And we're back to our usual Tuesday. I've decided that if my schedule changes again I'll still be updating on Tuesdays but in the evening after work. I like keeping my updates consistent.

I was debating about splitting this chapter into two since it has a natural stopping point but ended up just keeping them together. Once you get to the end you'll know why I didn't want to delay the next chapter any more than necessary.

One of the commenters asked if we'd continue the protective charm plotline I set up in the first season. It was after Varian was Akumatized and Ladybug gave him the charm to protect him from being Akumatized again. The idea being Varian was going to find a way around the charm so Shadow Moth could reakumatize his former victims. Sadly this was one of the things I ended up cutting. I was kind of annoyed that Shadow Moth solved the problem by "Believing in himself" and thought Varian fixing the problem would work better. However the story was kind of weak and would only serve a filler. Once Season 2 came to be I couldn't really work it in.

For those of you who are still interested. Varian would solve the problem and dramatically say they needed, "Mr. Pigeon!" Thinking they were dealing with a weak villain the hero would let their guard down and that's when Varian would use the potion he used on Ruddinger in the battle of Old Corona on the pigeons. Chat's Noir would be sneezing like crazing due to his allergies but they would still win against the mutant pigeons. Not much else was planned for this except that it would open the door for some older Akuma's to come back.

I may or may not say what happened to the charm in later chapters. I might still have a way for it to be used but I haven't decided yet.

That's enough out of me for the time being. On with the fic!

Content warning: Injury, poor self care, neglect, tunnel vision, talk of self sacrifice, guilt, and confessing.

Chapter 12

Maine Coon

"It's Varian…" Adrien felt his blood run cold at the tone in his father's voice as he spoke about his brother. "There's been an accident."

Adrien felt like the floor had just given way.

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Two Days prior…

Varian was writing down calculations on the walls again once he ran out of notebook paper. He was sure he had cracked the code and was just about ready to test it out. Plagg, despite being fed well, was starting to feel exhausted. This kid was determined he'd give him that.

Ruddiger was floating around growing more and more worried about his boy's physical and mental state. Gabriel checked in by phone from time to time but Varian just reassured him he was fine (a lie) he was eating well (forced) and was getting plenty of rest (double lie). But it would all be worth it in the end.

"OK, this all looks good." He turned to both Kwamis and put on his goggles as well as the ring. Ruddiger made one final plea to stop before he went too far.

"Varian, if you're going to do this please take a break. You could really hurt yourself if you keep going at the pace you've been." Varian paused for a moment but his expression hardened.

"I'll be fine. With your power I'll be able to control the Cataclysm easier. Are you still with me?" Ruddiger knew he should say no, Varian really did need to rest. But he knew his boy would just continue pleading until he gave in and wouldn't rest any way.

"Yeah."

"Alright then. Plagg, Ruddiger UNIFY!" He felt the power of both Kwamis flowing through him, transforming him into Maine Koon.

He stumbled a bit adjusting to the new power level he was holding but quickly focused on the task at hand. There was a rock in front of him and his goal was to slice it instead of exploding in his face.

"Cataclysm!" he shouted and this time he did in fact find it easier to control. And for the first time since he started this experiment the rock broke exactly how he wanted it to. It sliced clean off with no shrapnel at all.

"Yes, YES!" He quickly separated from the Miraculous and threw his hands up celebrating his victory. Plagg stared at the rock not quite believing what he was seeing.

"You really did it." He had a bad sensation whenever he was forced to use his powers on the rocks but this time it felt different, more natural somehow. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

Ruddiger gave a small smile but he couldn't say he was too happy with the outcome. Getting Varian to stop now was going to be a lot harder.

"OK, the experiment was a success. How about you take a break before we try it again." Varian was still doing a little happy dance but all too soon he stopped and pulled his goggles back down.

"I will I will but first I want to recreate it a few more times. Make sure this wasn't a fluke." Both Kwamis sighed. They were going to be here for a while.

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In the place of Corona King Frederic was eagerly awaiting news of his daughter on her travels. He had been getting regular updates but as a father he would always worry about her safety. Especially when she was outside the walls of the kingdom.

"I have news sire." He turned to see his trusted adviser Nigel walking towards him with a troubled expression. Frederic steadied himself, as King he could not show weakness.

