*And here is the end of the story I do not own. I want to thank all of you for giving this story a chance, despite it not being part of the love-square pairings (you wouldn't believe how much hate the trolls sent my way because of that). Enjoy!

Marinette was kept home from school for three days after what had come to be known as The Monster's Fall. Felix and Adrien had been the only two people from class that she had been willing to see for the moment, even though she admitted that she would probably forgive everyone when she returned to class.

She would have come back sooner, but there was the issue of the Dupain-Chengs, Agrestes, the Truancy Office of Paris, and the Rossis meeting outside of Paris with their lawyers. Although the charges weren't finalized, Ambassador Rossi had made it clear that her daughter would be pleading guilty to all the charges filed against her. Then there were the charges that all three families were planning on filing against the school for failing their students, which would be scheduled for a later date.

For the Agrestes, Lila would be paying €4,782 for the camera and clothing that were damaged during the photoshoot. The sexual harassment and assault charges were to go on her police record, but she could petition to have them exponged when she turned 18. The assault charge lent support to the restraining order and Lila was not permitted within 50 meters of Adrien, Felix, Gabriel, or their home for the next 5 years; at which point they could renew the restraining order if they chose to.

Ambassador Rossi had negotiated with the Truancy Office, which resulted in a better outcome for M. and Mme. Rossi than it had for Lila in order for the fine to be reduced from the maximum charge of €750 to €100. Lila's phone and laptop were confinscated and would be sold to help pay for the charges filed against her, if she needed access to the internet, it would be under her parents or teacher's supervision. She had to attend counselling multiple times a week and submit to random psychological testing. She would also be attending after school and summer courses in order to catch up on all the work she missed. And to make sure that Lila didn't attempt to play hookie again, she would have to wear a tracking bracelet until she was 18, and would be confined to her house when she wasn't at school or in the company of her parents. Her parents were also responsible for alerting future schools about Lila's lying habit and were to personally check in at the schools at least once a week to make sure she didn't fall back on old habits.

As for Marinette and her family, that had been much worse than Lila could have expected. Tom and Sabine had brought in receipts for the days they had to close down the bakery early, when Marinette was injured by Lila and when she was wrongly expelled, and compared them to receipts from a year earlier on each date. Forcing Lila to compensate the loss of both days. Then there were Marinette's loses because her sprained wrist kept her from doing any designs or commissions for three weeks. She provided a list of all the commissions she had to discount for late delivery, as well as the ones she lost. All that plus the medical bills and counselling that Marinette would need, at the insistence of their lawyer; totalled to €6,247 that Lila would have to pay to Marinette and her parents. There would also be another assault charge on Lila's record for what she did to Marinette. Their lawyer also insisted on a restraining order that did not permit Lila within 50 meters of Marinette, her parents, or the bakery, and they were already planning on renewing it in 5 years.

There was also a clause in both restraining orders that Lila was not permitted to comment, like, follow, or have any type of interaction with them over social media. This clause had been added at Gabriel's insistance, although it was also implemented for the Dupain-Chengs, because he did not want his business affiliated in any way with Lila Rossi. If she did, she would be charged with stalking, have to pay additional fines, and be put in be put in a juvenile detention center.

By the end of the meeting, with Lila sitting there the entire time, face swollen from a broken nose and not permitted to say a single word or else the court would find her in contempt, she was in shock. She was being forced to pay €11,029 in damages, had two restraining orders filed against her, was being forced to wear a tracking bracelet which would ruin her social life, had lost her phone and laptop, and was being forced to talk to a doctor three times a week until her 18th birthday. And if at any time she failed to follow the mandate, she would be back in court and could be put in juvie. The most she was able to do was glare at her three former classmates across the table. Marinette looked at her with disappointment, Adrien looked disgusted and angry. But felix was the worst, since he had smirked at her during the entire meeting without saying a word.

After dealing with all of that, it was no wonder Marinette had needed an extra day of rest before returning to school. And just like Monday, Adrien and Felix were waiting for her down in the bakery with Sabine offering them samples of different breads and pastries. Today, she was wearing black shorts with soft pink tights, a matching black and pink striped shirt, and black converse sneakers.

