Chapter 26: Uncertain Future

When Mylene told the rest of the class what had happened in the principal's office, no one in class believed her at first. It was hard for them to imagine that Jeanne was possibly about to get a one-way ticket out of that school, permanently, courtesy of Principal Damocles. All because the day before, Mylene had the guts to finally stand up to Jeanne, and then lead her and her two lapdogs into what could have been perceived as karma striking. If Jeanne had simply accepted what had happened was an accident, and forgot about it, like the other two did, maybe she would have never ended up in the kind of trouble she was now. But she could only blame herself.

"About time that girl got what she deserved!" -Alix said. –"It's just too bad I wasn't in the room to celebrate it, because if I had been, I would've flipped her the bird, while doing a victory dance!" -she laughed.

"Don't you think that's a little too much?" -Max asked her, while raising an eyebrow at her. –"I mean, I know she was always picking on you and other people, but…" -he said.

"Not really. She would've totally deserved it. In the past, I would've done the same if it was Chloe, who got her comeuppance." -Alix admitted, before turning to Chloe. –"No offense, your majesty." -she told her.

"None taken." -Chloe told her. –"For what I did to so many, I believe I did deserve that treatment from you, or anyone else." -she admitted, as a light smile appeared on her face.

"It's a good thing that's all in the past. And it's not you who karma decided to punish." -Sabrina declared, smiling at the blonde.

"I'm just surprised that it was you who finally put her in her proper place, Mylene." -Kim admitted. –"I always thought that Miss Mendeliev would get tired of her crap and forced the principal to kick her out of the school."

"Well, I'm not." -Ivan smiled, as he placed himself behind his girlfriend, and put his hands on her shoulders. –"Mylene's pretty awesome, and she put Jeanne in her place, by telling the truth." -she said, making his girlfriend smile.

"A heroine, with or without her mask on. A regular everyday Forest Doe." -Max declared.

"That's what I told her!" -Pin said. –"And by now, she should know it!" -she winked

All those statements and praises made Mylene blush lightly. She tried not to, but she had no control over how her blood vessels worked. Feeling slightly hotter on the face, she smiled at her friends.

"Looks like you have competition, when it comes to blushing like a ripe tomato, girl!" -Alya told Marinette.

"The way you say it, it's like I'm the only one who blushes around here, whenever someone praises her." -Marinette said, as she too blushed a little, without wanting to.

"No, you're not. But you've got the be the one who blushes more and faster! Just like you're doing it, right now!" -Alya exclaimed, while laughing, which made the rest of the class also let out a few chuckles.

The sound of laughter and chuckles was music to Caline Buster's ears. And whenever she heard laughs, giggles and chuckles coming out of her students' mouths, it was a sign that they were happy. And that made her happy as well. But as much as she wanted to let them continue to laugh and celebrate what Mylene had accomplished, she knew she had to let her students know it was time to get back to work.

"Now, everyone, I know that you're all happy that Mylene didn't get into trouble. But I must remind you that we need to get back to our class. You wouldn't want fail your final exams, now, would you?" -Miss Bustier asked them, as she clapped her hands, demanding that all of them got back to their designated seats.

"Yes, miss Bustier." -they all said in chorus, as they returned to their seats.

"I know that you're all tired, and you just want to find something fun to relax. But as much as I want to let you do that, I can't." -Miss Bustier smiled at them. –"Your finals are just around the corner, in a couple of weeks. And we need to make sure that you're all ready for them." –she stated.

"Couldn't we just skip the finals, miss Bustier?" -Kim asked her. –"I mean, none of us is flunking, thanks to our previous grades. So, why should we mess with those great grades we have?"

"Because it's the law, you idiot!" -Alix said, as she turned around and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Now, Alix, there's no need for insults." -Caline told her. –"But she's right, Kim. It's the law. Besides, once your through with them, you can start thinking of what you're going to do during the summer." -she stated.

"With our luck, we won't even be able to go our senior trip to Lloret del Mar." -Nino said.

"Don't say that, Nino!" -Alya exclaimed, as she threw a pen at him, hitting him on the shoulder. –"You'll jinx it!" -she said.

