Let's Take It From The Top, Chapter 15: After A Brief Intermission...
A red-and-black blur made its way rapidly across the rooftops of Paris, zeroing in on the balcony atop the Dupain-Cheng Boulangerie, and shifting from red to lighter shades in a white flash of light as it reached its destination.
Marinette ran downstairs and encountered her mother first, sitting in the family kitchen. "How'd it go?" Sabine asked. "You don't look... Marinette, are you all right?"
Her daughter collapsed into a chair. "It REALLY didn't go well, Mom. Everybody's okay... but we almost had about five disasters at once, and we did have one."
Haltingly, she described the showdown with Nathalie, how Chat Noir was nearly - "well, I don't know EXACTLY what that would've done to him, but I DON'T want to find out!", the bravery of Mylène, the explosion, Chat Noir facing off with Gabriel Agreste...
Sabine tried hard not to look as alarmed as she felt inside, listening to all of this. This hero thing really ISN'T fun-and-games for them, she thought. This is serious business! "No one was hurt badly?" she asked, tentatively.
"No... thank goodness... but Chat and his father were staring daggers at each other. I kind of played peacemaker, making sure that Chat got Mylène to safety and then talking with Mr. Agreste and Nathalie. Mom, I knew everything Adrien told us earlier tonight was true, but this was living proof! His father is Papillon, the one who gave me the Firefly powers! Nathalie is unstable, far more so than Adrien. It's not her fault, but oh, WOW is she dangerous!" Marinette held onto her emotions by a thread. "I didn't know what to do... so I took a chance and went to the one person I thought might have some answers."
"Who was that?" asked Sabine, wide-eyed with curiosity.
"I... shouldn't tell you?" Marinette stammered, apologetically. She closed her eyes, thinking hard. If I'm going to trust ANYONE, my mother would probably be a good start. "The Chinese gentleman who came here the day that you met Tikki? Hawaiian shirt? He ordered that big dessert platter?" she whispered. "And I was right! But THAT STAYS BETWEEN US. It REALLY REALLY has to, Mom."
"Not a word to anyone," Sabine swore. "Did he help you like you hoped he would?"
"He did. I don't think that I was supposed to figure out who he was and that he was connected to this yet, but he was super nice about it. I don't blame him for being secretive. We talked about a lot of things, and I feel a little more comfortable being Ladybug now, but there's still so much to figure out." Marinette eyed her mother carefully, and could tell that she was upset but suppressing it. "And I am freaking you out right now, and this whole week has been me dropping one ton of crazy after another onto you and Dad," she added in an apologetic tone. "Are you going to be all right, Mom?"
Sabine looked into her daughter's questioning eyes and despite everything else going on, she had to smile. "Marinette, I'm not even going to pretend that I was prepared for any of this," she began. "My completely normal teenage daughter took in a stray boy, twice, who's a millionaire's son, he's secretly also a superhero, and SHE'S secretly also a superhero. I have my daughter's new boyfriend and two magic pixies living in my house, I've been zapped by a dinner guest, and all of a sudden magic and wishes and rock golems and ancient Chinese potions are all real. So if I'm freaked out, I feel like I've earned it, right?"
"Yeah." Marinette shrank down into her chair, feeling about six inches tall.
"BUT," Sabine continued, "I'm a mother. And a mother has a lot of jobs, but number one is this; to raise my daughter right. Some kids lie, cheat and steal, or smoke or drink or do drugs, or run around with bad people and get in trouble or get pregnant. MY daughter wants to make the world a better place. She sees people in need and she thinks 'How can I help?' A boy she barely knows reaches out to her, with nowhere else to go, and she reaches back with both hands, even when she thinks she might get in trouble for it."
"You know what that tells me, Marinette? That while I'm always going to worry, I don't NEED to worry. Because my little girl is growing up amazing."
The hug that followed was wordless and lengthy, and was exactly what it needed to be.
A *TH-BMMP!* on the roof announced Adrien's return.
"Something else I think I'll be getting used to," grinned Sabine. "Listen, honey... I will always be here for you, no matter what, and you know that, right? Go talk things out with Adrien, I'm sure that he needs you right now. But when YOU need an ear to bend, no matter what it's about, you come to me or your father."
