Tears of a Wolf

Chapter 5 Solace and Sanctuary

Marinette laid in her bed late at night thinking about the events that had transpired earlier that day. She was restless and uncomfortable despite the coziness of her room. Tikki wasn't much help either. If anything, she was even more restless than Marinette was. She continuously floated from one corner of the room to the next as if she was pacing.

"Tikki, will you please slow down at least? You're making me nervous." Marinette begged.

"I'm sorry Marinette." Tikki said finally stopping. "I just can't believe this is happening. I didn't ever expect to see Alex again."

"Why not?"

"Well… I mean I did at first, but then two years went by. I was sure by now that Wolf would have either moved on or given up. Frankly, I'm surprised he's still alive."

"He lost the love of his life and one of his closest friends on the same day Tikki. He was probably too angry to give up. I wouldn't be surprised if he partially blames himself for what happened."

"I'm sure he probably does, but to threaten all of Paris… it doesn't make any sense. The Wolf that I knew wouldn't even dream of such a thing, and I know that Sylvia wouldn't ever approve of it. Why would he go against her wishes?"

"He's in pain Tikki. Pain changes people, especially when you hold yourself responsible."

Tikki gave a puzzling look. "Could the pain of his loss really trump the love he had for Sylvia? I'm telling you Marinette, something just isn't adding up here."

"Speaking of things not adding up, why didn't you ever tell me about Alex before? Or Amy and Sylvia for that matter?"

"Sorry Marinette. It's common practice among kwamis to hardly speak about their previous owners, and I couldn't tell you about Alex or Sylvia without bringing up Amy."

It was true. Tikki hadn't just not mentioned Amy before, she hadn't mentioned anyone before. She was thousands of years old and surely had lots of stories to tell, but she never did. Whenever she mentioned another Ladybug, she always kept it extraordinarily vague.

"Any reason you kept it secret?"

"Same reason for all the others. Some Ladybug's are very successful and live out amazing lives and accomplish great things. Others are short lived and renounce me. A select few aren't fortunate enough to do either one of those things. I realized a long time ago that it's better to let each Ladybug live out their own story without distractions from my previous owners."

"Tikki, surely this one had to be different! I doubt you've ever had a Ladybug do what Amy did."

"Marinette, if I had told you, what would you have done with the information?"

Tikki made a good point. There really wasn't anything practical that Marinette could have done with that information. The most she could have done is just provide emotional support.

"I… I don't know. I guess I could have been there for you. You know… if you needed someone to talk to."

Tikki smiled a cheerful smile. Finally a look appeared on her face other than a look of concern or worry.

"Thank you Marinette, that's very sweet, but the last thing Paris needs is a sulking Ladybug kwami. I've been doing this a long time. I'm a tough girl!"

"That's true." Marinette smiled. "You've certainly helped me through some tough times."

"We should probably try and get some rest now don't you think? We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Yeah, you're right." Marinette shut the lights off in her room and tucked herself into bed. She closed her eyes resting her head on her pillow and begged her mind for sleep. "Goodnight Tikki."

"Goodnight Marinette."

Minutes passed that felt like hours. Marinette stared at her alarm clock, pleading for time to slow down. How in the world was she supposed to sleep now of all times?

A quiet thump from out on her balcony jump started her mind and forced her to sit up. There was only one thing that thump could have been.

Marinette sighed to herself. "Well… I guess I wasn't going to get any sleep anyway."

Out on the Dupain Cheng's Balcony

Marinette's balcony was lit up like a Christmas tree with lights decorated everywhere in preparation for the holidays. It was like a beacon in the night for a lost ship out at sea, or in this case, a beacon for a lost cat.

Cat was just about to peer inside Marinette's skylight, reaching out to tap on the glass with his claws, but to his surprise the window had already opened before he got the chance.

"Cat? What are you doing here at this hour? It's freezing out there." Marinette poked her head out the skylight to greet him prematurely.

"I'm sorry princess. I know it's late, but I needed to see you." Cat's voice was low and his eyes were slightly puffy as he had been crying profusely just minutes before.

