Just a bit of an Author note before we being. I know, tedious, but hear me out.

In this chapter(s) I plan on trying to really highlight some relationships. I try to do that in general but usually, it's just a light gloss over most of them. Due to my attempt in digging a little deeper, the chapter may get lengthy (as they tend to do), and depending on how much will determine if I split up this chapter into two parts like the episode. I won't go over all of them in this note but a few of the important ones

Andre and Audrey have a very...odd relationship to put it lightly and I have tried to place Andre's perspective lightly in the past to better get an idea of where he is coming from (at least in my story). Especially because of the introduction of Zoe in the next season. They haven't given much background on her as of yet but her arrival doesn't really surprise anyone, in particular, it doesn't surprise Andre. With that being said I could only assume that he has known about Zoe for some time. Zoe and Chloe are also supposed to be half-siblings but are obviously very close in age. I've decided to make Zoe the younger of the two but obviously with this show they might be like haha sike, Zoe's older. So cross your fingers I don't need to adjust.

Chloe and Chloe is also a big one. This chapter/episode is a big character adjustment. She goes from trying to be better (generally) to do a 180 and I hate that. Due to me wanting to keep things close to the show so I don't have too many obstacles to work around, unfortunately, that is not something that will be changing in my story, however, I hope to add some clarity and in-depth perception on Chloe's internal conflict with herself and those around her, making her poor choices better explained and hopefully in a way, understandable.

Chloe and Nikolas. I haven't touched base too much on this relationship, because although it is important, it is a side relationship that if I put too much into it would probably take away from the main plot focus. (Chloe and Nik spin-off anyone?) Haha. Regardless we did get to see the two together and hear how it started as well as Chloe's attempt to brush off the importance of her relationship with Nikolas to Lucy. However, I am hoping that in this chapter I will be able to give a little more insight on that, not only from Chloe but Nikolas as well.

I know this note makes it seem like a big Chloe chapter and in a way it is but I have every intention of trying to bring insight to the many other relationships listed. Especially the main ones.

OoOoOOo

Life seems sometimes like nothing more than a series of losses, from beginning to end.

Audrey had tried to be patient. She had been trying to adjust for the sake of her family. Unfortunately, it would seem that perhaps she had been away too long. That maybe she had gotten used to the distance. Independence was something Audrey lived for. Growing up in a home that believed a woman's place was behind a man, someone strong and financially could take care of her, all the blonde wanted to do was break the chain. She watched her father rule over her mother and his children with an iron fist. Valory Hemmingway, Audrey's mother, would never speak out against her husband. She was his right hand, yet always one step behind him, respectively.

When she had found her passion in fashion, her father had dismissed her. "Fashion is a fine hobby darling," he had told her. "but I'm not putting good money towards an education for you to learn about trying on outfits."

She had cried to her mother about it. Tried to explain her passion and dreams about what her life would be like in the fashion industry. It was no real surprise to Audrey when her mother pet her hair and hushed her, telling her that her father was right. She could explore fashion as much as she wanted in her free time, but school was for learning about things worth knowing. Times were changing and a pretty face wasn't enough to find a good husband anymore. How else would she be able to even enjoy fashion, if she did not have someone to take care of her and indulge her hobbies? It always came down to that. Who would take care of her, as if there was never a possibility she could take care of herself.

When Audrey Hemmingway met Andre Bourgeois, he had spilled his drink all over her. Her father had won, she was in school for business. That however did not stop her from designing. In fact, in four weeks she had designed and stitched the very dress Andre had managed to ruin in thirty seconds. She had been furious. Andre had apologized profusely to her.

"Oh! Oh-oh my! I'm so terribly sorry! I should have been paying better attention to where I was going!" A younger Andre Bourgeois spoke, taping at her dress with his handkerchief.

"Yes, you should have been!" Audrey hissed. "Look what you've done! You ruined it!" She swatted him away in aggravation.

"Please, miss, I really am sorry. Send me the bill to have it cleaned. I'll even pay to replace it if that is what you'd prefer!" The man groveled.

"I handmade this dress myself! You can't replace it you clumsy fool!"

"You made this? Really? All by yourself?"

"Yes!" She confirmed shortly. "And now it's tarnished!"

The next words to come out of his mouth had caught Audrey by surprise. "It's beautiful...or-eh, it was? I really am so very sorry. You must have worked hard on it. The stitching is seamless. Are you a professional?"

It wasn't until that moment that Audrey had really looked away from the stain on her dress and up at the man who had caused it. He was tall with thick light brown hair. His dark blue eyes held a sort of genuine kindness that Audrey wasn't quite used to. She adjusted herself under his gaze.

"No...I'm not. It's a hobby." She recited.

"Oh," Andre breathed. "Well, you have quite the eye if I do say so myself. Perhaps a career in fashion is one you should consider?"

Audrey blinked at him, eyeing the man in front of her. "Really? You think so?" Andre gave her a kind smile a nodded.

"I do. I don't know much about fashion, but I do know architecture, and I think you can look at them similarly. Designing something, both appealing to those who see it, but also practical and functional, and at the same time in a way that stands apart from similar things around it...that takes time and care...and well...passion. I'd say you fit all that criteria if everything you make has as much effort as this one example."

Audrey looked down at her dress and shrugged offhandedly. "I just threw this together..."

"That only makes me more certain that anything you can create is bound to be remarkable." It had blindsided her. The fluttering she had felt in her chest as she made eye contact with him once more.

"What's your name?" She asked raising an eyebrow.

"Andre," He answered. "Andre Bourgeois. And you are...?"

"Audrey Hemmingway." Andre had taken her hand in his own and brought her knuckles to his lips.

"Well, Miss Hemmingway, perhaps I could offer you a drink. I promise to take utmost caution this time around. And meanwhile," He said, slipping off his blazer and draping it around her shoulders. "I hope this can help hide my clumsiness. It's not as glamorous as I'm sure you would prefer but black is said to go with everything."

A part of Audrey wanted to say no. To scoff and laugh at him for even thinking he was worth her time. She couldn't though. There was something about the way he was looking at her. It was different from the way anyone had ever looked at her before. Like he could actually see her. So instead, she nodded her head and allowed him to lead her to the bar. And the rest was history.

She didn't know what changed. One day she was happy and the next...Audrey would never know how to explain how...suffocated Andre had the ability to make her feel. He never seemed to do it n purpose. Her husband had always been supportive of her career and her desire for independence. Always. Even when she knew he didn't want to be. Maybe that was why. Maybe it was because she knew that Andre loved her. Really, wholeheartedly loved her. And it would never be enough for her. She wanted more. Needed more. More than Andre could give, even after he had given her everything.

"The decorations are spot on aren't they Audrey dear?" Andre spoke as they looked around at the setup for their twentieth anniversary.

Why couldn't she just be happy?

"They're ridiculous, utterly ridiculous! They're fired!"

OoOoOoOo

One always has to know when a stage comes to an end. If we insist on staying longer than the necessary time, we lose the happiness and the meaning of the other stages we have to go through. Closing cycles, shutting doors, ending chapters - whatever name we give it, what matters is to leave in the past the moments of life that have finished.

"Where did that come from?" Chat asked pointing at the chunky cat lounging on Lucy's bed. Lucy didn't look at him as she answered.

"That's Lulu."

"You got a cat and named it after yourself?" Chat cringed, only for Lucy to laugh.

"No you dork, she isn't mine. I think she belongs to someone in the apartments above me. She wandered down here one day and now I can't shake her. Her tag reads Lulu though."

Chat eyed the cat who seemed to be staring at him while almost looking annoyed. Maybe it was his outfit? "Oh, I forgot to tell you, I got a girlfriend." Chat spoke as he watched Lucy brush back her hair from his spot in her window.

Lucy let out a small skeptical chuckle. "Is that so?" She eyed him from her mirror. "Is a congratulation in order?" Chat let out a sigh.

"No. I only said that to make you jealous." Lucy laughed again, louder this time, and put down her brush. She swiveled in her chair and crossed her arms, tilting her head to the side as she peered at him with a small smirk.

"And what purpose does it serve to try and make me jealous exactly?" Chat shrugged.

"Would have stroked my ego a bit." He said casually. "Knowing you care." The smirk on Lucy's lips dropped at his words.

"Chat," Her tone caused the feline hero to bring his eyes up towards her. "My lack of unreasonable jealousy is not a lack of care. I want you to be happy, and I would love for you to be happy with me but we have been over this a hundred times."

"Yeah, yeah. I know." Chat said with another sigh as he leaned his head back against the window frame. "Doesn't mean it hurts any less." Lucy couldn't help but glare at him softly.

"Do you think this is easy for me? Because it's not."

Chat shrugged once more. "I don't know. You've got that Jacob guy now so-"

"Don't do that." She warned. "Do not make me feel guilty for trying to move on. That's not fair." He knew it wasn't. "Jacob is my friend and I'm not seeing him to make you jealous or anything like that. It's not about you."

Chat nodded silently but then glanced up at her again. "Is he a good kisser?"

"Do you want an honest answer to that?" Lucy deadpanned. Chat's lip twitched.

"Probably not."

"He's terrible."

"I knew it."