"I will." With a bit more spring in her step, Marinette headed up to her room, and when she found it still empty, she climbed up through the balcony hatch.
Sabine watched her as she left, and took a deep breath. CAN I handle all this? I guess I have to, she thought. But I know that she can.
When Marinette emerged onto the balcony, she found Adrien leaning over the railing, looking up at the stars aimlessly. "Hey," she called to him. "How did it go?"
This is going to be the hardest part of this whole dance, Marinette thought. Pretending that I wasn't right there in the middle of what happened.
Adrien remained motionless. "Marinette..." he began, "everything went sideways. Big time. I don't want to drag you into this, but..."
He turned and watched as she sat down on a lounge chair and patted the seat beside her. "But you know that I'm already there, sweetie," grinned Marinette. "C'mere. Let's talk it out."
Marinette listened carefully as Adrien unburdened himself as best he could. She was pretty sure that she left no traces hinting that she was Ladybug, and that she kept proper track of what Marinette would and wouldn't know.
"So this is where we're at," he said, holding his head in his hands. "My father is Papillon, and he's waiting for my call. My powers are still flaky, and that's my fault. Nathalie's far worse off, and that's my fault. My Kwami says he needs to talk to Ladybug's Kwami, urgently, and I don't know how they're going to do that."
"Why not?" asked Marinette, innocently.
"Well, you only see and hear Kwamis when the costume is off, right?" smiled Adrien. "That means I have to be around Ladybug for a while when she's not being Ladybug. How am I going to manage that?"
She stared at him. Is he asking that straight-up? Marinette wondered. Or is he hinting that he knows?
About twenty feet straight down from where Adrien and Marinette were sitting, that particular problem was taking care of itself.
"Plagg, we have to fix this. Adrien, Nathalie, Marinette, her parents, the people of Paris, maybe all the people of FRANCE are in danger," worried Tikki.
"You don't think I know that, Sugarcube?" grumbled Plagg. "This isn't my first rodeo with this. We are in big, big trouble. What have you found out?"
"Well...," Tikki smiled, "Things are getting interesting. Gabriel Agreste met Master Fu this afternoon, and brought Nooroo. Marinette and I went to see Master Fu tonight."
"WHAT!?" Plagg sputtered. "We KNOW who and where the Guardian is? What are we waiting for?"
"For Master Fu's go-ahead," she cautioned him. "He's as stunned by all of this as we are. He's playing it really cagey with Gabriel, waiting to see if Gabriel can be trusted. And for now, he doesn't want Adrien to know that he's the Guardian or what that means, though he will need to meet him. Don't give me that look," Tikki added. "He didn't want MARINETTE to know that, either, but that mind of hers is like a steel trap. She figured out what she needed to in record time."
"Heh. That sounds about right. So Marinette's also keeping her secret for now?"
"Master Fu told her to. He trusts Marinette's judgment that Adrien is a worthy Chat Noir, but Adrien is such a wild card right now." Tikki shrugged her tiny shoulders. "Maybe Master Fu'll bring him into the loop once he and Nathalie aren't as dangerous. If Adrien's father knows, it'd be weird for Adrien not to."
"I'm trying to wrap my head around this. Gabriel just... revealed himself and Nooroo to Master Fu? And vice versa?" asked Plagg.
"Kind of," Tikki backpedaled. "Gabriel knows how bad this situation is. He reached out for help, and when he found Master Fu, they both took a calculated risk. Gabriel doesn't know what a Guardian is - I think - but he knows about Wayzz, and that Master Fu knows a ton about Miraculous lore. For now, Gabriel seems trustworthy because he's helpless without Master Fu's assistance."
Plagg shook his head. "He might be helpless with it. Nathalie looked nasty tonight. Adrien's not that far gone yet, but a couple more Cataclysms and that might start happening. And if they're both pulsing with energy like that, and they collide, well... we need to pick which continent we want to sink this time."
"Tell me about Ladybug," Marinette asked, tentatively. "What's she like when she's with you? Do I have competition, mister superhero?"
