Two more days passed, and no one had seen or heard anything. Argos was pulling double shifts tonight and quietly patrolling London after getting back from several hours in Paris. Adrien still hadn't called home and while he'd agreed to silence on his cousin's behalf, Argos was growing just concerned enough to try to check in personally.

Unfortunately for him, Adrien was nowhere in sight. After multiple sweeps of the city, Argos found himself growing tired and he landed on his balcony, opening a communication feature in his fan. He expected to get Cat Noir's machine, so he quietly rehearsed what he intended to say before calling, "Listen, Cat-"

"Yes?"

Argos flinched, realizing to his surprise the call had actually gone through.
"A- Cat Noir. Where are you?"

"I took some time, but I'm finally headed home. I'm going to talk to my mom and Nathalie." Cat Noir replied. He sounded incredibly tired, but calmer than when they'd spoken last.

Argos allowed himself a small sigh of relief, "Good. That's good to hear." he acknowledged, "You holding up okay?"

Cat Noir offered a short laugh that made Argos's hair stand on end, "I'm barely holding up at all... I'll get there, though."

"Start by getting some sleep soon, you sound half-dead." Argos deadpanned.

"I'll stick a pin in that plan." Cat Noir mused, "Some things are more important."
Before Argos could say anything else, he hung up.

Argos detransformed and headed into his room.
Well, at least Adrien would be back home. That was a step in the right direction.

~x~x~x~

Cat Noir, as AstroCat, found a spot not too far from the Agreste Manor to land and detransform unnoticed.
He slipped his hands in his pockets and trudged up to the buzzer at the gate.

It was pretty late, but there was no point in skulking around now.
He pressed the button.

BZZZZ!

There was a long silence as the security cameras seemed to come to life.

A gasp came over the comm, "Adrien? Is that you?" Nathalie asked in disbelief.

He offered a short wave, and a sheepish grin, "Hey, Nathalie. Can you buzz me in? I don't have my key on me."

"Yes. Yes of course!"

The gates swung open and lights in the manor seemed to be popping on in quick succession.

Adrien walked up to the double doors, about to open them when all at once Emilie Agreste burst out and wrapped him in her arms, weeping, "Adrien. Adrien. Oh, thank God." she said softly.

Adrien could see Nathalie lingering just beyond.
He hugged his mother close. He'd missed her.

Emilie quickly ushered him inside, regarding him in the light.
His clothes were dirty and rumpled, his hair a mess, his eyes bloodshot and rimmed in puffy bags, but he was all in one piece.

She looked at him gently, "Adrien, what happened to you? You're a mess! Are you alright? Did you escape on your own or...?"

Adrien realized her imagination must've been running a million miles an hour and he rubbed the back of his neck guiltily, "I'm okay and there was no one to escape from, Mom." he said slowly, "I... I ran away."

"What?" Emilie asked, shocked.
She exchanged glances with Nathalie, but the other woman seemed equally perplexed.

"Adrien, why would you run away?" Nathalie found her tongue first.

"I... overheard Ladybug talking to one of her teammates a few days ago." Adrien chose his words carefully, "I learned a lot of things... a lot of secrets about our family."

"What secrets, Adrien?" Nathalie asked.

"I think you know, Nathalie." Adrien narrowed his eyes slightly, tired of people pretending they didn't know, "I learned that father was really Monarch... and I learned that I'm really a senti-being." he held up his hand with the two rings.

"Adrien, that's not-" Nathalie began, but Emilie held up a hand to stop her.

"Don't even try, Nathalie." Emilie said softly, looking at her son sadly.

Adrien turned to his mother in surprise, "So it's true."

Emilie nodded slightly, "I didn't want you to find out this way." her expression looked pained as she reached out to touch his cheek, but he flinched backward.
Emilie lowered her hand, offering a resigned look. "I'm guessing you have quite a few questions, huh?" she said softly.

"More than you could imagine." Adrien replied.

Nathalie wore a deep frown, "Ma'am?" she asked Emilie.

"Nathalie, bring some tea and sandwiches up to Adrien's room. We'll talk there." Emilie said.

