Marinette found herself grateful that it was Sunday. She'd sent the text last night in such an emotional state that she hadn't thought to check if her friends were busy or not. Whilst Chloe, working the way that she did (if it could be called that), wasn't exactly constrained by deadlines and shifts, the same couldn't be said of her other two friends. All had social lives and expectations to live up to. For her to send them a message at such a late hour requesting a meeting so early wasn't exactly the most considerate thing that she'd ever done. She blamed it on a mixture of her own exhaustion and the emotional stress that she'd been under.

She wasn't not surprised to find both Alya and Nino sitting on a park bench, waiting. This early in the morning, the garden of the Palais Royal was largely quiet. A few people, many of them tourists passed by but the shops surrounding them were almost all closed. Sundays were magical in France, even in the centre of Paris, most businesses still managed to shut. It did mean that they were able to find some seclusion in the otherwise bustling city streets.

They spotted her coming. She had made no attempt to conceal her presence or make a stealthy approach, not feeling the need to do so. Alya got up upon noticing her approach and gave her a wave, as if to signal their presence to her. She smiled, heading towards them. She made an effort to try to appear to be as relaxed as possible. Whilst she could imagine just how excited they were, she didn't want to get their hopes up. Equally, Adrien's sudden return could be perceived as a sign that something somewhere had gone terribly wrong. As she walked over, Marinette found herself regretting her actions. Not what she had done, her friends needed to be told but the ambiguous way that she had left things. It wasn't the most responsible thing that she had ever done.

"Oh my God girl!" Alya was quick to rush up to her, grabbing both of her arms as she did so. "You have got to tell me everything!"

"There's not much to tell..." She found herself grumbling bitterly.

"Maybe we should wait for Chloe…" Nino suggested glancing around the park.

"Good idea, that way be might be able to start in time for lunch!" His girlfriend couldn't help but roll her eyes at the notion.

"No! Wait, here she is!"

Marinette turned around to face the direction in which Nino was pointing. The surprise in his voice was evident. Chloe was never on time to one of their meetings, at least not before a certain time in the morning. She needed her beauty sleep, as she would constantly remind them. Sunday was the day of rest and it was essential if she wanted to avoid having any hideous bags under her eyes. They'd heard her excuses and reasoning so many times, they pretty much knew it all off by heart. Yet here she was, not exactly early but hardly late either. It was clear from her expression that she was somewhat concerned. They all were.

The sooner they could get this over and done with, the better.

"Unbelievable..." Alya couldn't help but mutter as they were finally joined by their last member.

"Quiet!" Chloe dismissed her with a wave of the hand before turning towards Marinette. "You said Adrikens was back?!"

She nodded a few times in silent agreement. She'd thought through in her head just what she was going to tell them. Inevitably their hopes would be up. They had all shared the dream of what would happen when/if their friend finally returned to them. None of it had involved what had occurred last night. There would no doubt be some concern as well as they found themselves wondering just what exactly could summon the young man back to them in such a way. Now that she found herself in front of him, all of her well thought out plan crumbled. She found herself nervous, hesitating. The words caught, refusing to come. She took a few deep breaths, surprised to find that her heart was beating quickly in her chest.

It took a few deep breaths for her to calm down enough to be able to think clearly and to express herself in a clear and succinct manner. She decided to present the facts and what had happened exactly as the events had occurred. There was no room for exaggeration or concealing anything. As such, the three former miraculous holders got practically an exact transcript of just what had passed between the other two mere hours earlier. The others listened in silence, sitting on the bench as she told them about the strange encounter which even now had left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Once he had finished, she encountered no questions or objections although she was certain that much like her, they would have plenty of the former. A considerable part of the young woman regretted her decision to run. It had been driven by emotion and disappointment. It had cost her the opportunity to be able to question him further. She still knew very little about just what he'd been up to or why he had chosen to return. All things that she now regretted as it left them considerably in the dark. He had changed, there was no denying that much but then they all had. It would be foolish to think that they were the same four fourteen year olds that he'd left behind that day. She didn't give a physical description of Adrien other than saying that he appeared to be well, it seemed somewhat unnecessary.

Marinette ended her tale with the moment that she'd left him, preferring not to go into too much detail about just how distraught he had left her. It was Nino, Adrien's closest friend, who finally spoke. He did so tentatively, as if he was unsure of his own words:

"So… He doesn't want to know us any more?"