"You're not really going to ask me that question, are you, Marinette? You know exactly who it is that I want," grinned Adrien, wrapping his left arm around her shoulders.
She liked the gesture, but remained a bit unsettled. You didn't quite answer the question that I can't ask out loud, she thought.
"Ladybug is... well, she reminds me a lot of you, to be honest," Adrien began, as Marinette's butterflies redoubled. "I don't know her all that well yet, but every time I've met her, she's been ready to help however she could. I'm pretty sure she saved my life tonight, when Nathalie came at me. She's... really sincere about everything she does. I mean that as a major compliment."
"Uh-huh..." Marinette replied, motioning for him to continue. So far, so good.
"She's smart. She's really quick to figure things out on the fly. While I was all shaken up tonight, she helped keep my father and I calm, she got Mylène and I out of there, she talked with my father and I think she got through to him! That's NOT easy! You earn your way into his trust, he doesn't give it lightly, but he seems like he thinks very highly of Ladybug. And I do, too." Adrien took a deep breath. "I think she's precisely who and what Paris needs."
He looked into Marinette's eyes and winked. "She's also the second-cutest heroine in Paris."
Despite herself, Marinette jumped back a little and retorted, "SECOND-cutest?"
"Well, the cutest one's something really special. She has wings, little pigtails sticking up like little antennae, a lightning power, the sweetest voice, the prettiest smile, the purest soul. She came to find me when I was feeling really low, when I needed help the most. I had a huge crush on her for days. And THEN," grinned Adrien, "she became my girlfriend."
Marinette's eyes went very wide.
"I didn't know you were Firefly when I met you. But I put two and two together tonight, and, well, am I right?" Adrien asked, and got his answer when she melted into him.
"Let me guess. A little butterfly told you?" giggled Marinette, relief surging through her. "Yes, that was me! Papillon's first experiment. So I'm not TOTALLY apart from this superhero thing."
"If I do reconcile with my father, and all of this gets settled... I could ask him. Would you want to be Firefly again?" Marinette listened to him with more than a little wonder. "You were wonderful at it that day! You inspired me to be a hero, and not just a guy in a cat suit. I'd love for you to have another chance."
"Let's... get to that point and we'll talk about it, okay?" Marinette purred. "One step at a time."
She leaned in to kiss him and he leaned in as well, then pulled his right hand back abruptly. "Gotta be careful," he muttered. "I don't trust myself any more."
"Do you feel that... 'need' right now, Adrien?" she asked him, and when he shook his head 'no,' she snuggled up against his chest and wrapped first his left arm, then his right around her.
"Then this is who I trust."
A short while later, the pair came downstairs together, and found Tom and Sabine together in the kitchen waiting for them.
"All clear?" Tom asked.
Adrien nodded. "Do you want a full rundown of what happened tonight, or just the highlights?"
"Only what you're comfortable sharing," replied Tom. "You have some secrets for a reason."
"I'll start with this, then," said Adrien. "We had some scares tonight, but everyone came away okay. I confirmed a lot of things that I needed to know for sure. And my father and I were face-to-face."
"Good." Tom's face showed visible approval. "And what happened with that?"
"We understand each other, as a starting point. He knows that I'm safe and with people I trust right now. I know that it's temporary. I'll be talking with him in calmer circumstances tomorrow, by calling him."
"Also good. I meant what I said earlier about that needing to happen. Now... were you just upstairs kissing my daughter?" he asked, in a growly voice.
Adrien blinked with surprise. He gulped a little before responding, "Yes, to be perfectly honest, I was."
Tom glared at the comparatively tiny young man, momentarily... then his face broke into a grin. "All right, then! It sounds like all your priorities are in order. Good job, son."
Sabine chuckled, watching Adrien's face contort. "If you're going to be a regular guest here, Adrien, you're going to have to adapt to my husband's sense of humor."
Marinette debated whether to break into laughter or be completely mortified and hide in the refrigerator.
Sleep didn't come easily to the inhabitants of the Dupain-Cheng household that night... but it did come. But before it did, there was one thing that one of them really needed to address.
