A hand on her hips. A warm smile. Laughter. A vacation with friends. The feeling of the sun on her scarred skin. I'm gonna marry you someday, you know that? A voice begging to be set free. You're my best friend. Her whole body ached. Be a nice girl. Do this for him. Trust them.

Victoria, Victoria, Victoria…

Wake up.

Excruciating pain. You've lost, Ladybug. Run, as fast as you can. No, no, please, help me. What about a shock collar? Please, let me go. They take, they take, and they take, they take everything she is, everything she used to be, until she's nothing more than ashes.

Marinette, Marinette, Marinette…

Wake up.

The memories started flooding back, but Marinette didn't dare open her eyes just yet. She remained perfectly still, suppressing even the urge to draw a breath. Somewhere beside her, she sensed a presence—most likely Dylan. She needed to think logically. Dylan had grown considerably stronger and faster over time, always managing to catch up to her. But maybe luck was on her side today. He seemed completely still beside her, perhaps even asleep. This could be the opportunity she'd been waiting for. If she was subtle enough, maybe she could manage to run away before he realized something was wrong. Or, maybe she could pretend that she was still amnesiac. She could kiss him—an unsettling thought that sent a shiver down her spine—tell him to have a nice day and then run like hell.

With a slow, cautious movement, Marinette cracked open one eye, only to be confronted by a sight that left her utterly bewildered. The person lying beside her wasn't Dylan. Instead, it was a woman with dark skin, curly hair, and wide eyes that so, so much expectation and hope.

Slowly, she opened her other eye, gazing at the woman, at Alya, with a mixture of confusion and disbelief. Could it truly be her? Alya appeared older than the last time Marinette had seen her, but as more memories surged forth, it became increasingly clear. She remembered the first time they had seen her, their despair, and the furtive glances they exchanged when they assumed she wasn't looking. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

Were they really here?

Could it finally be over?

"Your name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng," Adrien had said. "Seven years ago, Lila and … others abducted you. You've been manipulated, abused, and drugged to forget your real name, your memories, everything and everyone you've ever known."

Oh. They knew. They were here. They were going to save her…

But then, the crushing truth settled in her mind like a heavy weight. Seven years? No, no, no, it couldn't be. She started counting the days and years in her mind, cross-referencing them with her memories as Victoria and … it had truly been seven years. Seven years of her life was lost. The tears welled up in her eyes, and Alya gasped.

Tentatively, she reached a trembling hand toward her old friend.

"Al," she mouthed, her tears now flowing freely. The floodgates had opened, and there was no longer any need to hold back the pain, the sadness, the sheer exhaustion that gripped her to the core, taking a toll on her body, her heart, and her soul.

"I'm here," Alya murmured, pulling Marinette close. "I'm here, Mari. You're okay."

Marinette's body continued to tremble as she sobbed against Alya, clutching her with such intensity that her knuckles turned white. Alya held her friend tightly, providing a sense of comfort and security that Marinette had longed for while she cried for everything and everyone and above all, for herself.

"You're safe," Alya whispered again, and Marinette couldn't help but cry even harder. How could she not? She had waited years—seven agonizing years!—to hear those words and to finally believe that they were true.

Then, Alya suddenly called out, "Adrien!"

Marinette momentarily froze. She had momentarily forgotten that her ex-boyfriend was also present, and she wasn't entirely sure how she was going to deal with this. Of course, despite the incredibly hard breakup, they'd ended things on good terms and had agreed to stay friends, somehow. But still, life had obviously moved on, and so had they, back then. Him with his mystery coworker, and her with Chat Noir…

"They've all moved on," Lila had whispered one night, just before injecting Marinette with that dreadful drug, while Dylan held her captive. "They don't even think about you, you know. They don't care."

At first, Marinette had known that it was a lie. How could her friends and loved ones possibly be fine with her death? But as the days turned into weeks and no one came to her rescue, she began to entertain the terrifying notion that perhaps Lila was right. Maybe everyone had truly moved on, and maybe no one cared about her anymore. She endured unimaginable suffering all alone, while they lived their lives without her, blissfully unaware of what she was going through.

And yet, here they were today. They'd come to rescue her. What a tragedy it was, though, that they were too late. She wasn't sure if she could truly be saved anymore. Her body might go elsewhere, and she might finally leave this city behind, but her heart, her mind, and her soul would forever remain trapped here.

They'd been right when they'd repeated again and again and again that she could never escape, not really.

She could sense Adrien's presence behind her as he slowly approached the bed, but she didn't dare move from her safe haven in Alya's arms. She was convinced that if she made a single movement, everything would vanish, and she'd wake up, truly wake up this time, with Dylan's body next to hers, his most intimate parts pressed against hers.

