CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN:

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Three days had passed since the heroes returned safely to Agreste.

On the third night, Marinette watched the sky darken and give way to starlight, and her heart pounded with excitement.

It's almost time, she thought as she smoothed out her wedding dress.

She stood in her bedchamber with her mother, her father, and three ladies-in-waiting. The girls were putting the last diamond pins into Marinette's braided crown. Sabine was laying the gossamer, ladybug veil out on the bed to check for any holes or loose stitching. Tom was sitting upright in his chair as he watched his daughter smile into the large mirror.

Outside, Marinette could hear the ecstatic and hopeful murmurs of people pouring through the palace gates.

No doubt they were all praying that the royal wedding wouldn't be interrupted a third time. With the Queen of Thieves and her horde no longer a threat, King Gabriel had been more than happy to welcome back the public for the ceremony. Thanks to Tikki, all the re-arrangements were set.

All that was needed now was the bride.

Just then, a shadow moved in the corner of the mirror.

Marinette saw that it had come from the balcony... and she smiled.

"Girls," she said, causing the servants to crane their necks at her, "can I have private moment with my family? It won't be long."

The head maid curtsied. "Of course, lady. Take as long as you wish." She then shooed her two cohorts out of the room before taking her leave, closing the grand door behind her.

Sabine paused in her work and walked over to her daughter. "What is it, dear?" she asked with a smile. "Getting jittery again?"

Marinette shook her head. "Actually, it's not about me," she admitted, patting the peacock brooch clipped onto the front of her dress.

Two days ago, after she and her friends had finished recalling their adventure on the Vanishing Isle, Marinette presented the Miraculous to King Gabriel, stating that the Queen of Thieves had given it back as gratitude for being rescued.

Suffice it to say, the king had been greatly relieved at the return of his late wife's heirloom.

Soon after, Master Fu had offered a suggestion as to the fate of the Miraculous... and in the end, everyone agreed.

Gabriel had done the honours.

And when Duusu the peafowl kwami glowed like a newborn star, and the jewelled feathers of the brooch had faded from sapphire-and-pink to teal-and-turquoise, Marinette knew the wish had been granted.

Duusu had been more than grateful, though she vaguely commented that she knew all along that this moment would come to pass. Still, she accepted the king's offer to stay in Agreste with the other kwamis. It wasn't long until Plagg got her interested in sugar dates.

But once the matter of Duusu and the brooch had been settled, Gabriel had preached Marinette on a more serious matter.

"What has become of your sister?" the king had asked. "Am I correct to assume that she has... disappeared again?"

Marinette had lifted her chin strongly, but her voice had been kind. "If by "disappeared" you mean "I let her go", then yes – I am guilty as charged," she told him. "But I believe it was the right thing to do, Your Majesty. And I give you my word, on my love for Adrien, that my sister shall never swipe a single coin here in Agreste ever again."

The king had been skeptical, as usual, but with his future daughter-in-law backed up by his son, his Chief Advisor, and his captain of the guard, there was little Gabriel could do on the matter.

On the bright side, the majority of the Forty Thieves were now incarcerated and awaiting sentencing. Agreste could sleep safer now, and the royal wedding could get underway.

As for the Queen of Thieves, Gabriel considered her actions on the Vanishing Isle for a long time before making his decision:

Bridgette was free to go... so long as she refrained from setting one foot in the city for a very long time.

"I am sorry, Marinette," the king had said when she argued against it, "but it will take more than one good deed to lift the many misdeeds your sister has committed off her shoulders. I do believe that, in time, she can truly make up for all that she has done. But for the time being, proper punishment must be dealt."

Tom and Sabine had understood, though it saddened them to think that their eldest daughter would once again be forced to leave them.

But now, they were about to see just how deep the clever ambitions of their youngest daughter went.

Marinette turned to her parents, her dress swishing softly along the floor. Then, she took their hands in hers. "Mama, Papa... I have a confession to make."

Tom and Sabine exchanged a curious look before the former asked, "What do you mean, my little macaroon? What's wrong?"

Marinette found it difficult to hide her Cat Noir-like grin. "Nothing's wrong," she insisted. "It's just... well... I realized that I never got you both a gift."