Marinette punched away at the virtual keyboard on her phone...
[Marinette] Hey, how are you feeling? Did Chat get you home all right? Are you okay?
She waited for a response...
[Mylène] Yeah, I'm pretty good. I'm home and feel normal again. Tonight was so crazy!
[Marinette] Are you alone, and can we talk this out for a minute?
[Mylène] I am and we can. So what I saw tonight... on each of you... those WEREN'T from butterflies?
[Marinette] They weren't. I'm trying to think of what I can say about this...
[Marinette] Where the butterfly came from? That's on the same level as what we have. These don't wear off.
There was a long pause, and Marinette held her breath a little bit.
[Mylène] I have around 40,000 questions.
[Marinette] I bet you do! And I can answer at least five of them. A lot of this has to stay secret.
[Marinette] Mylène, I know that I can trust you, you're a good friend. But I _have to know_ that you won't tell anyone.
[Mylène] I won't! I get how big this is. Not even Ivan or my dad.
[Mylène] Do you and Chat...
[Marinette] I know his secret. He doesn't know mine yet. It's complicated.
[Mylène] Wrapping my head around that for a minute...
[Mylène] But you and Adrien are a couple now, right?
[Marinette] Yep! :)
[Mylène] I should have thought of that long ago! Kidnap a handsome boy and keep him in my house until he loves me.
[Marinette] Hey! There was no kidnapping involved! HE came to ME. Twice!
[Mylène] I know, I'm just teasing, and CONGRATULATIONS! That is so cool!
[Marinette] I'm so happy for you and Ivan, too! I was wondering when that would happen.
[Mylène] Can we get together sometime and compare notes?
[Marinette] Absolutely! Let's figure out lunch or something this week. I have so much to tell you.
[Marinette] And I am glad that I'll have someone like you to confide in.
[Mylène] My pleasure. Talk to you then...
A knock at the door roused Nathalie Sancoeur from half-asleep to mostly-awake. The light showing on the curtains indicated that she'd slept the night through without incident. "Come in!" she called, drowsily... and then her eyes flew wide open.
There were many things Nathalie had come to expect from her distinguished employer over the years... but breakfast in bed was not one of them. "Sir?" she half-gasped.
"Good morning! I thought I'd take the liberty of... Oh!" Gabriel realized some potential implications. "I didn't think... are you sufficiently dressed? I can put this down and go..."
"No, I'm fine, thank you," Nathalie blushed, mentally thanking herself for preferring conservative pajamas. Her eyes lit up at the sight of what was on the platter he'd brought, and she added, "What is all this?"
"One of many parts of my apology for the nightmare you're going through," soothed Gabriel. "But if I recall one thing about it for sure, it's that you've been quite hungry for more than Miraculous energy. Is this to your liking?"
A knife and fork flashing rapidly answered that. "Yes! Thank you so much, Gabriel," she said between bites. "This was very thoughtful."
"How are you feeling, apart from that? You had quite an ordeal last night," he asked, cautiously. "Did that herbal concoction seem to do anything for you?"
"It's hard to say, you know?" parried Nathalie. "I can't go back and redo the night without it to compare. I feel like myself right now, but when I'd... drained someone before, once I came down from the energy rush, I felt like myself then for a while. Then it came back. Right now, I'm hoping that bottle of whatever will help keep it away longer."
"Good. I do not want to put any stress on you, so consider yourself on vacation until further notice." He smiled and dismissed her silent protests with a raised hand. "The Jacobson contract is in good hands. Your health is far more important than the business right now. Obviously, keeping track of Adrien's schedule is something of a moot point at present..."
Nathalie shuddered. "This is... awkward. It's not every day that I try to kill someone's son and then they bring me breakfast."
Gabriel's eyes locked onto hers. "That was NONE of your doing. You asked for none of this to happen, and you were not in control of any of your actions. Put that far out of your mind," he lectured her, gently.
"Thank you, Gabriel," she replied, looking down. "So what is our next move?"
