Marinette linked her fingers with Adrien's as they walked to the bakery, the warm evening surrounding them in a peaceful atmosphere.

"It was a really nice anniversary, princess," Adrien said, looking at her tenderly.

She beamed at her husband, wondering how he had managed to get even more handsome with time. At twenty-seven, he was wearing his hair a little bit longer than he used to, and it framed his face in a way that slightly reminded her of Chat Noir.

They had gotten married the summer following her graduation.

It had been a lovely and intimate ceremony, a handful of family and friends celebrating their love with them. Marinette had, according to Adrien, been stunning in her dress, a masterpiece she had spent months designing and making from scratch. It was a simple dress, a form-fitting sheath dress with frosted lace appliqués with an A-line skirt that pooled around her feet on the floor. The sweetheart neckline was accented with delicate off-the-shoulder sleeves that brought attention to her long and slender neck.

And the buttons.

A long, long row of little white buttons going down her back, which Adrien had unfastened one by one at a tantalizingly slow pace when they had finally been away from prying eyes. The dress had fallen on the floor when he had been done with the last one, and she knew it had taken all of Adrien's self-control not to ravish her on the spot.

Instead, her complicated bun had met the same demise as he had removed every hairpin almost reverently, while Marinette was pushing his shirt off his shoulders, her own patience wavering.

When he had made love to her that night, when her husband had finally entered her, it had been an indescribable feeling. Like puzzle pieces falling into place at long last.

Adrien had surprised her with a honeymoon in Brazil, where they had spent a perfect week feasting on gorgeous beaches, the beauty of Iguassu Falls. They had gone to the Parintins Folklore Festival shows and enjoyed greatly the stories about the resuscitated ox. An expedition in the Amazon jungle had revealed that if Adrien hated zombies, Marinette wasn't faring much better with snakes.

She had come home from their trip energized and ready to tackle their new life.

The next week she had landed a paid internship as a junior designer for a local boutique under the mentorship of an adorable man who was truly happy to pass on his experience. Raoul was a colourful character, and more often than not Marinette wondered if he had even looked in the mirror before leaving home, but he knew what he was talking about and had a way to teach things that made it fun to work with him.

Adrien loved Raoul. Both men had gotten along instantly. It helped a lot that Raoul was kind and took great care of his employees. Lunch breaks under his care were mandatory, and Marinette found out rather quickly that he kept a close tab on the timesheets. Every single minute of work was paid, and he didn't hesitate to send you home whenever he deemed that you had worked too many hours.

"How do you think it went?" Adrien asked, breaking her train of thoughts.

She giggled, pulling out her phone for the hundredth time. "Still no messages. Either everyone is dead, or everything is fine."

"Mari!" Adrien whined. "Don't joke about those things."

"Sorry, sorry," she said, holding up her hands in surrender. "I'm sure Emma is doing just fine, kitty."

Emma.

Their little surprise. Their little miracle.

Marinette had been on the pill ever since she was fourteen to help with handicapping menstrual cramps. It had the intended effect and made her periods a lot less intense and painful, but she had been on the same pill for over a decade and hated it because of its side-effects. Shortly after their honeymoon, Marinette's doctor had suggested she switched to a lower dose and see if it helped.

Roughly ten months later, she was giving birth to the most beautiful thing she had ever laid her eyes on.

Once the shock passed, Adrien had been beside himself with joy when she had given him the news, and her parents had been beyond elated. Raoul had been so understanding that it brought Marinette to tears when she thought about it. Her position was still hers after her maternity leave, and he had been beyond accommodating during her pregnancy, which had thankfully been easy.

The delivery had been another story.

Emma had decided that she wouldn't wait until her due date to meet her parents. Three weeks earlier than anyone expected, Marinette went into labour at three in the morning. Adrien had rushed her to the nearest hospital in her nightgown and his pajamas, only to be told that the doctor was already helping another woman and would be with them as soon as possible.

