In Gabriel's mansion...

Ladybug stood tall, not wavering as Gabriel Agreste stood at the same level as her. Something about him not standing at the top of the staircase made her feel less intimidated by him. He wasn't looking down at her like he was above her. He was looking at her like he understood her somewhat better now. Something about it made her feel less tense around him.

She couldn't drop her guard down though around him. Not after what she just found out about.

"Ladybug. It's been a while since we've seen each other," Gabriel said to him with a more softness to his voice, "How are you doing?"

Ladybug was a bit thrown off by his sudden change in tone. Something about his demeanor felt different and even his posture was so relaxed compared to when she last saw him. She could that something was off here, but then again he could just be happy to finally have his wife back.

Whatever the case may be, she couldn't let this go.

"Gabriel. We need to talk. Something has come up, and I need to make sure everything is okay here," Ladybug explained to him.

Gabriel didn't seem to be bothered by this at all. If anything, he seemed interested in helping her as he looked more determined. Even Natalie seemed less tense around him and more relaxed as she stood by her side. She coughing seemed to die down a bit, which made her feel happy for her. If she trusted anyone, it was Natalie.

"Does this have anything to do with my son?" Gabriel asked her, "He actually called my wife awhile ago. He was so interested in what she had to say. They talked for hours that I couldn't get them to stop talking. I can tell that he's doing pretty good over there."

Ladybug was surprised to hear this considering what they were going through over there. Something about it made her feel like she was missing something. She noticed that Gabriel looked happy, and he wasn't faking it. He was actually genuinely happy to have Ladybug over, which threw her off a bit. Something about having his wife back seemed to help him relax and enjoy his time with her.

Ladybug couldn't stop now though.

"Actually, this has nothing to do with your son," Ladybug said back, "This has to do with whatever's going on with these inventions that's been going around Paris. I didn't know if you knew about them. Apparently there's been a few inventions being made and sold that are based on Izuku's quirk and hero costume. There may others as well around Paris."

Gabriel looked a little confused, and so did Natalie. He thought about it for a moment, and something seemed to get through to him.

"Actually, I haven't been on the news lately. I've been taking a back seat that kind of stuff ever since Emilie came home. More fashion designing and spending time with Emilie is all I've been doing these past six months," Gabriel said back.

Ladybug was shocked to hear him say this. He wasn't lying, and something about his smile was genuine. She couldn't believe this. She had no idea what to do now. She had to find whoever was making these inventions and stop them. She felt like someone was hiding in the shadows again just like HawkMoth. Ladybug didn't understand why things weren't going as she planned.

"Ladybug? Is something wrong?" Natalie asked her, "Is there something we can do for you?"

"No. Not really. If you don't what's been going on, then you clearly no nothing about these inventions or what's going on with the machine," Ladybug explained to them, "You passed the test. I was testing you to see if you knew anything about them. No one else should know about these inventions since the police confiscated them. I didn't even get a good look at these gauntlets that my teammates have. Whatever is going on, you're clearly not involved."

Gabriel and Natalie were surprised by this, but he didn't seem angry about it. He seemed to understand why she was doing this. Ladybug felt like she should leave before things get out of hand. She didn't want to make things worse for them, especially since they were doing so good without her around.

"I'm sorry for bothering you. You're probably busy and want nothing to do with me," Ladybug explained to them, "I have to find whoever's making these inventions before they sell more in Paris. Izuku wouldn't want his quirk and hero costume being used like this."

Before she looked could leave, Gabriel placed his hand on her shoulder. She felt a little weird having him so close to her, but he seemed a little more interested in what she had to say to him.

"You said something about that machine..." Gabriel said to her, "I was actually there a long time ago. I wanted to go there to check on some things. Just to make sure no one was around it. That machine is not something to be messed with. The only thing I found was some information on your friends. I don't know how it got all of that information, but I'm guessing that you know how."

"Yes. I found out about it somewhat recently. Me and Rena Rouge think it has something to do with the portal back in Japan," Ladybug explained to him, "Something about the connection found its way to the machine and leaked a bunch of information about our friends. Whatever happened, we're trying to figure out why. Rena Rouge..."

Ladybug paused for a moment, wondering if she should tell him about her leaving Paris. He clearly had nothing to do with the inventions since the police confiscated them. She wondered if he could somehow help them find out whoever was doing this. After all, he was known for hiding secrets and staying in the shadows.

"This is top secret. I don't know if I can trust you right now," Ladybug said to him, "The best that I can tell you is that there's someone making and selling inventions based on Izuku and his friends. I don't know how or who, but I need to find them before anyone else uses them. I haven't even told Adrien this yet."

That seemed to catch Gabriel's attention, and Ladybug waited for him to respond. He thought about it for a long time, and she could tell that he wasn't sure what to do. She didn't want to make him do something that made him uncomfortable, especially since him and his wife have been doing really well together. She really didn't want to be the one to bring them back to square one.

Ladybug was about to leave, when she heard someone call out for Gabriel.

"Gabriel! What're you doing out here?"