"I don't know." Marinette confessed, allowing herself to sit down next to them with a defeated sigh. "That's what I thought but then he must have come looking for me… Why do that if he doesn't want to know us?"

She'd been angry and emotional last night. She'd realized that much upon waking up this morning. Part of it could no doubt be linked to the shock of seeing him after so long without so much as a warning. He had simply materialized there on the steps of her school with his charming smile and umbrella. She hadn't known how to react. It didn't change the things that she said but now as she stood there with her friends, she found herself wondering if she might have misunderstood or misinterpreted his intentions. She was kicking herself now for not asking for somewhat clearer ones. When she had, he had largely repeated himself. Did he want them out of his life or just away from the miraculouses? Now she had a doubt.

"It doesn't make any sense for him to come to Paris and then not to say "Hi" to me, I'm like his oldest friend!" Chloe was quick to add her own opinion.

"Yeah. It just doesn't make sense..." Nino agreed with her, shaking his head as he did so. "If he doesn't want anything to do with us, why tell us?!"

"Maybe he didn't want us coming looking for him." Marinette suggested before hesitating herself, adding. "-but then why take the risk of letting us know he was back in the first place?"

More questions but still no answers.

Everything about their interaction felt strange and made little sense. Her friends had raised some good questions. She found herself wondering just what was going through the young man's head. What had made him think that going to see her was a good idea? Would she have done the same in his shoes? It was impossible for her to say given that she didn't know what he'd been doing for the past decade. Was it possible that he was simply lonely and had gone looking for one of the few people he knew in the city and could trust with both parts of his secret identity.

"Then there's only one thing for it." Pushing herself off of the bench, Alya got to her feet, whipping her phone out as she went. "I did some research and there have been rumours about Agreste Mansion being occupied again."

"Meaning?" The maire's daughter raised an eyebrow.

"Kind of suspicious this coincides exactly with Adrien coming back… I say we go and ask him for answers!"

It was the sort of direct approach which they all periodically admitted they should have expected from Alya, someone who hadn't hesitated to risk to her own life during some of Paris' worst akuma attacks in the name of her famous Ladyblog. Somehow, she still managed to surprise them with her dynamism.

Dragging them all along with her seemed to be something of an effortless activity for the young woman. They were practically helpless, unable to object as they set off towards the Agreste mansion. It wasn't a place that any of them had ever dared venture near. In one of the back streets of the 8th district, it was easy to avoid. The building had become for a small period, something of a tourist attraction for those embarking on the "Ladybug tour". As time had gone on, it had lost its attractiveness however and now lay dormant. The Agreste company kept it maintained, should the heir to the company ever return but asides from a monthly clean, nobody passed through its doors. The former heroes of Paris disliked the place. It brought back too many bad memories. Even whilst occupied, it had seldom felt welcoming. As beautiful as the building was, all but one of the occupants were as cold as the stone and with malice hidden deep underneath. Without their old friend, they had no reason to return. It had become a symbol of everything that they had lost and suffered.

They stood before the imposing gates, staring up at the building and wondering, if somewhere in there was looking down at them. It was there that the group came to a stop. What now? Assuming anyone was in there, should they try and sneak in? Not easy, the mansion had some of the best security in the world, even for a Miraculous holder, it wasn't easy to get in when the place went into lock-down. For a group of four civilians, no matter how determined, even getting into the courtyard could prove to be near-impossible. As such, it was Marinette who very carefully pressed the buzzer. After all these years, was it even still working?

"How will we ever know if there's anyone home?" Nino asked the group, a thought that they all shared. "If Adrien's avoiding us, then-"

He didn't have enough time to finish his sentence as there was a sudden click and the gates opened, not much, just a crack. It was enough for one person to pass through, no more. They exchanged uncertain looks, unsure how to proceed. There was a certain "haunted house" feel about the invitation, as if there was no going back from this point.

With a deep breath, Marinette summoned her courage, clenching her fists and setting off. She was followed closely by her friends. As soon as they had passed through, the gates shut firmly behind them. Whilst she instinctively knew that it was to prevent any other intruders from getting in or the press realizing that there were now people back inside of the mansion, there was a part of her which couldn't help but wonder if they hadn't just been locked in. Whatever the case, it was too late to worry as the group continued to travel forwards towards the main door. They climbed the marble steps, looking around in search of any sign of life. They encountered none, everything seemed to be impossibly still, as if time itself had been frozen.

