Chapter 30

Marinette quickly called her parents, who while angry that she was just calling now and hadn't told them beforehand where she was going to be all afternoon and if she was okay during the akuma attack, were easily placated by Mr. Agreste talking to them briefly. That and the fact they were accustomed to their daughter being a bit absent minded at times. If only they knew the real reason I'm always all over the place, Marinette shook her head and said good night to her parents, before hanging up and going to sit on the couch in the living room.

Gabriel walked over to Alya and Nino, who were also on the phones with their worried parents, and checked to see if their parents similarly needed his reassurances. She closed her eyes and leaned back into the plush sofa. She could hear the soothing chatter of the five kwamis on the coffee table, catching up and eating from the platter of mishmoshed food articles that Gabriel had put together for them; cookies and camembert, obviously, and then lettuce for Wayzz, fruit juice for Nooro and berries for Trixx. Interesting that he knew each kwami's taste without having to ask, Marinette noted this to herself, but found herself far too tired to really think about it further.

The cushion next to her shifted and she slanted towards the added weight. She opened her eyes as Adrien put his arm around her shoulder and she wedged herself closer to him. He looked remarkable better than he had fifteen minutes ago. Color had come back to his cheeks and he was much calmer than before.

"Sorry about that up there," His free hand reached up to rub the back of his head in that adorable nervous manner she loved. "I was a bit hysterical."

"Well, you confronted the villain that has been terrorizing Paris for a year, face to face, who also happens to be your father and convince him that we were on his side and wanted to help, and then when your girlfriend and her best friend showed up and almost spooked him, you managed to calm him by giving up your identity. Then, for fear of being an under-achiever, you both released emotions that have been festering for a year. All in about twenty minutes. I think I'll allow a hysterical moment or two. Just this once."

"Thanks, so much Bugaboo." He vibrated slightly with a laugh. She placed a hand on his chest and rested her head against his shoulder. His laugh turned into an almost-purr and it was her turn to chuckle at him.

"Are you okay? Really, kitty?" He smiled down at her and squeezed her shoulder.

"I really am, Mari. I feel...more solid? I feel more whole than I have in a while. You're here. Nino and Alya are here. And now my dad feels like my dad again." He stopped and looked pensively in the direction of the fireplace they were facing, seeming to study the undulating flames. "It's not that I've been empty this past year, I was just very aware of the hole that had been left by the loss of my parents. It was getting better. I was becoming accustomed to my new reality, and it would have been fine eventually, but I never wanted that. I still have memories of before my father started pulling away, even before my mom disappeared, when I was really young and we were tighter knit. I always had hope that it would be like that again. I had started to give up on that the last year, but now.." He looked back at her. "Now I feel like I have my family back, and it's bigger than ever." he gazed at her meaningfully.

"You were always meant to be loved, Adrien. Maybe you needed to go through this to find your whole family. Your parents, obviously, but me, Nino and Alya, and even my parents too. They keep asking when you're coming over again." She laughed softly, but didn't look away. "You are so loved."

"So are you, Princess."

They gazed at each other, neither saying what they knew the other felt, but content to just be for a moment. Cuddling back into his side, Marinette closed her eyes. Hopefully, Nino and Alya would take fifteen more minutes and she could grab a mini-nap.

The feeling of someone sinking into the couch on her other side promptly dashed that dream, and she straightened a bit in her seat. Adrien's arm moved to around her waist, and she opened her eyes to see that everyone else had filled into the living room and were helping themselves to cups of tea that Gabriel had brought in. She helped herself to one too and looked around the room. They sat in companionable silence for a moment, before Alya, ever the reporter, couldn't wait anymore.

"Okay, we'll start," she took a deep breath and began with what they had discovered, how they had found the blackmail note and then Duusu and the miraculous. She briefly went into what Duusu had told them when they brought her to Fu and then went silent. Gabriel's face was half impressed and half distraught.

"I didn't know that last part. I assumed...When I found the scarf with Duusu in it, I knew Adela had done that deliberately so I would find her. She knew how Germain wanted to use Nooro through me, the last thing she would do was ever put her own kwami in danger." He trailed off, and Marinette glanced over at Tikki, who was already looking her way. She completely understood. The one time Tikki had been sick and then was lost, Marinette was panicked. She had been irresponsible, but she would never let any harm or danger come to Tikki ever again. They had only been together a year, but the small kwami was already family. She could only imagine how close Adela and Duusu would be after twenty years.

"Well," he said looking around at the teens, "you really know almost as much as I do. Germain really hasn't told me anything of his plans, he's too smart for that, but I do have one advantage. I've known this man for forty years. I know the way his mind works, and you four aren't the only ones who have been investigating. I think I may have an idea of what his endgame is. Germain always had political aspirations. It killed him when André moved up in government so much quicker than he, and he hated riding on his older brother's coattails. The last time I saw him, he was convinced that the government had been corrupted, starting from the top down, and he seemed to have amassed a following of those who thought the same. He's been using me and my powers to create chaos and fear in Paris, so If my predictions are right… I think he's planning a takeover."

