Guys...I didn't realise that we had reached the end...

Please enjoy this chapter. There will be an author's note at that bottom.

She knew she only had a few minutes before her transformation wore off. But she couldn't bring herself to move. She was frozen.

"Oh, that's my necklace!" Chat exclaimed, kneeling down next to her. He looked at her gratefully. "Thank you. This means a lot to me."

He was about to take it from her hand but she formed a fist. She gripped the necklace with her fist so he couldn't take it. With disbelieving eyes, she looked at him.

"What is it? We don't have much time!" Chat warned her urgently. There probably had only a minute before their transformation began to wear off.

Without saying a word, Ladybug reached into her suit and brought out her necklace from above her head and into her palm. She opened her fist that held the other necklace.

She brought the two halves together. It was a perfect fit. The yin and yang, completely restored, in harmony with one another.

Chat Noir stiffened and looked slowly from the joined necklaces in her palm, raising his gaze up to her face.

And it was exactly then their transformation wore off.

Ladybug's suit shimmered away, leaving Marinette in her wake. And Chat Noir became Adrien right before her eyes. All that was left, were their kwamis, who were tired and were resting on the ground. And of course, the necklaces that remained in Marinette's hand.

She looked at him with angry, disbelieving eyes. "How could you?" she whispered. "How COULD YOU?" she yelled at him. She broke down sobbing. "How could you lie to me? Hide from me who you really are?"

Adrien stared at her, disbelief clouding in his eyes too. "Lie to you?" he asked incredulously. "You've been lying to me! All this time, you were…her. And you rejected me," he said, looking at her with clear pain in his eyes, and his heart. He doubled over from the hurt, the agony that came rushing into him all at once like a waterfall, with extreme force. "You didn't accept me."

"How could I? How could I love Chat Noir when I loved Adrien?" Marinette wept. All of her indecision, her feelings of being torn apart came pelting back at her. "All this time I was in pain. Wondering how I could hurt my best friend when I loved him too. But I loved Adrien. And I couldn't betray him."

Adrien listened to her, his heart breaking. "You never loved me as Chat Noir," he said, voice cracking. "You never did."

Marinette looked at him, wondering if he really meant that. "You're still lying to me," she said softly, shaking her head. "Because I loved Chat Noir. And I loved Adrien. And I hated myself for it."

Adrien looked at her with wounded eyes. "Hated yourself for loving a good-for-nothing sidekick?" he asked scornfully.

Marinette shook her head forcefully as she clutched herself, the necklaces tight in her fist. "I hated myself for deceiving you. Both of you. From keeping secrets from Adrien, the one I loved. And from Chat, my best friend, my equal," she emphasised, "who I loved but I could never say it to him. Couldn't tell him because I would be betraying Adrien."

Adrien couldn't believe his ears. Some of the warmth that left him came back, little by little. "So you did love me?" he asked hopefully. "Even as Chat?"

She gave a sad, scornful laugh. "You're right, Adrien. I am a liar. Because all this time I lied to myself." She looked at him fiercely. "I lied when I told myself I didn't love Chat Noir. Because I did. I loved both Adrien Agreste and Chat Noir."

Marinette looked away, ashamed. She may have loved Adrien and Chat, but there was no way Adrien loved Marinette more than he loved Ladybug.

"I bet you regret telling me you loved me," she said bitterly. "Especially when the Ladybug you adored turned out to be the mess that is Marinette. When Ladybug was around, how could you possibly love Marinette?" she wondered, her chest racking with anguish.

Adrien shook his head. "No," he said. "No!" he said again, this time more insistently. He grabbed her by the shoulder and made her look at him, still being gentle with her. "Didn't you feel what I felt? Didn't you believe me when I told you I loved you?" he asked her insistently.

Marinette looked away. "I believe you loved me," she said wearily with a sad smile, wondering how much more hurt she could take. How much more she had to suffer. "But you must have loved her more."

Adrien shook his head, desperate to make her understand. "I fell in love with Ladybug first," he confessed, breaking Marinette's heart even more. "But I never regretted choosing Marinette. Do you know why?" he asked.

She looked at him with her tear-filled eyes.

"Because the Ladybug I love and the Marinette I love are the one and the same. Destiny brought us together, not once but twice. Don't you see?" he said ardently, holding her cheek softly.

"When Ladybug turned me away, you were there," Adrien said, love filling his eyes and his entire body. "You were warm, accepting and you loved me. You always did. Even when I was too blind to notice."

Some colour returned to her cheeks as she blushed. Marinette tried to look away but Adrien gently tilted her chin to make sure she looked at him.

Lightly, he took her fisted hand, and opened it. The necklaces had dented her palms from how hard she had been clenching them.

"Just look at these necklaces, Marinette," Adrien said to her passionately. "They are a perfect fit. And so are we. Whether it be as Ladybug or Chat, or even as Marinette or Adrien; we are meant to be. No matter what form we take, whatever guise we wear- we are meant to be together. I believe it," he said firmly. He searched into her eyes. "Do you?"

Marinette looked at him, all of him. Although his appearance was different as Chat to Adrien, one thing was the same. His green, clear eyes that declared the ringing truth. He loved her. All of her.

She smiled as she realised her truth too. She loved him. And she knew she loved all of him as well. It was simple and clear as that. She would love this man as long as she lived. And maybe even beyond this life.

"I believe it," she declared to him.

Adrien held her face as he looked at her shining, smiling face. He was smiling as his lips reached hers.

And just as it wasn't a coincidence that fate had brought them together, it was also not a coincidence when rain started falling out of the sky.

Just like the first day they fell in love. That day in the rain. The only difference was that back then, they just didn't realise what they had discovered. But this time, everything was clear.

For this was their beginning of their new future.

~The end~

P.S Don't forget…the end is always the beginning…

Wow what a journey! I didn't realise that I had finished it until I wrote this chapter and read it again! But I felt it was meant to be at this point and I hope you, my readers, agree.

I have loved writing this story so much. This was not my first story, but it was my first most popular and well-received one. For that, I thank you dear readers because you have shown so much love to this story. Thank you so, so much.

I read all of your reviews and I honestly feel so touched when I read them! Thank you- your kindness does not go unoticed. Everyone who has given me a positive review has inspired me to keep going and create. And thank you for the favourites and the follows, I don't deserve it! (cries in happy tears)

I know I'm not great at posting reguarly but I hope you've enjoyed the journey. Who knows? Maybe there might be a sequel... (raises eyebrows). haven't written it yet but I may just consider...

Thank you for the wonderful journey. I am writing another story which I am super excited about so please keep an eye out for it and I hope you will enjoy it too!

Thank you!