"She's back," Alya whispered, and Marinette's body started shaking uncontrollably, because was it real this time? "Hey, hey, it's okay, we're here Mari, you're okay, breathe."

Eyes closed shut, fists gripping Alya's shirt, Marinette began shaking her head left and right. She wasn't even sure why, but she couldn't stop. And then, she felt his hand on her head. He was sitting beside her now, slowly lying down to be beside her. His movements were cautious, as though he was afraid of hurting or scaring her, maybe a bit of both. But then, Adrien wrapped his arm around her waist, and now, she was sandwiched between them as they held her tightly, not uttering a single word, letting her cry for as long as she needed to.

At some point, Marinette became vaguely aware of Nino and Reid entering the room, saying something, but she didn't really listen. She kept her face hidden and her eyes closed, unable to face them. She didn't want to see pity in their eyes or, even worse, her own self-disgust reflected in their expressions.

She is so, so fucking ashamed of herself.

You have no reason to be, the voice, Tikki, whispered, but she didn't listen to her.

She's contaminated. That's how she feels. Everything about her, deep down to her core, is now rotten. There's nothing good anymore, nothing pure, nothing strong. And worst of all, she's got only herself to blame for it. Because while amnesiac, she'd agreed to it. She agreed to everything—the drugs, the manipulation, the lies, the sex. She let them take it all, let him touch her, and didn't say anything, didn't fight back. It was all her fault, and she felt utterly disgusting.

This isn't true! None of this is your fault!

What would they see when they looked at her? A broken girl? The leader of the miraculous team was long gone. Now, she was … nothing. And they would soon realize it, see how fractured her mind was, how damaged her heart had become.

It took a while, what felt like an eternity, but eventually, she ran out of tears to cry. Her body still spasmed randomly, and she was utterly exhausted. Slowly, she released her grip on Alya's shirt, but she kept her eyes firmly closed. Her whole face hurt at this point, but that was the least of her concerns.

And then, Alya moved to stand up. She probably needed to use the bathroom or something, but the loss of her body next to hers is like a punch in the gut. She doesn't want her to leave! What if she never comes back? A scream threatened to escape her lips, although she wasn't exactly sure what she wanted to scream about, when Adrien's arms encircled her waist, gently pulling her closer to him. His embrace, while tight, wasn't painful. On the contrary, it's rather warm and comforting. Without thinking about it, Marinette allowed herself to relax in his arms. Maybe because he's behind her, unable to see her face.

They stayed like this for a moment in complete silence, the world outside their bubble of warmth and pain hardly registering. The voices from the next room faded into a distant hum, insignificant. Her whole body ached at this point, and her hands were still shaking, but for different reasons now. The pain was coming back in full force, and she wanted to take a pill, but even she knew it was probably not the best idea. What if there was something else in these?

Then, Adrien shifted behind her, causing a momentary panic. Was he leaving too? Was he already bored with her, not moving, not speaking, barely breathing? A shell of the girl he used to know? But then, all the while keeping one hand on her hip, he contoured her body, coming to lay in Alya's place instead. His warm breath brushed against her face, but her eyes, like sewn shut, refused to open, dreading what she might see in his gaze.

"Please, Mari," he pleaded, his voice quivering. "Open your eyes."

Marinette slowly shook her head and he sighed. His hand tenderly brushed a strand of her hair away from her face, and he continued, "I'm begging you, look at me."

Was he crying? She didn't want him to cry. She just … what did she want, exactly? To wake up on a rooftop with Chat Noir lying beside her, making puns for no good reason? Yeah, that's exactly what she wanted. But the odds of that happening, well, they were nonexistent. She had to face the truth, she knew it, but it didn't make it any easier.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, watching him from beneath her lashes. Her vision was blurry from the tears and from having her face scrunched up for a while, but she could still see him clearly enough. He was … handsome, to say the least. He always had been, so it shouldn't be a surprise, but… Wow. He was older now, his face more defined, his eyes deeper, somehow, his hair wilder, reminiscent of Chat Noir's…

Speaking of Chat Noir, where was he? How was he? She hoped Alya, Nino, and he had grown closer over the years. She didn't want to imagine him mourning her death all by himself.

"Hey," Adrien whispered, shaking her out of her thoughts. For the first time, she noticed the tears running down his cheeks and the redness of his eyes.

"Hi," she replied in the same raspy tone.

"Hi," he repeated, as if he couldn't quite believe it.

A charged silence enveloped them as they simply looked at each other. Finally, Adrien broke the silence with a question, his voice choked, "Do you… Do you remember everything?"

Marinette nodded slowly, her memories surging back with an uncomfortable clarity.

"What happened? M'—"

"Marinette?" A new voice interrupted, and Marinette turned her gaze to the figure at the end of the bed. It was Nino, his eyes filled with tears, and she managed a faint attempt at a smile.