Ladybug tensed up, realizing that she had never met Adrien's mother. It was weird seeing her running over to him, looking happy and healthy. Something about it felt so surreal seeing them so happy together. It was even weirder without Adrien around. Emilie looked at Ladybug, and her eyes lit up.

"Oh my gosh! You must be Ladybug," Emilie said to her, "It's such a pleasure to finally meet you. Adrien has told me so much about you."

"Y-Yeah. I-It's nice to meet you too," Ladybug said back a little nervously, "I-I'm sorry for bothering you. I just needed to talk to your husband about something important."

"Oh really? Gabriel, what is it that Ladybug needs help with?" Emilie asked him, "I'm sure that we can do something that help her out."

Ladybug noticed him tense up a little, which bothered her. She hoped this wouldn't ruin anything between them. She kind of wished that she didn't say anything to her. Ladybug felt bad for barging in like this and started to leave.

"He really doesn't need to help if he doesn't want to. Besides, I wouldn't want to ruin your evening together. You guys deserve a break," Ladybug said back, "Again, sorry for the troubles. I will be leaving now."

Ladybug side glanced at Gabriel and noticed him looking a little little tense. She couldn't believe that she had just done that. Right when things were looking good for them, she had to go and make things more complicated for them. She was just glad that she had the Butterfly Miraculous back. Natalie let her leave, and she launched into the air with her yo-yo.

As she left the Agreste mansion, she looked back wondering if she should even go back. Ladybug knew to leave them alone, but hoped that she didn't stir anything up. Adrien deserved a break from all of that. She even felt bad for Gabriel when she noticed how tense he was about the whole thing. She really hoped that nothing was going on because of her.

She let out a sigh, knowing full well that Gabriel might do something stupid.

"Come on Marinette. He won't do anything," Ladybug said to herself, "He's done with that. Nothing is going on with him."

Ladybug launched across the streets of Paris, hoping that things were going really well over at her house. She just hoped that she wasn't making them worry about her. All she could think about was Ember, hoping that she wasn't suspicious of her at the moment.

She had to tell Ember soon or she might get the wrong idea.

In Gabriel's mansion...

Gabriel couldn't shake off this feeling of what Ladybug told him. She had come here out of no where and told him about these inventions being made and sold in Paris. Not only that, but they were based on Midoriya and his classmates's quirks and hero costumes. He didn't know if there was a lot out there, she only talked about Midoriya's quirk specifically.

He cleaned up the dishes from dinner while Emilie cleaned up the dining room table. She came into the kitchen and put everything away into cabinets. He tried to focus on cleaning the dishes, but he was so interested in what Ladybug had to say. He felt a dish slip out of his hands, which caused it to break in the sink.

"Are you okay sweetie?" Emilie asked him with a worried face.

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine. Just a little tired is all," Gabriel explained to her.

"It's from working so much. You should go to bed early," Emilie said to him, "You haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately. Is it because of those nightmares?"

Gabriel could barely look at her when she mentioned that. He had been having nightmares ever since Adrien left to stay at U.A. He got good sleep here and there, but it would come back whenever he talked to Adrien on the phone. He didn't understand why it was happening all the time, but he had a feeling that it had to do with him being on his own. Something about it bothered him, but Emilie would always help him get through it.

This time however, it wasn't anything like that. Ladybug had come here to see if he was involved with making those inventions. He couldn't blame her for thinking that, especially after dealing with him and Chrysalis. She just needed to know who was making these things. Whoever it was, they were clearly smart and knew about Midoriya and his classmates.

"No. It's what Ladybug told me. She might need help, and she actually came to me for help," Gabriel told her, "After everything that I've done... She actually came here to tell me all of that."

Emilie came over with such a genuine smile and helped him clean up the dishes.

"Maybe she needs your help. After all, you two did help her friends back in Japan," Emilie pointed out.

"That's different. Things were complicated, and I had help her get the Butterfly Miraculous back," Gabriel told her, "Lila was in trouble. I couldn't let what happened to you happen to her too."

Emilie stopped what she was doing and held his arm gently. That caught his attention, and he stopped doing the dishes. He couldn't look away from Emilie which only made him fall in love with her all over again.

"I know that things were complicated back then. But things are different now," Emilie said to him, "Adrien is off doing his own thing. He's actually trying to make you proud, both of us. All he wants for you to see him as more than a fashion model, and you finally did that. I know that it's been tough on you not having him around, but maybe this will help. Helping Ladybug might help you start to understand why Adrien is doing all of this. Maybe you even need a break from work and let Sebastian take care of some designs. Adrien is our son after all."

Gabriel thought about it for a moment, but didn't know what to think. He just didn't want to stir up anything that might bring things back. He thought that if he did this, he might try to do something that will ruin everything between them. Even Adrien and him are starting to talk to each other more. With what has been going on with his company and designs, he's been letting Sebastian, his co designer take care of some of them. He even considered letting him have the company just to have a break from it all. It had been too much on him for a long time. Emilie held his hands, helping him relax some more.