The pair laughed and soon fell into a comfortable silence. For a moment, things actually felt normal again. But how long would it last?

Did you lose your job? Has a loving relationship come to an end? Did you leave your parents' house? Gone to live abroad? Has a long-lasting friendship ended all of a sudden? You can spend a long time wondering why this has happened.

OooOoOoOoO

You can tell yourself you won't take another step until you find out why certain things that were so important and so solid in your life have turned into dust, just like that.

Far below his home, Gabriel Agreste and his devoted assistant Nathalie gather the ready butterflies from the garden that surrounds his unconscious wife. Butterflies, in general, had a short life expectancy. Spanning anywhere from two to four weeks at most. Because of this, it was important to keep a well-stocked conservatory.

Nathalie could feel her knees growing weak before her cough came. But when it did it had managed to wind her. Gabriel places his tools and knelt beside her. The effects of the broken miraculous were taking their course through her very similarly to the way they had Emilie. The more she used it, the worse her condition was bound to get, and yet it wouldn't stop her.

Gabriel tried to reason with her. Tried to make her understand the risk she was putting herself in. Nathalie had proven herself to be a loyal and devoted assistant but she had also become his closest confidant and friend. He wanted his wife back, but he didn't want Nathalie to kill herself in order for him to achieve it. It had, however, become abundantly clear that Nathalie would go to any length to help him. He couldn't seem to stop her even if he wanted to. Gabriel didn't think Nathalie would ever truly understand how much he appreciated everything she did for him. The state both his wife and his partner were in only fueled him to succeed. After all, if he gave up now, it would all be for nothing. Every sacrifice they had made together...it couldn't be in vain.

But such an attitude will be awfully stressful for everyone involved: your parents, your husband or wife, your friends, your children, your sister, everyone will be finishing chapters, turning over new leaves, getting on with life, and they will all feel bad seeing you at a standstill.

OoOooooO

At home, Marinette flips through her phone, looking at pictures of Adrien with a small pout on her lips. She couldn't understand it. Why couldn't she just tell him how she felt? More importantly, why couldn't she just let him go? A notification popped on her phone and a smile spread across her face as she noticed a message from Luka. Marinette liked him. She really did. And she knew that he like her too. He had said as much. Her heart ached as she thought about it. What was wrong with her? An amazing boy had told her his feelings and even though the idea of being with him made her grin, her mind still wandered back to the boy who was in love with someone else.

Why couldn't she just be happy?

OoOoOoOo

Adrien flipped through his phone and sighed as he gazed longingly at his photos of Lucy. Every time he felt he was making progress with her she seemed to slip away. Sometimes it was as if she felt the same way he did. That he was as important to her as she was to him. Other times, it felt like she was purposefully keeping him at arm's length. Adrien wondered if he was giving in to his own personal desires so much that maybe he wasn't seeing what the truth in front of him was. That may be as much as Lucy claimed to love him, she never would the way he loved her. Maybe she couldn't. Maybe she didn't want to. Adrien was in too deep. Maybe he should take her advice.

Maybe he should try and broaden his horizon a little. The idea made him uneasy. Like he was betraying her somehow. Which didn't make any sense. She was off kissing other boys, why couldn't he? Girls that is... He could. Lucy had said as much. But Adrien didn't want to broaden his horizons. He didn't want to kiss other girls. He wanted to kiss Lucy. His thoughts were interrupted as a notification rang on his computer. Lucy had posted a photo of herself with Marinette and Kagami. The caption: I need more girl dates. He smiled at the photo and hit like.

"Ah," Plagg said stuffing cheese in his mouth. "you finally realized that there's more than just one type of cheese in this world." Adrien rolled his eyes.

"There is more than just one cheese in this world, Plagg, but you always come back to Cambert."

"Touche, good sir. Touche."

None of us can be in the present and the past at the same time, not even when we try to understand the things that happen to us.

OoOoOoO

"Will you stop?!" Chloe scolded as Nikolas continued to tease the hem of her sweater.

"What's the matter sweet cheeks? Afraid your daddy might find you canoodling with a boy?" He asked taking her by the waist and pulling her back into his chest. His other hand snaked up her back and his finger interlocked with the hair closest to her skull under her ponytail. "I thought the sneaking around was the part you liked." He spoke softly, his nose grazing hers.

Normally, Chloe would find herself swooning over the boy in front of her. She never understood how he did it. What was it about Nikolas Thompson that called out to her like a drug? She wasn't sure, but at this moment, Chloe took what willpower she had and shoved the boy away.

"It is," She hissed, glancing around the corridor to make sure no one had seen them. "Which you will ruin if you can't keep your hands to yourself!"

Nikolas pouted playfully. "You know you can't keep me your dirty little secret forever, right?"

"I can try!" Chloe shot back, crossing her arms. Her glare softened a little at the sight of Nikolas's frown. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Are you seriously that embarrassed to be seen with me?" He retorted. Chloe rolled her eyes.

"How shallow do you think I am?"

"Extremely," Nikolas responded honestly. "Sometimes it's an almost cute quirk you have. At the moment, it's not. Answer the question."

A scoff escaped Chloe as she stared up at Nikolas. "Do you know how utterly terrible it would be if my parents- no, if my mother, found out I was messing around with kitchen staff? Do you think for even a second that would go over well?"

"Kitchen staff?" He repeated before closing his eyes and holding up his hands as if to tell Chloe to wait a moment. "Why would I give a shit what your mother thinks?" Nikolas asked as if it was the most ridiculous excuse he had ever heard. Chloe blinked at him in disbelief.

"Why should you-? She is my mother!"

"And as your mother shouldn't she be happy for you to love whoever you want to love?"

"First of all don't go throwing that word around like that okay!" She shot at him. "And no! She would not be happy to find out her daughter is slumming it with-"

"The kitchen staff." Nikolas finished for her. "Right of course. How stupid of me." He spoke turning on his heel and starting his way down the hall.

"Where are you going!?" Chloe called after him to which he turned back and hunched over.

"Why, back to the kitchens mistress! Tis where I belong after all! What a scandal it would be if someone were to see you slumming it with the staff!" He said in a raspy voice.

Chloe stomped her foot. "Don't be like that!" Nikolas stood up straight and marched back over to Chloe.

"Be like what, Chloe? Be like what? Angry? Agitated that I somehow ended up in some weird competition with your mom over you? Your mom, which, if I remember correctly, abandoned you for half your life. That's what I'm up against?"

"That's not fair!" Chloe argued, her tone now dishearted. Nikolas let out a breath through his nose as he ran a hand through his hair and shook his head.

"You're right," He croaked. "It's not." He turned away once more and made his way down the hall, this time ignoring Chloe's call for him.

Things pass, and the best we can do is to let them really go away. That is why it is so important, however painful it may be, to destroy souvenirs, move, give lots of things away to orphanages, sell or donate the books you have at home. Everything in this visible world is a manifestation of the invisible world, of what is going on in our hearts - and getting rid of certain memories also means making some room for other memories to take their place.

OoOoOoOoO

"Yes, Dad I do know where the Grand Paris Hotel is," Marinette spoke to her father on the phone. "Me! Late? I'm never late! Okay yeah sure but this time I won't be late, promise. " She tells him carrying boxes towards the front of the bakery, almost tripping in the process, but catches herself and continues awkwardly out the door. The sight of Luka surprises her, causing her to throw the boxes into the air only for Luka to catch them. She walks toward him and smiles. "Luka! What are you doing here?"

Luka, who had stopped by after dropping off the last of his current food deliveries pulls out his guitar. "I've been thinking of you actually, and I'm pretty sure I found your melody at last. A tune that matches you completely. Wanna hear it?" She had become somewhat of a muse for him lately. From the moment they had met, Luka found her melody to be playing loud and clear in his head, but it was also very jumbled. It always sounded like two different harmonies trying to play out side by side, but instead always tended to play over each other. He had made it a mission of sorts to focus on it more carefully and create a melody that played out properly.

Marinette smiles expectantly, and Luka begins playing the tune on his guitar. Marinette watched impressed and blushes heavily. There it was again. The fluttering in her stomach. There was something so enchanting about the boy in front of her. Sometimes, he didn't seem real. "What do you think? Luka asked with a small smile.

"Wow it's- it's incredible!" Marinette answered honestly. Luka hummed.

"Mm, it's still not quite right. I can do better. I'm gonna work on it some more." Before Marinette can comment her cell phone rings.

"Yeah Dad, I'm on my way." She says and hangs up. Her eyes meet with Luka's as she looks at him apologetically.

"Sorry I- I gotta go." But Luka holds out a helmet for her. Marinette puts on the spare helmet and they strap her boxes to the back of Luka's bike. He allows her his seat and pedals his way to the Grand Paris Hotel while standing, Marinette holding on to his waist for balance. When they arrive, Marinette gets off and smiles at Luka. He really was something to marvel at.

"Thanks, Luka!" She kisses him on the cheek, slightly surprising the boy. He beams at her and she grabs her boxes from his bike.

"I'll find the perfect tune for your song." He says, before racing away.

OoOoOoOoOo

Chloe tried to gather herself as she stomped her way down the hall lost in her own thoughts. Why did he have to make everything so difficult? Yelling at her like she was being unreasonable. She had told him about her family dynamics so that he would understand where she was coming from. She wasn't supposed to be with someone like him, but she still came around. Couldn't he see that she was trying?