The door opened suddenly. It wasn't a violent motion but a firm one which opened it fully allowing them to see right inside the house. A tall woman stood before them, her expression austere and unwelcoming. They recognized it in an instant:

"Nathalie?!"

There was no mistaking that it was her. It was very difficult to recreate that cold and emotionless look behind her eyes. It made her seem more machine than woman at times. They could have been faced with her from a decade ago, very little had changed. Time seemed to have been kind to Gabriel Agreste's former assistant. All she had to show for the years that she endured was a few somewhat deeper lines around her face. How old was she? It was a question which Marinette found herself unable to answer. Using logic, she estimated that at this point the woman had to be somewhere in her mid-forties, if not a little older.

"I suppose you're all here for Adrien?" She spoke formally, seeming unsurprised by their presence.

"He's here? With you?" Nino peered behind the woman, as if trying to catch a glimpse of his old friend.

"Come inside."

They did as they were told. Nathalie was quick to close the door behind them once they were in, no doubt still weary of journalists. They found that the inside of the building had scarcely changed. It was clean, well looked after. Even after all these years, the entry to the Agreste's house remained impressive. Nathalie didn't linger however, walking through towards the dining room. They didn't object, following diligently. Marinette found herself half-hoping to see Adrien waiting for them. They were instead greeted by yet another empty space. If the young man was here, he was making himself very scarce indeed.

The former assistant gestured for them to sit around the table. Present on the table, seemingly waiting for them was a teapot, they could smell its contents from where they were: ginger and something else… It was far from unpleasant. Once all of the assembled group were all seated, Nathalie joined them, settling opposite them so that it now resembled something of a head to head. It was hard for their attention not to drift up towards the portrait which dominated the room. As beautiful as it was, it could only send a shiver down their spines as they found themselves remembering just what the woman depicted had put them through before finally being brought to justice.

"Tea?"

The offer shook them out of their own thoughts, causing all to accept without really thinking about it. It was still hot having obviously just been brewed. That seemed to imply that whoever was responsible had known that they were going to have company. Either that or they were exceptionally fond of tea to have prepared this much. Marinette suddenly found herself almost entirely certain that Adrien was here, most likely watching them. They were dealing with Nathalie right now, much in the same way that people in the past had been forced to deal with her when trying to reach the boy's father. She was most definitely a formidable opponent. That much was evident by the cold and detached way which she fixed each of them as she served them their beverage.

"So where is he?!" Chloe was the first to snap, her demanding tone having never changed in all the years that Marinette had known her.

"10.42 am." The woman glanced down at her watch. "He'll be training."

"Training for what?" A raised eyebrow was a sure sign of Alya's suspicion.
"To keep fit so that he's ready in case the world needs Cat Noir, at least that's what he told me when I asked the same question."

"He knows we're here, doesn't he?" Marinette glanced around, again expecting to find him somewhere.

"Of course." Nathalie remained unmoved. "Who do you think authorized you to come in?"

"So where is he?"

There was a slight cutting edge to Marinette's tone as she spoke, letting the woman know that she wasn't up for any fun and games. They locked eyes for a moment. Curiously, she found little combativeness behind Nathalie's gaze. They had discovered to their own expense that the Agreste family secretary could be every bit as formidable as her employers, sometimes even more so. Today however whilst she remained determined. It wasn't out of an eagerness to fight. Most likely, she'd been told by Adrien what to do and was simply following orders. That meant that they might be able to get something out of her after all. The woman blew on her tea for a few seconds, more as a distraction than to actually cool it down before letting out a sigh and sitting back in her chair:

"He doesn't want to see you. Any of you."

Ouch. That hurt. Marinette didn't have any reason to argue however. When she'd first seen Nathalie, she'd had her doubts, wondering if the woman might somehow be manipulating their old friend. That notion had been dismissed however with some thought. Given that they knew the woman was far from a fool, it was hard to imagine why she would present herself if she had any sinister motivations knowing that her presence was only likely to make them more suspicious. No, it would seem that Adrien was keen to cut his ties with his former life, save for one. Just why he seemed to have trusted the woman who had played such an active part in their struggles a decade ago was the young woman but she was here and apparently speaking for her former enemy.

Next to her, she noticed the others tense up as if they had been stung. The confusion vanished replaced instead by indignation.