Sabine blinked, and then chuckled into her free hand.

Tom did the same, his large chest shaking as he laughed.

"Oh, Marinette," her mother sighed, "this is your wedding. You and Adrien are the ones getting all the gifts, not us."

Tom nodded. "Tonight, our little girl is going to get her fairytale, happy ending. That's the greatest gift we could ever ask for."

Marinette caught a hint of movement over her mother's shoulder, and this time, she couldn't resist grinning. "Well, we disagree."

Tom and Sabine straightened with confusion. "We?" they asked in unison.

Marinette pointed behind them.

They turned.

They saw.

Sabine covered her mouth to stifle her gasp. Tom stumbled back a bit like he had just seen a ghost appear.

Well, in all honesty, Bridgette hadn't been leaning against the curtained threshold of Marinette's balcony a second ago. So she certainly moved like a ghost.

Bridgette smiled, and Marinette realized that she looked more like herself now in that sapphire cape, those dark leathers, and those twin tails of midnight hair reaching down to her waist. The family dagger fit perfectly beside her hip.

Marinette knew the king had been serious in his decision. But if there was one thing both Gabriel and Adrien had taught her, it was that rules could be bent under the right circumstances.

Adrien had known Bridgette would come, as did Nino, and Alya, and the kwamis. That's why the ceremony hadn't started yet. The prince had discretely promised to buy Marinette some extra time to make her last moment with Bridgette a memorable one.

Marinette had never loved Adrien more, and they weren't even married yet.

Tom took a few steps forward, the corners of his mustache rising. "Buttercup?" he croaked.

Bridgette's cheeks reddened as she pushed herself off the wall. "Hello, Father," she murmured. "Mother."

Sabine now had her hand over her heart, and Marinette could tell her silver eyes were glistening.

Then, Bridgette stepped up to her parents, grasping her dagger for comfort as she struggled to find the right words to say.

Come on, Marinette thought. You can do it.

"I..." Bridgette cleared her throat before starting again. "I meant what I said before: I'm not the Bridgette you once knew." She lifted her shoulders up a smidge and glanced down. "I've stolen and lied and fought to survive. I've caused a lot of trouble over the last seventeen years."

Tom and Sabine watched her with soft, concerned eyes as she spoke.

Bridgette looked back up at them with an earnest gaze. "But I have used my skills to get others out of trouble as well," she explained. "There are some thieves – only children to you – who look up to me. Not just to lead them, but to be there for them when no one else will. They've become a part of my family, and they've welcomed me into theirs." She rubbed her lips and smiled. "And now that the Hand of Midas is gone, my purpose in life has changed, hopefully for the better."

Marinette saw their mother smiling at that.

"I guess... What I'm trying to say is..." Bridgette took a deep breath, swallowing hard. "Can you two ever forgive me?"

Tom folded his arms with a deep "Hmm.."

Sabine put a finger to her chin and glanced up at the ceiling.

Marinette held her breath.

Then, their father said, "Is it true that you can climb a building without a rope?"

Bridgette blinked, and her mouth gaped open like a fish. "Wha-? I... Um... Well... Yes?" she stammered.

Sabine grinned at her husband. "Don't forget, dear – this is the little girl who escaped through our padlocked door and climbed all the way down from our bakery balcony."

Bridgette rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, it wasn't a very sturdy padlock," she noted.

Tom chuckled. "I guess we shouldn't have been so surprised that you grew up to be such a rebel, Buttercup," he said, "and a good leader. Much like your sister here."

Marinette placed her arms on her hips. "Don't give her too much credit," she urged. "She still needs to work on a few things, like her people skills."

"Haha," Bridgette drawled. "I could easily say the same thing about your fighting technique, Ladybug."

"What?! Have you forgotten the "incident" at Mount Sesame? And at least I have my own weapon!"

"A yo-yo is a toy, not a weapon! I bet you've never wielded a real sword in your life!"

"Well, why don't you hand me yours and I'll show you –!"

Suddenly, the sisters' squabbling was broken by a great guffaw.

