Bonus Scene from last chapter:

Emilie reclined on the couch next to her husband. She had a glass of whiskey in her hand, her drink of choice. A silken robe covered her form as she rested against the plush cushions.

But she was not relaxed. Not in the slightest.

Gabriel had pulled up the Ladyblog on the smart TV and proceeded to go down the timeline of akumas. Thankfully, Alya had organized the blog to skip all the theories and fluff articles. Only the actions of the heroes and Hawkmoth were shown.

Emilie had scooted away from him when he said, "I was a terrorist." But she stayed long enough to hear that none of his damage or casualties were permanent. And that he had some regret about his actions. He had been desperate to get her back, and admitted that he had crossed the line so many times.

So now he was admitting to all of his crimes. He was coming clean to her, so she could judge him fairly and for herself.

"I had no idea that Adrien was Chat Noir. I didn't know until his identity was revealed."

Emilie found this to be a lie, however, since he reached an Akuma in the timeline when he suspected Adrien to be Chat Noir.

Gorizilla, that was the name. The bodyguard Emilie had known forever was the poor victim. He had turned into a giant blue ape and had Adrien in his grasp.

And then...and then...

Emilie watched in horror as the Akuma dropped her son, her baby, off the side of the building.

"I had hoped that he would transform to save himself, but he very cleverly called my bluff—"

The glass of whiskey was now empty, as it's contents were in his face.

Perhaps he had been too honest.

"My baby! My precious little boy! My innocent sweet sunshine boy! You let him get thrown off of a roof on a hunch?!"

"I wasn't going to let him hit the bottom. Ladybug saved him."

"WELL I'M GLAD SOMEONE WAS ON TOP OF IT!" She shouted. "I can't believe you! Of all the low down, dirty, rotten, conniving tricks!"

"Emilie please—"

"I should throw you off the building and see how you like it!"

"Please calm down."

"Calm down?! CALM DOWN?!" She found one of her heels she had kicked off earlier. "Gabriel Maurice Agreste! I'm going to murder you!"

He looked at her flatly. "We haven't even gotten to the worst part."

Emilie's primal scream of rage made something click in his brain.

It was time to go.

To say that Tom, Sabine, and Gabriel were surprised would be an understatement.

There, standing at the top of the stairs, arm and arm, were Ladybug and Chat Noir. Not Adrien and Marinette, but the costumed heroes that everyone loved. With added hats and scarfs to protect from the December air.

Tom was the first to recover and gave them a disarming smile. "Hey kiddos! Where's the fire?"

"No fire." Said Ladybug. "Ice Cream."

"Ice cream? In January?" Asked Gabriel. "If you want Ice Cream, you could have just asked."

Ladybug shook her head. "Alya figured out where Andre's Ice Cream cart is. We want to go."

"Okay, well, we could drive you—" started Sabine.

"No!" Ladybug shouted. "I need to get out of this house or I'm going to explode! I need to get away from the smothering! I need to feel the sun on my skin and the wind—" she choked. "I need to get out there for just a little while."

"Your suits will draw attention." Gabriel said it as a thought to be considered, and not a warning.

"I know. But won't it help? Isn't everyone asking about us?"

Tom gave a little smile. "What's the harm? Can you just text us when you get there?"

"I can do that." Ladybug smiled.

Gabriel spoke up. "Did you make sure Adrien wanted to go?"

"It was his idea." She said cooly.

"Well, I have been disarmed." Gabriel shrugged. "Just please be careful."

"There's nothing to worry about." Ladybug assured.

After they both left, Tom looked at his wife and Gabriel. "They amaze me. They are doing so well!"

"I agree. Especially Marinette," said Gabriel. "For her to not be afraid to go out in their suits..."

"I think the suits are for strength." Added Sabine. "For them to be able to walk that far, and for protection."

"That makes sense."

She frowned. "Actually, I think it's the suits that are letting them do this well. I found them sleeping in them the other night."

Tom winced. "That's not a great sign."

Gabriel screwed up his lips in thought.

—

Outside the mansion, Ladybug and Chat Noir descended the stairs and went out to the gate. It was at the point where the media no longer lingered outside the mansion. No one had gotten a glimpse of the heroes, and they weren't likely to for a while still.

"Do you want to walk? Or take the roofs?"

"Walk. I'm still not strong enough for rooftops."

"Okay. He's not that far from here."

They made their way, hand and hand, to the Ponts des arts.

As they walked, occasionally they were bugged by passerby. Mostly with handshakes and cheek kisses, occasional selfies. Thankfully, since it was January, there weren't a lot of pedestrians.

Finally, they reached the bridge. Andre spotted them from the other side. "Ladybug! Chat Noir! Oh my favorite duo!"

