Liam started coming round and he could hear the voices of his classmates.

"Looks a right state," Chloe said. "Must have been the bang."

"No shit!" Alix answered. "I thought Juleka gave him a makeover while he was convulsing."

"Why don't we give you that makeover, Chloe?" Lila asked.

"And see what you look like?"

Liam spoke up. "Any makeover for Chloe would be better than looking like a banana in pajamas."

The students started cheering and laughing in joy (Chloe the exception), at both the fact Liam was awake and that his first words were a joke at Chloe's expense. Liam's vision started improving and he saw that he was in a bed with Alix sat on a chair backwards and leaning on the backrest on the left of the bed, Lila standing in the left corner facing off with Chloe in the right corner doing her nails, Marinette and Nathaniel sat in chairs on right and left sides of Liam's bed, and Adrien standing next to Marinette. Looking around, he saw that he was in a hospital room lying on a bed.

"How long have I been out?" Liam asked.

"6 hours," Marinette answered. "The school's been closed till January."

"Aw, man." Liam pushed himself up and sat up. "Did everyone's gifts survive?"

"Yeah," Alix responded. "Liam, we appreciate them but right now, we're more concerned about you. I mean, you've got a 'red-eye'. The white in your right eye's covered by blood, but I've had them before from skating injuries. They always look worse than they actually are and they're painless and have no symptoms. No impaired vision, no headaches. What we're confused about is how exactly did you get injured enough to collapse? You were one of the students furthest from the blast."

"It's..." Liam lied. "It's a bit of a blur. All I can remember was that I was assaulted after we got to the park."

"WHAT?!" Marinette screamed, startling everyone and causing Chloe to spill nail color on her clothes.

"You gotta be kidding me! Look at this mess, Marinette. Thanks a lot!" Everyone looked at Chloe with annoyance.

Marinette grew angry. "You're welcome! I mean, you've got to replace your clothes. Big deal. My uncle-in-law and my friend has got to deal with his injuries."

"Uh, Marinette?" Liam spoke. "I'm not your uncle-in-law. Félix and Bridgette aren't actually married. Though they might as well be."

"Thanks, Liam. And don't think this is the worst of it. You were the source of the racism towards Liam's friends from his old school."

"What racism? They kicked me out over nothing, they got what they deserved." As Chloe was about to bite Marinette's head off, the door knocked. Adrien walked over and opened it. Standing there were three boys. The first was an Asian boy with big, messy black hair wearing a hooded black tracksuit with a light blue stripe going from the left collarbone to the right torso, which continued on the trousers down to the right sleeve. The second was a dark-skinned boy with a buzz cut wearing a light blue beanie, a tracksuit with the same color, except for an X shape on the front, that was colored emerald green. The third boy had lighter skin than the second and appeared to be of Indian ethnicity. He had a crew cut hairstyle and wore a short-sleeve grey shirt over a navy long-sleeve shirt, light blue jeans and grey and silver shoes. He also carried a one strap backpack. The Asian boy spoke to Adrien.

"Is this Liam's room?"

"Yeah," Adrien answered.

"Oh!" Liam said. "Adrien, these are my friends. Let them in and I'll give the proper introductions." Adrien let the three of them walk in. "Wasn't expecting you so soon."

"Well, we came as soon as we heard." The Indian boy replied.

"Okay, where to begin. Everyone, these are my good friends. The 'X' man is Michael Goldsmith, he swears that surname is real. I will not comment. The guy with the strange stripe is Wilson Hikari, no I'm using your real and much better name, Milo Hikari."

"Do people still call me Wilson?" Milo asked.

"Bridgette does. And finally, the guy who, judging by his clothing, takes the cold weather like a champ, is Sami. Michael, Milo, Sami, these are my new classmates and friends. From left to right, we got Alix, Nathaniel, Lila, Adrien and Marinette."

"Hello." The trio said as they went around and shook hands with everyone. Noticing Chloe, Michael questioned Liam. "Who's she and why didn't you introduce her?"

"Two words: Mars Bar."