Tom was laughing and bending over. "I never thought... in all my years...!" he wheezed. "My two daughters – actually bickering!"

Marinette eyed Bridgette with surprise and realization.

Her older sister stared back at her with wide eyes.

Then, they both burst out giggling.

Sabine sighed and rolled her eyes with a light-hearted laugh.

Once everyone calmed down, Marinette shook her head with a smile and walked over to stand beside her sister and take her hand. "See? This is the real family I promised you."

Bridgette let out an exasperated breath and nodded at her. Then, she looked back at her parents. "So, you're not angry with me?"

Sabine came forward and gently placed her hand on her eldest's shoulders. "Bridgette," she sighed warmly. "How can we be angry with the daughter who risked everything to protect her own sister; one who has kept so much goodness in her heart after spending so long in a world of greed and hate?"

Bridgette let out a raspberry-like snort and looked down again. "I'm not a hero, Mother," she said sadly.

Sabine lifted her daughter's chin up to meet her eyes. Pure, metallic silver gazed happily into moon-streaked blue. "We don't need a hero, Bridgette," she said. "Just you."

Bridgette's face lit up with a mixture of awe and delight.

Then, Tom's face lost a bit of that perky glow. "Only... now we have to say goodbye again, don't we?" he said reluctantly.

Marinette felt a burning tension rising up her throat, and she fought to force it back down. Haven't I cried enough already?

Though now bearing that grown-up seriousness of hers, Bridgette continued to smile. "Yes," she answered, "but I promise it won't be for another seventeen years. If what the king said is true – yes, Marinette told me – then hopefully, I'll be able to come back. All I need is a clean slate."

Sabine sniffled. "How long will that take?" she asked.

This time, the older blunette didn't bother to hide her sadness. "I don't know. There are other kingdoms to see out there; other treasures that have yet to be found... and other monsters like Hawkmoth who will want to use them for their personal gain." Determination appeared in Bridgette's eyes. "I'll never stop being the Queen of Thieves, so I'll put that title to good use from now on. Become a villain in the eyes of other villains, but a hero in the eyes of those who aren't afraid to take a closer look."

Marinette hummed with satisfaction. "So you're a vigilante now?"

Bridgette played with that word, and then smiled. "I like it, but I prefer "treasure hunter"."

"Well, whatever you want to call yourself," Tom said, "Queen, hunter, baker's daughter... You have our blessing, Buttercup."

Sabine nodded, causing tears to fall down her cheeks. "And we'll be waiting right here, when you decide to come home."

Bridgette choked on her smile and embraced her mother, then her father, and finally her sister.

Marinette didn't care if her dress was getting smushed. This was worth every wrinkle.

Her family – together as they truly were; as they were meant to be.

Unfortunately, their brief moment ended up being briefer.

There was a soft knock on the door. The head maid was calling that the ceremony was ready to begin.

Pulling away, Bridgette removed her dagger and held it out to Marinette. "Take it," she said kindly. "I may be the firstborn, but you are the strongest of us. This belongs to you."

Marinette reached for it... and curled her sister's fingers around the scabbard.

"No," she said, hanging onto Bridgette's hands as she looked up at her. "You have strength inside you too, sis. Keep the dagger, and use it to shield others from harm." She smiled through her tears. "Keep the dagger, so that I'll always be with you wherever you go."

Bridgette stared at her little sister for a second, and then nodded proudly. "You honour me, Marinette. I'll never forget all that you've done for me." She brought up the dagger – and their conjoined hands – and pressed them over her heart. "And this time, I'll stay in touch," she vowed. "I'll send you word whenever I get the chance. And I will come back. I promise."

Marinette's smile faltered a bit as a shady thought came to her. "But what if something happens? What if the enemies you fight catch you or your friends?"

Bridgette raised an eyebrow and drew herself up nice and tall. "I'm the Queen of Thieves," she declared smugly. "I'd like to see them try."

Marinette grinned and threw her arms around her sister one last time.

Between their bodies, the peacock brooch grew warm.

MB: Aww, man... I actually sniffled a bit writing this scene. Totally worth it!

But, of course, as the Genie says, "We're not through yet!"