Ladybug gave a soft smile to the man. "Hello Andre. One please."

"Of course! On the house!" He prepared a cone, and started to scoop. "One scoop mint chip, for Chat Noir. One scoop cherry chip, for Ladybug, and one scoop cookies and creme, for true, pure love, riddled with trials and tribulations." He stuck two spoons in the ice cream and handed it over. "Come see me whenever you like. You're always welcome here!"

"Thank you. This looks delicious!"

It was unseasonably warm. Sitting on a bench looking out on the river, ice cream in hand, everything felt normal for a little while. A lovely ice cream date, something Marinette had always wanted to do with Adrien.

He let out a long sigh.

"Are you okay? Comfortable?"

"I'm fine." He smiled at her. "My butt hurts a little, but I'll survive."

"We don't have to stay long. We'll just finish our ice cream."

"No, you were right," he breathed. "Just being outside for a while is nice." A tear rolled down his cheek. "I can't believe how much I missed this. It wasn't that long but…"

"The sunlight." Ladybug finished for him. "It's nice. I can feel it."

"And the wind. And hearing the birds. Hearing the water. It's all nice."

They ate in companionable silence for a while. Living in the moment with blank minds.

"Hey, you beat us!" Alya called as they approached.

"We decided to get out before school let out and everyone ruined our fun." Said Ladybug.

Alya and Nino got their ice cream and joined them on the bench.

"So, how's the dynamic duo today? Haven't gotten to spend a lot of time with you since we both moved back home."

"Well, we have sweethearts ice cream. Not much to complain about."

"Anybody give you trouble on the way out?"

"A couple people wanted pictures, and to express sympathy. It wasn't bad."

"It helps that it's not tourist season, and it's a weekday."

"I'm sure. What kind of ice cream did you get?"

"Neapolitan. Or as Andre now calls it, Ninopolitan. Just for us."

"That's adorable."

"I'm not usually a fan of strawberry ice cream either, but Andre's is so good."

"His chocolate is amazing." Added Nino. "I want him to make my wedding cake out of it."

"What, you don't want my dad's better-than-crack chocolate cake?"

"Half and half!" He protested. "I shouldn't have to choose!"

Chat Noir smiled broadly, his shoulders shaking with mirth.

"Oh, before I forget. Did Chloe tell you about the Mayor's ball a few weeks out?"

Ladybug groaned. "Yeah. The supposed 'Hero's Ball' in honor of Chat and I? No thanks."

"It can't be too bad. A chance to get all gussied up, eat good food, and mingle with rich people."

"Old Marinette would be excited, but..."

"You've got to stop referring to yourself like that, girl. You've changed, but you're not a totally different person."

She laughed. "I'm not?"

"A lot different, but there's plenty of things I recognize. Right now, you seem to be doing really well. Besides the hair cut, you can hardly tell."

"That's good then." Said Ladybug. "As long as someone recognizes me."

"Are you designing a dress for the ball?"

"Gabriel and I are collaborating." She stated it so plainly, like she didn't even care. "He found a design he liked in my sketchbook, and he's altering it. Same for Adrien. He's designing a dress for my mom from scratch."

"Oh that's cool!"

"Poor man, he's trying so hard to be a good father, but he's so awful at it."

Chat Noir snorted.

"He doesn't get points for trying?"

"No. Not when he's being awful when it matters. I've been yelled at for talking for Adrien, since he still isn't ready to speak. Gabriel is impatient and bossy. He's plenty generous, but he lacks understanding."

"And it's easy to be generous when you're rich." Added Nino.

Chat nodded in agreement.

"How are you today, bro?" Nino asked.

Chat shrugged, and pointed to his ice cream with his spoon.

"Gotcha."

As they say, all good things must come to an end. And the simple peaceful outing turned into chaos when one person shouted. "There they are! It's Ladybug and Chat Noir!"

From both ends of the bridge, people came running. Calling out for attention. Swarming.

"We didn't even get to finish our ice cream," Ladybug lamented.

Chat Noir, however, trembled at the noise and shifted closer to her, Alya, and Nino.

Alya stood, allowing Nino to wrap a protective arm around both of the heroes.

"Back!" Alya shouted at the crowd, raising her hands. "Back, you animals!"

The mob heeded her commands and stopped just a few feet away.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir are not ready for visitors! They aren't doing autographs, and they aren't doing hugs! They're just out for ice cream and sunshine! So be on your merry way please!"

"Ladybug!" A little girl cried out. She weaseled her way through the crowd and ran at them, ignoring Alya completely to crash into Ladybug's legs and nearly crawl into her lap.

"Hey!" Alya shouted. "What did I just say?"

"I'm so so sorry!" A woman called, catching up with the girl. "She's just so excited! She loves Ladybug!"