"I would like you to meet the mysterious Mr. Fu today, if you are comfortable with that," suggested Gabriel. "He would like to examine you... more spiritually than physically, he assured me... and assess what can be done to return you and Adrien to normal. Would you be up for that today?"
"Sure," Nathalie answered. "Better now, while I'm feeling pretty good, than when it's got me curled up in a ball."
"I will text him and make arrangements, then," Gabriel said, rising up from her bedside. "Enjoy your breakfast!"
"I will!" she called out, as he left her room. Well, THIS is already a very unusual day, she thought. And every indication is that that's just getting started.
Breakfast at the Dupain-Chengs' was somewhat less eventful.
Marinette ducked her head into Adrien's room, once she was dressed and ready. "Are you coming down... oh!" she began, but found his room unoccupied. His clothes and belongings are still here, she smiled, so at least we're not going through THAT again just yet!
When Marinette padded down to the kitchen, she found her father finishing up his plate of eggs and smiling in her direction. "Good morning!" he called, "There's plenty made up, so dig in."
"Good morning, Dad. Is Adrien joining us?" she asked him, assembling her own breakfast on her plate.
"He's downstairs with your mother, minding the store. We got everything we needed to into the ovens for now, so he told ME to go up and take a break." Tom smiled warmly. "You're sure he's meant to be a model? I'll make a baker out of him yet if he's not careful."
"I think his father's got a little too much invested in him to let that happen," Marinette giggled. "But he's got the work ethic."
"Your mother told me about your conversation last night," he added, evenly. "Sounds like things were crazy out there, and you helped keep everyone in one piece. Are you all right, Marinette?"
"I am," she replied. "So far, anyway. I'm making this all up as I go, but I feel like we're heading the right way as long as nobody gets hurt. We've been lucky so far, and apparently luck is what Ladybug is all about." She sipped at her orange juice. "Same question I asked Mom. Are YOU okay with this insanity, Dad? You've been so far beyond good to Adrien - to both of us."
"Oh, if you keep bringing home kitchen help, the bakery'll do just fine..." he offered, dryly, and laughed at the face his daughter made. "I think I'm on the same wavelength your mother is," Tom added, a bit more seriously. "I learned a long time ago to work with what I have and roll with whatever comes next. This is... well, how can ANYONE understand how this week went? It's beyond belief. But it's happening, and I can't change that... so I'm adapting. I'll help you if you'll help me."
He pointed to the floor, indicating the bakery kitchen beneath him and its current occupant, and said, "You picked a good one there, by the way. Take care of him."
"I'm very glad you think so," Marinette replied, a little bit surprised. "I mean, obviously, _I_ like him so much, but he has turned all of our lives upside down..."
"Did he mean to?" her father asked. "I know he didn't. I've been getting to know him while he's been here, and I trust my instincts. He's a good person trying to figure out the impossible AND protect everyone else from it. And if you're going to keep doing this Ladybug thing, he'll be rock-solid by your side."
Marinette glowed for a moment, but then her face fell somewhat. "Dad... the 'Ladybug thing' is important, but it's also worrying me. I could use some advice."
"Oh? I'm listening," Tom replied, with serious eyes.
"So far, the only dangerous thing I've brought home on purpose is, well, Adrien. So far! But we've had a rock golem across the street, two accidents with Adrien's powers, battles in the streets of Paris, I don't even know if there ARE such things as 'supervillains' in France... I never want to put you and Mom at risk, and I feel like I'm doing that."
"Same question as with Adrien, then. Do you mean to?" her father asked. "Of course you don't. You are keeping your identity a secret, right?"
"Absolutely. I mean, one of my friends already figured it out, but I swore her to secrecy. I'm not going on TV and saying 'Look at me, world!'" Marinette assured him. "This is to help people, not to be a celebrity."
"Then I'm not worried. You're going to make me even prouder of you than I already am," smiled Tom. "And when messes happen, I know you'll clean them up."
"And there's one other complicated part of my identity... Adrien doesn't know that I'm Ladybug. The person who sent the earrings... he's insisting that I keep that secret from both Adrien AND his father. And I get that... but it's going to be really hard to hide that from my hero partner AND my boyfriend." Marinette laughed, quietly, adding, "And THERE are two phrases I didn't think I'd ever say."