We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations.

Ranting away in her head, Chloe managed to smack right into someone. She held her shoulder in pain as she fumbled in her stance.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" She barked, only to find Lucy crossing her arms at her.

"You ran into me, little miss. What's eating you?" Chloe shook her head and rubbed her face.

"Nothing! I'm fine. What are you doing here anyway? And who is that?" Chloe pointed as her expression changed to one of distaste now noticing the tall boy with a mop of curly hair on his head standing beside Lucy.

Lucy knitted her brows together. "Chloe, you asked me to be here, remember? For your parent's anniversary?"

"Yeah, yeah," Chloe said waving her hand. "Right, of course, I remember."

"Chloe, are you alright? You seem...off?" Lucy asked, placing a hand on the other blonde's shoulder, only for Chloe to shake her off.

"I told you, I'm fine! This is just a very important day, and I'm a little stressed. We have a lot of important guests and it is imperative things go well, which brings me back to my question. Who. Is. That?"

"Jacob." He answered before Lucy could. "Jacob Evans."

Chloe stared at him unimpressed. "Is your name supposed to mean something to me?" He squinted at her.

"You asked-"

"Who you are, not what your name is." Chloe shot back before bringing her eyes back to Lucy. "Who is he?"

"He's my friend Chloe. He's in Adrien's fencing class." Lucy told her, not really fazed anymore by Chloe's rudeness. Chloe eyes the boy up and down once more as if he was something of great insignificance. Her eyes came back to Lucy and her hands flew to her hips.

"Keep your new pet on a tight leash, will you? This isn't an event for randoms." Chloe spun around and strutted off towards the main hall, leaving Lucy to roll her eyes after her while Jacob raised an eyebrow.

"Pet huh?" He asked crossing his arms and looking at Lucy. "Got a few of those?" Lucy rolled her neck to look at him with annoyed hooded eyes before bringing her hand and patting him sternly on the head.

"Easy boy."

Jacob grinned at her but leaned away at the sound of Lucy's name being called. It had been Kagami who had called out Lucy's name as she strolled in with her mother, Adrien, and his bodyguard striding on the other side of her. Lucy smiled and waved, meeting them halfway with Jacob close behind. Jacob could feel the excitement bubbling in his chest as Adrien's eyes locked with his own. The Agreste boy had been anything but subtle over the past few weeks when engaging with him. Before meeting Lucy, Jacob had had minimal interaction with Adrien, but after, it was like he couldn't wait to get paired with him.

Everything about Adrien screamed jealousy when he saw the two of them together. Lucy, the sweet girl she was, either was completely blind or made a firm choice not to comment or recognize it. Jacob on the other had found it to be terribly amusing. Getting Adrien riled up had become one of his favorite pass times. It didn't take much after all.

It wasn't that Jacob didn't genuinely like Lucy. Quite the opposite in fact. She was funny, and witty, and easy on the eyes if he did say so himself. He wasn't in love with her. And she wasn't in love with him. In fact, Jacob was pretty sure they never would be. Commitment made him itchy, and Lucy...well...her heart still beats for another. She didn't really talk about it, and he never pushed. It wasn't his business. Sometimes, he wondered if it was Adrien. After all, he was well aware of how close the two seemed to be. It was that thought that really pushed Jacob to tease Adrien. He figured, maybe if he did it enough, the boy's head would explode and he would be forced to admit his feelings. Then Lucy could admit hers, and everyone could move on.

Unless he was wrong of course. But hey, sometimes you just gotta roll the dice.

Jacob cared about Lucy and wanted her to be happy. Adrien Agreste, though Jacob didn't know him that well, seemed like a good guy. A bit childish in his jealousy perhaps, but a good guy regardless. Besides looking at Jacob like he wanted to shove him to the ground from time to time, Adrien was never outright rude to him. It made Jacob smirk. He was trying to be supportive. Jacob wondered how far he could push before that changed.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Audrey and Andre, on this most solemn day, in celebration of your 20th wedding anniversary," Gabriel spoke through the tablet in Nathalie's hands. The couple stood on a corner stage next to a large photo of themselves with a banner reading Happy 20th anniversary. Andre smiles at his wife, but Audrey...Audrey turns away in distaste. "I am delighted to offer this magnificent gift, I personally designed, especially for you."

Nathalie signals Chloe who then makes her way over to her parents while carrying a large, white cylinder-shaped box with a gold G printed on it. She waves to the crowd as she passes and hands her mother and father their gift before making her way back to the sidelines. "My dearest Mr. And Mrs. Bourgeois, I hereby present you the Gabriel Couple Cloak, a symbol of eternal love and bonds of marriage." Andre and Audrey put the cloak on. It's a simple white and red toga that resembled something you might find ancient greeks wearing at one point.

Andre smiled and couldn't help but feel the need to laugh a little. It was rather silly. His laughter was short-lived however at the sound of his wife's voice in his ear.

"Ow! You're stepping on my feet!" Audrey cried in anger.

" Uh...Thank you, Gabriel, it's uh.. it's.." Andre tried to speak, but Audrey cut him off.

"Hideous! On you! Ugh utterly hideous! You wearing it is an insult to this piece of art."

Andre sighed. She was in quite the mood, wasn't she? Today of all days. It was always so odd to him. One day, she was looking at him like she had 20 years ago. The next, she was looking at him like she couldn't stand his existence. He didn't know what to make of it anymore. Perhaps he should be used to it. When things break, it's not the actual breaking that prevents them from getting back together again. It's because a little piece gets lost - the two remaining ends couldn't fit together even if they wanted to. The whole shape has changed. Andre had changed shapes for her before more times than he could count. He carved away at himself anytime he needed to in order for it to be possible to fit correctly back at her side. He wondered if he ever really needed her to, would she ever do the same?

Do not expect anything in return, do not expect your efforts to be appreciated, your genius to be discovered, your love to be understood. Stop turning on your emotional television to watch the same program over and over again, the one that shows how much you suffered from a certain loss: that is only poisoning you, nothing else.

OoOoOoO

"Is that Prince Ali?" Jacob asked as he took a bite of a grape. He and Lucy stood near the food tables as they watched the ceremony take place. Lucy hummed a confirmation while she eyed the couple that was being celebrated. The sound of Marinette falling stole both their attention. The two almost went over to help when they noticed Adrien and Kagami making their way over instead. They helped Marienette gather her boxes and made their way over to the table, dropping them off for Sabine and Tom.

"You escaped," Lucy commented to the two.

"Barely," Adrien replied as Marinette's father requested Marinette grab some empty trays and bring some drink umbrellas from the kitchen before she went back home. Adrien and Kagami gave Marinette a pleading look to let them help her and get away a little longer.

"We should go with them," Jacob said, taking Lucy's hand. The girl raised an eyebrow at him.

"What? Why?"

"Why not?" Was Jacob's only response as he tugged her along.

OoOoOOoOO

Andre raised his glass and smiled at the crowd, trying to ignore his wife's unpleasant mood in order to at least save face for those who had shown up for their celebration. He didn't understand what had her so short-tempered today. Every little thing seemed to be upsetting her.

"Life is made up of meetings and partings. People come into your life every day, you say good morning, you say good evening, some stay for a few minutes, some stay for a few months, some a year, others a whole lifetime. No matter who it is, you meet, and then you part. I'm so glad I met you Audrey; I'll thank my lucky stars for that. I think I wished for you all of my life" Andre toasted, and with the proximity they were trapped in due to the couple's cloak Gabriel had provided, he could feel his wife stiffen beside him. "We have parted many times before, and yet, even after all these years, here we are together again."

There is was. Audrey could feel it bubbling up inside of her again. The suffocation. She had a million plans. She knew what she was going to do. She had the next few years of her life all figured out. But what Audrey didn't know was that with coming back to Paris, all those plans would change. Ms. Know-it-all didn't quite know it all so much then. Sometimes, people can go missing right before our very eyes. Sometimes, people can discover you, even though they've been looking at you the entire time. Sometimes, we lose sight of ourselves when we're not paying enough attention.

"I'm sure you'd all like to know the secret behind our long-lasting marriage, and well, the secret is- " But Audrey interjects Andre before he can finish as something seems to snap inside her.

"Distance! Come on give me that!" She shouted, pulling against the cloak. It was too much. He was too much.

"Darling, it's supposed to be a cloak for couples." Andre tried to reason as he stood struggling against her.

"Don't be ridiculous, give me that!"

In the distance, Gabriel smiled slightly at the display as his plans started their motions.

OoOoOooo

"What is your guy's obsession with fencing?" Jacob asked as he leaned against one of the kitchen counters, watching Adrien and Kagami play fight with soup ladles.

"You simply don't enjoy it as much because your not as good at it as we are Evans." Kagami teased playfully. Her tone took Jacob by a bit of a surprise. Kagami, much like Adrien hadn't interacted much with him until after he got involved with Lucy. However, in general, her interactions were very different from that of the Agreste boy. Any time they were paired, Kagami had made a point to try and undermine him. Commenting on his movements and referring to them as sloppy in comparison to her own and several others. And when she beat him, which she usually did, she always looked so smug about it. However when she didn't, oh...when she lost...Jacob grinned as he pictured the way her amber eyes narrowed at him and her bottom lip puffed out in a sort of pout. Like he had somehow cheated her. It was cute.

