, when no evidence could be found that would lead to only more questions. Anything such as an accident or amnesia was also unlikely, she was after all a famous actress married to one of the fashion world's most influential designers, someone somewhere would have recognized her.

No. Emilie Agreste had had to disappear and remain hidden out of her own free will. Adrien knows that she won't like it but it's the best that they've been able to come up with and more importantly shouldn't lead back to the shadier parts of their family's dealings. At any rate, it seems to be enough for Master Fu. He trusts them. After all, two of their number have already proven that they have a knack for this sort of thing. A year of hiding in plain sight is nothing to be sniffed at.

"There's another matter of course." Nathalie speaks but the teen doesn't look up to see her. "Emilie's return will be all over the news. Sooner or later, Gabriel's going to come back."

Adrien takes a couple of sips of his tea. It's something he's acutely aware of but finds himself unwilling to hear any of it. There are some matters he's prayed to never have to face again. Yet he knows that in the coming weeks they will be inevitable. He hasn't seen, talked to or even directly heard from his father since they'd parted company three years ago. All of his dealings have been strictly business related and have gone through Nathalie. It would seem that having his hopes of bringing his wife back dashed and then coming close to being on the wrong end of cataclysm both curtsy of his wayward son hadn't exactly endeared the boy to his parent.

That suits him just fine. The man haunts his nightmares enough as it is without him having to deal wit him in the flesh.

She knows that he'll be coming back. There will be no keeping him away once Emilie has shown herself in public. That thought invites dread into the deepest recesses of his body and mind. He tries not to think about it. Master Fu grumbles under his breath, the prospect of seeing the man again doesn't appeal to him either, especially if he starts sniffing round the miraculous:

"You two will be at risk." He declares, his eyes traveling between Adrien and Nathalie.

"He doesn't have any miraculous any more." Marinette notes quietly, hesitating before adding. "I suppose it would be silly to think that doesn't make him dangerous."

"It depends..." Of all of them, perhaps his former assistant knows him best. "Now that Emilie's back, he might just want to try to get back to a regular life or he could revert to his old ways..."

"We could just haul his ass back on the first plane back to China..." Adrien mutters through clenched teeth.

Nathalie's already warned him that might be easier said than done. Back when they had first sent the man packing, there had been some fear that he might return. He hadn't of course but Adrien's guardian had taken the time to explain to him that things would become far more complicated if their struggle became public. If Gabriel's son and personal assistant were seen to be trying to keep him out of the country, people would inevitably begin asking questions. There were certain truths which would do none of them any good if they came to light.

His use of language was met with a glare from the Guardian but some acceptance from the two women.

"We'll have to start taking precautions again..." Marinette continues, they haven't been reckless these past few years but they haven't been as cautious as they once were. "Making sure that he doesn't find you master and that he can't get his hands on our miraculous either."

"I trust you to protect me Ladybug." The old man turns his attention back to the mansion's residents. "What will you do if he turns up on your doorstep?"

"Punch him in the teeth..."

Adrien's voice is low, grumbling. He mumbles his words under his breath, almost as if he's vocalizing his thoughts without wanting to. If his first comment was overlooked or perhaps rather more accurately ignored, the second isn't allowed to slide. A somewhat more awkward silence settles in over the group. He doesn't seem to recognize the fact that all eyes are now on him. Oblivious or unashamed? It's difficult to tell. Whatever the case, he doesn't quite seem to be himself.

Perhaps Master Fu would have inquired about his statement, tried to get to the bottom of it. Nathalie however is quick to interject. She speaks calmly but with a certain firmness. Her words are as much an order as they are a suggestion:

"Why don't you go get a breath of fresh air? Cool off your head a bit."

He doesn't argue. The teen just gets up and leaves, his kwami follows him. They watch as he leaves, closing the door behind him. He won't go far, the woman knows that much. Likely, he'll just loiter around outside for a few minutes until things begin to make sense again.