Michael turned slowly in shock. "Chloe Bourgeois!" All of Liam's classmates turned and faced Michael as he towered over Chloe.

Chloe looked up and saw Michael. "Ugh, you again?! What are you foreigners doing here, Mars Bar?"

Milo snapped. "We're Liam's friends!" Liam's classmates jumped. "We care about him to be here, what's your excuse?"

"Stuck here till my father sends my chauffeur. Didn't want to be in here."

"Then get out, you self-righteous cow." Sami retorted. "The door's right there. Go and find... Sabrina, is it? Go and yell at her for causing all your make-belief problems." Chloe stood up straight and walked to the door, but before she walked out, she turned to Marinette.

"You can expect the bill for these soon!" Chloe slammed the door behind her.

Everyone gave a breath of relief. Liam soon started talking. "It's good to see you guys. Can't wait to begin Side Swipe again!"

"Side Swipe?" Alix asked, puzzled.

"Our band. I play the bass, Milo does guitars, Sami uses the drums and Michael is the vocalist and also does guitars and piano. We should see if we can get you guys to see us."

Sami chuckled. "We got you something. We were gonna give you them on Christmas Eve, but we decided to give you them now." Craig opened his backpack and pulled out some graphic novels. Three for each one of them. Liam looked at them. Daredevil: Born Again, Daredevil: Yellow and Majestia: Global Meltdown.

"Thanks, Guys!"

"That's not the big thing. Open the Born Again book, first page." Liam opened the comic and out slipped an envelope. Liam gave an intrigued look. Even Liam's new classmates were as intrigued as Liam. Liam opened the envelope and read the letter aloud.

"To Whom It May Concern, I am writing on behalf of Bob Roth Records. Mr. Roth was impressed with your musical abilities and the demonstration of your engineering techniques and I am pleased to tell that..." Liam stopped to process what he saw on the paper. "We would like to offer you a deal to have your works released on the Bob Roth Records label!" Liam's classmates all gasped. Liam himself was in awe, then he saw that the paper had an inwards fold. "There's more!"

"We must have missed it."

Liam unfolded the paper and read out the rest. "In addition to this label, you have been cordially invited to perform at Jagged Stone's New Year's Party, alongside and by request of Mr. Stone himself! Please contact the number provided when you've decided. Yours faithfully, Penny Rolling!" Everyone gasped and squealed in joy.

"There's our chance to see yous live!" Marinette gleamed.

"And with Jagged Stone!" Nathaniel added.

Liam smiled. 'Man,' Liam thought. 'Never thought we'd get picked by Jagged Stone. Will I be healed enough in time?' Liam's face went sour when he realised something he forgot. 'Wait... That girl. Krystal. Is she OK? Did she find her brother?'

"Hey, Liam?" Michael said. "Hate to leave you buddy, but we gotta go christmas shopping."

"Don't let me stop yous having family time." Michael, Milo and Sami walked to the door and opened it and gave goodbyes as they walked out.

"Later, Scotty," Michael said.

"That's it! Keep up the illusion!" Liam responded.

"See you when you get out of here," Sami uttered.

"See you later."

Milo joked. "In a bit, dogshit!"

"I'll rip your tongue out!" Liam laughed sarcastically. "See you later!" Liam's bandmates closed the door behind them. As soon as they were gone, Liam asked his friends a question. "Okay, guys. Who else is here in the hospital?"

"Mylene, Sabrina, and Kim were all cut with shards of glass," Alix said. "They've been given bandages. I've been treated for my head and given painkillers and Juleka started throwing up when you were put in an ambulance. She was hit with a window frame. Rose is with her, crying her eyes out, poor girl."

"Sounds like most of you are okay. There is something else. Before I was assaulted, I found a girl in the park. 8 or 9 years old and blind. She told me she was looking for her brother who had gone somewhere before the fire happened. Miss Bustier was helping me with her, then I got attacked. Does anyone know what happened to her?"

The students looked at each other, then looked at Liam, shaking their heads.