"What is it Nigel?" Nigel had to hide the smirk that was threatening to burst out. But he was well versed with his role and knew how to play it flawlessly.

"It's the Princess sire, my sources say she's been…spirited away." The King's eyes grew wide and he almost jumped from his seat.

"How is this possible and where is she!" Nigel pretended to be frightened by the King's outburst.

"It…it was the boy my King. I don't know how he's managed it but he's lured the princess away from her protectors and taken her someplace beyond our reach." Frederic clenched his fist at the mere thought of the welp who has been a constant threat to his family. Sometimes he wished he had executed him even if Ariana had disapproved.

"Was it the same way he escaped the prison?"

"I believe so sire."

"What am I to do? Who knows what that demon has in store for her. I should never have let her go even if the prof-" he stopped himself trying to regain his composure. He had left Casandra with secret instructions to prevent something like this. But it seems the boy had outwitted her.

"If I may sire. There might be a way to find her. Mind you, it would require dealing with…less than scrupulous individuals." Frederic felt his hopes rising again.

"Are you sure Nigel? Can they be trusted?"

"For the right price they'll escort you to Hell and back." The King frowned deep in thought. Nigel waited patiently already knowing how he was going to answer.

"Schedule a meeting but be sure no one knows about this. Not even the Queen." Nigel bowed deeply.

"No other soul shall know."

"Good, you are dismissed."

As Nigel left to prepare for the next stage in the plan he finally let his wicket smile break free. His King was no longer in check.

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The temporary lab Gabriel has set up for Varian looked more like an artist studio than a science lab. Varian worked tirelessly perfecting the cataclysm cutting the once unbreakable rocks and amber into finely crafted sculptures and ornaments.

Over the course of a day and a half he had even managed to free small objects from the amber and could now do so without damaging them. Any and all protests from the Kwamis fell on deaf ears. He was so close to his goal.

Finally he was ready. He'd done all he could and it was time for the ultimate test. He turned to the poor cat trapped in the amber. If he could free her and she was still alive then he could do the same for his Dad.

Maine Koon had been running on adrenaline and caffeine for so long that it was taking its toll. But he couldn't stop now. He took a deep breath and focused.

"Cataclysm!" He carefully cut the rock in the exact places and in just a few moments the creature was free.

His energy level at a dangerous low forced him to detransform but he didn't care. He kneeled next to the cat who, even though was free, was still not moving.

Ruddiger and Plagg watched silently as the boy gently took the white cat in his arm inspecting it for injuries. Finding none he tried to coax it awake praying it would start breathing.

"Please be OK." he whispered to it, begging it to take a breath. It had been trapped for several weeks with no food, water or air just like his Dad. If his Dad had any hope of waking up after more than a year the cat needed to be OK. If not-

"Mew…" it was faint and it was very weak but Varian heard it. His eyes opened wide as tears leaked out. A smile was slowly stretching across his face. It mewed again.

"Yo-your alive." He said almost in shock. After everything he had gone through he was almost sure something would happen at the last minute. He'd mess up and stab the cat or he would get it out and it would have been dead. But no, it was alive. He had done it.

"You're alive!" It meowed again a little louder this time bringing Varian's attention back. "Oh, you must be so hungry and thirsty! Ah…" He held the cat as he went over to the table looking for something to nourish it.

"Water, water first." He set the cat down and grabbed a bottle of water pouring into a saucer. The cat tried to drink but it was so weak it was having a little trouble. Thinking quickly Varian grabbed a cheese cloth soaking in and let it drip into the cat's mouth. As weak as it was, the cat took in every drop.

"You must be so thirsty. Think you can handle a little food?" He used the same method with the cloth to feed it some milk. Varian watched happily as it lapped up the much needed calories. He almost hated to take it away and the cat protested.

"I know I know, you're so hungry you want to eat until there's nothing left. I've been there, trust me. But we have to go slow or you'll get really sick. I'll give you more soon, I promise." It meowed again, not happy but still too weak to protest.

"Oh, you need a name." He looked the animal over noting it's white fur. "Snowball? Angel Kitty? Or we could go with Chat Blanc." The cat actually growled a bit at that last one.

"OK, not a fan." He looked at her again and noted her golden yellow eyes. Maybe it was lack of sleep and adrenaline that was starting to fade but he came up with the perfect name.