"It's alright." Ladybug assured, petting the girl's head. "How are you Eva?"

The girl beamed. "You remembered my name!"

"Of course I do. I'd remember any akuma that took six hours to beat."

The girl giggled. "Sorry not sorry!"

Ladybug lifted the girl so she could properly sit on her lap, while the rest of the crowd stood back and listened.

"How are things at home? Did they ever get better?"

Eva gave a little shrug. "Mommy and daddy ended up getting divorced. But now that they don't live in the same house, they get along a lot better. Sometimes we have dinner together. It still hurts, but at least they don't yell anymore!"

"I'm really glad to hear that. I'm sorry that they divorced. That's never an easy thing to go through, but I'm glad things worked out."

"What about you? Are you feeling better?"

Ladybug swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm…I'm doing alright. Somedays are better than others. Today we felt good enough to go out and get some ice cream."

"Ice cream makes everything better!"

She smiled. "It sure does."

"What about you, Chat Noir? How are you?"

He nodded with a smile.

"He said he's good." Provided Ladybug.

"Oh yeah, his voice hurts. That happened to me last year. I coughed and coughed and then I sounded like a frog. Do you sound like a frog when you talk?"

He shook his head.

"No? Well that's good! Wouldn't sound much like a cat if you croaked!" She reached up and petted Chat Noir's head like a real cat.

He couldn't help but purr.

"Oops, you found his soft spot." Ladybug snickered.

Eva giggled and scratched him again. "What kind of ice cream did you get?"

"Mint chip, cherry chip, and cookies and creme."

"Cookies and creme is my favorite! Did you like it?"

"I did! Though, I don't think there's any bad ice cream."

"I do! My dad likes pistachio ice cream! Bleh!"

"Oh but pistachio is good!"

"No it's not! It tastes like butt!"

Ladybug laughed. "Why don't you ask your mom for some ice cream?"

"Oh hey yeah! That's a great idea!"

The woman with Eva came closer. "Can I get a picture with you together?"

"Sure."

"Mom! Get Chat in the picture too!"

Chat Noir leaned in, as she wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

A click, and Eva was scampering off of her lap. "It was nice seeing you Ladybug! I'm going to get ice cream now!"

Ladybug smiled at her. "I'm glad we could talk, Eva. That was nice. See you later."

"Later!"

Ladybug let out a blissful sigh. The crowd was still surrounding them, waiting to be prompted.

"I'm kinda tired." She announced. "What about you, kitty?"

Chat nodded and yawned.

"They're going to go home now folks! Go on, get!" Alya shooed them away. "Sorry your outing was interrupted."

"Mmm, actually, that wasn't as bad as I was expecting."

—

Adrien awoke from his nap feeling only a little groggy. He was down to one nap a day now, though it still usually lasted over an hour.

Marinette laid in his arms, her back pressed against his chest. It looked like she was awake as well, as she scrolled through her phone.

Adrien nuzzled closer, pressing a kiss behind her ear. "Whatcha reading?" He asked softly.

"Ladynoir FanFiction."

He chuckled softly. "I thought you hated our FanFiction."

"I did. But not so much anymore. Alya said a lot of authors on the blog are going back and editing their stories, so that our names and backgrounds are right. It's kind of fun to see what people assume about us. The innocent things, like what our favorite Pokémon is and what flavors of ice cream we like."

"Hmm." Adrien hummed in her ear, savoring that perfect level of comfort. "What is your favorite Pokémon, my lady?"

"According to fics, it's Ledyba."

He scoffed.

"But I think I like Spheal. He's a spherical seal. He's a good boy."

"He is a good boy." Adrien said sleepily. "Wanna guess mine?"

"Is it Arcanine?"

"...yeah, it's Arcanine."

She giggled, turning her phone off and turning to face him. "I'm afraid you're an open book to me."

"Only to you." He promised, kissing her swiftly.

There came a knock at the door.

"Adrien? Are you awake?" Gabriel's voice came from the hall.

"He's awake," Marinette answered for him.

They adjusted themselves to be a little more presentable as Gabriel entered. He actually looked nervous, and excited? It was hard to tell on a man so stoic. He rubbed his hands together. "So, Adrien, we have a guest joining us for dinner tonight, and I thought you might want to see her first." He beckoned the guest at the door.

Seeing Aunt Amilie, even after all this time, made his heart squeeze. She looked just like his mother, right down to the side ponytail.

Wait.

Was this some sort of joke? Amilie was in white, and her hair was tied on the other side, just the way his mother used to—

"Hi Hunny Bunny." Her voice was so soft, so gentle. Tears gathered in her eyes as her hands raised up for him. "Look at how much you've grown!"

