Author's Note: This is IT! The endgame! My longest chapter, ha ha! I really have no idea how you guys are taking 15 chapters being hurled at you at once in less than an hour! How's my story so far? Action-y, I hope! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this last installment! It's the endgame, and you might be (or not be) surprised at how everything turns out. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or elements relating to Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir.

Miraculous: Borderline

Chapter 22: Of Destruction and Creation

"I suspected you from the beginning, Adrien," Gabriel said as he strode towards the coffins that held Emilie Agreste and Nathalie Sancoeur.

Adrien limped after him, cradling his arm. He was shell-shocked, feeling numb inside and outside. Gabriel had forced Plagg back into the ring, so now he had nobody to support him.

Except for his father.

But even though his father walked a few steps next to Adrien, it felt like they were oceans apart.

Because his father was evil and Adrien was good. Two opposite sides of the same coin.

"I just never truly thought that you'd have the guts to stand up to me," Gabriel finished, glancing at Adrien as if examining him for qualities of a true hero.

"Why—Why did you never tell me?" Adrien whispered, his voice cracking.

Gabriel's expression didn't change. "You were not ready for the truth. And now I can see that you never were ready. You chose the wrong side, Adrien. But I will forgive you, because you are my son. And you will see, in time, that I am right."

Adrien's breath caught in his throat.

He felt betrayed. No. He felt more than just betrayed.

He felt angry and sad and hurt.

It was like he never knew his father at all.

Even though he'd had a nagging suspicion that his father was hiding something major, Adrien had still not been prepared to have to face...this.

His father, the evil Hawk Moth. Hiding a much more sinister plan, all because of his obsession with his mother. Emilie Agreste.

"Father, what are you going to do Mom?" Adrien demanded.

Gabriel didn't even look at him. "I'm not going to do anything to her. I'm simply going to wish her to be well, and she will come back. Just watch."

Gabriel opened his palm and revealed the two most powerful miraculouses: the miraculous of creation and the miraculous of destruction.

Adrien stared in shock, his stomach plummeting as he saw the Ladybug miraculous in his father's hand.

"But how—"

A movement caught Adrien's eye and he gasped. "Who's there?" he said, his voice cracking.

Gabriel smiled but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Don't be shy, my child," Gabriel said softly. "You're going to have to face this like everyone else. At least you get a front row seat."

For a moment, nothing happened, and Adrien fidgeted. Who was Gabriel talking about?

Then, slowly, a pair of flats stepped out from the shadows. The rest of the body quickly followed, and Adrien found himself stumbling back in shock again as Marinette stepped up in front of Adrien and lifted her brilliant blue eyes.

"Adrien—" Marinette choked.

"You—" Adrien stuttered. "You're working for him?"

Adrien felt like his world was falling apart. "You've been by his side the whole time?"

It all made sense now. Marinette getting kidnapped. Marinette getting akumatized. Marinette destroying Paris.

"Was all that all just an act?" Adrien whispered, the pain in his voice evident. "You were so good...it was too good to be true. I—"

Adrien swallowed. "I thought I liked you."

Marinette was crying. "No, Adrien! It's not like that! I'm not working for him."

But Adrien wasn't listening. He was staring at her like he'd never seen her before, acutely aware of how badly she'd played him.

No. It can't be.

Adrien turned away, his jaw clenched, and Marinette hesitantly took a step forward, her arm outstretched.

"Adrien—"

"Don't—Get away from me!" Adrien snapped, angrily brushing his own tears aside as he stepped away from Marinette.

Gabriel watched the scene coldly. "Adrien."

Gabriel turned to face Emilie Agreste's chamber and started holding up the miraculouses.

"You're too impulsive sometimes."

Gabriel turned the Ladybug earrings around in his hands.

Adrien had a thought of tackling his father to get the miraculouses out of his hand, but something told him it'd be a bad idea. Gabriel looked relaxed but his body was tense. He was ready for anything Adrien might throw at him.

Adrien cast Marinette an angry glance, who had her head turned away as her shoulders shook, from laughter or tears, Adrien didn't know. And he didn't care.

Serves her right.

Marinette lifted her head and tried one last time. "Adrien, I'm not working with your father. I'm—"

Adrien blinked back tears of frustration and pain. "Don't, Marinette! You've done enough!"

He turned his back and felt his hurt like a solid weight pressing down on his chest. "Don't lie anymore," Adrien whispered, his voice rasping against his throat.

Gabriel started to smile. "No, Adrien."

Gabriel clenched both miraculouses in his hand, and as he stared forward at Emilie's beautiful, peaceful face, he said, "She's right."

Gabriel murmured his wish, and an eerie golden light floated up around Emilie Agreste's coffin chamber. Adrien shielded his eyes from the glow, and behind him, he sensed Marinette taking a step back.

Gabriel's eyes danced with the light reflecting from the transformation. "Marinette is Ladybug."