"Yes, ma'am." Nathalie nodded politely and went off towards the kitchen.

~x~x~x~

It wasn't long that the three were in Adrien's room. The two women sat on his couch whilst Adrien maintained his distance for now and stood a few feet away.

Reluctantly, he took a few bites of sandwich. His stomach was in knots, but he had barely been eating the past few days and he didn't need to keel over from lack of energy in front of his mom now.

"No more secrets, Adrien, I promise." Emilie prefaced. "Ask anything."

Adrien nodded slightly, "Let's start with the fact I'm a senti-being... when was anyone planning on telling me?"

Emilie glanced at Nathalie, then to her son.
She sighed, "I don't know how much you've been told, but you were conceived using the damaged peacock miraculous... I did it of my own free will, knowing the risks." she shook her head.

"Maybe I was a little selfish. I was just so happy with your father; I felt the only thing I needed to be completely happy was a child. I couldn't have one naturally, but when a way presented itself... I jumped at the chance. I had you and you were amazing! You were smart and sweet and wonderful... everything I could've hoped for and more. You were my greatest treasure in the world!"

Adrien watched her wordlessly, waiting for her to continue.

"But when the consequences started to take effect, I worried. I worried that if you found out why I was getting sick, you would blame yourself... maybe even loathe your own life. I couldn't bear that thought, so I just tried to make the most of the time I had left with you."

"You say the time you 'had left'." Adrien noted, "Were you... are you... not supposed to be here?"

Emilie and Nathalie exchanged glances.

"I feel I can answer this a bit clearer, Emilie..." Nathalie said carefully.

The blonde woman nodded slightly.

"Your mother's illness eventually put her into a coma as her vitals began shutting down." Nathalie said, "She had prepared several videos for your father, you, and me, knowing her time was short, but your father was unable to cope..."

"So he turned to being a villain?" Adrien cut in.

Nathalie looked at him warily, "Yes and no. At least, not right away. He didn't want to give up on your mother, so he had her placed on life support in a secure location beneath the manor-"

Adrien's brain stopped working for a minute.
He forgot he was trying to get all these answers in a civil manner, because this just didn't compute.
"I'm sorry, but what did you just say?! What the actual hell did you just say?!" he asked helplessly, eyes darting for Nathalie to his mother, "Y-You! You told me Mom was in a hospital in London! What the hell do you mean she was under the house like some freaking Edgar Allen Poe crap?!"

He felt very dizzy and leaned back against the wall to keep from stumbling.

"Adrien-" Emilie stood from her spot, worry marring her delicate features.

"We told you that as a cover story." Nathalie acknowledged, "It was what everyone was told, if it makes you feel any better."

"No... No, it doesn't." Adrien said shakily, "What was Father thinking? Why?!"

Nathalie was about to speak, but Emilie took over, "When my last days were approaching, I knew your father was growing desperate. We had been inseparable... two halves of a whole. I knew it would be hard for him, but I begged him... I begged him and Nathalie just to be there for you. As much as I'm happy to be with you now, I didn't want him to wish me back... I just... all I wanted was for you to be happy and loved... But he couldn't bear life without me in it."

Emilie took a tentative step towards her son, "I didn't ask to be brought back any more than you asked to come into this world, but I'm so incredibly lucky I get to be here now. I get to see the man you've become... how much you've grown in just a year. I thought my life was over, I'd made my peace, but now I'm here with you and the joy of having you in my life is all that I need to make it worth living."

Adrien's gaze softened slightly towards her, but he still seemed wary, "That still doesn't excuse all the things father did as Monarch... as Hawkmoth... Mom... he did horrible things! And Nathalie... you... you helped him do them!"

"You're not wrong." Nathalie sighed.

Tears slipped down Adrien's cheeks, "I knew how much he missed Mom, so I was patient. I waited. I waited for him to be the father I needed... towards the end I finally thought my dream was coming true... he was coming around." he shook his head, "But now I find out even that... was a lie? How many times did he hurt innocent people, just for his own goals? How many times did he hurt my friends? How many times did he hurt you? And you just let him! You used the broken peacock miraculous, too, didn't you?! I don't know how you recovered, but it doesn't change the fact you were sick just like mom was!"