"Hey," she greeted him, her voice trembling with a mixture of emotions she couldn't quite put into words.

She moved to sit up, flinching against the pain that coursed through her, making her entire body ache.

What if I take just one?

Don't you dare.

Marinette noticed that Reid and Alya were also in the room. Alya greeted her with a warm smile, but Reid appeared utterly shattered. His eyes were wide and teary, his mouth slightly agape in disbelief. Who could blame him? His entire world had just crumbled beneath his feet. It was somewhat comforting to realize that she hadn't been the only one to be lied to and manipulated.

Adrien sat up next to her, with Alya and Nino taking their places at the end of the bed. Reid shifted his weight from one foot to the other, observing her. They were all waiting for her to speak, to say something, anything, but she felt hollow.

What was she supposed to say? Thank you? It didn't feel like enough, and yet…

The anger surging within her was a surprise. They couldn't have known, and none of this was their fault, but… It's been seven years! And, even though it might sound terrible, her life as Victoria hadn't been miserable. She was content. Sure, she had amnesia, but it was a good life filled with wonderful memories. Now, those memories were tainted by the truth. Of course, Marinette was relieved to be herself again, to have her memories restored, but she also realized that she was now bound to them forever. These memories would haunt her every day, and there was no escaping them. As Victoria, she could still exist, blissfully ignorant of a truth that could shatter her.

What was the better choice? To live life in blissful ignorance, shielded from a truth that could destroy her, or to be herself again, forced to confront that truth and its consequences? Marinette wasn't sure, to be honest.

She had lost the will to fight back against Hawkmoth a long time ago. Gosh, she'd lost the will to live. But now, she was forced to. She knew she had to regain control of her life, reunite with those she had lost, explain everything, and … it all just sounded so exhausting. How could she do it?

"Mari," Alya began, catching her off guard. "Can you tell us what happened?"

"Take it slow," Nino added before she could respond. "What happened after the fight?"

Marinette furrowed her brow. "The fight?" she echoed, her voice still raspy.

"Against the Angel of Darkness," Alya clarified.

A rush of memories flooded her mind. She remembered the excruciating pain, the blinding white room, the words—everything. However, she hesitated to share any of it. What did Adrien and Reid know about her double life as Ladybug?

"Um," she stammered, avoiding their gaze, "I'm not—"

"How about this," Adrien started, his hand gently caressing her back, "We tell you what we know, and you tell us if that's right, okay?"

She hesitated for a second before slowly nodding. "Okay."

"The ones involved are Nathalie, Dylan, his father, Lila and …," Adrien trailed off before cringing. "My father."

Marinette glanced at him, trying to figure out if he knew just who, exactly, his father truly was.

"I know," he said, as though reading her thoughts. "We figured it out."

"Then yes."

"No one else?"

"No."

"You can hear Tikki's voice in your head."

Marinette's eyes grew wide as she stared at him, but still answered. "Yes."

Alya and Nino must have told him the truth.

Sure, let's go with that for now.

Tikki? What do you mean? Hello?

"Who's Tikki?" she heard Reid ask, but no one answered him.

"They healed you and then brought you to Los Angeles," Adrien continued.

She shrugged. "I guess."

"What do you mean, you guess?" Alya asked.

"I woke up here, in Los Angeles, but I was intubated."

"And then?" Adrien gently probed.

"They, uh, talked to me, told me a bit about what was going on, and then I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I couldn't remember anything."

"Nothing at all?"

"No."

From the corner of her eye, Marinette briefly noted Reid leaving the room. She figured he needed a moment to collect his thoughts, to digest everything he had learned.

Alya leaned in closer, her eyes locked on Marinette, a mix of concern and curiosity in her gaze. "What did they tell you the second time you woke up?"

Marinette shifted slightly as she revisited those memories she'd rather forget. "It was just Dylan and me," she began, her voice carrying a tremor she couldn't quite conceal. "He talked to me, showed me a bunch of pictures…"

"The ones in your room?"

Marinette nodded, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. "Yeah, among others."

"And so, you believed him," Alya surmised, her brow furrowing in an empathetic manner.

Marinette hesitated before answering, her gaze dropping to her lap, where her hands were folded together, fingers entwined in a nervous knot. "No one told me not to. He claimed my whole family was dead."

Alya exchanged a knowing glance with Nino and Adrien, their silent communication laden with empathy for their friend. "And was Lila with him at the time?" Alya probed further, gently nudging Marinette to share more of her story.

"No," Marinette responded. "I met her later on. I was … happy, I guess, to finally have a friend."