"Amber, how about Amber?" The cat just looked at him but didn't protest. He took that for a yes. "Amber it is then."

Silently watching this remarkable event were Ruddiger and Plagg. Plagg's jaw was practically on the floor as he watched Amber struggle for life. The kid was right! He honestly thought he was just another nutjob. I mean who uses a Cataclysm to bring something back to life? But he did it.

It was no wonder Adrien had such a hard time and ultimately lost to this new holder. But brilliant as he may be, the kid looked like he could be knocked over with a feather. He achieved his goal but at what cost?

Ruddiger was proud of his boy he really was. He had a real chance to save his Dad but it wasn't that simple.

"Congratulations Varian, you did it." Ruddiger said, approaching cautiously. "You saved her. Now I think it's time-"

"Varian!" a voice loudly cut him off. Everyone turned to see an angry Gabriel entering the underground lab. "Why haven't you been answering your phone?" It was only now occurring to the Kwamis that they hadn't heard it ring in some time.

"Oh, I must have forgotten to charge it but look Gabriel!" He held up the cat with a proud look on his face oblivious to the angry look his foster father was giving him. "I got her out and she's alive!" Gabriel stepped back and glanced back to the rock wall where the cat had previously been trapped. A shattered hole now in its place.

"Remarkable." he muttered as Varian continued.

"You know what this means? My Dad might still be alive! I don't need the wish to save him." It was now Gabriel finally got a good look at his foster son.

"Varian what have you done to yourself?" He looked weak, a little emaciated with circles under his eyes so dark he was starting to resemble an actual raccoon.

"It's fine," he insisted. "But now we don't have to share the wish." Rudddiger felt he had to interrupt.

"But Kwami magic doesn't work in your world." Varian just waved him off.

"I'm sure I can figure out a way around it."

"Varian." Gabriel called trying to get the boy's attention but he seemed to be off in his own little world.

"I'm sure I can. I'll find a way to get Dad here so I can get him out."

"Varian!"

"Maybe I can find a way to help Emilie too and then we won't have to use the wish and then everyone will-"

"VARIAN!" Varian finally snapped back to reality when Gabriel grabbed his shoulders forcing him to look at him. Gabriel's anger quickly turned to concern. Varian was a mess. He had always been so smart and so independent it was easy to forget he was still a child. Some of Adrien's remarks about how Varian was allowed to go wherever he pleased surfed in his mind. Perhaps he had been too lenient on Varian as much as he had been too overprotective with Adrien.

He shouldn't have left Varian to do this alone. His old lab was in the house so it was easy to monitor him and ensure safety. Out here he was all alone. He should have had someone with him, he should have checked up on him more. He should…he should have been a better parent.

"I'm happy for you Varian, really I am but I need to take you home." Varian shook his head.

"I can't go home now. I still need to find a way to bring Dad here and I need to monitor Amber's health to make sure she's really OK. Then I'll have to-"

"No, that's it young man I'm taking you home right now!" Gabriel went to grab him but Varian backed away.

"I'm not done yet!" he said with a frown but Gabriel had had enough.

"Yes you are. Until further notice you're grounded." Varian raised an eyebrow and laughed.

"Grounded? For what?"

"For lying to me when you said you were taking care of yourself which clearly you haven't been." Varian just rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, you can't force me. You're not my real Dad." That stung more than it should have but Gabriel wouldn't not be swayed this time around.

"Perhaps not. But I doubt Quirin would be very happy with either of us if he saw you in this state." Varian's eyes softened regretting his words, but even so he had too much to do to just stop now.

"Gabriel's right." Ruddiger said, flying up to Varian. "I should have stopped you before it got this bad. I should have said no. Well I'm saying no now."

"Wait. Ruddiger, what are you saying?"

"I won't let you use my power again until I'm satisfied you won't do this again." The look of hurt in his boy's eyes was heartbreaking but enough was enough. It was for his own good. Unfortunately Varian didn't see it that way.

"Yeah, well…fine then. I don't need either of you. I'm the one who got the ring you've been chasing after for so long. I'm the one who figured out get my Dad out of the amber and I-"

A low rumbling made him pause in his rant as everyone looked around to see where it was coming from. Then to their horror the black rocks that weren't smashed or cut down started to move. Wasting no more time Gabriel grabbed Varian who was still holding Amber.