"If Miss Bustier was helping her, then she'll know," Lila answered. "We just want you to rest. We've gotta go soon."

Liam smiled. "Thanks, guys." Liam suddenly became tired and out of breath. "Whoa." He said. "Suddenly, I feel like I'm passing out."

"The doctor said you'd be getting an automatic sedative," Nathaniel said. "We should go, let you rest."

"Okay." Everyone grabbed their bags and readied themselves to leave. Marinette got up and hugged Liam.

"Well done," Marinette whispered. "The Hornet defeated his first solo villain."

"You like him." Liam gave a little nod towards Adrien. "You know he likes you. Ask him out." Marinette blushed. She could never ask Adrien out. Could she?

Nathaniel shook Liam's hand, as did Lila and Adrien. But Alix did something no one expected. She hugged him but quickly moved back.

"Sorry." Alix rushed. "I don't know what made me do that."

"You must have needed it. Don't worry."

The class walked out, waving at Liam as they did so. Liam laid down again, before falling asleep. As Alix, Nathaniel and Lila headed down the stairs, Marinette and Adrien used the elevator.


Walking down the stairs, Lila walked faster and was out of sight. Nathaniel spoke to Alix.

"You've had that feeling too, haven't you?"

"What are you-?"

"Ever since the Evillustrator, I've never been able to draw. I remember trying my hardest to draw one of those heroes, but I just felt sick all the time."

"And it wasn't just a nauseous feeling. You wanted to end it, didn't you?"

Nathaniel choked. "Yes. M-my passion and I used it t-to h-hurt people. I tried to kill Chloe. Even if she's horrible, she doesn't deserve that."

Alix got angry at the reminder of Timebreaker. "Gee thanks. Lay the guilt of murdering..." Alix teared up. "All of y-you. Oh, god! How could I?" Alix fell to her knees, covered her face and burst into tears. Nathaniel knelt down and gently pulled Alix's hands away from her face, holding them in his own and staring at her.

"You didn't. Hawk Moth did. Those seconds of him talking, he rewires your brain and makes you think he's in the right. We're feeling the effects of what he's done."

Alix sniffled. "W-we should've fought back."

"We're normal people, he was a supervillain. When he was in my head, he showed me some horrifying things. The biggest one was Ladybug killing Marinette. He used our fears against us. Every time I picked up a pen, I saw that in my head. You saw something, didn't you?"

Alix nodded. "I didn't really see anything before I was transformed. But I keep having this nightmare." Nathaniel put his finger on Alix's lips.

"Let's get out of here and we can talk about it." Nathaniel got up and helped Alix to her feet and they walked away, Nathaniel's arm on Alix's shoulder. "How does Marinette's bakery sound?"


As they were having their heart-to-heart, Marinette and Adrien stood in the elevator, sweating from nerves. Marinette plucked up the courage to speak.

"A-Adrien?" Marinette tripped over her words. "I- was wonder-ring if you w-wanted to..." Adrien looked at Marinette. "...go to a movie or something sometime." Marinette couldn't prepare herself for rejection.

"Er..." Adrien said. "Yes, of course." So, Marinette didn't need to prepare for rejection. "The new Star Wars movie! That could be fun. I'll buy the popcorn." Marinette squealed in glee.

"If only I asked you sooner."

Adrien was confused. "Sooner?"

Marinette nodded. "Ever since that day you gave me the umbrella in the rain, I've had a crush on you. But, I was too scared to ask you on a date. Then, the day Ladybug and Cat Noir fought Hawk Moth..."

Adrien interrupted. "Liam told you I liked you. He saw me confess it to my dad." The blonde model giggled. "Oh, he helped me with some big problems. I never truly confronted my father about our problems for a year. One minute after he helps me, we're talking and my dad's changing back to who he was."

Marinette smiled. "He must get that from living with my aunt Bridgette and his brother Félix. If he hadn't told me about you, I'd probably still be stuttering. What would Chloe think?" At that point, the elevator stopped and the door opened, with Chloe stood there with a cup listening in.