Marinette climbed out onto her balcony with a large blanket, conveniently big enough for the two of them. She covered herself with it, wrapping herself up with its warmth, and offered Cat to join her. To her surprise however, Cat declined.

"What's wrong kitty?" She asked in a gentle voice, dropping her arm.

Cat couldn't meet her gaze. Honestly he was just following the advice that Wolf had given him. He hadn't even thought how this conversation would go. He didn't know if he should tell her what had happened, that he knew who Hawk Moth was, or that he was actually his own father. Would telling her put her at risk? Would it risk his secret identity? How was she going to react when she found out the Agreste mansion had been largely destroyed? And then there was the fact that his mother was still alive and had been so close all this time! It was too much. Cat suddenly began to panic. He should've thought this through.

"Cat? Hello, anyone home?"

Oh no! How long had he just stood there lost in his own thoughts?

"Y… yeah! Sorry Marinette, I'm just a little distracted that's all."

"Seems like you're more than just distracted to me. Something you need to get off your chest?"

Well… this was it. Decision time. Does he tell her or not? He needed to make his choice fast.

"I… I uhh…" Cat froze up. He had to say something! The words were right there, caught in his throat. Why couldn't he just spit them out? The panic raced through his heart as tears formed in his eyes. He wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell her so badly!

Marinette stepped closer to him, wrapping the blanket around him in a hug. He trembled in her embrace. Her presence was like euphoria, powerful enough to chase away any hesitation. "Cat, you can tell me anything. No matter what!"

It was as if the words in his throat finally became unstuck. Finally Cat could speak. No, finally Cat could breathe. He didn't even realize it, but Cat hadn't been able to reliably exhale for a couple minutes now. He forced his lungs to empty so he could take another breath, but they emptied in a weeping sigh. Cat returned his princesses hug and wept into her shoulder. The words he had, seemed to escape him again and were now replaced with an unbearable sadness. He felt so lonely. Reality slipped into his mind that he now had neither parent to depend on. It was sickening, the fact that Wolf had been kinder to him than his own father.

Marinette was surprised to see Cat react in such a way. What on earth had happened to him? This wasn't like her kitty at all.

Marinette wrapped her arms around his back and held him tightly. Now they were both inside her blanket, the only thing keeping the cold night air away. Whatever had happened to Cat could wait for another few moments. Right now she just needed to be there for him.

Cat slowly quieted his sobbing until finally he could breathe normally again. Marinette could feel his heart pounding. Still, patiently she waited, she knew that Cat wouldn't leave without first telling her what was wrong.

"My… my father is Hawk Moth…"

Marinette's eyes widened as she let in a small gasp. Gently she pulled away from Cat to look him in the eye. "Kitty…"

"It's okay, you don't have to say anything." Cat still stood there, barely able to look at her. He didn't know if telling her was the correct choice, but what's done is done right?

"How do you… how did you find out?"

"Wolf helped me find out. Apparently he knows everything. He knows who I am, who Ladybug really is… everything."

Marinette's heart dropped at Cat's words. Wolf knows who she really is? Does that put her in danger? Were her parents safe? Her friends? Adrien? A million questions raced through her mind. Cat must have noticed her panicked expression.

"Marinette? Are you okay?"

She had to snap out of it! Worry about Wolf later Mari! "Yeah, I'm fine… just processing that, that's all!" Marinette spoke with an exaggerated tone.

"Yeah, I know how you feel." Cat's voice was still low.

"Cat… are you safe? I mean if Wolf knows who you are and Hawk Moth is… your father…"

"I'll be fine. I'd rather not go into details but I don't think Hawk Moth… my dad, will be able to akumatize anyone for a while. As for Wolf… well, I'm starting to think that he may not really be all that bad."

"What?! Cat, he threatened to…"

"I know." Cat cut her off. "I'm not saying he doesn't need to be stopped, he definitely still does, but I don't think he's evil. He's just… alone."

Marinette stared up into his eyes. Those gorgeous emerald eyes which, funny enough, sort of reminded her of Adrien in the moment. That is, if Adrien had cat eyes, but still, they were beautiful just the same. Had they always been that way? Maybe it was just something in the moment? Maybe she was just feeling emotional because Cat was upset? "You're not like him, kitty. You're not alone. You have Ladybug, and of course you have me too. I promise that you're not alone, that I'll always be here just like you've been there for me."