The point was that Kagami really only ever spoke to him in a belittling tone. It didn't faze Jacob. He had grown a thick skin over the years and besides that nothing the Asian girl ever said was untrue. Jacob liked Fencing. But he wasn't doing it to be the best. It was a harmless way to fight people and let off steam. Sometimes he won, sometimes he lost, and everyone had a good time.

It was different for Adrien and Kagami. Though it was clear to Jacob they both truly did enjoy to sport, he knew if they didn't take it seriously, and didn't win as often as they did, their parents would give them a hard time about it. Kagami's especially, considering her Fencing linage. That was why seeing Kagami like she was now, playful, and...well, happy, genuinely so, made Jacob smile. The stick in the mud he had come to know actually seemed to be able to wiggle free sometimes.

"You know what we should do?" Jacob asked the group, a mischievous grin forming on his lips. "We should blow the crepe stand."

"You mean-? Before Lucy could finish, Adrien's bodyguard walked through the doors, clearly on the hunt for Adrien and Kagami. Instead, he found Jacob, Lucy, and Marinette.

"Looking for something?" Marinette squeaked, only for the bodyguard to narrow his eyes at her for a moment before turning to leave.

Kagami and Adrien pop out of their hiding spots and thank their friends. Marinette gives a small, weak smile and hikes her thumb towards the door. "I should really get going, my parents-"

"No, wait!" Adrien said, stopping Marinette from taking a step further.

"Escape with us!" Kagami encouraged.

"Oh yeah!" Jacob bellowed, rubbing his hands together. "Operation break out is a go!"

"We aren't in prison." Lucy laughed, to which Jacob replied.

"They might as well be." with two-finger guns pointed at Adrien and Kagami.

"Alright," Lucy smirked. "What's the plan?"

OoOoOOOo

"This is a terrible plan," Lucy grumbled from under a box.

"It's the only one we got! Now stop being a negative Nancy and crawl!" Jacob whispered harshly as he and the others all slid across the hall in their individual boxes. Who would have guessed that Adrien's bodyguard had almost immediately spotted them? The group of teens shot up and dashed for the stairway, leaving their boxes at the door and running towards the roof. When they got there, it was heavily decorated for the ceremony happening a few floors below with white and gold colors. The pool had been emptied and turned into a large ball pit for reasons none of them would ever understand. Quickly the teens join hands and cannonball into the ball pit, hiding away just as the bodyguard catches up.

Nathalie, who had slipped away earlier and hid when the children had come up to the roof, watched in annoyance as the bodyguard flipped over a table looking for them. With one last quick skim, he retreated into the elevator and headed back down. The five teens didn't notice Nathalie as their heads popped back up. Quickly, she darted back towards the stairway door, remaining out of sight. She didn't bother reporting about Adrien to Gabriel. He would be fine with his friends. She had broken the cord that plugged in the Bee signal and now everything was in place.

"Being disobedient is really entertaining," Kagami says as she looks at the others. "I've never had so much fun in my life!"

"Oh, but the fun has just begun!" Jacob announces as he whips a ball at Kagami, bonking her in the head.

"It's war!" Lucy shouts tossing balls around at her friends who then also join in.

This was something they all had needed. To run, to escape, to be free and have fun like they should have been able to do their whole childhood. The truth was, every teen in that ball pit had one very specific common denominator. And that was the fact that they had all been forced to grow up to fast. Because of Super Hero's responsibilities, because of parents with high standards and unreasonable expectations, because of trauma, because of hardship.

Everything is more complicated than you think. You only see a tenth of what is true. There are a million little strings attached to every choice you make; you can destroy your life every time you choose. But maybe you won't know for twenty years. And you'll never ever trace it to its source. And you only get one chance to play it out. Just try and figure out your own divorce. And they say there is no fate, but there is: it's what you create.

Even though the world goes on for eons and eons, you are here for a fraction of a fraction of a second. Most of your time is spent being dead or not yet born. But while alive, you wait in vain, wasting years, for a phone call or a letter or a look from someone or something to make it all right. And it never comes or it seems to but doesn't really. And so you spend your time in vague regret or vaguer hope for something good to come along. Something to make you feel connected, to make you feel whole, to make you feel loved.

OoOoOoo

Downstairs, Mr. and Mrs. Bourgeois still stood fighting, tugging away at the couple's cloak that held them together.

"You're so ridiculous! Everything here is ridiculous. I'm going back to New York! Ugh!" Audrey argued and Andre could feel his grip tighten on the cloak. Why did she have to do this every damn time? He was exhausted by it. When his wife had left for the second time, Andre had been rather...unsettled by it.

He needed someone to rationalize it for him. So, discreetly, he had gone to see a professional. The doctor had explained to him that to love everyone unconditionally does not mean to give everyone your unconditional time. Sometimes, to love completely, we must never see someone again. This, too, is love. This is giving someone the freedom to exist and be happy, even if it must be without you. He had left immediately after, and never went back. To this day he didn't truly understand what the doctor had meant, and perhaps if he hadn't been so ignorant at the time he could have stayed and figured it out. Instead, he was here again. Listening to the doctor's words in the back of his head.

"Right, leave us again!" Andre shouted back. "I'd be more than happy to book you a seat on the next flight myself this time!"

OooOoO

The teens got out of the ball pit and made their way over to the piano where Adrien sat down to play. Kagami sighed softly before eyeing Marinette who was not trying to put her hair back in its pigtails after they had come out in the pit.

"Your hair looks beautiful," Kagami commented, earning agreement from the others.

"You should wear it down more often," Lucy added.

"Lu," Adrien spoke motioning for her to sit beside him at the piano. "play with me." Lucy smiled softly and took a seat next to Adrien.

"I didn't know you played the piano, Lucy." Marinette implored.

"I don't really," Lucy replied with a shrug. "Adrien has given me a few lessons here and there."

"She plays beautifully." Adrien encouraged, earning a light blush from the blonde beside him as she nudged his shoulder with her own. Jacob observed Adrien and the three girls in his proximity and tilted his head. Marinette looked off-put by the information while Kagami remained mostly passive, however, if you looked hard enough you could see her jaw clenching and unclenching ever so slightly. Lucy on the other hand looked like she was growing more and more uncomfortable with the attention Adrien had managed to put on her. Her eyes remained focused on her hands and the keys Adrien had told her to play as if she could feel the other two girls burning holes into her.

Jacob wanted to laugh. Adrien was either completely unaware of the energy radiating off the women around him or he gave absolutely zero fucks about it. Perhaps if it had been Adrien simply practicing the art of not giving a shit, the curly-headed boy might have had added a little more respect to his opinion of him. But Jacob knew better. Adrien seemed to care about almost everyone around him's feelings. It was a trait he shared in common with Lucy, and due to the way she was watching them, it was one he might very well share with Marinette as well. Honestly, he didn't understand it. Constantly basing your choices on how everyone else felt? That seemed exhausting and overall impossible to get anything done. To each their own, he supposes.

A ding catches everyone's attention and they quickly hide under the piano. The bodyguard had returned, seemingly more annoyed that he had yet to find the teens he was looking for. Marinette looked around and used her hair-tie to slingshot a fake tea candle across the roof, leading the bodyguard away from them long enough to rush to the elevator and head to the ground floor, bolting out the door and away from the hotel, not even noticing the purple butterfly heading inside.

OoOoOoOooO

Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life...You give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like 'maybe I should just leave' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain.

As they shouted at one another, both Andre and Audrey thought about every resentment they held towards one another. They were lost. Lost in their anger, in the grief, in their egos. They could no longer see the positive things about one another that had kept them married for so long and instead found themselves blinded by every moment that made them question why they even bothered anymore. He was tired, she was suffocated, he was desperate to understand, she couldn't bear to listen, he would never be enough, she couldn't give enough. He hated it. She hated it.

"I hate you!" They shouted at one another and just as they did, the Akuma Hawkmoth had sent fluttered into their cloak.

"Heart Hunter, I am Hawkmoth. So you no longer believe in love? Well, I'm giving you the power to destroy it! And wherever it is, whatever it's for, devour it! All I ask in return are Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous. Now feast on love!"

"It makes my mouth water just thinking of it."As Heart Hunter, Andre and Audrey's Body does not exist. They have pale, light grayish crimson face skin, big noses, and have vivid raspberry colored-upside down heart shaped-earrings, vivid amaranth eyes, and brilliant amaranth eyebrows while their hair is matted down, slightly shorter on Andre's side and longer on Audreys.

"Daddy? Mom?!" Chloe speaks as she steps back.

"Haha! I am the most powerful of all the supervillains." Andre goes as the head spins and Audrey corrects.

"No, I am! You're just super annoying." She looks over at Sabine and Tom who hug one another in fright. "Ugh, they're so in love. " She zaps them with her eyes and just like that the pair is gone.

"Oh, my bee signal! I've got to let Ladybug know." Chloe races for the elevator only for Heart Hunter to fly in her way.

"Chloe, my princess!" Andre coos.