As she uttered those words, Marinette felt like her heart had suddenly twisted in her chest. Because that's what Lila had been during all those years, hadn't she? She'd been by her side when she'd felt the most alone. It was a complicated feeling, knowing that the person she'd considered a friend during her amnesiac years was, in fact, a key part of her captivity.

It was complicated, trying to navigate the intricate web of emotions and memories that separated her two identities. As Marinette, she knew the horrible truth; knew she needed to escape, knew they were villains, could perfectly well remember Gabriel telling her that she'd lost, or the evil smirk on Lila's face. Whenever she awakened in the middle of the night, urged by Tikki to fight and run, her actions were fuelled by nothing but raw instinct and adrenaline. She'd yearned to escape her captors, and yet… She'd never really thought about how she would feel about Victoria's emotions and memories. Because they were still there, too.

"Where's Reid?" Nino's voice broke the momentary silence, his gaze darting around the room in search of their missing friend.

Alya responded with a contemplative hum. "He's probably in the living room. Perhaps we should go talk to him," she suggested.

Marinette couldn't help but feel like Alya was suggesting not only to check on Reid but also to give her and Adrien some privacy. Marinette wasn't sure she wanted it, though. She wasn't sure of anything.

She watched as they left the room, but stayed resolutely silent. She didn't know what to say to her ex-boyfriend whose father had abducted her years ago and had made sure she was abused for years!

Then, Adrien sighed, breaking the quiet tension. "I'm so, so sorry that I have to ask you this, but… Do you know where your earrings are?"

Marinette suddenly froze racing with doubt. What if this was an elaborate ruse? What if Adrien had been corrupted by his father? What if he'd convinced Alya and Nino to participate in some sinister plan? Maybe they were only trying to make her feel falsely safe, hoping Tikki would reveal herself. Maybe she wasn't safe at all. Maybe she'd be stuck there for another seven years, maybe they would torture her with her memories this time, maybe…

"M'lady ?"

She abruptly turned her head toward him, her mouth falling open in shock as she watched him. Suddenly, the image of Chat Noir seemed to overlap with Adrien in her mind. The green eyes, the blond hair, the cocky smile Chat Noir wore after a terrible pun that made her playfully punch him, the same one Adrien always had after pleasuring her…

"Chaton ?" she finally whispered after a long, long moment.

His green eyes—Chat's eyes!—widened, and he took a deep breath. "Shit," he said. "Shit, I … I've known for so long, I forgot you didn't, I'm so sorry, I didn't think, I—"

He didn't have time to finish his sentence before Marinette flew her arms around his neck. Without missing a beat, he encircled her waist, holding her tight. She cried, and maybe even laughed a little, her face buried in the crook of his neck. She moved, wrapping her legs around his waist. She wanted, no, needed him as close as possible. Because that was her partner, the person she trusted more than anyone else in the world. The only person she truly felt safe around…

Finally, she heard Tikki whisper in her mind. Now, the only thing missing is my earrings.

What, what do you mean? Can't you just come out?

No. I don't know how I know it, but you need to put on the earrings and call upon your transformation. Then, I'll be able to come out.

But I don't know where they are!

It's okay, we'll figure it out. Tell Plagg I say hi, please.

Just give me a minute.

"Gosh, I missed you," Adrien cried, his voice filled with emotion. "You have no idea."

Marinette didn't answer, simply tightening her embrace. After a moment, they pulled apart, their foreheads resting against each other.

"Hey, Plagg," she called.

"Hey, pigtails," the kwami responded, coming out of hiding, his eyes filled with tears. "Long time no see."

"Yeah. Tikki says hi."

"Tell her I'm mad at her."

"I think she already knows."

"Tell her."

Plagg's mad at you, Marinette conveyed mentally.

I heard it, and you know what? I would do it again in a heartbeat if it meant saving you.

"Dudes!" Nino suddenly screamed, rushing into the room with wide eyes, followed by Alya, who was white as a ghost.

Despite the interruption, Adrien and Marinette didn't move apart. Or at least, not by much. They did, however, tense, sensing that something was wrong.

"What's going on?" Adrien asked.

"What did Luka tell you?" Alya asked instead, passing a hand through her hair. "Adrien, what did he want?"

Adrien looked shocked, as though he had completely forgotten about it, while Marinette was simply relieved to know that her first boyfriend was still alive. She remembered he'd been pretty injured in the fight.

"Shit, I … I forgot about it," Adrien stammered. "Uh, he said there'd been two small akuma attacks. Nothing intense, they were pretty … tame, actually, as he said. Kind of like before, you know? Not really aggressive, more like stupid. He said they could handle it if it stayed like this until…" he pointedly looked at Marinette. "Why?"

"They're planning something," Alya whispered.

"Well, yeah, obviously. My father knows we figured it out; we need to act, too, but why are you both freaking out?"

Nino took a deep breath. "Because Lila just escaped."