Cat took a moment to respond to her. He let out a small sigh and Marinette could have sworn she noticed the smallest of smiles on his face. "He was right." Cat whispered under his breath.

"Who?"

"Oh, nevermind." Cat took a small step back. He didn't leave the warmth of Marinette's blanket, he only created a few inches of distance. "Thank you princess. I don't know where I'd be without you."

The two looked out onto the city of Paris. The sky was clear, decorated with stars twinkling above them. The moon was full, shining down brilliantly on the Eiffel Tower, creating its silhouette. The night was beautiful, silent, and peaceful. Several minutes passed with just the two of them enjoying the ambiance.

"Kitty?"

"Yeah, princess?"

"When you and Ladybug stop Wolf and… I guess arrest Hawk Moth now that you know who he is, do you… want to spend Christmas here at my place?"

Cat's eyes widened at her offer. "Marinette, that's very kind, and I would love to, but I don't know how your father would feel about that. I'm not sure he's ever really forgiven me for that time he thought you were in love with me and I rejected you." Cat smiled at the memory.

Marinette giggled at the memory as well. "Don't worry about him. You deserve to be with people that love you this Christmas, and I promise that our home is always open to you. My parents feel the same way."

"You sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. Besides, I need to know that you're safe. I'm not exactly sure what all happened to you tonight, but I couldn't enjoy Christmas if I thought my kitty was all by himself."

Cat's somber look returned. He looked down and away, reminded of his current situation.

Marinette realized what she had just done. "Kitty! I'm sorry! That was stupid of me. I didn't mean to…"

She was cut off by Cat holding her jaw in his hand. She certainly didn't expect that reaction from him, but didn't really mind as long as she didn't upset him. He stared deeply into her eyes. They were like two pools of sapphire. Cat had never realized it before, but they bared a striking resemblance to Ladybug's eyes. In fact now that he thought about it, Marinette had a lot in common with Ladybug. He supposed that made sense, he had called her 'everyday Ladybug' after all, but he never realized before now how much that reigned true. Cat couldn't exactly put it into words, but somehow, just like Ladybug did, Marinette always knew how to make the day just a little bit brighter.

Marinette stood frozen as Cat held her jaw, and she found herself once again looking back into his eyes. There it was again, that strange feeling of nostalgia. The blonde hair, the emerald eyes, the gentleness, the kindness. No… no, get a grip Mari! Cat is nothing like Adrien! Okay, so they looked a little similar but who cares? She wasn't about to seriously entertain the fact that the two were actually similar… was she?

"Princess?" Cat said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Ye…yes?" Marinette stuttered.

"You're… beautiful. Did you know that?"

Marinette's heart performed some sort of motion that she didn't even know how to describe. Whoa… what was that? Why did her heart suddenly just do that?

Cat found himself tucking a strand of hair behind Marinette's ear. Suddenly the small distance between them began to close, but neither one could tell if it was him coming closer or if it was her.

"Cat, what are we doing? This is a bad idea."

"You're probably right. We both like different people, and then the whole superhero thing, it's dangerous…" Slowly the distance between the two continued to close. It was practically magnetic, impossible to fight.

"We… we should stop." Marinette's voice became a whisper as she found herself standing on her toes, her arms beginning to wrap around him.

"You're probably right." Cat held her by the waist and tilted his head. He moved closer towards her lips.

Marinette closed her eyes and felt the press of his lips on hers. A jolt of excitement raced across their bodies. Her hands moved slowly all over his back and neck as she completely lost herself in the pure bliss of the moment.

Cat continued to hold her gently as he softly entangled his lips with hers. He no longer felt lonely, or plagued with betrayal and anxiety. No… instead he felt at peace. He could honestly say that there was nothing he would rather be doing right now than kissing his princess. He never would have even imagined it before tonight, but now he couldn't imagine anything else. Now he finally felt at ease. Now he actually felt happy.