"You're going to give us all your love." Her mother claims. Chloe backs away slowly and holds up her hands.

"Nah-uh, sorry. No way, I don't love anyone." She tries to convince.

"Come one sweetcheeks," Nikolas's voice rings out as he leans against the wall near the kitchen doors. His arms cross and his eyes seem to pierce her. "We know that's not true."

"He's right!" Heart HUnter exclaimed together. "You love yourself!" They shot at Chloe who jumped out of the way and over the couch, ending up in front of Nikolas while Jagged Stone tried to convince Heart Hunter not to take him.

"Nik!" She pleaded but the boy remained uninterested, turning and retreating back into the kitchen. Chloe frowned but bolted in the opposite direction towards the stairway, racing to the roof to set off her Bee signal.

OoOoOoOoO

(Guys we are at like 7,700 words without the Note at the top. Lol, I think I'm definitely going to have to break up parts one and two after all.)

Lucy, Adrien, Marinette, Kagami, and Jacob finally found a resting point just a few blocks from the hotel and took a rest on a bench near the cancel.

"I think we're safe!" Adrien said, catching his breath and taking a seat. He looked up at Lucy who bent over, placing her hands on her knees.

"Sweet mother of pearl." Lucy voiced. "My body hates me. Everything hurts." Kagami let out a small laugh.

"Lucy, we didn't even go that far." The blonde shook her head.

"Mama does carbs, not cardio baby." Jacob swatted her butt and Adrien shot the guy an annoyed glare.

"Aren't you guys going to get in trouble with your parents?" Marinette asked from her seat on the other side of Adrien, stealing his attention.

"It's not every day we can escape from everything they expect of us," Adrien says, gesturing to Kagami who smiles.

"Feels good to take a walk on the wild side, doesn't it?" Jacob grinned as he placed a foot on the edge of the bench between Adrien and Kagami, leaning to rest his forearm on his thigh as he spoke. Adrien rolled his eyes.

"Well, now what? The world is our oyster at the moment friends, what shall we do with it?" Lucy asked. Adrien smiled as his eyes shot to Lucy, then noticing Andre the ice cream man in the distance behind her.

"Let's get Ice cream!" He suggested, getting up and running off towards flavor town.

"Hell yeah!" Jacob agreed joining him.

Kagami gave the other girls a confused look, not understanding the hype. Lucy and Marinette laughed.

"Andre is a sweethearts' ice cream maker," Lucy informed.

"The legend says that whoever shares his ice cream together will be in love forever," Marinette added. Kagami nodded and stood.

"I don't believe in all that stuff, but I do believe in ice cream!"

The three girls chased after the boys and soon they all stood in front of Andre the ice cream man.

Andre looked at the group with his eyebrows raised. What a flavor combination that stood in front of him. He gave ice cream to friend groups all the time, of course, however, this was no ordinary group of friends. There was romance, and heartache, and longing that radiated from them as a whole. All wonderful flavors when broken down, but messy when put all together. The ice cream man voice his flavor suggestions to the group in pairs of two, but Marinette had pointed out that perhaps at least one cone should be for three, being the odd number.

"I can, but too many flavors mixed together may throw off the delicate balance," Andre informed, making Marinette sweat. Lucy and Jacob noticed Marinette quickly become unsettled with the information. No one else outwardly seemed to care about which flavor combinations were chosen. Kagami didn't believe in magic ice cream and Adrien was stuck in his own head too much to even contemplate the verbal crisis Marinette was talking about. In reality, though, he supposed it was a little similar.

He was thinking about himself. He was thinking about the beautiful girl walking next to him. He was thinking about the two of them together, and then about himself again. He was thinking about the other pretty girl beside him, and her feelings that she had not brought up in a long time, but he knew existed. He was thinking about what it meant to move forward and who he should move forward with. He was in love. Love with complications. The ice cream flavors were the last thing on his mind.

Marinette looked between Kagami and Adrien, and then Lucy and Jacob. It seemed like everyone found ways to move on. So why could she?

"Look I think your first idea was the best," Marinette said, walking up to the ice cream man. "The orange and peppermint ice cream for.. for my friends here."

"Are you sure Marinette?" Andre asks, seeing the look in her eyes. She nods and backs off as Adrien approaches the cart.

"I'm gonna head back to the palace." She says, heading towards the steps. "I told my parents I'd bring them back those cocktail umbrellas."

"We will come with you," Kagami told her but Marinette declined.

"No no, don't bother. Enjoy your ice cream." Lucy frowned as Marinette jogged away, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Alright, your turn- hey, where did Marinette go?" Adrien asked confused.

"She left," Kagami told him simply. "Are you guys going to get yours?" She then asks, trying to keep the mood from souring.

Lucy shifted her weight back and forth of her feet as she looked at Jacob, who silently signaled it was up to her.

"Uh, actually...no. I think We're gonna head back actually, but first," She walks over to Andre and snags up one of his spoons.

"Wait, what? Why are you leaving? We just got here!" Adrien argued while watching her. Lucy gave a tight smile.

"Because the only reason I was even there is because Chloe asked me to be. If for some reason she comes looking and can't find me, she'll have a cow. You know how she is." Lucy took her spoon and swiped it down the side of Adrien and Kagami's ice cream, filling the spoon and shoving it into her mouth. "Hm, I'm more of a mint and chocolate rather than mint and fruit kinda girl myself, but I see the appeal if you're into that sorta thing."

"I get that, mint and Carmel probably is an acquired taste too," Jacob added. "I definitely would have stuck with the Pecan and Carmel combo. They just work well together you know? In a classic kind of way." He continued with a hinting tone while eyeing Adrien whose eye seemed to make the slightest twitch.

Lucy shrugged. "Who knows, sometimes the things you don't expect to go well together do. Don't knock it before you try it right?" She said smiling as her eyes met Adrien's. He felt his heart thump in his chest, only to fill with disappointment as she looked away.

"Anyway. Enjoy your ice cream guys. We'll see you back there."

Kagami swallowed her petty jealously as she watched Adrien keeping his eyes on Lucy as she and Jacob headed back down the road and took his hand in hers. They made their way off the bridge and sat on the edge of the canal, taking a bite into their ice cream.

"I don't know what those two were talking about. These flavors go perfectly together." She commented. Adrien smiled and nodded. t was true. The flavors worked very well.

"Kagami?" Adrien voiced, making her look from the ice cream to him.

"What is it, Adrien?"

"You...eh..." He struggled, not sure if it was a good idea to say what he wanted to say. Kagami didn't push. Instead, she watched the boy closely and waited for him to continue. "You...have...had...feelings for...me...right?"

Kagami stiffened at the question for a moment before slowly relaxing. "Yes."

Adrien's eyes shot up at hers, holding some sort of desperation in them. "How did you stop?"

"I..." She muttered. "I'm sorry...Adrien, I don't understand."

"You know about my feelings for Lucy. And instead of acting jealous or trying to uproot it, you let it be. You...got over it. How?"

Kagami ran Adrien's words through her mind again before answering. "Are you telling me you no longer wish to have feelings for Lucy?"

"Yes-no...I don't know." Adrien said, running his hands through his hair.

"I didn't," Kagami told him simply. "My feelings never changed."

"What?!" He responded in surprise. "Then why didn't you-?"

"Why didn't I what?" She shot back. "What is it that I should or could have done that would have altered things to go in my favor?"

Adrien opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He didn't have an answer for her.

Kagami sighed. "I expressed my interest and you didn't return it. It's that simple. The feelings we carry for another person don't just go away because they are not returned. I like you. I have for a while. Forcing you to be reminded of that would do me no good. Instead, I remain where I always have been. By your side. Waiting for the moment when you might realize the thing you think you want might not be the thing you need. I worked out what would make me happy, and I worked out what I wanted to do, and I trained myself to do the job that would make those two things happen to the best of my ability."

"You make it sound so simple."

"It is simple,' she said. 'The thing is, it's also a lot of hard work. And people don't want to put in a lot of work."

"Has it been worth it?" He asked. Kagami smiled and tilted her head.

"Maybe. Adrien, can I be honest?"

"Always."

"You have a way of putting Lucy at the center of your universe. Like she is your sun. But you shouldn't." Adrien frowns and Kagami sighs. "I don't mean that as a negative reflection of Lucy. What I mean is that our worlds are not designed to rotate singularly around another person. It adds too much pressure for both parties. I think you and I are a perfect match in so many ways, but my life does not stop carrying on without you." She explains, bringing a hand to his cheek. " We are meant to align and rotate around our similar goals, aspirations, and values, not each other."

Adrien smiled softly and rested his face in Kagami's palm. "Adrien..." Kagami spoke, her tone causing Adrien to sit up straighter as she pulled her hand away.

"If you really are finding yourself desiring to move on from Lucy, then I am more than willing to help you do just that but..." Adrien watched her with curious eyes as she poked at the ice cream with her spoon. Her eyes shifted upward from her hands and Adrien felt the intensity of her stare. "I need you to be sure you're all in. I don't have time for games or wish wash behavior. I am not some silly girl you can string along while it feels convenient for you."

