Author's note: Thanks for the reviews.

/

When your boyfriend's parents call, most teenagers would be confused, perhaps a little bit concerned. In that respect, Marinette fancies that she's rather normal. Her concerns are doubled however when the text is somewhat cryptic coming from a woman who she hasn't heard from in a few months.

She ums and ahs about texting her boyfriend about the matter. On one hand, it's his parents, he needs to know what's going on with them and with any luck he might be better informed than she is. On the other, she's aware that it's a touchy subject. The last thing that the young woman wants is to trigger yet another depressive episode or an angry outburst. Not when he's seemingly been recovering… Eventually, with some council from Tikki. She sends him a text. He answers honestly that he doesn't know but that she should keep her guard up. Ultimately, the choice is hers.

Hardly helpful in this particular situation.

It takes her half an hour to decide one way or another. She will go but she is most certainly isn't going unprepared. She makes a mental checklist of things that she most certainly will and won't do. First of which is to tell her parents exactly where she's going, claiming she's going to show them some of her latest designs. She also informs the Agrestes that she's done that much. Why? She reasons it will force them to keep things clean. If her parents know where she is, then they might be less inclined to have her "disappear". Secondly, she informs Master Fu, Adrien and Nathalie. The latter are hundreds of kilometers away but have a single miraculous which makes the distance almost irrelevant. They can help her if she calls. Adrien answers. Nathalie doesn't. Curious but she knows the reception isn't all that great out in the countryside so dismisses it as likely being nothing to worry about.

She leaves for the mansion; unnerved and exceedingly cautious. Right now, it feels like it would be impossible to be unprepared. She even has a couple of macaroons stashed in her purse should she have to use her miraculous and find that Tikki needs to recuperate her strength. If she's doing this, then she's going to be battle ready.

She's let in easily enough. They must be waiting for her as she doesn't even have to buzz before she's allowed in. The door just clicks. There's no voice inviting her inside or even instructions. Instead, as she steps into the courtyard, she sees Gabriel. He is standing in the entrance, the door is open. He seems… Out of sorts. He's pale, even by his standards. Uneasy, Marinette wanders just a little bit closer. He doesn't call out or tell her to get a move on, he just watches her in silence. There are bags under his eyes, he looked exhausted in every sense of the term. Now, to fear, she adds a growing sense of dread.

The young woman stops a few feet short. She eyes him cautiously, reluctant to take any more steps before she knows precisely what's going on. The cold look that she gives him lets him know that she's not up for dancing around issues. She folds her hands across her chest, eyes narrowed as she considers the man.

"What is going on Gabriel?" She isn't afraid of him any longer.

"Could we please, continue this discussion inside, in private-"

"You must think I was born yesterday." She scoffs coldly. "No, you're going to tell me right-"

"It's about Adrien..."

Of course it is. She knows that the Agrestes don't particularly care for her. The only reason that she's of any interest is because she loves Adrien and more importantly, Adrien loves her. She doesn't know exactly what his current stance is with regards to his parents but right now, he doesn't seem to be all that eager to meet them again. Perhaps they've ran out of patience and are trying to get to him through her, again…

Reluctantly, Marinette lets out a sigh. She climbs the stairs glancing carefully around Gabriel Agreste to ensure that there isn't anyone waiting behind him to ambush her. She steps through the door, taking care to remain at a safe distance from the man should he suddenly make a lunge for her and more particularly her earrings. He doesn't though, allowing her to pass rather sedately. Every single part of this is rubbing the teen the wrong way. It makes her feel decidedly uneasy. She's self-conscious, jumpy. A few shadows cause her to tense up, assuming the worse. She most certainly isn't thrilled to have her boyfriend's father following her. He steps out in front, gesturing towards the lounge.

"Will you be wanting a drink?"

"So you can slip me something again?" She reminds him cuttingly. "I don't think so."

"I'm not going to harm you..."

The man almost whispers his words, he seems to be exhausted. Something is very wrong. Marinette might have questioned him had he not suddenly walked away. It's enough to get her even more on edge. She glances towards Tikki. The kwami says nothing. A single look between the two of them is enough to confirm that they're both on the same wavelength.