What?

Adrien whirled around.

Marinette shook her head, her eyes clenched shut as she shook in pain.

"I'm—" Adrien didn't know what to say.

How could he take back all the words he'd said to her?

Adrien started taking a step towards Marinette, but she stepped out of his reach and wrapped her arms around herself.

"S-stay away from me, Adrien," Marinette gasped.

Adrien heard her words like a slap to his face. "Marinette, I'm so—"

At that moment, Gabriel gasped and drew Adrien's attention away from Marinette. The golden glow infusing Emilie Agreste had cleared, and for a moment, Adrien couldn't believe his eyes.

His mom's chest was rising and falling. She was breathing.

She was alive.

"M-Mom?" Adrien stumbled forward a step.

He didn't know how to feel. A wave of emotions swarmed over him and he nearly fell to his knees.

My mom's alive.

Emilie Agreste opened her eyes, and for a moment, she looked confused as she looked at Gabriel's beaming face and Adrien's shocked face.

"Where—where am I?" Emilie whispered.

Adrien stepped forward. "Mom—"

At that moment, something made Adrien stop mid-step and turn. Marinette was looking at him with a pained expression, and suddenly Adrien realized that she wasn't pained because of the things Adrien had said to her. She was in pain because something was physically hurting her.

"Marinette?" Adrien said, his voice shaking.

He started taking a step towards her but his mom gasping in pain made him whip his head back. Gabriel was helping his mom out of her coffin.

"Easy now," Gabriel murmured, supporting his wife with the touch of someone handling a delicate vase.

Adrien felt conflicted. "Marinette—" he started to say, turning back to her, when she collapsed.

Adrien forgot everything else. He ran over to her, falling to his knees besides her and scooping her up into his arms.

"Marinette?" Adrien said frantically. "Marinette?"

He ran his hand into her hair, put his ear to her chest, but there was no sound. No sign of a living soul remaining inside the girl he loved.

His heart was pounding against his ribcage, and it felt as if there was a booming noise echoing in his ears. Time seemed to slow down so that voices came from far away.

"Marinette, please," Adrien pleaded, not even realizing that he was crying until tears dripped down his cheeks onto Marinette's still face.

He felt Marinette's dead weight and saw her pale, still face. He knew Marinette was gone. But he wouldn't accept it.

"Father. Father!" Adrien screamed.

Gabriel was by his side in an instant, with a pale Emilie Agreste behind him. "What is it, son?"

Adrien stared at him, his face deathly pale. "What's wrong with Marinette?"

His voice lowered to a whisper. "What did you do to her?"

Gabriel stared at the girl Adrien cradled in his arms for a moment. His face almost looked regretful. "I didn't mean for this to happen. But it seems as though the universe does right itself."

Adrien could barely get the words out of his throat. He was shaking too much. His world was tilting, and he felt his breaths coming in too fast.

"What do you mean?"

Gabriel gave his son an unfathomable stare. "It means she's gone, Adrien. She took your mom's place."

Gabriel took Emilie's hand, whose face had turned as pale as Adrien. She didn't seem to register Gabriel's touch. Emilie only stared at Marinette's still body.

Adrien shook his head. "No. No. It shouldn't be this way."

Adrien tilted Marinette's face so he could look at her beautiful blue eyes one more time. His shoulders shook with the force of his sobs.

He loved her. He wished he'd told her. He'd have given anything to get her back.

"This girl," someone said softly, touching his shoulder.

It was his mom. "She shouldn't have died to take my place, Gabriel."

Gabriel stared in shock as Emilie gently took the miraculouses out of Gabriel's hand and clutched them to her chest.

"I'll wish her back," Emilie whispered.

Gabriel seemed to snap back into action and dove forward in an attempt to stop his wife. "No!" he yelled but it was too late.

Emilie had formed her wish, and she'd passed away before she hit the ground.

Adrien stared in shock, then looked down at Marinette's still face.

Emilie had wished to give Marinette her life back and take hers away again, but nothing happened. The wishes had been granted, but they couldn't be reversed.

Marinette was gone.

And nothing could ever bring her back.

End of Chapter 22: Of Destruction and Creation

End of Miraculous: Borderline

Author's Note: Are you guys going to kill me or are you totally cool with this ending? I'm sorry if it was really abrupt. I don't have a lot of time to elaborate things so that they're smoother and less jarring, so there you go. Please review and let me know what you think. This chapter is really the defining reason on why I rated this story T vs K+. Maybe a little dark for young kids. Do note that I do NOT want the show to end this way, and obviously not in such a dark fashion. I hope that our favorite couple will end up together after a dramatic reveal of course. I honestly have no idea how my story spiraled in this direction, but sometimes as you're writing, you have to go with the flow! Anyway, this is spmira, signing off until the next time in a while. Thank you all for reviewing and supporting my story!