"Yeah! Don't jinx it, with those comments of yours." -Trixx told him, agreeing with Alya. –"You know your girlfriend is anxious about this trip." -she said.

"Okay, okay, I'll shut up!" -Nino exclaimed. –"A guy can't even say what he thinks anymore." -he thought to himself.

During lunch, Adrien was practically asleep, and looked more like a zombie, than anything else, as he did his best to remain awakened. More than once he closed his eyes, only to open them moments later. Knowing what had happened with his aunt, Miss Bustier did not say a word to him, and allowed him to rest, while the class went on. But this all changed, when he called Nina and asked her, if his father and Nathalie had woken up yet, and if there was any more news about his aunt. She quickly told him that his father had already gotten up, but that Nathalie was still in bed. And as for his aunt, they called from the hospital, saying that she was awake and could receive brief visits. Hearing this, Adrien felt a sudden boost of energy coursing through his body, dissipating any sign of drowsiness or sleep he might that. Asking Nina to tell his father that he was going to the hospital, before going home, he hung up.

Promptly, Marinette told him that she was going to accompany him. And she was not the only one. Nino told him that he and Alya were coming along too. Chloe also told Adrien she was going and asked Sabrina if she wanted to come too, but she told her that she had to go shopping with her mom. From the rest of the gang, the only one who did not have any plans that prevented her from going was Alix.

"You see what I told you? Your aunt is tough as nails!" -Alix exclaimed, as she patted Adrien on the back.

"I better call Jean and tell him that I'm going with you, and that he doesn't need to pick me up." -Chloe said, as she pulled out her cell phone.

"Better warn my parents too." -Marinette said. –"Because I'm limping, my dad brought me to school today, and told me that he would come to pick me up." -she stated.

"You think they will let you come, with that knee of yours, girl?" -Alya asked her.

"I'll just tell them that Adrien will give me a ride home." -Marinette answered her. –"Nothing a little sweet talk won't do." -she said.

And that was all it took. One phone call, where she explained to Tom and Sabine what had happened, and they told her she could go, provided her boyfriend would give her a ride home. Shortly after classes ended, Gorilla arrived in one of the Agreste limos to pick up Adrien and the others. Driving through the busy streets of Paris, he got them to the hospital relatively fast. Once there, he told him to park and that they would not be too long.

Entering the hospital, they were welcomed by the unmistakable scent of disinfectant in the air. It was not a pleasant scent. Because it reminded them all of the fact that they were entering a place where sick people came to get well.

"Ah, shoot! We should've passed by a flower shop to get some flowers for my aunt." -Adrien sighed, realizing his mistake.

"Why don't you buy some from the gift shop, over there?" –Marinette told him, as she pointed to the shop.

"Why would he? Those flowers look absolutely horrible. Like no one has watered them in days." -Chloe pointed out.

"It's the thought that counts." -Alya pointed out. –"But I'm with Chloe on this one, girl. Those flowers look like they've seen better days." -she said.

"Definitely. I've seen roses being sold by rose vendors near the city's monuments that look better than those over there." -Alix commented.

"You could always buy her one of those teddy bears with a "Get Well Soon" shirt on them." -Nino suggested.

"I agree. That would certainly warm her heart." -Marinette said.

"Then, I'll do it." -Adrien said, as he and Marinette went to the gift shop.

Looking through the teddy bears the shop had for sale, it was a bit hard to choose, because they all looked the same. In the end, they decided to choose the one with the best t-shirt, which said "Please! Hurry and get well soon.". Paying it, they then joined the others and walked to the reception desk.

"Good afternoon." -Adrien greeted the receptionist.

"Good afternoon, young man. How may I help you?" -the woman asked Adrien.

"We're here to see Amélie Graham du Vanily." -Adrien said.

"Oh, I see. Let me check if she can get any visits." -she said, as she checked the list. –"Let's see… let's see… ah, here it is! She's in room 113, wing A, fourth floor. But I must warn you, that she can only have one person in the room, and only for about five minutes."