"To be honest, I'm not sure how I recovered either. No one knows exactly what your father wished for that night and no one knows exactly how the universe was rewritten." Nathalie's brow was furrowed, "But as for all your father did, there is no excuse. There is no excuse for me either, if you want the truth."

Her refreshing honesty drew silence from Adrien.

"Your father couldn't accept a world without your mother in it." Nathalie reiterated, "And it drove him mad... I watched him helplessly devolve into a monster. He stopped thinking and acted out of emotion, raw instinct... Maybe I should have gotten in his way sooner, but I was selfish, too. I missed your mother and was naive enough to believe for a moment if she returned, everything would be okay again..."
Nathalie faltered a moment.
"I...I wanted to believe in that fantasy. I saw your father a very broken man on Heroes' Day. He felt like his world was ending, and all I could think about was trying to save him... so I took my fate in my own hands and chose to become Mayura. He took advantage of it... but you must know it was my choice alone... My stupid, selfish, irrational choice."

Adrien was shaking his head, it was hard to tell if he was listening or just in some state of shock.

Nathalie frowned deeply, "Reality didn't truly sink in until the day Monarch lost the Rabbit miraculous to Ladybug and Cat Noir. That day, he had the chance to make everything okay... he had the solution to the broken peacock miraculous in his hands that he could've delivered into the past..." she shook her head, "But he had already been so deep into his madness that he lost his chance to sheer ego. I realized then how horribly mistaken I'd been. I never once wanted to hurt you, Adrien."

Adrien didn't respond, head in his hands.

Emilie glanced briefly to Nathalie.
She'd already made peace with any negative feelings towards her departed love, but still it pained her to think what could've been if he'd only used his head.
Alas, he'd already been too far gone... and she couldn't fully blame him. The shattered look in his eyes that she could remember in the days leading up to her coma had been enough for concern. She had prayed her could hang on for Adrien...
She sighed softly.
"But Adrien, there is one thing no one has lied to you about." Emilie spoke up.

He looked at her.

"Ladybug was there. She took it all upon her shoulders to try and explain everything, put the pieces back together. I've never seen a more sincere look on someone's face than when she told me of your father's last moments." Emilie said softly, "In his last moments, he wasn't Monarch. He was just a broken, weary Gabriel... desperate to salvage some shred of a world where you weren't alone and could be happy. Maybe he wasn't quite the hero he's been made out to be, but never doubt in the end he truly did love you, Adrien... I'm just sorry it was too late for him to really show it."

Adrien looked from his mother to Nathalie quietly for a long time.
It was a silence that could be felt. It was dizzying and heavy... uncomfortable.

Finally, without a word, he hugged his mother tight.

Emilie squeezed him back.
They stayed like that a while.

Adrien was the first to pull back, "I... need some fresh air."

Emilie's face flashed with worry, "Please." she searched his green eyes, "Please don't run away again."

He mustered a ghost of a smile, "I won't, I promise. I just need to think about everything."

"Okay..." Emilie let him go reluctantly and he stalked out of his room, down the stairs, and out of the manor.

"Emilie?" Nathalie asked in his absence.

"We'll give him time. For now, call off the search parties. Tell them he's home." Emilie bid.

"Yes, ma'am." Nathalie nodded.

~x~x~x~

Adrien wasn't sure where he was going, but he needed to breathe, needed to process. That seemed to be his cycle these days- searching, then processing. He had nearly all his answers, and yet still he was rattled, unsatisfied. There were so many feelings that he couldn't just ignore.

He wasn't mad at his mom anymore, he decided, but Nathalie nor his father had earned his forgiveness entirely. There was too much senseless violence. Too much neglect... Nathalie had done a lot for him to be fair, but it didn't excuse the blind eye she had turned to his father's actions... even she had admitted that.

Then there was Ladybug... Marinette... Well, knowing her identity was a whole other matter. He was finding it hard to stay mad at her the more he learned, yet the hurt wasn't entirely gone. Good intentions or not, she had been keeping important things from him... secrets that should never have been hers to hold. There was still a sting of betrayal, and he could only wonder one thing: Why?