All of a sudden, he wasn't in his bedroom. He was in that cold dark room, where they had been kept in crude cages. He was looking at the corpse with his mother's face on it.

Then it morphed into everything wrong. Mouths for eyes, snakes for teeth, dripping fingers, as she just continued to smile at him. "It's me, Adrien…I'm home."

Adrien shook his head frantically, trying to shake the vision. But it wouldn't leave. It was acid, wasn't it? LSD? That's what Dr. Boucher said was in his system. That hallucinations he had down in the catacombs would continue to haunt him. They were as unpredictable as they were vivid.

"Adrien honey?" Her voice was too sweet. It was wrong. Why was she here?

Adrien scrambled off the bed, placing himself opposite of the mattress from her, and he watched her with careful eyes.

"Adrien," Gabriel tried. "It's alright, your mother is home now. She's back."

Between the horrible visions and twisting thoughts, he had half a mind to take offense. She was back? She was fine all this time? Where was she? Why did she leave him alone? He couldn't find any joy in the utter wrongness of it all. It made no sense, and it felt like some sick twisted joke.

His eyes wandered over to the windows on the other side of the room. His reflection was so small, so disgustingly thin and dirty, bloody, and pale. And her reflection…

It wasn't his mother.

Gabriel nervously bit his thumb, waiting for Adrien's reaction. So far, he just sat there, staring at her with impossibly wide eyes. Then he scrambled out of the sheets, his eyes never leaving her face. But there was no smile, no disbelief, no awe. Just shock and fear.

"Adrien, it's alright. Your mother is home now. She's back."

Adrien quaked in his spot, shaking like a leaf, ready to burst. His listless eyes turned and caught sight of something in the window.

Gabriel never did know what his son saw, but whatever it was, it was horribly upsetting.

Terrible enough to rip that scream from his throat. Frightening enough make him flail his fists around, at him, at Marinette, and his own mother.

"Hunny bunny?" she asked once more, pleading with him.

It didn't work. It only further exasperated Adrien, so that he shouted at her, like if he yelled loud enough she was disappear in a puff of smoke.

That's when Gabriel conceded that his plan had failed epically. He grabbed Emilie's wrist and pulled her from the room, as Adrien continued to scream after her.

Sabine caught her in a hug just outside the door. "It's alright, dear."

Emilie clung to her. "He doesn't know me!"

"Of course he does," Sabine soothed. "He's just confused right now."

Gabriel had made sure to close the door as they left, but it did nothing to suppress the noise from the room. The banging, the crashing, the clattering of books and trophies being flung off the shelves.

And Marinette's rational voice trying to reach him.

"I hate her!" He yelled, like an arrow to Emilie's heart. "She's a liar! That's all she's ever been! I hate her! I hate her!"

Gabriel pressed a kiss to his wife's head. "He doesn't, he loves you so much."

"Where did so go?! Why did she leave me alone with—with him?!" He voice broke off into ugly sobbing.

"Oh my baby boy," Emilie wept. "My poor baby…"

"Well, I really hate to be the one that told you so…" Plagg spoke, phasing through the door.

"Don't sound so smug." Gabriel bit.

"I'm not. I swear I'm not." His ears hung sadly. "But's like I said. He doesn't know where she's been. To him, she ran away without a word, and she's only coming back now? Because of what? The fact that he was tortured on screen?"

Emilie covered a mouth to hold back a sob.

"That's not what happened, and you know it!" Gabriel yelled back.

"Of course I know! But he doesn't! And you're going to have to explain all of it to him."

"What do you mean, 'all of it'?"

Plagg looked at him levelly. "If you want Adrien to accept his mother, you've got to tell him about being Hawkmoth."

Gabriel looked at the door. "Do you think he's ready? Either of them are ready?"
Plagg shrugged. "His world is rocked either way. I think you've got to decide which parent he needs more. Because the way I see it, he'll reject the other. Maybe both of you."

Emilie and Gabriel shared a very meaningful look.

Finally, Emilie hugged Sabine. "You'll go comfort him, right? He needs a mom right now."

"Of course dear." Sabine opened the bedroom door slightly and crept inside. Emilie watched from the crack as she approached Marinette and Adrien, who were huddled together in a corner. It didn't take any convincing for both of them to accept her embrace.

"I've missed so much." Emilie whispered, teary-eyed.

Tom squeezed her shoulder. "It's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong."

Gabriel sighed. "And hopefully, you won't have to miss anything more. I'll tell them tomorrow. Even if…even if Adrien hates me, he deserves my honesty. And…I haven't been very good to him since this whole mess started. You'll be better for him, I know."

"Gabe…"

"It's alright. I suppose this is my punishment. But as long as Adrien gets everything he needs, then it's all worth it."