Hearing that, Adrien was both happy and sad. He was happy that he was going to get to see his aunt. But when hearing that only one person could stay in the room for a couple of minutes, made him realize that his aunt's condition was still quite delicate.

"You go on. We'll wait here for you." -Marinette said. –"Tell her we said hi, okay?" -she smiled at him.

"Okay. I won't be long, I promise. And I'll tell her that you all said hi." -Adrien said, before kissing Marinette.

"Oh, Adrikins, I'm calling Jean and asking him to order and deliver a few bouquets of flowers to your aunt's bedroom." -Chloe said, as she pulled her cell phone from her pocket. –"Do you know which are her favourite flowers?" -she asked Adrien.

"Not really. But if she shares some of my mom's tastes, then she loves peonies and carnations." -Adrien said, remembering of his mom's favourite flowers.

"Okay. But just in case they're not her favourites, I'm going to tell Jean to get bouquets and vases with all kinds of flowers. That way, she'll feel like she's in a garden." -Chloe stated, as she called her butler.

"While you're at it, tell him to get a few sunflowers for your bedroom. I like to smell them." -Pollen whispered to the blonde, from inside her backpack.

"I'll see what I can do." -Chloe whispered, as she waited for Jean to answer her, which he did, the following second. –"Jean? I need to ask you something." -she said.

Taking the elevator, he punched the button for the fourth floor. Looking up at the elevator's floor indicator, he wondered how Amelie would look like, when he reached the bedroom. And just like before, he feared the worst, and his mind began to be filled with all sorts of bad thoughts. Placing his head out of Adrien's jacket pocket, Plagg saw on the blond's face that he needed help to snap out of where his mind was heading.

"Come on, Adrien, don't be so gloomy! I rather see you smiling." -Plagg said, as he peaked his head out of Adrien's jacket pocket. –"You're about to see your aunt! That's a good reason to smile about!" -he told him.

"Sorry. It's just that, I don't even know how my aunt is. I don't know if she's all bandaged, that we can't even see her face, or if she doesn't have any bandages. If she's linked to machines, or no machines at all. In fact, I don't even know what state she's in, or whether she's asleep or awake." -Adrien told him.

"Then, you're about to find out." -Plagg said, as he looked and saw the number 4 in the floor indicator. –"Remember, if she was too banged up, she wouldn't be allowed to have any visits." -he pointed out.

Hearing this, Adrien realized the black cat kwami was right. If she was allowed to receive brief visits, it meant she was not as bad as he imagined. Once the elevator doors opened, he exited and saw in front of him a sign indicating the direction to the two separate wings. Left for the women's B wing and right the women's A wing. Already on the A wing, Adrien looked for room 113. Finding it, he hesitated for a brief second, before going in. Opening the door, he saw the room had three beds. Two of them were vacant, while on the last, next to the window was a woman, lying on it. It was Amelie. Approaching her, Adrien saw that she was wearing a hospital gown and was hooked up to a heart monitor, and was also wearing a nasal catheter. Her face, despite a few cuts looked unharmed, and seemed to not be in pain. Still, seeing her like this, Adrien remembered about his mother's funeral, and had to push them away.

"S-Stop it! This isn't like in mom's funeral!" -Adrien thought to himself.

Placing the teddy bear he had bought for Amelie, Adrien sat by her side, and stared at her. He had imagined she would be in a much worse state. But now he was relieved that what he had imagined did not come true. And made him smile. It was not his usual smile, but it was still a smile. A few seconds went by, when Amelie opened her eyes, little by little, and saw her nephew looking at her.

"A-Adrien..." -Amelie stuttered, with a weak voice.

"Yes, it's me, aunt Amelie." -Adrien said, smiling. –"I came to visit you." -he told her.

"S-Sorry…" -Amelie stuttered once more, apologizing.

"Sorry? For what?" -Adrien asked, when it hit him. –"Oh, the movie. It's okay. It's not your fault. We'll go another time, when you get better." -he assured her.

It was hard for Amelie to keep her eyes open. She tried to keep them open as long as possible, but ended up closing them. Her mind was an absolute mess, with her not remembering what had happened, or how she had ended up there. The strength she had was almost inexistent. Right then, she just wanted to be quiet, while listening to what was going on around her.