All attention is focused on her now. Still the woman offers no explanation for her actions or for Adrien's declarations. Marinette is perhaps a little bit more aware than Master Fu that Gabriel remains a touchy subject for the man's son. Does he hate his father? She doesn't know, she's inclined to believe that he does. It's more how open he is with his aggression that takes her by surprise. Silence lingers for a while. The way that Master Fu looks at Nathalie, it's as if he's expecting some manner of an explanation. When it becomes clear that he's not going to get one, the girl decides to interject with something of a note of humor:

"Guess it's a good thing he didn't call up for his birthday."

"That anger, is it just for show?" Master Fu is straight to the point.

"I have no idea..." Nathalie is maybe not being entirely honest with her answer. "Adrien's father doesn't exactly bring out the best in him."

The old man hums thoughtfully. There's no doubt that this has taken him by surprise. In truth, Marinette's a little shaken as well. Only Nathalie seems to be comparatively unaffected. Is it something that she's used to or is it just another part of her seemingly unflappable exterior?

They resolve to deal with some more matters whilst Adrien's away. He likely won't be long, at least that's what his guardian tells them. So they talk about eventualities. Gabriel can't be allowed anywhere near the miraculous and neither can his wife. The sooner they manage to retrieve the jewel they've already given her the better. Nathalie has already taken the precaution of deleting the digital copy they have of the spellbook. With the exception of Cat Noir's ring, there won't be a trace of anything supernatural left in the Agreste mansion. They should, on paper at least, be able to return to something resembling their old lives.

The question remains what will happen to Adrien and Nathalie if Gabriel does return:

"Can you protect him?"

"From everything? No, of course not." Nathalie is smart but she is also willing to admit her own limiations. "I can look out for things that he won't. Adrien thinks his mother's a saint. We don't have any reason to doubt her right now but all the same… There's no telling just how she'll react to seeing Gabriel again."

"Will you tell her about Hawk Moth?" Marinette questions tentatively.

"I don't know." The woman shrugs her shoulders. "Part of me thinks its unavoidable. When Gabriel returns, she's going to wonder why there's so much bad blood between him and Adrien. On the other hand, if he's got no intention of going back to his former ways, then maybe it's best just to let things lie and bury the hatchet."

There's a knock at the door. Timidly, Adrien opens it a few seconds later. He looks tired all of a sudden, as if someone's sucked out all of his energy. He settles back down in silence, his eyes closed. If his intention is to reassure them that he's alright, he's failing poorly. Marinette is worried, having never seen him behave in such a manner, she's more inclined to turn towards the woman who deals with him on a daily basis. She doesn't seem too fazed by his current state. Nathalie eyes him for a moment before asking:

"Better?"

He nods a few times and uneasily, they resume. If Adrien is calmer, he's also quieter. This time, he seems just to sit there. Is he listening? Marinette can't say. He keeps his eyes closed, letting what's going on around him just wash over him.

Nathalie and Master Fu continue on as normal. They don't have a choice. As it turns out, there isn't much else to discuss. They've covered as much as they can. Now, they have to try and implement their strategy. It won't be easy and the next few weeks are going to be stressful without a doubt both in terms of their relationships, the shadow of Gabriel returning and then the inevitable hounding from the press. After a few moments, they turn to Adrien. It's his carer who gives him the potential bad news:

"There's a chance, a slim one that we might have to have him under the roof for a while… Could you live with that?"

"I guess..." He grumbles, evidently discontent. "I can just ignore him. It's not like we saw much of each other before."

There are many questions left unanswered simply because there's no way for them to prepare for every eventuality. As the group leaves, Adrien is quiet. He had hoped rather than actually believed that his mother's return would be simple and they could go back to how they were. Now, he finds himself reminded that her presence will inevitably draw back a ghost he's not too sure he can face yet, several in fact.

After all, they have achieved exactly what Gabriel Agreste desired.