"That could get messy, yes. Your mother and I can help you with that, of course, if you help us keep our stories straight. Can you ever tell Adrien?" Tom wondered.
"I don't know. Definitely not while this powers thing is happening to him and Nathalie, and we're kind of keeping an eye on his father for now. He's being nice and helpful so far, but the Miraculous he has could cause all kinds of problems if he ever misuses it."
"Good to know. Let me know when and how I can help," assured Tom. "We're here for both of you."
Tom admired his daughter's appreciative smile and directed her, "Now go check on our junior pâtissier downstairs. I don't smell any smoke yet, but..."
Master Fu tried to appear welcoming as Gabriel and Nathalie entered his studio. Once again, the fly offers hospitality to what may be a spider, he thought to himself, and this time he's brought a walking time bomb with him. Living in interesting times...
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Sancoeur," Fu offered. "I hope that I can help resolve this... problem."
"Nathalie, please," she replied, "and I thank you for trying, whether you can or not."
"For reference," Gabriel added, "Nathalie knows everything that I know about the Miraculous, so we need not hide anything from her. Or at least I will not; you, of course, may keep your own counsel."
"I see!" mumbled Fu, looking Nathalie up and down with practiced eyes. "That will save some time, yes. Are you feeling well at the moment, Nathalie?"
"Well enough," Nathalie answered. "There's... perhaps the faintest little tickle of the hunger, but I could be imagining it. For some reason, I've been just a little paranoid this week."
Fu set up a table for her to stretch out on, discussing the events of the night before casually, as he set about measuring her energies via his own methods. It is as I feared, he thought. Spiritually, she is like a tire with a slow leak that cannot be patched. I can keep inflating it herbally, but eventually it's going to rip apart... or explode.
He looked over at Gabriel, who seemed to be swallowing down his own nervousness. "So you did make contact with Adrien last night, I understand. Is he in similar straits?" Fu asked him.
"He appeared normal to me, or as normal as one can be prancing around in a black leather catsuit," replied Gabriel. "I asked about his... energies, and he snapped back at me and was evasive, so I suspect that's another of his concerns. We did not have time to exchange more than a few words before separating, taking care of the casualties."
Gabriel shuddered in his chair. "It was good to see him feeling well, but I could go a hundred years without seeing another scene like that. If not for the Ladybug girl, things might have been catastrophic." He hesitated before he leaned forward slightly and asked, "You wouldn't know anything more about her, would you now?"
Fu stopped in his tracks and glared back at Gabriel; Nathalie's eyes flew wide open as she felt the tension in the air. "Mr. Agreste, we are not children. I believe we are both perfectly aware of the potential and the danger of the Ladybug and the Cat," Fu growled at him. "If you believe that I would assist you in combining them, you are gravely mistaken."
Seeing Fu's anger and wariness, Gabriel retreated, saying in a quiet voice, "I do not believe you would, nor would I expect you to. I am fully aware of the invocation being a monkey's paw at best, and of the cost to be paid."
Fu continued to stare. "I did not hear you say 'and I would never incur that cost,'" he accused.
A moment passed in silence.
Adrien turned and watched the stairs as he heard light footsteps approaching. "Good morning," he called to Marinette as she entered the room; Sabine smiled watching both of their faces light up.
"Hi, Adrien! Good morning, Mom," Marinette replied, stopping briefly to peck her mother on the cheek. "Hard at work, I see?" she asked Adrien.
"Kind of. I don't know much down here, but I'm doing what I know," he replied. "I'm watching the temperature on ovens 1 and 2, the croissants are just about to come out of 3, and I'm working on more cookie roses while keeping an eye on those."
"You're impressing my dad with all this," smiled Marinette. "Among many other things. Mom, can we keep him?"
That got a loud laugh from Sabine. "I think a lot of that's up to him, don't you?" she answered as she moved to the front of the store, hearing customers at the door. "I'll let you two negotiate terms down here for a while."
"Call us if you need help," Marinette called after her, before returning her attention to her blushing baker-in-training. "So... what would it take to get you to stay for good, hmmm?" she teased him.