"She doesn't look that bad." -Plagg said. –"From the way Nathalie spoke last night, you'd figured she would be in a worst state." -he commented.

"Plagg, please, hush." -Adrien whispered, begging him to remain silent.

Not wishing to disturb her, Adrien remained there in silence, watching Amelie, and wondering what could have happened to her. More than once he had to ask Plagg to keep quiet, in case Amelie could hear him. One of the nurses who was doing her rounds, saw Adrien in the room, and quickly told him that Amelie needed her rest. Promising her he would not stay long, she left him to say goodbye to Amelie, while she returned to her rounds.

"I better go now. This little guy here, we'll keep you company, until I come back. Oh, and Marinette, Alya, Nino, Chloe and Alix, they all say hi." -Adrien said, as he pointed to the teddy bear. –"I promise I'll come back tomorrow to see you, again." -he said, as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

Feeling better after seeing his aunt, Adrien went back the way he came, entering the elevator and making his way down, into the lobby. As he went down, a thought came to his mind; he was going to be able to sleep like a rock, that night, believing that there would be no more nightmares involving his aunt fighting for her life or dying on them.

But this thought evaporated from his mind, as the elevator doors opened and he heard a familiar voice. A voice that was speaking louder than necessary, and that was not at all happy with what was going on. His father's voice. At first, he thought he was just imagining things. But as he turned the corner, he saw that he was not imagining it. Gabriel was standing by the reception desk, arguing with three men, Adrien had never seen before. The others were so absorbed by what was happening, that they did not see Adrien approaching.

"H-Huh? Adrien?!" -Alix said. –"You're back already?" -she asked him.

"Yeah, I am. What's going on?" -Adrien asked his friends. –"When did my dad get here?"

"He arrived a minute ago, to check on your aunt, just like you. Nina brought him." -Alya said, pointing out to the young assistant, who was standing by Gabriel's side, who was talking to the police officers.

"Those detectives are here looking for your aunt." -Marinette told hm.

"Detectives? Looking for my aunt? But why? What does the police want with her?" -Adrien asked her, not understanding what was going on.

"They're saying that they have proof that she was La Paon." -Alya said.

The words that came out of Alya's mouth hit Adrien with the force of a locomotive. Not in his wildest dreams had he ever imagined his aunt's name, and La Paon's, in the same sentence. Especially then it came to accusing her of being a terrorist.

"W-Wait, what?!" -Adrien asked, shocked by what he had just heard.

"It's true. They say that they have video proof of her turning into La Paon. And that they also have the testimony of one of her colleagues." -Chloe told hm.

On that night, once they knew their parents and siblings were asleep, the young heroes teleported to the Garden of the Ancients, to discuss what had happened to them over the last 48 hours, and more importantly, what they had found out that afternoon, regarding Adrien's aunt part in that story.

Gathering around in a circle, with the kwamis at the centre, they hoped that a conversation with the old master and their teacher, would help them to process everything. And more importantly, to decide what they were going to do next.

"There's also the fact that thanks to Brutus, who got zapped in the process, we found out that when we try to snatch a miraculous which had its kwami fused with the miraculous itself, we get fried." -Marinette said.

"How come we didn't know, or even imagined that would be possible?" -Rose asked.

"Maybe it's because we never got close enough to Hawk Moth to snatch his miraculous. And you can bet that he would never tell us something like that." -Ivan declared. –"Plus, the few times the idiots working for him that managed to touch our miraculouses, they didn't get zapped. So, there was no real reason for us to even suspect that would happen with miraculouses of our enemies."

"Well, at least now we know that happens. And we can find a way to bypass that little problem, right, master?" -Miss Bustier asked him.

"Indeed." -Master Fu said.

"Still, I don't understand one thing." -Juleka said. –"How come you didn't know about it earlier, master? I mean, other miraculous holders must have snatched the miraculous from Hawk Moth, even if temporarily. And if they did, there should've been records of it."