He swallowed. "Kagami I would never intentionally-"

"I know," She stopped him. "But hurt is still hurt, regardless of its intent."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

When Jacob and Lucy got back to the hotel it was empty. They walked around the ground floor questionably, wondering where everyone had gone.

"Maybe they all made it to the roof? The party was supposed to migrate there eventually anyway." Jacob suggested but Lucy shook her head.

"Maybe...but something doesn't feel right."

The pair hopped in the elevator and headed for the roof. Once up there they looked around to find it also empty. Well, almost.

"Come on, come on, come on Ladybug!" Chloe's voice reached them.

"Chloe, what's going on?" Lucy asked as she and Jacob got closer. Chloe turned around and jumped slightly at the sigh of them before scowling.

"What do you mean what's going on?! My parents have been akumatized! Where you not down there?! I'm waiting for Ladybug to bring me my miraculous so I can help save them!"

Lucy crossed her arms and sighed. "Chloe, I thought Ladybug said she couldn't give you the miraculous anymore? Your identity, remember?"

"They are my parents!"

OoOoOoOooo

Mayura coughs as she leans against a wall, watching Ladybug from a nearby roof. She falls to her knees and Hawkmoth kneels down beside her to help her up. She was weakening, just as Emilie had.

"I wish I didn't have to involve you in this."
Mayura coughs again, but replies weakly "I want to be here. I want to help you." They both look down at Heart Hunter as it fights Ladybug.
"There she is," Hawkmoth says.

"You love everyone." Andre Heart Hunter says. "You're going to make a great dinner!"
Audrey Heart Hunter chimes in. "And for dessert, the cat! I'm sure he's very tasty."

"It's always the same. Whenever she's backed up against a wall, Ladybug engages others to fight by her side. I'm convinced that the Guardian of the Miraculous is who she seeks every time."

He was so close to succeeding. This plan would work. It had to.

OoOoOooOo

Kagami gave Adrien the last bit of the ice cream cone, and leaned in toward him. Adrien accepted the last bit of the treat but swallowed nervously at Kagami's close proximity. He closed his eyes as she moved in closer and Kagami placed a hand over his own.

"Tell me what you want, Adrien."

"I..." Adrien snapped his eyes open at the sound of a small yelp, seeing Ladybug whisk Kagami away from him. He didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed. What he did know, was Ladybug needed his help and it was time to transform.

OoOoOoOO

"I'm honored that you've chosen me Ladybug," Kagami said from Ladybug's arms. "but I thought you couldn't give me this Miraculous again since Hawkmoth knows my identity."

Ladybug could feel panic rise in her chest. "There's no time. I need...your exceptional talent." As they landed on a roof, Ladybugs earrings began to beep.

"Don't look at me. I have to transform back. My kwami needs to refuel." She tells Kagami before running behind a wall. "Spots off!"
Marinette hands Tikki a macaron and takes out the Miraculous box. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything with... that boy." She says as she places Dragon Miraculous on the ground. Kagami walks over and picks it up.

"You did turn up a little... unexpectedly." She says, opening the box and being greeted by Longg.

"I'm honored to see you again, Kagami-San. We're about to accomplish great things together!"

"Honor is mine, Longg-Sama."

"The boy's famous, isn't he?" Marinette continued to pry from behind the wall. "You're bound to break a lot of hearts."

Kagami sighs. "It's...complicated. I only really have two friends outside of Adrien. One friend, Lucy, for who he has feelings for, and the other, Marinette has feelings for him. I have always been rather forward about my feelings for Adrien since the beginning, but I never pushed. During the conversation you pulled me from, he had expressed his desire to try...other options."

Marinette tried to hide her surprise. "He isn't interested in Lucy anymore?"

Kagami shrugged even though she knew it wasn't seen. "He's confused. I won't pursue someone who doesn't want me. But I won't let the chance pass me by if he realizes he needs a change. Lucy will be fine. She either doesn't see Adrien's affection or disregards it for the sake of Marinette. I'm not sure which. But I'm not like her. I refuse to suppress my feelings for the sake of an outside party. I don't want to hurt Marinette either. But Adrien and I are made for each other. We're so alike," She says as she puts on the Dragon choker. "I can't give him up, even for the sake of friendship. Not if he returns my interest."

Marinette looked down. Great. What was she supposed to do now? Kagami said she couldn't give Adrien up for the sake of friendship. Could she? "Sometimes choices can be so hard."

"We have a mission to do," Kagami said, changing the subject before calling in her Kwami. Marinette nodded her head. She was right. Now wasn't the time.

OoOoOo

From the hotel roof, Chloe spots Ladybug and smiles only to quickly turn sour at the sight of another hero behind her. "What about me?! You were supposed to give me a Miraculous! This is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous! They're my parents, you know. So I should be the one to save them!"

Lucy watches Ladybug jump buildings with Ryuko and raises an eyebrow. Like Chloe, Ryuko's identity wasn't a secret, at least to Hawkmoth. Because of this, Kagami also is supposed to be benched when it came to the hero team. It didn't make sense and Lucy could only assume that either A) Ladybug desperately needed the Dragon Miraculous and Kagami was the quickest choice or B) Ladybug had chosen her for a more personal reason. She just didn't know what that reason could be.

Chloe grabbed her Bee signal and hoisted it over the railing, dropping it down to the balcony below in anger.

"Don't you think you're taking this a little personally?" Jacob asked. "I mean, how many hero helpers does Ladybug have? Do you think they're all throwing a tantrum every time Ladybug doesn't pick them?"

"Screw you!" Chloe shouted at him. "You don't know anything! You've never been given a Miraculous! You're just some loser following Lucy around!"

"Whoa, Chloe, hey-" Lucy tries to mediate but Jacob lets out a bitter laugh.

"I'm the loser? Says the girl crying cuz' she didn't get to play superheroes today."

"Okay, not helpful!" Lucy scolded Jacob before turning back to Chloe. "Chloe you need to take a breath. Jacob had a point. I'm sure it wasn't personal."

Chloe glared at her. "Wasn't personal!? My parents are the ones Akumatized. I could help save them! I shouted to Ladybug to bring me my miraculous to help! We made eye contact and she knew how badly I wanted to help but what does she do!? She gets someone else!? How am I not supposed to take that personal!?"

Lucy took a deep breath and held up her hands in retreat. "Alright, we're gonna go. Obviously, you are upset and nothing I can say will make it better. I'll let you cool off and come find you after your parents are back to normal. Till then..fine...you wanna be mad? Be mad. Throw things, break things, scream. Whatever. But when you see the Ladybugs fixing everything, you need to get it together, or your gonna get yourself akumatized next." Lucy instructed before getting into the elevator with Jacob who flipped Chloe off as the doors closed. They were just slow enough for her to catch Lucy slapping Jacob upside the head for it as they shut.

"Chloe Bourgeois, rejections hurt!" Chloe turns at the sound of Hawkmoths voice and finds him standing tall now in front of her. "Your talents deserve to be recognized! Ladybug and Chat Noir's reign has gone on long enough. It's time for Paris to have a new queen, and the Queen Bee on my chessboard is you."

Chloe narrowed her eyes at him. "You've akumatized my parents! If I had my Miraculous I'd-"
Hawkmoth puts up his hand and interrupts. "You're right, but I did it for one reason only. So that you would finally realize that Ladybug will never give you the Bee Miraculous again. I, however, always keep my promises." He presents to her the Bee Miraculous in his hand. Acquiring it after following Ladybug to the guardian's location when she collected the Dragon. Her's as well as the rest of the miracle box. Chloe looked at the comb in disbelief.

"This isn't real! How do you have it?"

"Try it and see for yourself. You're Ladybug's greatest fan. You've helped her, you've trusted her, and what has she done for you in return?" Chloe's mind raced.

Sometimes you cannot believe what you see, you have to believe what you feel. And if you are ever going to have other people trust you, you must feel that you can trust them, too-even when you're in the dark. Even when you're falling.

Was She bitter? Absolutely. Hurt? You bet your sweet ass she was hurt. Who doesn't feel a part of their heartbreak at rejection? You ask yourself every question you can think of, what, why, how come, and then your sadness turns to anger. That's Chloe's favorite part. It drives her, feeds her. She wanted to say somewhere: I've tried to be forgiving. And yet. There were times in her life, whole years when anger got the better of her. Ugliness turned Chloe inside out. There was a certain satisfaction in bitterness. She courted it. It was standing outside, and she invited it in.

"Nothing!" Chloe raged. "She couldn't care less about me! I'm done with her. She's irrelevant, utterly irrelevant!" She reaches out to grab the Miraculous, stopping for a moment to look at Hawkmoth. "I want you to deakumatize has my parents first!"

Hawkmoth smirked. "Whatever you say, my queen." Chloe takes the comb and puts it in her hair, releasing Pollen who looks at her with concern.

"Your majesty, wait!-"

"Silence! You will speak only when spoken to." Chloe tells Pollen. "Your loss, Ladybug. Pollen, buzz on!"

OoOoOoOoO

"Ladybug, how nice of you to bring a guest! Ryuko, as amazing and daring as I remember!" Chat Noir greets as he joins his partner and chosen ally.

"Nice to see you again too, Chat Noir," Ryuko says back with a smile.