Taking a breath, she steps into the room.

Inside, she finds Emilie. The woman is standing by the fireplace, her gaze focused on the portrait of her family which hangs above it. She pays the teen who she had invited round no attention. In fact, it's not immediately apparent if she's even aware that she had a visitor. Confused and shaken, Marinette simply stares uneasy. She doesn't know what to do. A part of her wants to disturb the woman, to let her know that she has better things to do with her time than going along with whatever scheme this is. On the other hand, she's unnerved enough to be unwilling to risk provoking something which right now, she plainly doesn't understand.

Time trickles by. The tension, as palpable as it is mysterious, only mounts. It irritates Marinette. She finds herself looking around for some sort of explanation as to just what exactly is going on at the moment. Finally, she snaps:

"What's going on?!"

"Marinette..."

It's as if her voice has suddenly drawn Mrs. Agreste out of whatever world she'd drifted off to. When she turns around, the look that she gives the teen is one of rediscovery. Had she even been aware that someone else had entered the room? She too is pale. Her eyes are somewhat red, leading Marinette to assume that either she's suffered from an allergic reaction to something or that she's been crying. Either are feasible although right now, it seems that one is somewhat more likely than the other.

"What's all this about?" The teen, increasingly concerned, repeats her question.

"There's been an accident."

Those few words cause Marinette's world to begin spinning. A million nightmare scenarios make their way into her head. She dismisses them instinctively. It's the only way for her not to give into panic. Her heart is thundering, she silences it to the best of her ability. The teen doesn't attempt to conceal the deep breath that she takes in order to ensure that she remains calm. In fact, better that Emilie understands that this isn't a matter where it would be wise to risk pushing her too far. If it's some sort of a trick, then it's not one that she's going to fall for.

In fact, convincing herself that this is a con, she allows herself to get angry. Her resentment rises up inside of her. It prevents her from listening to anything else that the woman might have to say:

"You honestly think you can fool me with something like that?! I was on the phone to Adrien just a few minutes ago-"

Her argument is cut short when the woman points towards a nearby coffee table. Marinette's eyes skim over the surface initially. It's only when she looks a second time that she spots the two smartphones. She recognizes one of them easily enough for having seen it enough, the other she can only assume belongs to Nathalie Sancoeur. Her terror is doubled in a heartbeat. She finds herself to be shaking somewhat. Tikki drifts just a little bit closer, trying to calm her.

She stares at the woman. Emilie can't even bring herself to look her in the eye. There's too much shame there. Marinette shakes her head, trying to collect her increasingly scattered and panicked thoughts. That's definitely Adrien's phone. She could dial his number just to make sure but she can't face the confirmation. It's not her boyfriend she's been talking to for the past few… Hours? Days? She doesn't think about that, there is another, far more pressing question which needs to be asked, it's one that she both dreads the answer to and can't face spending another second without knowing:

"Where is Adrien?!" Marinette is growing increasingly desperate now.

The woman doesn't immediately respond. Instead, she tenses up. Instead, she reaches into her pocket and pulls something out. Its a handkerchief. A handkerchief covered with red stains, blood. Tikki tells her to look away. She'll see what it is first and let her know if it's something that she wants to see. She won't want to see it whatever it is but there are many terrible horrific which could be contained within. The blood alone proves that something terrible must have happened. For whatever reason, she can bring herself to look away however. Even as the small item becomes visible to her.

"Adrien's dead."

For Marinette, it's as if her heart stops. She doesn't look at Emilie. It's what now lies just on the marble of the fireplace which has captured all of her attention. It's a single piece of jewelry, the likes of which would likely have been overlooked in a thrift store. That was the intention of course, to make it as unremarkable as possible. She knows just exactly what it is, who it belonged to, she's seen it enough. Any lingering doubts that she might have had are slowly but surely being swept away, no matter how frantically she tries to cling to them.