"The right look on your face," Adrien answered. "But you knew that, because you're showing it to me right now."
Gabriel gathered his will and steeled his posture. I must say this most precisely, he thought.
"I did not say that... because I will not deny that I have considered it," began Gabriel, meeting Fu's gaze. "There was a time when my younger self read the tales of untapped power, heard the legends of totems of magical might and pursued them, on a whim. And he brought his wife along for the ride, because what could possibly happen? It would be quite an adventure, he thought."
"And, to our astonishment, we found part of what we sought. But it was my wife who paid THAT price."
Fu said nothing as Gabriel continued. "You find it curious, don't you, that a French fashion magnate should know so much about ancient Chinese artifacts, much less possess more than one? Part of that was youthful folly. The other part has been my spending every day since searching for a way to undo what has been done." The passion in his voice was obvious. "I do not seek money, or power, or world domination. I seek to restore the woman I lost via my own actions. And that is what my son wants more than anything else, as well... and that is why we are here now. Except instead of trying to save one life, now I must save three. Somehow."
"And to demonstrate some of my good faith..." said Gabriel, snapping open his attache case, "I have something to offer you."
Nathalie took one look at it and realized what it contained. "The BOOK! Gabriel, no..." she whimpered. "I know how much that means to you..."
Gabriel's eyes never left Fu's. "I have been studying this, in my own halting way, since the day I acquired it. I have tried to find some alternative to the Ladybug - Cat invocation, some other combination of Miraculous effects that might undo some of the damage done."
Fu said, quietly, "You have been searching for something that does not exist."
"And I agree with that," Gabriel continued. "I have found no solutions or even partial solutions not involving the Ladybug. And THAT is why I brought her up just now. I suspect that you know more than you're telling me, but I understand completely why you would withhold that." He turned to his fallen assistant. "Nathalie, yes, this book is most important to me; it's the last thing Emilie ever gave me before what happened, happened. Its value is incalculable! But the man leaning over you has forgotten more about the Miraculous than we will ever know. If giving him this will help, it is worth it."
As Fu took the book from Gabriel, a flicker of Gabriel's previous stature returned. "I would prefer it to be a loan, not a gift," he added, wryly. "But we can negotiate once the crisis has passed."
Nathalie remained goggle-eyed. "Can he - Sir, can you read it?"
"Some of it. I could decipher perhaps half of the scans Gabriel showed me last night. I am astonished that he could read any of it, research or not." Fu processed the implications of all parts of this standoff, quietly. "Gabriel... I thank you for this, and I will take it in the spirit in which it was offered," he allowed. "I can do little right now, but now that I have examined your energies, Nathalie, I have a much better idea of how to proceed. I will need some time to research this."
"How long, do you think?" asked Gabriel, a bit too eagerly to hide his anxiousness.
"Answers come when they come. Perhaps hours. Perhaps days. I have prepared another vial of what I gave you last night... and I think it should help. But it is the last for quite some time, unless ancient ingredients start falling out of the sky," replied Fu. "I will text you with my progress."
As the visitors approached the front door, Fu stopped them. "Gabriel, time will tell whether we will ever be friends, or if we are on a road to conflict. But what you told me tonight was not easy to admit, nor was what you gave me easy to give. You have my respect. I do not give it lightly."
"The feeling is mutual... on all counts," smiled Gabriel, grimly, and they shared a handshake on the way out.
"GABRIEL! I cannot believe that you gave him the BOOK!" gasped Nathalie, in the car. "You spent a lifetime tracking that down!"
"And I have digital scans of every page at home. I have given him the form, but we both have the function. Give me some credit, Nathalie," Gabriel smiled. His face became more solemn as he added, "Make no mistake, that was a deadly serious game of cat-and-mouse in there, and I am not the cat. But this mouse does have some teeth and claws."
Nathalie watched her employer's eyes, carefully. "You learned quite a bit from him in there, didn't you?"