"I'm afraid I can't give you a straight answer, my dear." -Master Fu declared. –"In the case of the miraculous holders of my old team, none of us was even able to get close to Hawk Moth to try and snatch it. And the same thing was with the team that my master belonged to." -he explained.

"Maybe it was just a piece of information that was lost in the sands of time." –Tikki said. –"In any case, we kwamis should've known about that." -she admitted, as she landed on Marinette's left shoulder. –"And quite honestly, I don't remember any of our holders to have had that problem before."

"Perhaps the moth and peacock miraculouses evolved, and we failed to see that happening." -Wayzz theorized.

"Or, there is another possibility." -Alya declared. –"Maybe hers is the only one who does that for some reason, and she lied to us about it." -she said.

"But why would she do that, foxy fox? I mean, what would she gain by telling us that?" -Nino asked her.

"I don't know. But deception is a very powerful tool. And depending on who uses it, it can tilt things to their favour." -Alya said. –"Imagine that she lied to us about that miraculouses like hers, which had their kwamis fused with the miraculouses themselves, have that safety feature, which hurts anyone who touch them. And now imagine that we fell for it, and when given the opportunity to grab wither hers, or Hawk Moth's miraculous, we would hesitate, and that would give them the chance to kill us, right there." -she explained her theory.

"That is a good reason for her to do it." -Trixx agreed. –"And it would explain how none of us kwamis, ever heard that before." -she added.

"As Sun Tzu once said: All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near." -Master Fu said. –"So, yes, deception is most definitely a possibility; I must admit." -he agreed. –"In any case, even if it's just a lit, I'll try and look for a solution, so that if this lie turns out to be a truth, you'll able to grab those two miraculouses and snatch them off of their holders, without any problems."

"It's a good thing we've got you by our side, master." -Mylene said. –"Without you, we wouldn't have been able to do half the things we've done so far." -she declared.

"You're too kind, my dear. But I believe that you would've managed to do it, even without my help. You are all quite resourceful." -Master Fu told her, making her smile.

The old master knew just what to say that cheer up anyone. But on that night, there was one person who we know was going to be hard to cheer up; Adrien. The poor boy was still appalled by what he had heard and seen that afternoon. The others that were with him were also shocked by it, but in his case, it was worst. Finding out that his aunt was not only a victim of La Paon, but had also temporarily become her avatar, was something that nothing in the world could have prepared him for. Ever since he had arrived in the garden, with the exception of a couple of words, he had remained silent. In his head, he kept reliving the moment when the detectives showed up at the hospital reception looking for Amélie, as well as his father asking them what they wanted from her. And that was not the end of it. At dinner, he was the only who ate, as Gabriel remained on the phone with his lawyer, looking for advice on how to proceed, if the police changed their mind and ended up having Amelie charged with anything. Nathalie too was preoccupied with all that, and unlike Gabriel, she had not problem in confiding it to Adrien.

But there was something else that was also echoing in his mind, and that was the moments where he, as Chat Noir, fought one-on-one against her. He kept reliving them, and felt bad about it. This was the first time he faced anyone who had been possessed by an evil force, and that he knew. And deep down, he hoped it would also be the very last.

"My aunt was La Paon… that's too much to process." -Adrien sighed, while trying to understand how he did not notice it was her under the mask." –"While I was fighting her,

"There was no way you could've known, Adrien." -Plagg said. –"Making it impossible for anyone to truly recognize who's behind the mask, is one of the powers a miraculous grants everyone who wears it. Even if you guys constantly doubt that, whenever you save someone who knows you." -he pointed out.

"That still doesn't make it any easier. Especially since deep in my heart, I know that my aunt became La Paon's host against her will." -Adrien told him. –"And could've killed her. If I had used the full force of my powers, I could've turned her into ashes, Plagg." -he said, as he imagined it. –"The thought alone is terrifying."

"But it's not your fault, bro. Plagg's right." -Nino told him. –"There was no way you could've predicted that was your aunt possessed by La Paon, and wearing the peacock miraculous." -he said.

"Yeah, well that doesn't make me feel any better." -Adrien sighed. –"Some of the injuries she sustained were most likely inflicted by me." -he said.