Tired, stressed, and trying to sift through the mess Adrien suddenly froze in his tracks. A deep darkness felt like it was trying to force its way down his throat and consume him.

He could hear a small voice echo in his mind that sent chills down his spine.
"Greetings, Vengeance, I can't help but notice you're feeling awfully hurt... betrayed even. You've been treated unfairly." the voice was soft and smooth, unlike Monarch's had ever sounded.

Adrien tensed, struggling as his negative emotions seemed to pulse in rising waves.
"Who are you?"

"A friend." the voice came again, "You can call me Chrysalis if you like... hmmm." the voiced paused a moment.
"I can sense you have some discord in your heart towards Ladybug... that makes things simpler. She's really a pest that needs to be squashed down to size... wouldn't you agree?"

Adrien bared his teeth, grabbing his head as he struggled, "Get... out... of my head!"

"Oh, don't be that way. I only want to help you. I'll grant you the power to exact revenge on anyone who has ever wronged you... there's only a small favor I ask in exchange..."

"I... said... get... out..." Adrien snarled, dropping to his knees as he fought.
Sweat beaded on his skin with the effort. "I'll never get you Ladybug's or Cat Noir's miraculouses!"

"Miraculouses? Oh dear, I think you're confusing me for someone else."

Adrien flinched in surprise and let out a deep groan, doubling over as he fought.

"No. What I want is for you to make Ladybug wish she could just disappear."

"Y-you... want... nnngh..." Adrien's heart was pounding. He couldn't let anything happen to Ladybug. He'd never live with himself if he hurt her or worse... He summoned every bit of strength he had, anger rising deep in his chest... but not directed at any of his loved ones.
"I. SAID. GET. OUT. OF. MY. HEAD!" he roared, breaking the akuma's link through sheer forced of will.

The voice left and all was quiet.

Adrien panted heavily; the interaction had drained him considerably.
His legs felt like jelly, and it took him a moment to remember how to stand.

This was bad, he thought.
There was a new 'Hawkmoth' out there.

He started walking slowly back towards the manor, suddenly realizing just how tired he was. His eyes didn't seem able to stay focused.

Adrien squinted slightly, trying to compensate for the blurry shifts in his vision.
Feelings aside, he had to warn Ladybug. Soon.

He stumbled up the steps, darkness creeping into the corners of his eyesight.

"I said... get out..." he murmured to thin air.
This time, though, there was no akuma to reject.

The darkness spiraled in quicker.
He couldn't see... suddenly he was falling... then nothing.

~x~x~x~

Nathalie had just finished making some late-night calls when she stepped out into the foyer. Her eyes widened and her pulse quickened, "ADRIEN?!"

There, barely inside the doorway, lay Adrien collapsed on the floor face-down.

Nathalie hurried to his side, turning him over and checking his vitals.
He was alive. Maybe a bit warm, but if he was feverish, it wasn't worryingly so.
Still, he was out, and he looked completely exhausted.

"Emilie! Emilie!" Nathalie called out, slowly easing Adrien up the best she could.
He sagged, completely dead weight right now.

Emilie rushed into view and paled, "What happened?!"

"I don't know. I found him like this." Nathalie said, "I think he might've collapsed from exhaustion... maybe shock... I'm not sure."

Emilie frowned.

She spotted the bodyguard they affectionately called the gorilla.
"You, please, can you carry Adrien up to his bed?"

The bodyguard nodded politely and scooped Adrien up in his burly arms, carrying him up the stairwell and lying him in his bed.

Emilie followed, gingerly removing her son's shoes and socks and trying her best to make him more comfortable.

Adrien didn't even stir.
The last few days had taken their toll and his near akumatization had been enough to push him over the edge.

Author's Note:
Aaaand the internet went out again for the majority of the day. Now I'm paranoid about it happening again. In other news, I went with the fan name 'Chrysalis' I've seen popping up for Lila because it's probably more legit than what we'll actually get... lol Though I would love it if she does go with that as her villain name as it would be thematic and could also mean she's got potential to grow and change into something more powerful... *shrug* Reviews make me happy and I'll see you all in Chapter 6!