"Run!" He shouted half dragging the boy out of the tunnel. Varian called Ruddiger and Plagg back to their Miraculous for safety as they ran. But they were too far in and they both knew it. They watched as the rocks above them gathered together to form a smooth path as they were pushed up to the surface. This was not good. While the black rocks weren't at risk of impaling them they had dislodged a few regular ones that were now falling right on top of them.

It was hard to say what happened after that. The next thing Gabriel remembered was coming too and a sharp pain in his arm. Pain…pain was good. It meant he was alive. He looked up and to his surprise he saw a few of the black rocks surrounding him like a large cage. One of them had cut him in his arm but it wasn't that bad.

But something was wrong. Something was missing. Something was-

"Varian!" Thankfully the "bars' of the cage were spaced apart enough for him to squeeze through. "Varian, can you hear me?" No answer. He looked around and saw part of the tunnel had collapsed but their escape route was still clear. Thank Heaven for that. But he couldn't leave before he found-

"Mew!" he heard a faint noise and turned back in the direction he thought he heard it coming from. "Mew!" There was a second cluster of rocks where the meowing was coming from. He limped over and to his relief he saw Varian unconscious also surrounded by a cage of rocks. In the back of his brain he found it odd how the black rocks which have been destroying mercilessly without thought had somehow protected them both from the cave in.

"Varian, are you alright?" There was no answer, just the cat licking at his face to try and awaken her savior. Gently as he could he pulled the boy out, along with the animal. He was breathing but it was weak. Having no choice he transformed into Shadow Moth to quicken their escape and raced to the nearest hospital transforming back just before he reached the doors.

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Back in the present:

Adrien was still shaken by his father's words and his present condition.

"Father, what happened? Is Varian OK? Are you OK?" At this point Nathalie was up and checking over his father for herself.

"I'm fine, Adrien. I was patched up at the hospital. It looks worse than it is." Adrien noted he was stalling.

"And Varian?" Gabriel hesitated trying to figure out just what his son needed to know and what he could leave out.

"I went to see him in his new lab, that's when the rocks acted up again. We were caught by falling debris and he's currently in the hospital." Seeing Adrien was about to get upset again he quickly added, "The doctors already said his injuries were not very severe but…"

"But what?"

"It…may be a little while before he wakes up. He's not in a coma just…in need of rest." Adrien was getting deja vu all over again. This sounded an awful lot like when his mother got sick.

"I want to see him." He wasn't going to take no for an answer this time.

"He'll actually be transferred back home by tomorrow where our private doctor can monitor his health." Adrien thought about protesting but…if he was coming home it couldn't be that bad right? Then again his Mom was brought home before she…

"I'll be able to see him then right?" His father put a hand on his heart.

"I promise son."

As it turns out his father did keep his promise. Varian was brought home with a large bandage on his forehead in such a dead sleep he could be mistaken for dead. He was allowed to visit him though. He sat by his side for days talking to him hoping one of these visits he'd open his eyes. He just kept sleeping. The doctor would come in and out but wouldn't give him any reassurance his brother would be OK. It was better than lying he supposed.

To keep himself busy and feeling useful he took responsibility for the strange white cat his Father had brought home. He said Varian was trying to heal the creature or something before the cave in. Adrien figured Varian would want her kept healthy and happy while he was asleep so he got a crash course in pet care. It was a little challenging at first but he found it to be very rewarding. The cat's name was Amber and apparently Varian must have made a good impression since she was always sneaking off to sleep on his side like she was keeping a vigil.

News spread quickly and while Gabriel was not currently letting anyone in his friends still showed their support with gifts and get well cards. After school a lot of them would congregate outside his home seeing if Gabriel would change his mind. He didn't but they kept trying. At least he didn't call for security.

The third day he came home from the hospital, Varian woke up.

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Varian groaned as his foggy brain was slowly dragged from the depths of a deep sleep. It wasn't unusual to work until he passed out but this one must have been a doozy. He noticed first he was in a bed which he doubted he crawled into on his own. Someone must have carried him in, that was an embarrassing thought. Then he noticed something more alarming. There was an I.V. attached to his arm feeding him medicine and keeping him hydrated while artificially feeding him.