"Like Plagg said, there was no way you could've known that, Adrien. And as much as it's costing you to think about the worst that could have happened, it doesn't change what happened." -Master Fu told him. –"And what happened is that you were protecting this city and its people from a menace. It's true that that menace turned out to be your aunt possessed. But you did not know that. It could have been someone else." -he said. –"Had you known about it, you would have acted differently, I'm sure. But you didn't know. And wasting time thinking about what could have been, doesn't help you or anyone else. I don't say you should forget. But I say you must keep moving forward, for your own good."

Fu's words were a little bit harsher than what Adrien and the others were used to hear. But he knew he was right, when he spoke them. He could not continue to think about that matter, like t was some irremediable tragedy, especially since Amelie survived and according to the doctors, she was going to make a full recovery, within the next few weeks. He had to make an effort to put it all behind hm, no matter how hard it was.

"The master's right. You did not know. And what matters is that she's going to get better." -Marinette told him.

"I know. Still, it's hard to stop thinking of what would've happened if we had hurt her for real, Marinette." -Adrien sighed. –"On top of that, now that my aunt's no longer under La Paon's control, it means that crazy witch will probably possess someone else." -he said.

"You're right. I hadn't even thought about that." -Marinette admitted. –"This wouldn't have happened if we had gotten our hands on the peacock miraculous." -she sighed. –"Who knows where it is now?"

With everything that happened, it was only then that Marinette realized just how serous that whole situation was. Amelie was no longer under La Paon's control, but her miraculous was lost. And it was only a matter of time before a new victim was possessed by the peacock miraculous.

"I don't know where it might be now. It could be near the place where Adrien's aunt was found, or it could be somewhere else." -Marinette theorized. –"Who knows where it is, and if it has been found by someone else." -she sighed.

"The way you're talking now, it's like it's your fault the miraculous is lost." -Tikki said.

"And it is our fault, Tikki. We're all to blame, because we had an opportunity to get ourselves ahead in this game of cat and mouse, and fate didn't let us take it." -Marinette told her. –"Who knows what would've happened, if we had got it from La Paon. Or even better, if we had found out that the peacock miraculous was right there, in the Louvre?" -she asked the scarlet kwami.. –"If we had gotten it, maybe Adrien's aunt wouldn't have ended up in the hospital, and we wouldn't have the miraculous, lying somewhere in this city, just waiting for someone to find it and get possessed by La Paon's spirit, again."

"You're trying to carry the weight of the world in your shoulders again, Marinette. That's not good for you" -Miss Bustier told her, as she looked Marinette in the eyes.

"I keep telling her that, but she doesn't listen." -Tikki said.

"Look, Marinette, like you said, fate didn't allow you to know the miraculous was there. And as much as we want to say it otherwise, sometimes in life we must have a good bit of luck, for things to happen. Luck wasn't on our side this time." -Miss Bustier declared. –"But that doesn't mean it's the end of the world. It doesn't mean next time luck won't be on our side."

Marinette knew Miss Bustier was doing her best to make her feel better. And usually, she had a knack for it. But right then, her words felt almost meaningless. Even so, she smiled at her teacher, hoping that she would feel better about it, later.

"I just hope your aunt doesn't get into trouble with the law, Adrien." -Rose said. –"It's not her fault all this happened." -she declared.

"From what I found out through my dad, they don't plan to arrest her, and they're not going to press any charges against her either. It'll be basic Akuma attack protocol." -Sabrina explained. –"But when she's better, they'll want to interrogate her, in the hopes of finding out anything about La Paon, and by extension, where she could've gone, and if she's in cohorts with Hawk Moth." -she said.

"Pardon my French, but that part of La Paon being in cohorts with Hawk Moth is just plain stupid." -Chloe said. –"I mean, people saw them trying to kill each other. Hack Moth even reduced her Sentimonster to ashes. What other proof do they need to see that they're not working together?!" -she asked. –"Sometimes I think that every police officer in this town is ridiculously stupid… not counting your dad, of course, Sabrina."