"We're going on a date, Chloe can cry all she wants, she's not destroying it." Chloe dropped her cup and Adrien stared at her.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" The blonde diva shrieked. Adrien looked at Marinette.

"Let's go." Adrien and Marinette walked out of the elevator. Chloe chased after them.

"Adrikins, don't ignore me! You're dating her?!"

"One date, Chloe." The three of them made it outside and proceeded to Adrien's limo, Chloe and Adrien arguing all the way. "I'm going with Marinette and you can't stop me."

"Why go out with her when you could go out with me?"

"She's kind, honest, friendly. She always brightens up the place when things are gloomy. And best of all, she doesn't buy her friends or treat them like slaves."

"And I'm not a racist!" Marinette added. Adrien nodded in agreement. They reached Adrien's limo, with the bodyguard holding the door open for Adrien.

"We're going now, Chloe. I'm going on a date with Marinette, and I will not be friends with a racist, entitled little bully." Adrien turned around and helped Marinette into the limo before getting in himself. The bodyguard closed the door and Adrien opened the window, bearing a disheartened expression on his face. "You know, I always thought you could redeem yourself and become a better person, but after what Liam told me on Halloween and what you showed earlier, I seriously doubt that. Maybe Sabrina should do what I'm doing. Might wake you up to the real world." The Limo engine started. "See you around, Chloe." Adrien closed the window and the Limo drove off. Marinette saw Adrien's heartache.

"I'm sorry, Adrien." The bluenette said softly.

Adrien sighed and turned to Marinette. "Don't be. She's been given limitless chances to redeem herself and she keeps going wrong. I can't stand by her much longer. I must be stupid to think she can still turn it around."

Marinette placed her hand over Adrien's. "You're not stupid, you're hopeful. You hope she can turn it around. That's one of the reasons I like you, Adrien. When we first saw each other, I assumed you put gum on my seat and you took the blame. Nino told me why you didn't say anything. You've got a good heart, Adrien."

Adrien smiled. "Thanks. You too, Marinette." The two teens engaged in a hug for what felt like an eternity. They soon came back down to earth when the limo had a video call. Nathalie, Gabriel's assistant. Adrien's bodyguard pressed a button to answer. When he did, Nathalie appeared in on the back of the limo's front seats, apparently lying on a floor in darkness.

"Mr. Acier!" Nathalie whispered to the bodyguard. "Whatever you do, keep Adrien away from the mansion. We're in lock-down and someone's trying to attack Mr. Agreste."

Mr. Acier looked at Marinette through the rear-view mirror and did something he almost never did: talk.

"Perhaps your parents' bakery will be safe, miss?"

Marinette was surprised and slow to answer. "Uh, yes. Yeah, my parents will help."

"That should suffice." Nathalie continued. "The attackers seem to only be after Mr. Agreste. We're safe for now, but it won't last. Your priority is to keep Adrien safe."

"Understood. I'll take Master Agreste to the bakery, then call the police."

"No! Mister Agreste insisted on no police. He said to call Félix Rejeter. He can help-" The video cut out.

"Cheese and Cracks!" Mr. Acier drove to Marinette's bakery and led the two inside. Tom and Sabine were serving Alix and Nathaniel when they came in.

"Mom, Dad," Marinette spoke. "We need your help."

"What's the matter, sweetie?" Sabine asked.

"My dad's being attacked!" Adrien answered at fast speed.

"Could Adrien remain here while the issue gets resolved?" Mr. Acier asked.

"Of course!" Tom answered. "Why don't you two head upstairs? You can take your friends up, too." Referring to Nathaniel and Alix.

"Thanks, Mr. Dupain," Alix answered.

"Thanks, Dad" Marinette responded. Marinette took Adrien, Nathaniel, and Alix up to her living room, where Marinette switched her TV on, trying to keep Adrien happy.

"Try and stay positive, Adrien. Your dad's defenses were pretty good against Simon Says."

Adrien stared at Marinette wide-eyed but soon spoke nervously. "I know he can fend for himself, but I've just got my real dad back, I can't lose him now..."