That wasn't a good sign. He pushed himself up, surprised by how weak he felt. He desperately tried to remember what happened for him to get to such a state. That's when he noticed a warm lump curled up by his legs. It was a cat who had wedged itself between his leg and the wall his bed was up against.

His eyes shot wide open. He remembered, he remembered everything. The rock fragment, the plan, the ring, transforming, the cat, Gabriel and then…the rocks. Not much after that. He raised his hand and felt the bandage on his forehead. He must have been hurt in the cave in. He looked down at the cat sleeping peacefully. At least she was alright. How horrible would it be to finally free her only for her to be crushed by a falling rock.

His eyes shot open again. Gabriel! He was with him in the cave but…was he hurt too? He looked to the side of his night table hoping to find his phone. It wasn't there, neither were his goggles. Panicked he took out the , pulled open the draws and frantically searched his room. Nothing. He pulled on a robe and began his search.

It wasn't long before he found Gabriel in his study staring out the window not noticing the teenager's presence.

"Gabriel?" He winched at the scratchiness in his thought but he had gotten the man's attention.

"Varian!" he raced over to the boy putting his hands on his shoulders. "When did you wake up? Never mind, you shouldn't be out of bed." He went to usher the boy back to his room but Varian protested.

"Wake up? Wait, hold up!" Gabriel paused. "What-I don't…the last thing I remember was the cave in. Then I woke up and I didn't know if you were OK! There I saw the cat, and my goggles are missing, and-"

"Varian, please calm down." Gabriel redirected Varian to a chair and sat in the other one facing him. "I think we need to talk." Varian tried to hold back a groan. It was never good when adults said that.

"OK." he said a bit reluctantly but he still needed some answers.

"First things first, you're googles are safe, they're with Nathalie." Varian let out a sigh of relief. OK everyone was safe. So why did Gabriel look so tense?

"That's a relief." Gabriel was still looking at him as if he was looking for something. Finally he spoke but it was the last thing he expected to hear.

"I'm sorry Varian."

"For what?"

"For being a failure of a caregiver." again Varian was confused.

"How do you figure that?" The man looked at him with a surprised and concerned expression on his face.

"Varian, I left you alone with no supervision and you ran yourself ragged."

"That's not your fault, I mean I'm usually on my own for my experiments. Maybe I overtaxed myself but this was very important."

"Varian, you've been asleep for 3 days." Varian heard the words but something in his brain was not processing them.

"Wait…3…3 days?" That couldn't be right. Could it? "Wa-was it the injury?" he said, his hand instinctively moving to the bandage on his head.

"Your head injury was thankfully minor. It was your lack of sleep and not eating enough that hindered your recovery." Gabriel looked away feeling guilty. Varian was too but for a different reason.

"Was…were people worried about me?" He was almost afraid to ask. Gabriel took his hands in his.

"We all were. Nathalie's been keeping your medication in check. Gorilla's been guarding your door at night and Adrien's has been taking care of your cat." As if on cue the fluffy white feline waltzed into the room and made herself at home in Varian's lap. Varian noticed she seemed healthier than before. Stronger too. "She's been watching over you too." Varian bit his lip to keep the tears from spilling out.

"You're friends have practically been camping outside of our house. The Dupan-chang girl even tried to sneak in with the delivery man wearing a fake mustache.

Varian couldn't help but burst out laughing a few tears making their escape. It was such a ridiculous image and yet it was right on brand for Marinette. As his laughter faded a more sobering realization entered his mind. This was his fault, he was the one who pushed himself too hard and made everyone worry. He was so focused on saving his Dad he pushed every other thought aside, everyone else as well. His sweet victory was now tainted with the thought that all the people who cared about him were sick with worry. Luka was still in a coma for pete's sake they didn't need to be worrying about him as well.

"I'm sorry." Varian finally said aloud. "It's just…I know getting both Miraculous was the goal but once I had it I felt…" guilty, like he really was the villain everyone in Corona always painted him as. "But as I progressed I started thinking about the wish and Miss Emilie." Gabriel raised an eyebrow wondering where this was going. "I know we both said we were willing to give up our lives to save them but all of the sudden I realized I might not have to. And if I could find a way to free my Dad maybe I could find a way to help Emilie and you wouldn't have to-"

"Varian." Gabriel said softly gathering the other boy up in his arms. "I'm touched by your concern and in truth I shouldn't have allowed you to pursue the Miraculous at the cost of your life. I should have been looking for another way to help you. Not the other way around." Varian stayed there for a few moments longer still needing to say something.