"Gabriel. If you're uncomfortable doing this, you don't have to help her. All I want is for you to do is understand our son," Emilie explained to him, "Since he's not here, you might be able to understand him through Ladybug. She is his girlfriend after all."

Gabriel stood there facing her for a good while just enjoying each other's company. He didn't step away and only stared at Emilie's green eyes. They reminded him of Adrien and how much he missed him. He wished that he could have him back, but not even the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous could do anything about it since Adrien had his in Japan. He clenched his wife's hand, knowing what he had to do.

Gabriel kissed his wife's hands, making Emilie's heart flutter.

"Emilie... I don't want to do anything that would disappoint you," Gabriel said to her.

"Dear, you need to give yourself more credit. After everything that you've done, you still went back to help Ladybug and our son when they needed it. You even helped Lila get back home. If it weren't for you, she wouldn't be here. I know that you're not perfect, but you need to understand that I would never abandoned you. I love you Gabriel, and I'll stand by your side no matter what," Emilie explained to him with a smile.

Something about her smile made him feel so light on his feet. He had never felt this way since they were younger. He felt so much better just looking into her eyes and holding her hands. They felt so soft and gentle as he thought about what he had to do. He clenched her hands tighter, feeling like he understood what she was getting at.

"Emilie. I don't understand... How did I get so lucky to have such an amazing wife?" Gabriel asked her with a smile.

Emilie smiled back and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He looked at the door, knowing full well what was waiting for him. He hesitated to go back there, but he had to check something. He hadn't been there since they got back home from Japan. He was a little nervous going up there, and he knew why. He didn't want to stir up old memories, especially since Adrien wasn't here.

Gabriel let out a sigh and soon left the kitchen. He walked over to his office, feeling a little nervous entering it. He always tried to ignore it, but this time he headed straight for the portrait. Natalie followed him who was looking a little distraught.

"Sir. Are you sure that you want to do this? You finally got back your wife," Natalie pointed out, "Surely Emilie is against this."

"Natalie. Don't worry about it. Emilie understands why I'm doing this," Gabriel explained to her.

Soon enough, he pressed the buttons into the portrait. He went down and into an elevator and headed down for a moment. He soon clicked onto a button that said, attic. The elevator stopped and then shifted to go up. Gabriel waited for him to come up and into the attic, remembering all of things that he used to do to Ladybug and Cat Noir. Something about coming up from through the floor felt so weird compared to all of the other times he's done it. Now that Emilie was here, it felt like something that he shouldn't be doing.

Gabriel stood there, looking around the old lair. It was covered in dust with no white butterflies in sight. He instinctively touched his chest, expecting to feel the Butterfly Miraculous. Something about it felt relieving to not have it anymore. He felt like a stranger walking around this place. He noticed that there were some things in here that he never furnished himself.

Gabriel knew that Lila had done this. She had added some furniture, but only a few things. There were papers and old books of Miraculous, spells and potions that he used to go through. He could tell that she got them from his room, which felt weird seeing them after all this time. Something about it felt so weird walking around to see all of things that he collected.

He had forgotten why he had done this in the first place. Now that Adrien wasn't around, he remembered why now. He was doing this to have a kid with Emilie. She couldn't have children of her own, so they trying to find ways to one themselves. He kneeled down, remembering all those years of going out to find these Miraculous.

He couldn't believe that he had forgotten all about it. He soon felt more relieved, knowing full well that Adrien had nothing to do with Ladybug's mission. Something about it made him feel more determined to find whoever was creating those inventions. He find it more difficult to turn away from Ladybug at this point. Something about helping her felt like something that he had to do.

Gabriel soon grabbed some papers and noticed that some of them were potions written down. They looked like something that either he wrote down or Marinette did. They got mixed up in the mess during all of this. Then he spotted a piece of paper that stuck out more than the others. It looked like something that Midoriya wrote and drew on.

It was a drawing of HawkMoth. It had facts of his Miraculous and powers. It must've come from a notebook from Midoriya's. Something about seeing a drawing of him made him feel a bit relieved that he didn't have the Butterfly Miraculous anymore. He stared at it for a good while, not sure how to feel about it. He looked at the other papers and old books, remembering what Emilie told him. He clenched onto the notes about him and soon crumbled it into a ball.

"No. I won't ever do that ever again," Gabriel said to himself, "I can't do that to my family. Not when things are just starting to settle down."

He threw the ball of paper down on the floor, grabbing some old books and recipes. Whatever Ladybug was up to, he knew that he had to do something about it.

He had to do this for Adrien.

Another amazing chapter!

I really liked getting back to Marinette's story. With all that happened with Gabriel, I knew that he would come back at some point. I just didn't know how just yet. I don't think Lila will come though, at least not in a big way. I don't think her character would benefit from returning. Maybe other things will come up from her and what happened in the sequel... We'll see! Ladybug has been fun to write and how she'd react to stuff like this. I like how she's written so far. Ember will definitely get a little more interesting.

What's going to happen next??

More to come soon!