"No way, dude!" The notion was dismissed by a wave of Nino's hand. "Adrien's our friend! If he really was here, he'd come see us!"

"You can tell yourself that if you want, it doesn't make it true." Nathalie remained as ever unfazed, totally at ease with the prospect of conflict.

"If that's true-" Alya narrowed her eyes as she spoke. "Then what are you doing here?"

"He turned up on my doorstep two months ago. I didn't even recognize him..."

The woman told them the tale of how towards the end of August, one warm evening, the doorbell to her apartment had rung. It never rung. She never received visitors. Confused, she had opened the door to find herself faced with a young man with short hair, likely not long shaved on her doorstep. He was dirty and hadn't shaved in a few days, having evidently been living rough but perhaps not for a long time. She'd thought he was lost or maybe begging but not trouble. He had seemed very confused, as if he didn't quite know what he was doing there. Against her better judgement, she'd let him in. Why? She didn't know, just something about the stranger had told her to trust him and that it was safe. It had only been when he'd spoken her name that she'd realized just who she was faced with. Adrien Agreste was back in Paris.

More than that, he had needed her assistance. She had accepted and here they were.

"So you just gave up your job and came here?" Alya raised an eyebrow, still dubious.

"You try working at a 24/7 shop checkout in that neighbourhood for two years." The woman's voice turned a little bitter. "I can guarantee it broadens the mind to other possibilities."

"Well that's your fault for being a bad guy." Chloe took a certain amount of pride in pointing out the fact.

"I wasn't aware of that, thank you for reminding me." Again, Nathalie's tone had changed, letting them know that this was a somewhat sensitive subject for her.

Marinette struggled with the urge to put her face in her hands. This was precisely why she hadn't wanted to come here. Granted, there was no way of knowing that they would encounter Nathalie but had they been faced with Adrien himself, she reckoned that they would have been in largely the same situation. He didn't want to see them. That much was obvious. Whatever had driven him to seek her out last night, it had been a passing folly. He must have regretted his actions by this point and had asked his new assistant, more experienced with this sort of thing to deal with his former friends, no doubt sensing that they would come running. So the young woman remained quiet, already realizing that it was pointless.

Her friends argued for a good half hour more. They tried numerous approaches: pleading, demanding and even bordering on the threats. Still, Nathalie remained unmoved. She wouldn't tell them where he was nor demand that he show himself. She stood her ground firmly, not once raising her voice.

"I can't tell you why he came back because I don't know. All I can tell you is that he wants what's best for you and that's for you to get on with your lives!"

"Fine!" Chloe got to her feet, almost knocking her chair over as she did so. "If you want tell us where he is! We'll just have to find him."

"No need. I'm right here!"

Just when he had materialized in the doorway Marinette couldn't have said but his sudden presence took them all by surprise. It made the group jump, abandoning their chairs and tea. Adrien stood before them, tall and proud. His posture, so straight and rigid almost reminded the group of the way his father had always presented himself when before them. There wasn't the same arrogant contempt behind his gaze however but one look into his green eyes let them know that he was just as determined as Nathalie was. He didn't speak but just stood there, making his presence felt. All his former friends could do was stare, silently begging him to say something, anything to explain himself.

Finally, it was Nathalie who chose to speak. She got to her feet, standing behind the three guests so as to face her employer:

"Shall I escort them out sir."

"They can do that themselves, thank you Nathalie." His gaze drifted back from the assistant to them. "Leave. All of you."

"Come on, du-"

"No. You need to stop thinking of us as all being friends, that's in the past. Get on with your lives and forget about me. Don't make me say it again."

His voice was strangely unemotional as he spoke, cool and detached as if it meant nothing to him. It was almost enough to bring tears to Marinette's eyes. She fought them however. Instead, driven by some strange force, she found herself simply nodding slowly a few times. Very slowly, she lead the others out. She could sense the feeling of betrayal, anger and confusion coming from them but chose to ignore it. What mattered was getting her friends out and respecting Adrien's wishes. They were intruders here… Something had changed, she didn't know what but the friend they had once known and the young man they had hoped to find were two very different people. Glancing over her shoulder, as they exited the gates, she tried to get one last look but instead found herself faced only with the assistant, already shutting the door to the mansion.

Once more, she found herself locked out. The stone walls and iron fence being the least of the obstacles in her way. The only thing that made it easier was the knowledge that she wasn't about to try and overcome them...

/

Thanks for the reviews!