At this point, it's less if a question of whether or not she's needs to be convinced so much as the teen desperately clutching at straws. She does her best to think of ways that this could be some sort of a trick. That might not actually be the cat miraculous. Gabriel has the resources to do something like that and she's almost 100% certain that ad far as morals go, it wouldn't be too far for either of them to stoop. She grits her teeth, shakes her head, refuses to give in to fear. In short, she convinces herself that none of this is real. She will fight them. There is a line in the sand which shouldn't ever have been crossed.

"You liar!" She spits out, shaking her head vehemently. "There's no way that-"

"I can understand why you would,'t believe me..." She mutters softly, taking the ring. "Plagg… Tell her."

Any notion that it was a fake miraculous as dismissed within the space of a few seconds. In a flash, the little being materialized as the woman slips the ring onto her finger. The creature doesn't move initially as she would have expected a kwami to. Instead, he just overs there. His head hanging low. He seems to be despondent. At least for the first few moments. It's clear that he would rather be anywhere else than where he is right now. Marinette isn't even entirely convinced that he knows exactly where he is. His presence unsettles the teen, shakes the convictions which she'd managed to gather only a few instants ago.

After a few moments however, his eyes lock onto her. He seems startled. The shock is quickly replaced by something else. Regret and sorrow take hold. He averts his gaze, unable to look her in the eye. His silence lasts a while, too long. Marinette finds that she's back to physically shaking.

"Plagg..." She pleas frantically with the creature, desperate to hear that this is all lies.

"I-I don't know if he's dead." The kwami replies eventually, his voice unusually quiet. "He broke his throat. He couldn't breathe. I-I tried to help him."

Marinette doesn't question just how exactly it was that Adrien had died. She doesn't need to know the sordid details. Nor does she initially ponder for too long about just how he had met his end. She takes Plagg's word for it and struggles desperately not to picture such a sight in her mind. Her eyes fall back upon the bloodstained handkerchief. It must be his… She reasons. Her legs are shaking so badly that she finds herself forced to brace herself against the wall behind her for fear of falling over.

Adrien is dead… Her head is spinning.

She's torn between wanting to run and this rising anger inside of her. She turns towards Emilie who refuses stubbornly to look her way. An accident… Those words each through her head again and again. No, Adrien had been fine. He had been safe. He'd been happy. She has the photos and the postcards to prove it. Something, someone must have disturbed him, taken him away from that place. Now, his ring is here. She doesn't think logically or even look for alternatives such as if Adrien is dead, then his parents would almost certainly have been called to his side by the authorities. They would have taken his belongings… No, instead, she sees red.

"You killed him!" Marninette screams at the woman. "You murdered your own son!"

"It was an accident! The car hit a tree! He- He'd taken his seat belt off!"

Could something like a car accident really have claimed the life of Adrien Agreste? In her mind, Marinette had always envisioned the young man as being far more robust than that. He is- was – Chat Noir after all. The two of them together, they were unstoppable. If either of them were to die, she'd always told herself that it would be from one of their rather more heroic outings. That they would go down saving the city that they loved. Either that or they would pass away together when both had lived out their natural lifespans, an old couple who'd lived through their share of adventures.

This just felt… Wrong. On so many levels.

Unable to take it any longer, the girl falls to her knees. She plasters her hand over her mouth in an attempt to muffle the sounds of her sobs which sleep past her defenses despite her best attempts to conceal them. Her pride demands that she hold off of such an open display of grief in front of individuals who are anything but her friends. It takes over despite her best efforts, leaves her crying loudly. Tears stream down her cheeks which she can't prevent from falling or conceal.

Emilie leaves the teenager be. She seems to understand that crowding her right now would be a mistake and gives her plenty of room. Tikki alone attempts to comfort the girl. The kwami doesn't speak. She just hovers near her partner sympathetically. There's a clear amount of sorrow behind the creature's eyes as she fixes the teen. Perhaps later will be the time for some wise and hopefully comforting words, for the time being however, it's grieving which takes priority. The pain of the loss weighs heavily upon the girl, it's impossible for her to wrap her head around what's happened, what's been lost…

After a while however something, Marinette can't say what, causes her to look up. Emile has drifted a little closer to her now. There are some tears on the woman's cheeks as well. When she speaks, it's in a shaky voice:

"We can save him… If we work together."

After all, they have both miraculouses.