"So you're still going to do it, you'll still make the wish." Gabriel pulled him back looking at the boy's sad eyes.

"It's for the best Varian. Emilie deserves a chance at a full life and Adrien deserves his mother back." Varian didn't drop his gaze.

"What about his father?" The man looked back surprised for a moment but quickly composed himself.

"He can't have both and given the choice I know Emilie is the better option." Varian didn't seem convinced.

"But then he'd still be losing a second parent even if he gets her back. Or will the wish just change history and erase you from our minds?" Gabriel had thought all this out and he was prepared for it but it still felt different hearing Varian say it out loud.

"It will still be best for-"

"What if I don't want to lose you, what if I don't want to forget!" He finally said what had been on his mind for a long time now. Finally voiced, finally out. No taking it back now.

Gabriel wasn't sure how to respond to that. Maybe watching Varian blindly chase his goals was making him more aware of his own actions. For the longest time this was the only choice, nothing else mattered but it did. He had been neglecting his son and even though he knew this he pushed it to the side because once Emilie came back everything would be better, everything would be OK.

But what if it wasn't. Watching Varian push himself almost to the point of no return was a sobering moment. Was that what Nathalie felt while she watched him self-destruct? Was that why she used the broken peacock Miraculous knowing what would happen to her? Worst of all, he let her continue.

He had accepted the truce when realized Emilie would hate him for taking advantage of an emergency but was what he was doing now any better?

Varian watched as a plethora of emotions danced around Gabriel's face at his seemingly simple question. Perhaps it was selfish to ask. He got up from the chair, placed Amber on the ground and glanced at the door.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that." He wasn't sure Gabriel was listening anymore. "I'm going to go and let Adrien know I'm OK." He went to leave but just as he was about to open the door he heard…

"Varian." he paused. "I'm sorry too but regardless of what happens and what either of us decide, I'm glad you're here." Varian left the room feeling like he was intruding on something personal even though he was the one who introduced the subject. Clearly Gabriel wasn't ready to talk about that elephant in the room.

"Varian, you're awake!" He was caught off guard by the sudden hug. "I was so worried about you." Adrien was smiling as he pulled back. Varian smiled back even though he felt guilty for making the other boy worry.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Adrien looked at him confused.

"Why are you apologizing for being injured?" Varian cursed to himself, guessing Gabriel didn't tell him the whole story.

"Just…sorry for making you worry." Adrien smiled again.

"Hey, since you're up, wanna say hi to everyone?" Now Varian was the one confused.

"Who's everyone?" Adrien took his hand practically dragging him outside. Gabriel had said there were some of his friends who were constantly outside but he wasn't expecting most of Adrien's class and then some. It seems they were caught by surprise as Rose and a few others held up signs saying, "Get well soon!" Varian couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed like he was still asleep and still dreaming.

"Is…is everyone here for…me?" Alix came up to him and gave him a light shove.

"Of course dummy." Marinette realizing her sign was upside down corrected it and smiled sheepishly.

"Adrien said before the accident you made some breakthrough in your project, and that might mean you'd be going back home soon." She said with a mix of happiness and sadness at the thought of her new friend leaving.

"Well It's true that I did make a huge breakthrough," not a lie "and that was the plan…" was it still? Max and Markov had a digital sign above them.

"Hopefully once the NDA is no longer in effect we can discuss it together. If not, I'd still like for us to share input on our other projects."

"I'd like that Max, I really would." but they couldn't do that if he left. Juleka mumbled something he couldn't make out, fortunately Rose was there to translate.

"That's a good point Jukela. We hope you're not leaving too soon. Luka's doing a lot better and he's going to want to say goodbye as well when he wakes up. We're totally doing one of these for him aren't we?" The crowd cheered as Varian felt his eyes tearing up.

"He'd…he'd like that." Alya looked thoughtful for a moment.

"When did you wake up? I'd thought you'd text us, our surprise was a little muddled." she said playfully. It did look like they had been organizing something and were caught off guard. This time it was Adrien who looked sheepish.

"Sorry, that was my bad." He went into his bag and pulled out Varian's phone. "I just saw it wasn't charged and when I saw you were awake I was so excited I just dragged you out without a warning."