There was an extended silence after that bomb was dropped. Alya was the first to recover herself.

"A takeover? Like a military coup?"

"I think something more of a political, Germain never liked to get his hands too dirty. My guess is that he is going to try to use the instability that I'm causing and somehow turn the blame on his brother. He's a very charming man when he wants to be, and he still has friends in the mayoral office from when he briefly worked there: people who have influence with the mayor and could affect who is hired or supported in their campaigns for positions. To be honest, André is a good man, but he tends to be easily manipulated by those close to him."

"You can say that again," Alya snorted, knowing first-hand how easily Chloé could get her way with her father.

"Ah yes," Gabriel smiled in her direction. "Young Chloé is probably the best politician in that family. She isn't exactly subtle, but when she want to be, she is a brilliant and cunning mind. Adela always said that if she weren't such a spoiled child, she'd be a force to be reckoned with."

"Maybe that's our in!" Adrien sat forward, excitedly and looked over a Nino, who was nodding, somehow catching on to his friend's line of thinking.

"Yeah! I mean," Nino looked over at the girls abashedly. "I know you two aren't exactly Chloé's biggest fans, and I'm not either. And with good reason," he amended quickly, his hands up in a placating manner, "but, she'd be the perfect person to help us. She's got an in at the mayor's office, and she knows how to deal with her father." He looked over at Adrien.

"Exactly," Adrien pointed at Nino, in full bro-mode now. "And she'd be the perfect double agent. If we could get her on our side, she'd be the perfect person to figure out what Germain is up to. She's family, but she's obviously smarter than her father. She could pretend that she feels superior to him and is more impressed with Germain's plan and politics. We don't have to tell her everything," he looked back over at the girls. "She doesn't even need to know who you guys really are, just me! I think it could work."

Gabriel nodded. "This plan definitely has merit. Germain has always been shunned by his family, but he has always craved that type of acceptance. If Chloé can be convincing enough, he would be much more open to enveloping her into the fold than anyone else."

Nino and Adrien fist-bumped, and Marinette and Alya looked at each other, gradually warming to the idea.

Marinette didn't hate Chloé. She hated her sense of entitlement and her treatment of everyone else. Mostly, she hated what Chloé brought out in her. Marinette had raised her voice and said things she wished she hadn't more than once when in the presence of the antagonizing blonde. On the other hand, she had glimpsed past Chloé's shell too. She had been genuinely hurt when Ladybug had insulted her and deep down she knew the girl had actual affection for Adrien and her father. Chloé was a product of the coddling her parents had given her. When you're never told "no" your entire life, it creates a sense of entitlement and superiority to everyone else, but Nino and Adrien were right. She would be the perfect addition to their team and the one most likely to be accepted by Germain, although Marinette did not share Adrien's confidence in their ability to keep their identities a secret. Chloé was too perceptive for that, and if this semi-formed plan of Adrien's were to work, they'd have to be completely honest with Chloé.

Still, Marinette was uneasy. Even admitting the validity of the plan and telling her the whole truth, it would still be a dangerous situation to send Chloé into. As much as the girl annoyed her, she couldn't ask that of a civilian. They were all miraculous holders, it was different…

A half-formed thought struck her. The perfect addition to the team. She looked up at Gabriel.

"There's another miraculous not being used right now, isn't there?" She vaguely remembered that Master Fu's case was an octagon with 5 wedges and a yin-yang circle in the middle. They knew about Tikki, Plagg, Trixx, Wayzz, Duusu and Nooro, but that left one. Surprising her, Nino answered.

"Yeah, Pollen. She's a bee kwami." Everyone looked over at him in shock. "What? Am I the only one that talks to my kwami?" Wayzz looked over like a proud parent at his holder, and Alya smiled softly at him, making him blush.

"Yes," Gabriel confirmed. "Pollen is not currently attached to anyone. Danielle was the last holder. Oh, could she be a queen bee." He chuckled lightly, eyes lost in the past.

"Perfect," Marinette couldn't have picked a better kwami, even if it weren't just the last left.

"Mari, what are you scheming?" Alya stared her down, used to this dangerous look in her friend's eye, but Marinette ignored the question and turned to the boys instead.

"You're right, Chloé is the best choice. I just have one request."

"Anything," Adrien promised quickly. He knew the dislike and tension between the two girls and had been expecting much more of a fight from Marinette. Chloé was his oldest friend, but he knew how she could grate on people: especially people she considered her "inferiors".

"Let me talk to her." Marinette stated and stared him down.

That was not what he had been expecting, and Adrien was reluctant to say yes, almost positive that Marinette trying to convince Chloé would completely ruin their chance of getting Chloé to agree.

"Mari...I don't know..." but Marinette held up a hand to silence him.

"If this is going to work, we need to get along anyway. It's the only way. Besides, I have a plan."

The other three looked around nervously at each other, all wanting to trust Marinette, but just as sure that it would be a disaster.

Gabriel looked at her, a smile hovering at the edge of his mouth. He had an idea of what the girl planned, and knew it could either be the brilliant edge they needed to win, or a disaster. One thing was for certain: it was going to be interesting.