Once alone they seemed to realize that this reunion was not simply a joyous one.

Feelings they had been carrying for a long time– sorrow, guilt, anger– they were just as strong as they had been before, and could not be ignored. They stood apart from each other in an empty warehouse, cut off from the world, but now forced to face what had for so long seemed to be left in the past.

Chat Noir was no longer looking at her, green eyes angled away from the one he had once been so close to. His gaze was focused on the floor, ears lowered like a scolded dog. He was crouching low to the ground, arms resting on his knees, tail completely still. Though it looked like he could snap her like a twig she was the one that towered over him, arms crossed and eyes burning with confliction. Neither said a word for a long time, able to read the other so easily. It just made the hurt all the worse, still so in tune with each other after so long.

"Why?" Ladybug finally asked, breaking the silence, asking the question she had been wondering for so long.

Why did you leave? Why did you take the Butterfly Miraculous? Why couldn't you give me some sign that you were still out there? Why did you abandon me?– So many questions voiced from one little word.

"I needed time to myself," he said softly, she took in a sharp breath, and he physically recoiled. "It was selfish, I know, but I needed to be alone."

"Six years," she snapped. "It's been six years. You were supposed to be my partner– and you abandoned me."

"I did," he replied evenly, not attempting to deny it. "I wanted to be by your side, but I was simply not ready."

"And the Butterfly Miraculous?"

"I needed answers. I needed to talk to Nooroo," green eyes hesitantly slipped up towards her. "I think he needed me as well, My Lady. He... Hawk Moth was not kind to him– we recovered together. We have become close– he, Plagg, and I."

She pressed her lips together, voice softening. "Is Nooroo okay?"

"Nooroo is happy," Chat Noir replied, a ghost of a smile appearing on his lips. "It took time, but I was there for him as he was there for me. As guardian if you wish to take him back then I will give him to you. I... I know he wasn't mine to take."

Ladybug hesitated, mouth opening, before reconsidering. "I would like to speak to him, but if he wishes to stay with you I will not take him. They aren't possessions, they're..."

Partners. The word would not escape her tongue. The thought of partners brought up too many bitter memories at the moment, reminders of the one in front of her.

"Nooroo, divide," Chat said without hesitation, and with a burst of light a small purple kwami came flying out of the brooch. The lavender highlights faded from Chat's suit, becoming replaced with green instead. The cane vanished from his back, and the butterfly-themed cuffs became the simple black ones of his youth. The Miraculous lost its lavender 'wings', simply now a silver brooch.

Nooroo peered at Ladybug curiously, and she was startled at just how different he was since the last time she had seen him. The kwami had been trembling at his last master's defeat, both stammering out apologies for what his powers had done– yet calling out to Gabriel as he was dragged away. He had been shaken, withdrawn and fearful– but she saw none of that now.

Nooroo gave a small bow to her as he hovered between them, a small smile on his face. "Hello Ladybug, it is nice to see you again."

"Hello Nooroo," she said softly, relief running through her. Not that she had ever believed that Chat Noir would have treated him poorly, but simply seeing this for herself was calming. A part of her told her to take back the Miraculous– she did not know if it was the guardian side of her, or the part of her that had faced Hawk Moth for so long– but it told her the brooch should be tucked away in the Miracle Box. "Are you... doing okay?"

He smiled sadly. "I will forever regret what harm my powers have caused, but I am happy. Chat Noir and his family have treated me well, and have given me a peace I have not felt in many decades."

"Does your family know...?" Ladybug began, her gaze shifting to Chat Noir. They had planned on revealing their identities to one another before anyone else after they had defeated Hawk Moth– but Chat had fled that very day. She had held true to that promise through all this time– her husband, kids, nor parents knew of who she was.

He shook his head. "I promised you would be the first, My Lady, and I intend to keep that."

'Intend to'– because now was not that time for them. Not now after so many years, not after her trust had been broken (but not lost). These words did bring a sorrow, yet filled her with hope. It meant that she would see him again, that now was not a goodbye. Her partner had come back, and he intended to stay by her side.