Varian opened his phone and for a moment he thought his number had gotten leaked again. But no, they were all "get well" wishes from everyone here. Even a few from Kagami who's mother still hadn't let her come back to Paris. But it wasn't just the get well stuff he had missed out on while he had been hyper-focused on his Amber project. There was stuff about every life, who was doing what. Invitations for some small things, a few he had already missed and even just an occasional "hey" send for no other reason than just wanting to talk.

That's when it finally hit him. And it hit him hard. He had friends, real ones. He had a life here and people who cared about him. And he had been ready to throw it all away. Suddenly the choice between saving his Dad and accepting his new life here was painfully hard.

"Yeah, looks like you missed my swim meet." Kim said while Varian was going through his phone. "I took first place too!"

All of a sudden Varian burst into tears. Kim looked between him and a disapproving Mylelen and stuttered. "Th-that's OK though. There will be others. I think Markov even got it on video?" Markov nodded and was flashing a screen showing the meet. "See, no worries."

Varian wiped his tears but more kept coming.

"It's not that. It's just…I don't wanna leave here!" he wailed as Rose and Juleka came up to comfort him.

"Hey it's OK. You can always come visit." He couldn't. Juleka was close enough to hear this time.

"We can always keep in touch." No they couldn't. Max and Markov came up as well.

"Communicating has never been easier these days. We can skype, message each other and share amusing cat videos." No it wasn't. OK he did just acquire a cat but that wasn't the problem. No one here knew he was from another dimension. A world stuck in the past where indoor plumbing was an idea for crazy kids who didn't know their place. Nevermind high speed internet.

Alix tilted her head. "Can't your Dad just come here? It sounds like there's better medical facilities here anyway. The Agrests have practically adopted you, why not just move here?" It was a logical solution if only it was that simple. Max and Kim exchanged a quick look but said nothing. He was grateful to them for keeping his secret but he was so tired of hiding.

"I…got into some legal trouble back home." He confessed even if he had to leave a few things out he needed them to know. "Getting my Dad out would be…complicated." Extremely complicated. Ivan looked at Mylelen then back to Varian.

"What kind of trouble?" Varian sighed.

"The kind they throw you in jail for. It was why I kept my social media private for so long." He looked away a little afraid of how they'd react. "I can't go into details but trust me when I say It'd be next to impossible to get my Dad here." He knew he was implying things that weren't exactly true. But he couldn't exactly tell them his Dad was stuck in a rock and that he was the one who put him there. He didn't know what to expect now but he wasn't expecting a hand on his shoulder.

"Look, whatever happened, we're still your friends. You can tell us when you're ready. Until then, no pressure." It was Marinette, of course it was Marinette. "Right guys?" He heard a small crowd cheer and try as he might he didn't see a judgemental face in the crowd. (Chloe and Lyra weren't here.) He couldn't believe this. He had just told everyone he was a criminal and they were acting like it was an embarrassing moment at school. He smiled back at Marinette. It was no wonder Adrien was in love with her.

Suddenly, out of nowhere Kim was hit by a water balloon. He was surprised at first but then pumped his hands in the air. "Alright!" Confused, he saw Nathaniel and Marc with a huge basket of water balloons and were passing them out. "Let the water war begin!"

Varian was grateful for the impromptu water balloon fight to take away some of the tension. He didn't even mind getting soaked. He took one and aimed it at Kim who didn't seem to mind being the primary target. He seemed to be trying to grab them and toss them back before they could explode like a variation of dodgeball. In the end it didn't matter. There were no rules, just some kids letting off some steam. He vaguely wondered if Gabriel was watching what was happening in front of his house. He might actually call security this time. If that was the case he would play his heart out until they were stopped or they ran out of balloons.

Maybe this was the start of a new beginning, maybe he really could start over here. Maybe-

"Varian!" He froze hearing an all too familiar voice he was hoping he'd never have to hear again. He slowly turned, eyes wide wondering just how the hell she had gotten here. Her presence made the game stop as well. Now all eyes were on a young woman with impossibly long blond hair.

"R-Rapunzel?"

"I've finally found you!"

To be continued…

Next time: After so much time and bad blood Rapunzel and Varian are finally reunited. This is going to get messy.