Ladybug squints at Chat as they run towards their destination suspiciously. "Don't you find your mindless flirting at all unprofessional?" She asks annoyed as Audrey Heart Hunter gets in front of them.

"This Cat is very much in love!" She says attempting to zap him them. The trio jumps out of the way, Ryuko calls out for Wind Dragon to avoid being eaten by Andre Heart Hunter. Chat Noir tries to attack Heart Hunter with his staff, misses, and instead gets sucked into Heart Hunter's mouth but Ladybug wraps her yoyo around Chat Noir's leg, freeing him and then catching him.

"Thank you, Ladybug." He says only to confuse Ladybug further.

"Not calling me Milady anymore?" She asks with a raised brow.

"Huh?" Chat looks at her with surprise. "Of course I... Wait a second. Are you jealous of Ryuko right now?"

"Of course not! Pfft." It was a half-truth. Ladybug wasn't so much jealous as she was unsettled. Chat may annoy her to pieces but she had grown used to most of his nicknames. The idea of him addressing her so formally just felt weird to her. Plus, it was odd to see him being so openly flirty with Ryuko. Last she checked, Chat's heart belonged to Lucy. Ladybug couldn't help but wonder if that simply wasn't the case anymore.

OoOoOoOooOoO

Lucy and Jacob sat at one of the many tables in the banquet area of the hotel. Jacob munched on some snacks while Lucy sat in thought about everything going on. She felt bad for Chloe, even though she knew Ladybug couldn't give her a Miraculous and a pinch of annoyance seeing her break that rule with Kagami.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is." A voice called, earning looks from both Lucy and Jacob. Nikolas strut over and took a seat on the other side of Lucy. "What are you two doing here?"

"Oh you know," Lucy replied. "Chillin." Nikolas nodded.

"Figured the big head would have snagged ya."

"We haven't even seen the thing," Jacob informed. "Who is it? What do they want?"

"The mayor and his wife morphed into a big head that eats love," Nikolas told them, poping a tiny cake in his mouth.

"About as dramatic as I would expect from those two," Lucy commented, earning a nod in agreement from the boys. "Now what?"

She was answered with a shrug. Jacob drummed his fingers on the table and tilted his head to the side. "We could see if the ice cream guy is still around? I know you wanted to stick around for 'Super Bitch' but I'll be honest with you, personally not interested."

"Super Bitch?" Nikolas asked.

"Chloe," Lucy answered with an eye roll as she nudged Jacob. "Ladybug didn't bring her the Bee miraculous. She's taking it very personally."

Nikolas only grunted in response as Jacob grinned. "Perhaps our dear friends Adrien and Kagami will still be there. Might be fun to ruin their date."

Lucy sighed. "Don't be mean, you can go ahead if you want Jacob," She said waving her hand absently. "I'm not really in the mod." Jacob scanned her over once more.

"You alright?" He asks. Lucy nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about Chloe." Jacob rolled his eyes as he stood.

"Don't do it." He said, making Lucy look at him with a raised brow.

"Do what?"

"What you always do. Your mother hen routine."

"You do have a habit of that." Nikolas agreed casually eyeing her. Lucy looked between the two boys with her mouth slightly agape.

"Wa-! I-!"

"Chloe's a big girl Lucy," Jacob went on as he grabbed his phone from off the table and headed for the door. "Your not a helicopter, stop hovering."

Jacob left and Lucy crossed her arms and pouted. "I'm not hovering. I left her up there didn't I?" Nikolas patted her shoulder.

"Yeah, but your still here."

"I'm trying to be a good friend."

"I know." Nikolas agreed. Lucy shifted her eyes from the table to Nikolas.

"Have I always done that? Mother hen routine?" Nikolas shot her a small, short smile and shook his head no.

"You couldn't even if you had wanted to Lu. Everyone was too busy mother henning you. That's the difference between Chicago Lucy and Paris Lucy. You went through severe trauma and pretty much everyone knew about it back home. You were a victim and although it was with the best intentions, everyone handled you like glass."

One heart is not connected to another through harmony alone. They are, instead, linked deeply through their wounds. Pain linked to pain, fragility to fragility. There is no silence without a cry of grief, no forgiveness without bloodshed, no acceptance without a passage through acute loss. That is what lies at the root of true harmony."

Lucy's shoulder lowered, as did her head at remembering her life before coming to Paris. The incident, although it had taken place while she was still young had followed her long into her older years. She still made friends, still lived her life but...people tended to look at her differently once they found out. Poor little helpless girl, attacked in her own home. Their faces and gestures were a constant reminder as if she didn't have enough reminders engraved into her skin.

"But it's different here." Nikolas continued. "Nobody knows. They can't worry about the cracks in the walls that have been so carefully plastered and painted over."

"Adrien Knows," Lucy said quietly.

"Well...did he start treating you any differently after finding out? More carefully?"

A small smile crept its way on Lucy's face as she shook her head.

"No, in fact, I'm pretty sure the opposite occurred. As if he saw me a little stronger. Stronger than I actually am. No one had done that since, well...you." She says, bringing her eyes to his.

Nikolas grinned. "Are you coming on to me?" Lucy rolled her eyes and punched him in the leg.

"And you ruined it." Nikolas let out a hearty laugh. "I'm kidding!" He bellowed. His laugh died down and although annoyed, Lucy smiled too. "Question." Nikolas then added. "If this Adrien guy is so special, then why is he on a date with..." He snapped his fingers.

"Kagami," Lucy answered evenly.

"Right, the moody-looking girl from the ice rink." He remembered. "Why is he on a date with her?" Lucy widened slightly at the look of impatience of Nikolas's face.

"Wha-? I don't know! Kagami likes Adrien, maybe he likes her too?"

"Did he tell you that?"

"No, why would he?" Nikolas deadpanned at her.

"You guys are close enough for you to tell him about your deepest rooted trama but you don't think he would tell you if he had a crush on someone?"

Lucy paused and blinked at him before slowly bringing up hr shoulders and palms.

"You're hopeless." Lucy glared at him.

"You know what, I don't see how it matters. Who Adrien likes is none of my business."

"But you want it to be." Nikolas shot with a knowing smirk. "Because you like him."

"I do not!" Lucy snapped.

"Really? Because you're acting very defensive right now."

"I don't like being wrongly accused!"

"Alright, let's do a test then," Nikolas suggested. "Think about the last guy you felt strong romantic feelings for. Me probably."

"It's not you!" Lucy retired only to get a look of surprise from Nikolas.

"Really? Who was the other guy? You were my last. I feel cheated."

"That's real gold coming from you," Lucy grunted.

"So who was he?"

"None of your business!"

OoooOooOoOoO

Ladybug catches the rolling pin that appears from her Lucky Charm and uses Ladybug-vision to figure out a plan. "Chat Noir, give me your belt and Cataclysm that street lamp. Ryuko, go left and-" She stops directing as she witnesses the Akuma leave Heart Hunter and Andre and Audrey falling, quickly catching Audrey while Chat Noir catches Andre.

"Uh, was I dreaming, or did Heart Hunter just get deakumatized all by itself?" Chat asks in confusion.

"Why would Hawk Moth do that? I'll ask Master Fu." Ladybug says before throwing the rolling pin in the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

As the Ladybugs flew, Andre and Audrey embraced. The thing about falling from a hundred feet in the air to your possible death is that it tends to put things in perspective. Audrey's moody behavior was something Andre was used to, and although some might say he put up with more than he should, the mayor couldn't help himself. When things were bad with his wife, they were really bad, but when things were good...oh...when things were good. It was a euphoria that Andre couldn't let go of.

Audrey gripped the back of her husband's jacket as the stress from her body melted away. It was funny how being rescued from anger-induced mind control had a way of making you forget what you were so angry about in the first place. Andre had a way of making Audrey want to pack her bags and run back to New York and yet, there is nobody she'd rather talk to, be near, look at, than her husband, and in that realization, an unprecedented feeling overcame her the same as the moment they met. It always takes two. For relationships to work, for them to break apart, for them to be fixed.

"I'm so sorry my dear!" Andre apologized. "I didn't mean what I said earlier. I don't want you to leave us again. I love you."

Audrey pulled away slightly and slapped his chest. "You idiot. I didn't mean any of that either! I just...I get so overwhelmed sometimes! I hear my mothers voice in my head and it turns me into this terrible person and I just don't-"

"You're not a terrible person." Andre stopped her, bringing a hand to her cheek. "You're an independent person, a willful person, a courageous person. You're my favorite person." He told her, and Audrey couldn't help but lean into his warmth. "You're just a real bitch sometimes." A loud, involuntary laugh escaped from Audrey and Andre laughed too as she nodded at him.

"Yeah, I guess I can be, can't I?" She chuckled some more. "But darling, one of us has to be. Just look at the party, you specifically told them the color scheme was to be Ivory and gold, and what did they bring? Snow white and gold! And you just accepted it!"

"It seemed like such a small matter," Andre told her to which Audrey scoffed.

"That's how it starts! If you don't put your foot down on the small stuff it only escalates. I've seen the way you let people walk all over you! And that," Audrey said gripping his tie and pulling him closer to her, their noses brushing. "Is my job, and my job alone. Understand?"