"Thanks. And I know that you don't think my dad's stupid." -Sabrina smiled at her. –"To be fair, he thinks that the idea of them working together is ridiculous. He told me and my mom yesterday, that just because they're bent on conquering the world or destroying it, it doesn't mean they have to be working together to accomplish it." -she declared.

"Well, just because your dad doesn't believe that, it doesn't mean the others won't." -Mika told Sabrina. –"Even with all that happened yesterday, they're not going to stop to look for an answer, even when it's staring them right in the face." -the wolf kwami pointed out.

"Yeah, well, good luck on trying to get anything out of Adrien's aunt. -Kim sighed. –"If it's like all the people who get turned into an Akuma, then, she'll remember nothing of what happened to her, once she got possessed." -he said.

"Agreed." -Imp said, as he landed on Kim's shoulder. –"If she'll remember anything, it'll be a miracle, and a tragedy. Because who would ever want to remember all the nasty things

"Maybe it's for the best. If it was me, I wouldn't like to remember hurting the people, while having no control over my actions." -Adrien sighed.

Spirits were low. There was no way to deny it. The only good thing that had happened to them in those last few days had happened to Mylene, and even that wasn't enough to make her feel better compared to her friends. In fact, having managed to expose Jeanne as the bully that she was, made him feel bad, when he thought that the others, not even a small victory like that had.

"So, what's our next move? What are we going to do, regarding all that happened?" -Max asked.

"I don't know. Right now, I just want this day to be over." -Adrien sighed, as Marinette patted him on the back.

"I support that idea." -Nathaniel agreed. –"A good night's sleep will do us some good." -he declared.

"Oh, come on, guys! Stop moping around! We can't let this get to us!" -Alix exclaimed. –"Look, you're not the only ones who are feeling like crap. I'm also feeling like crap. And yeah, we lost. But we're still here, right?" -she asked. –"If one of us wasn't here anymore, then, that would be a problem. But we're all still here Strength is in numbers, and we've got to stick together, if we hope to continue to do what we do, whenever those creeps show up!"

What Alix said was true. They were allowing all that had happened to drag them down, and that was something they could not allow to happen. So, even if she was feeling down herself, Marinette felt the need to say a few words, which she hoped would cheer them all up, and help them see things differently.

"Alix is right. We can't let this get to us. It's like miss Bustier told me earlier. We need to believe that as bad as things have been, that there's a light at the end of the tunnel, and that next time, luck will be on our side." -Marinette declared. –"So, here's what we're going to do. We're going to home, and try to have a good night's sleep. And then tomorrow, we're going to train even harder than we have, and we're going to make sure that when La Paon comes back, that we'll be ready for her, just like we're ready for Hawk Moth and his minions." -she said. –"But more importantly, we're not going to let the bad things get to us, because we're all in this together, and like always, we have each other's back. If one of us is in trouble, then the rest we'll do anything in their power to make sure that that trouble becomes nothing more than a memory."

Like it had happened many times, after what was an incredible speech, there were applauses. Despite feeling bad and blaming herself for some things not going as planned, Marinette realized that the most important thing was to look into the future with hope, and not continue to dwell on the past and her mistakes. One more, she proved that one of the reasons why she was the leader, was that she could find the good in the bad, and show it to everyone, and cheer up their spirits.

"Now, there's one of those amazing Marinette speeches that give us all goosebumps, girl." -Alya smiled, as she stopped clapping and hugged her best-friend. –"I don't know how you do it, but you always find a way to come up with the most inspirational speeches ever." -she told her.

"Thanks, Alya. But I was just speaking from the heart." –Marinette declared.

"And that's why you're the boss lady of this gang." -Kim laughed.

"If you say, so. But Alix helped out too. I'm nothing without all of you." -Marinette told him.

"Glad to have helped." -Alix smirked.

"Humble as ever." -Chloe said, with a sassy voice. –"I don't think I would ever be able to be as humble as you are, Marinette. If it was me, I would always be saying that praises are never enough." -she smiled.

"We know." -Everyone said in chorus, which made them all laugh.