Emma had other plans in mind. Barely even minutes after the nurse left the room, having installed Marinette as comfortably as she could, Marinette felt the urge to push. Adrien had pushed the button for the nurses frantically, and they had rushed into the room, calling the doctor and hurrying to get things ready. However, Marinette suddenly begged Adrien to catch their daughter, which startled him out of his frenzied state.

He had rounded the bed just in time to see his daughter's birth and catch the newborn before she hit the bed.

Though stressful, the experience had been special for all of them. Plagg and Tikki liked to joke that Adrien and Marinette were so good a team that they didn't even need doctors or nurses to give birth. There was a special bond between Adrien and Emma, a bond Marinette was adamant would've been weaker if her daddy hadn't been the first face she'd ever lay her eyes on.

"It was nice of your parents to babysit for us tonight," Adrien told her softly, but she still could feel him being nervous beside her.

"You're missing her, aren't you?"

He flushed. "It's just… It's the first time I'm not with her since school ended for the summer. And she's still so tiny."

"She's only six months old, Adrien," Marinette gently chastised. "Of course she's going to be small."

She pushed the door to the bakery and followed the cooing sounds up to the apartment. Sure enough, her father was laying on his back in the middle of the living room with Emma laid on his chest, and he was making funny faces at her while her mother was snapping picture after picture of their granddaughter.

"Oh, you're already back?" Sabine said, obviously disappointed.

Marinette laughed. "Mama, we've been gone for a few hours already. And we were missing her. How did it go?"

"You were an easy baby, but Emma is such a sweetheart. She had her bottle about an hour ago, I don't know if you had to breastfeed her?"

"I'm good for an hour or two I think. I'll pump if she's not hungry, it's not a big deal."

Tom got up, handing the infant to Adrien. "You two are managing the parent life like champions."

Marinette laughed, winking at Adrien. "What can I say? We are the perfect team."

"I don't see your car in the street, Adrien," Sabine said. "Are you parked far from here?"

He exchanged a meaningful glance with Marinette and shrugged with a smile. "We're taking the scenic route tonight."

"Hurry up then, it's getting dark outside. Please be careful with Emma, alright? And text us to let us know you made it home safe."

"I will, Mama," Marinette said, pressing kisses on the cheeks of her parents as they all headed to Marinette's old bedroom. Some things never changed, and her old balcony was still the better place to swing into the sky at the bakery.

Telling her parents about their second life had been the hardest thing Marinette had ever done. She knew they wouldn't be pleased with all the secrecy, and felt bad having Alya and Nino knowing about their double identity but keeping lying about it to her parents.

Her fears had been vain.

"How many times do you think you can sneak out of your room every time an akuma happen without us putting two and two together?" Sabine had said when Marinette had come clean, a knowing smirk on her lips.

"Who's wearing the baby carrier tonight?" Plagg asked, cuddled against Sabine's cheek. "Just so I know how much cheese is in it for me."

Marinette laughed. "You're in luck Plagg. Adrien missed her a lot, I'm going to let him bring our daughter home."

"Well then," Tikki said, "you guys know the magic words."

The familiar magic washed over them both, and not for the first time Marinette was grateful the magic seemed to consider Emma's diaper bag the same way it had her purse. It would've been awkward to explain to Chloe why Ladybug was running on rooftops with her unique, one-of-a-kind designer diaper bag imported from Milan.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing this," Sabine said, smiling fondly.

Chat Noir stood proudly before them, Plagg's baby carrier safely in place. The grey and sturdy straps were made of the same magical leather than the suit, making it nearly indestructible now Plagg and Adrien's bond was mended. Plagg had taken a liking to creating the baby pouch in a bright red, polka-dotted fabric, while Tikki preferred making the pouch black with neon green stitching. This time, however, Plagg had outdone himself and had replaced the bell with a stuffed toy that was gently jingling.

Tom helped Chat Noir put Emma into the baby carrier and adjusted her hat on her head. Ladybug put her bright green pacifier back in her daughter's mouth and smiled at her husband and parents, launching her yoyo.

The next minute, they were both flying into the sky.