"I believe I did. Primarily, he had no denial that he knows of the Ladybug and its whereabouts, which means he's very likely the source of the heroine we spoke with last night. Does that matter? I do not know. Perhaps he can concoct some remedy that will save the day! But if he fails... the more I know about this Ladybug, the closer I am to what would be my absolute last-ditch solution." Gabriel's voice grew darker. "And there will be some solution in the end, one way or another."
Nathalie shuddered. "You will not lose yourself to save me. I'm not worth that," she said quietly.
"You mean more to me than you know, Nathalie. And to save you, AND save my son, AND prevent what might be a huge disaster in the making? I will do whatever I must."
He went silent. Nathalie asked, "And what do we know about this Ladybug?", but got no immediate reply.
Where Chat Noir goes, the Ladybug seems to follow. She is a girl around his age. He trusts her completely. She is sensitive, thoughtful and highly intelligent. And there is the possibility that she is connected to Adrien as himself, as well.
The bodyguard sat behind the wheel, waiting for direction from Gabriel.
"Head over by Adrien's school," Gabriel directed him, coming to an abrupt decision. "I believe that I'm in the mood for some cream puffs."
Tom and Sabine smiled at each other as the flow of morning customers finally reached a lull. "Not bad at all, honey!" Tom admired.
"A very good morning! Though I wish someone would buy that flaugnarde, you spent too much time on it for it to go to waste," Sabine agreed. "I see the cookie roses flew out of here again. You have the croquembouche ready for the Bissets' order, right?"
"Ready and waiting," confirmed Tom. "The kids are packing up their other pastries now."
"Excellent! Then we..." Sabine trailed off, looking out the window. "...Tom?" she called. "Go close the door to the kitchen."
"Won't it get stuffy back there with the ovens going? Marinette and Adrien are frosting some more-"
"TOM. Go close the door to the kitchen, please," she repeated, insistently.
Dutifully, he walked to the back of the store and closed the door. "Is something wrong, Sabine?" he asked. "What did you... ohhhh."
He looked out the front window, where her gaze was aimed, and saw a distinguished blonde gentleman getting out of an expensive car at their curbside. His face and appearance were unmistakable.
In the kitchen, Adrien and Marinette were both busy, each grinning at the other and trying to keep their attention (and their hands) on the pastries and breads. They were reasonably successful.
The door closing behind her registered in Marinette's mind, but only slightly. Hmmm, she thought. We weren't making too much noise in here - no noise at all, really! I wonder what brought that on?
"After we're done helping out this morning," she asked Adrien, "do you want to get out of here for a while? I'm sure you're feeling kind of cooped up."
"Where would you have in mind?" Adrien responded. "I'm up for just about anything."
"I don't know, I'm just throwing out ideas. Walk in the park? A little shopping? We could take in a movie."
"Heh," laughed Adrien. "The last time I went to see a movie was a disaster! I kept getting recognized and hounded for autographs - it was right after that one fragrance ad came out. I ended up going back there wearing a motorcycle helmet for a little peace."
Marinette sat her frosting pen down and struck a pose. "Radiant. Carefree. Dreamy."
"Ugh, you SAW that!" Adrien cringed. "I wanted to choke our writers for that one."
"Are you suggesting that you are neither radiant nor carefree?" teased Marinette. "And how could I not have seen it? Your face was on half the flat surfaces in town."
"Such a horrible sight to see," mocked Adrien.
"Oh, I didn't say THAT," Marinette added, with a twinkle in her eye. "But I'll appreciate it more now that I know the person who's behind that pretty face."
A buzz on Marinette's phone interrupted the casual flirting. She snuck a peek at it, and gasped.
[Mom] Gabriel Agreste just pulled up in front of the shop. This is not a drill. Ask Adrien, how should we play this?
"ADRIEN!" Marinette hissed, quietly. "Come over here, quickly! We have a situation."
He looked at her phone, jumped a little with surprise, and caught his breath. "Heeeeere we go..." he mumbled.
[Mom] ...Well? He's almost to the door!
Next time:
* A Showdown at the D-C Corral.
* A turn for the worse.
* The Kwamis have their say.
* "Should we at least pretend that things are getting back to normal?"
* "The decision is out of my hands now."