Before heading home for the night, the old master invited them all for a cup of tea, telling them that it would do them good, and ensure they had pleasant dreams. And like always, Kim and some of the kwamis asked him if along with the tea, they were also entitled to something sweet to with it. Smiling, the old master nodded, before going to the temple's kitchen, to take care of the tea, followed by miss Bustier, who decided to lend him a hand.

"They're growing up so fast." -Miss Bustier commented with the old master.

"Indeed. But hopefully, not too fast. And that is a good thing." -Master Fu said. –"Walt Disney once said that growing older s inevitable. But growing up, is entirely optional:" -he chuckled. –"And I want them to keep having the same attitude they have now, as the years go by. I want them to continue to have that almost childish belief that no matter what happens, things will work out in the end, as long as they keep believing in themselves and others."

"You aren't the only one." -Miss Bustier declared. –"But it's not going to be easy. Yesterday, they fought their hardest battle yet. Today, Adrien found out that La Paon used his aunt as a vessel. If for us adults, seems too much, imagine for a teenager." -she sighed worried. –"And I fear what might come their way next."

"Which is why we too, have to step up our game. In case they need help, we must be ready to lend them a hand in the battlefield." -Master Fu said, as he grabbed the kettle.

"I agree. By the way, who do you think will strike first next? Hawk Moth or La Paon?" -Miss Bustier asked.

"Hard to say. But if I had to bet my money on it, I would say Hawk Moth." -Master Fu answered her. –"Until La Paon can get a new host, which might take a while, he'll be the main cause of trouble. Because I believe that La Paon will not want the first person who finds her miraculous to be its new vessel, we'll probably won't have to worry about her." -he theorized. –"Of course, I might be wrong about it too."

"I really wish we knew where the peacock miraculous is, right now." -Miss Bustier declared. –"If we managed to get it, it would be one less thing for us to worry about." -she sighed.

"I share the same feeling We have no idea where the peacock miraculous might be. And unfortunately, a miraculous can't be traced through magic. If that was possible, Hawk Moth would've tried that trick, a long time ago." -he admitted.

"But what about that other enemy you told me about… the Collector?" -Miss Buster asked. –"You told me that he could feel the magic energy from the miraculous, and that's how he managed to track them to Paris." -she pointed out. –"Couldn't we try and replicate that power of his, by using similar magic?"

"I would like to say yes, but I'm afraid not. I believe he was only able to track down the miraculous, because the armour he wears gave him that power." -Master Fu confessed, as he placed the kettle on the stove.

"That's too bad." -Miss Bustier admitted. –"Still, if nothing can be done about t, we better just focus on what can be done. And that's to prepare for whatever challenge our enemies might throw at us." -she declared, as she looked at the old master looking at his collection of teas. –"Which one will we be tasting today? Something exotic?"

"More or less." -Master Fu smiled. –"It's a tisane of valerian root and passion fruit. These two are known to help a person to sleep, and to have pleasant dreams." -he explained.

"And nobody deserves that more than they do." -Miss Buster declared. –"I know they need to study for their finals. But tomorrow, I think I'm going to take them on a small field trip, even if it's just to the garden, and allow them to relax and enjoy the sunlight." -she said. –"That will help them to keep their spirits up, and will provide a good distraction, given their future is uncertain, and they should try and make the most out of the present.""

"You do that. They will enjoy it." -Master Fu said. –"I wish I could say that I was going to do the same, regarding their training, but I can't. So, it'll be good for one of us to help them take things easy, even if it's just for one day." -he stated.

The future is uncertain, and we must all make the most out of the present. Words to live by.

And so, the only thing left is the epilogue, which I'm already working on, and hope to post it before the finale of season 5, in a few days.

As always, feel free to comment, fav and leave suggestions to improve this and/or future fics. Ideas are always welcomed.

P.S. I always thought that I would be able to fnish the first seaosn of this AU, before season 5 ended, but I guess I couldn't. Still, that doesn't mean that I did a bad job. I simply took more time to finish it. And as one would say, we must see the good side from the dark side, and that is the fact that it has given me more time to plan season 2. :)