Andre hummed in contentment and rubbed his nose against her. "Of course, darling." He said before lifting his wife into his arms bridal style. "Now, let's go home."

Audrey gasped a little as he hoisted her, eyeing him in admiration. "Have you been using those exercise bands I ordered for you?" Andre only winked at her as he wandered down the street.

OoOoOoOoO

"What is the point of this?" Lucy asked in annoyance, crossing her arms in her seat. Nikolas rolled his eyes.

"Just listen. Think of the person you last had strong romantic feelings for. All the things that made you feel the way you did."

Lucy let out a sigh through her nose but did as she was told. She pictured Chat in her mind. His humor, his desire to help people, the way he smiled, and the way his very presence seemed to somehow soothe her and make her feel safe. She thought about his insecurities. His drive to be better than he was. To prove himself to Ladybug, the people of Paris, and even himself. Everything that made Chat, Chat.

"Now," Nikolas says softly. "maybe compare that to Adrien?"

She didn't want to do this. What good would it do? Yet, Lucy pondered on Adrien and who he was. It wasn't hard. She had already told Adrien in the past that he reminded her a lot of Chat Noir. That they had significant differences in their general personality but as a whole, they felt very similar. She opened her eyes and pursed her lips as Nikolas smiled triumphantly.

"So I was right?" Lucy shook her head and Nikolas raised a brow. "Really?"

"I don't...it's just..." Lucy runs her hands over her face and into her heard, scratching at the back of her head while trying to gather her thoughts. She sets her hands down in her lap and fidgets with her thumbs before bringing her eyes from them to Nikolas.

"Nik, the last person I had feelings for...it's complicated, and although I do feel the similarities that you're trying to push out of me..." She hesitated and Nikolas didn't speak as he eyed her. "I'm afraid that I might be...projecting."

"Like...your feelings? You think you're projecting your romantic feelings on Adrien?" Lucy nodded.

"Because even though I keep trying to get over it, the person I last had romantic feelings for...they haven't gone away. But me and that person...we can't...I'm afraid I might be subconsciously pushing and projecting the feelings I have for said person onto Adrien because of the similarities they have."

Nikolas nodded slowly and drummed his fingers on the table in thought. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe you just like the guy? I mean...most people we date remind us of people we have dated in the past. We can't help but compare and reference. Both the good and the bad. So what if Adrien reminds you of someone else? That doesn't make your feelings any less authentic."

Lucy let out a short, bitter laugh. "Honestly I don't know which is worse. Accidentally projecting fake emotions or accidentally projecting real ones. The guy had enough women swarming him for his affections. I don't think he needs another one."

"I don't think he would mind," Nikolas says with a small grin. "I've seen the way you two look at each other sometimes. I recognize it because at one point we used to look at each other like that too."

Lucy rolled her eyes and smiled. "Just because you have figured out how to work some weird romance with Chloe, doesn't make you the expert on relationships."

Nikolas's smile faltered at Lucy's words. Something she didn't fail to notice. "Oh shit, what happened?"

Nik shrugged. "Nothing happened. You're right. I am many things but the only thing I seem to know about relationships is how to ruin them."

"Niky..."

"It's not the right time," Nikolas said, trying to sound casual as he brought his eyes down to his hands. "We aren't on the same page anymore. She isn't ready. That's okay. Before you know it, I will be back on my way to Chicago anyway. Maybe one day I'll come back, and things will be different."

"I'm sorry Niky," Lucy said, bringing her hand on top of his.

"I'm not an expert on relationships," Nikolas says, placing his other hand over her own. "But I am an expert on you."

Lucy scoffed and Nikolas smiled at her warmly. "I am. We practically grew up together Lu. You were my best friend. My first love. You know that tiny voice in your head helping you make all the decisions? Well, mine doesn't sound like me, or my parents, or my brother. That tiny voice? It's you. Always has been."

"Really?" Lucy said softly with a raised brow. Nikolas nodded.

"Really. Honestly, sometimes I wish you would shut the hell up." The pair laughed and it reminded them of the past. When Nikolas first arrived in Paris, Lucy wasn't sure what that meant for them. She was still angry, maybe even a little bitter, but she didn't want to be. Everything changes. For better and for worse, but the change isn't what is important to focus on, so much as what one chooses to do with that change. Lucy would never date Nikolas again. That, she was certain. The trust she had in Nikolas was somewhat like a mirror that had been broken. Time had managed to carefully glue and repair the glass but, the cracks would always be there.

What she could do was move on. Nikolas had never rationalized the pain he caused Lucy like she knew so many others in that situation have. He only apologized for it. Even when he had explained what happened, she realized it was a factual transcript, not an excuse. He never asked for her to stay, only for her forgiveness. It took time. Time he gave her without complaint. When they first met back up at that bistro, the ball remained in her court as Nikolas asked, 'Can we move forward from this together?' Even then she had been unsure, but now...she took the chance, and somehow, it managed to be the right call. Lucy and Nikolas would never be what they once were back in Chicago, but a new foundation was set and somehow this one seemed a little stronger than the one before it.

Parting doesn't change the fact that for a long time the two grew side by side; their roots will always be tangled. Lucy was glad for that.

OoOoOoOoO

Adrien ran up to Kagami after the Akuma was taken care of, trying to act confused as to where she had been taken.

"Is everything okay? What happened with Ladybug?" He asks. Kagami hesitates.

"She took me away to..." Her head tilts downward as she thinks up an excuse. After all, Adrien didn't know she was Ryuko. "protect us. Because the monster she was battling against was attacking.." She bit her lip as she brought her eyes back up to Adrien and internally cursed. This boy had managed to become so terribly important to her and she could only hope that at some point he would return the sentiment. "people in love."

"People in love?" His surprise was genuine. Not because he didn't know what the Akuma wanted, but because Kagami was not openly admitting that she loved him. She had said it when she had been akumatized to him as Chat and after that Adrien had been a little more watchful of Kagami and how she acted around him, which, with it being Kagami, she noticed. He explained how when she had been akumatized she came to him with the whole "meant for each other" talk. Kagami was honest, she explained that she did have feelings for him, but understood he was currently infatuated with another and that she had no intention of pursuing a boy whose heart was already taken. That was the main reason he had assumed Kagami had simply gotten over him and moved on. She never brought it up again.

Kagami had been patient with him and it was clear she only wanted to explore a relationship if he did. But did he? The girl in front of him was smart and beautiful and they shared a lot in common. In a perfect world, she very might well be exactly what he was looking for. But this wasn't a perfect world. As he stared back into Kagami's eyes, he was not sure what he had been looking for. He only knew that he had not found it. Maybe...just maybe, he would if he tried harder. Kagami nodded and leaned into him, closing her eyes as she did so. Adrien swallowed as his eyes dropped as well, allowing the closeness between them.

OoOoOoOoOo

Marinette could feel the anxiety in her start to boil over. She had gone to find Master Fu, only for his current hiding spot to look trashed, and for Fu himself to be nowhere in sight. What had she done? She had gone to him, forgetting to transform back before doing so. Marinette had been so focused on losing Myura that it didn't even cross her mind. She had been so sure that it was safe and now Master Fu could be in danger. Tikki tried to treasure her that Fu had been at this a long time and that he would not be easily taken down. She was positive he was okay, but Marinette couldn't share that feeling.

Everything about this day seemed to be going wrong. She had let her jealousy affect her ability to choose an ally, and even though it all worked out, Marinette was sure that had she not seen Kagami and Adrien together earlier, she more than likely would have made a different choice. She has to pretend that she is okay with Adrien being in love with Lucy, she has to pretend she is okay with Kagami liking Adrien, she has to pretend she's not a superhero, and now, she has to pretend that she isn't worried she somehow got Fu in danger. Marinette tried to breathe as she walked out of the park, only to run into Luka who has impeccable timing to be passing the park. Noticing the distraught look on her face Luka frowns.

"Are you okay, Marinette?" Luka asks, getting off his bike. Marinette tried to smile

"Yeah, I'm fine." But it doesn't last. Funny how that works isn't it? How many burdens we can carry with a straight face until someone actually takes the time to ask if we are okay. "Actually no, I'm not fine at all. I'm so tired Luka," She cries as Luka comes closer and takes Marinette into his arms. "of all these responsibilities, of having to put up a front all the time" Of never being able to be who I truly am." Luka wraps his arms around Marinette and tries to comfort her aching heart though not fully understanding what it all is that has her so distressed.

"It's alright Marinette. You can tell me everything, or... nothing if you prefer. You can be yourself with me you know," Marinette straightens and looks at him, he smiles. Most things will be okay eventually, but not everything will be. Sometimes you'll put up a good fight and lose. Sometimes you'll hold on really hard and realize there is no choice but to let go. Acceptance is a small, quiet room. "just yourself. " Marinette rests her head back on his chest, he lets go of his bike with his leftover free hand and holds her.

OoOOoooo

Okay, that's part one! A little sad but not as much as I mentally prepared for in my head. Maybe because I can see it play out. However, there is a whole other part to this so yikes! But we are at 1500 words and if I did Miracle queen this chapter would never end lol. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and remember to like and heart and comment. I love reading your guy's thoughts and feelings! It always motivates me to keep the story alive!

As always I will see you in the next chapter! Chow for now!