"Me too," she whispered softly, holding out a hand for Nooroo to land on. The kwami pressed up against her contently, looking up at her knowingly. Then he drifted up from her palm, darting back towards Chat, hovering over his shoulder. "Your... your family– what are they like?"

Chat Noir's eyes lit up, filling with a warmth she had not seen in him for so long. He pushed himself to his feet, ears flicking up, and his tail began swaying once more. She noticed all this before she saw his smile, the warm smile spread across his face, radiating a pure joy.

"They're wonderful," he said, a low rumbling of a purr filling the air. "I have the most beautiful wife, My Lady, and she is my everything. She's the one that kept me on my feet after... after what happened. We have two children and I– I love them so much, Ladybug. You don't understand, I didn't know you could love someone that much."

Tears were in his eyes, but that smile was still on his face. Nooroo landed on his shoulder, pressing up against him, and he cupped the kwami closer to him. She felt tears stinging her own eyes, and she swiftly moved to wipe them away.

"Why are you crying, My Lady?" he asked softly, taking a step towards her, and she let out a small laugh.

"I'm just glad you aren't alone, Chaton. When we were younger you always seemed... lonely, from what I could see. I was afraid you were out there on your own when you never came back and–" she wiped away more of her tears. "Should you even be calling me your Lady when you're married?"

He smiled. "My wife is my light, my world– my everything. I love her more than anything else– but you will always be My Lady," he took another step towards her, slowly closing the space between them. "I... I never wanted to be apart from you, I swear. I never left Paris, I never could bring myself to. I saw you on those nights waiting and I..." he hesitated for a moment. "I did come, every night. I was with the civilians down below. I couldn't leave you there, but I wasn't ready to transform again..."

She tilted her head. "You never became Chat Noir again?"

He laughed. "This is my first time transforming since we faced... Hawk Moth, My Lady. You waited so long for me, and I couldn't go another year leaving you alone. I've missed you. I've missed you so much, Ladybug. You're my other half."

"I've missed you too, Kitty," she whispered, closing the remaining space between them with an embrace. Their arms wrapped around each other, holding the other close, as if at any moment they could slip away.

There was no words to describe what was between them. It was love– that she knew– but it was neither the romantic or platonic love they had seen each other as when they were young. It was like family, but stronger, as if infused with the magic that ran through them. Their other half, as Chat had said– and there was no other means to describe it. They needed one another, and even now they were beginning to heal from the pain they had been in for so long.

"What about you?" he asked, neither pulling away.

"I'm married too," she whispered. "To the most amazing man alive. We didn't date for long, so many said we married too quickly, it just didn't feel right otherwise. We have three children. Actually... I'm pregnant right now– only a few weeks along."

Chat pulled back, looking down at her stomach, though she had yet to show. He hesitated for a moment, holding out a hand. "May I...?"

She nodded, and his gloved hand rested over her belly. She could feel his claws through her suit, yet his touch was so gentle. He let out a soft sigh, before pulling his hand away and bringing her into another hug.

"I don't want to lose you again," she whispered.

"I'm here," he promised. "I won't leave, never again, I swear."

Nooroo hovered a ways above them, watching the reunion with a soft gaze. He knew he had caused them so much hurt when he had been wielded by Gabriel, and that pain Chat Noir had carried for years. Yet as they held each other he could feel that hurt retreating from Chat, along with the loss that had been weighing down Ladybug for just as long. There was only a warmth to their auras, neither wanting to let the other go.

The kwami had always known that he would be okay– kwamis lived forever, after all. It would only be a matter of time before the guilt he bore vanished, where he would be in the hands of many good holders for many years to come. Humans on the other wing... they lived so short of lives. Often when he found himself with a holder that hurt emotionally he knew it was very rare that it could completely vanish. Even if they found happiness, moved forward in life, it would always be something that they carried. The scars that had been left on Chat Noir's soul from Gabriel's betrayal had run deep, and even surrounded by so many that loved him in life Nooroo had often wondered if the boy would ever be able to heal completely.

As he watched them now though, he knew that like him, they would be okay.

One more chapter to go.