Chat Noir and Ladybug outings had become a regular occurrence ever since their official return. They suited up a few times a week and ran on their rooftops. When Ladybug had stopped appearing for a few nights in a row, Chat Noir had had to hop down his beloved rooftops and make an official statement that his lady was currently unwell, but would reappear in time… with a little bundle of joy.

Ladybug saw her husband vaulting himself ahead of her toward their apartment building. She could hear Emma cooing in the carrier. She always liked when her daddy was going high.

And currently, he was running too high.

She swung herself toward him, channelling her most stern face. "Chat Noir!" she called out to her husband, ignoring the civilians pointing to them from the street. "We said no higher than three stories!"

He paused mid-air and did a ridiculous pirouette before landing beside her. As Adrien, he was a worrier and constantly fussed over their daughter like a mother hen. As Chat Noir, he was a tad more reckless, freer, but still was mindful of their daughter's wellbeing.

Fifteen minutes later they were landing on the emergency stairs of their flat. Chat Noir let go of his transformation as soon as they were inside the living room, and headed to Emma's bedroom with a sleeping infant cradled in his arms.

Marinette's old bedroom had been converted into a beautiful nursery.

The walls were a warm grey, and Marinette had painted white lines in a diamond pattern on one of the walls. The crib and the rocking chair were a soft white, and baby pink flowers were dancing above the crib. Marinette had sewn the bedding herself, in a soft, pale pink, and when she had had troubles sleeping because of the pregnancy she had knitted a blanket in similar hues.

It was simple.

It was them.

Adrien put Emma in her crib, staring and the angelic face of their daughter. Marinette walked up to him, smiling as she saw the Ladybug and Chat Noir dolls at the foot of the bed. He had put them there the second the crib had been assembled, and she had a strong feeling that her Chat Noir plush was no longer hers.

She wrapped her arms around his midsection, leaning her cheek against his back. "Let her sleep, minou."

He nodded and followed her out of the room and into their own bedroom. She flicked the lights on, and sat at the foot of their bed, looking at her husband fondly.

This was her life.

She was married to this incredible man, had a beautiful daughter with him, a job with a wonderful boss, friends and family who were amazingly present in their life.

How in the world could she be that lucky?

Her eyes fell on the sleeping kwamis in their little bed, and she smiled.

"You seem pensive," Adrien's voice startled her.

She looked up at him and felt her heart skip a beat in her chest. He had taken off his shirt and was standing in front of her, looking at her quizzically.

"It's unfair how much effect you still have on me," she stated, pouting playfully.

Adrien smiled and climbed on the bed. "At what time are you meeting Alya tomorrow?"

"Only at ten. They're getting off the plane late tonight, and she's going to sleep like a rock."

Nino's brief incursion in cinema had led to a passion for photography. With Alya's international career as a humanitarian reporter taking off, the next step had only been logical from there. They were travelling the world together, trying to change the world one reportage at the time.

Of course, it also meant their wedding had been postponed until their life got a little less hectic, granting Adrien an easy victory on his bet with Marinette. Nathanael had popped the big question to Sofie after six months of dating, and the wedding planning was going well. The last time Marinette had seen Sofie she had found her particularly radiant, making her wonder if maybe there was more good news coming their way.

After all, Carlisle and Emma could use more little friends to play with them. Sabrina was currently pregnant with her and Chloe's second child, but they didn't know the sex yet. Sabrina wished for a girl, but Chloe was rooting hard for another boy, arguing that they were going to be less trouble in their teenage years.

"Good," Adrien replied, "that means you won't have to get up early."

His lips brushed against the shell of her ear, and she shivered in his arms. "You mean," she breathed, "if Emma let us sleep more than a few hours?"

He kissed her hungrily, and growled against her lips, "I'll take the graveyard shift if you let me love you."

She giggled in the kiss, "Do you need my permission to love me now, Monsieur Agreste?"

"I love you, Mari. I love you so much. Don't ever leave me," he said, peppering kisses in the hollow of her throat.

"Why would I?" Marinette breathed softly. "Wherever I'd go, you would always find a way to bring me home."

The End