Felix relieved her of her backpack as soon as she reached the bottom step and took her uninjured hand in his as the two boys led her out of the bakery and towards the school. He didn't miss the blush that painted her cheeks, and neither did Adrien, if the smile he directed at the two of them was any indication. Adrien had spoken to him before they arrived at the bakery, reiterating that he supported Felix pursuing his friend but that he better not hurt her.

"By the way, Marinette," Adrien said as they reached the school. "My father is interested in getting a look at your sketchbook in the near future. He knows that you can't design right now, but he wants to do a photoshoot of the three of us wearing his designs and yours, so long as it doesn't put a strain on your wrist."

When her hand squeezed his own, Felix couldn't help but give her a knowing smirk. "Really? He wants to see more of my designs? This isn't just to show the public that the Gabriel brand is siding with me and not Lila, is it?"

"Whether that is the reason or not is inconsequential," Felix told her, interrupting her tangent while ignoring the indignant look she threw his way. "This is another opportunity to get your name, face, and designs out there for people to see. And having your designs displayed alongside a Gabriel design will only continue to help you during a time when you are unable to work. You should accept the offer. When you are fully healed, you will have a waiting list of clients that will be aware of your injury and eager to receive an MDC original."

Although she continued to scowl at him, it was more in a way of knowing that he was right and not wanting to admit it. Either way, she never let go of his hand and even gave it another squeeze.

Entering the school, it was hard to miss how a lot of people stopped to stare at the three of them. After the monster's fall, word quickly got around the school about Lila's lies, how the three of them had been the only ones that had realized the truth, and how the liar had targeted them. The school was now under investigation as well, with M. Damocles and Mme. Bustier both suspended for negligence until the investigation was complete. From what Felix had heard, the school board had been less than pleased and it was unlikely that either educator would be returning.

When they got to their classroom, Marinette hesitated just outside the closed door. Felix gave her fingers a light squeeze and a nod of encouragement; knowing that she didn't know what to expect, but wanting to assure her that he wasn't going to leave her side. Adrien placed a hand lightly on her shoulder, giving her a kind smile that she easily returned. After taking a calming breath and giving the boys a nod, Felix pushed open the door and they stepped inside… only for Marinette to come to a sudden stop.

The entire classroom was decorated with streamers, a "welcome back" banner, and balloons; all in Marinette's signature pink. On her desk was a pile of cards and gifts that numbered greater than the number of students in the class. Their classmates were holding up the banner themselves, all of them with matching expressions of regret, hope, and a bit of relief.

Marinette continued to stand just inside the doorway in a state of shock, not that he could blame her. Felix and Adrien were in a similar state of surprise. Despite noticing their classmates whispering to each other frequently since Lila had been removed from school, they'd had no idea that they had been planning this. And from the similar piles of gifts on Adrien's desk and his own, it was clear why they had been kept in the dark.

Alya was the first person to approach them, although she was having difficulty meeting her friends' eyes. Standing in front of Marinette, she attempted to speak multiple times and failed to utter a single word. Getting frustrated, Alya pulled out her phone and pulled up the Ladyblog, presenting the device to her friend. Felix looked over Marinette's shoulder as she scrolled down the page.

The reporter had done an expose on Lila and what had happened at the school, posting Felix's video and refuting most every single claim that had previously been posted about Lila and was recently taken down, having finally done her research. To her credit, Alya did not make excuses. She admitted that she had been star-struck by the liar and knew that her credibility had taken a major hit, but she accepted that. It was her own fault and she was going to work even harder to gain her friends' and readers' trust back, and that she fully expects it to take a long time, but she was alright with that.

Neither girl said anything at first, but then Marinette let go of Felix's hand to wrap her arms around Alya in a tight hug that lasted for quite a bit as the two cried. Then other classmates took their turns giving the small designer hugs and tearful apologies. And then, every one of them thanked Adrien and Felix for taking care of and protecting her when they didn't. The substitute teacher came in a few minutes later, as the three of them had begun going through the piles of gifts and cards that had been placed on their desks.

Felix and Adrien had received multiple thank you and apology cards. The sheer number of cards told him that their actions were genuine. They hadn't just bought a single card for everyone to sign, everyone had bought or made their own cards and given him meaningful gifts. The most impressive one was a signed first edition of Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton that was in very good condition, no doubt a lot of his classmates had to pitch in to get him the book.

But it was nothing compared to everything that Marinette had gotten. Best guess, the class had raided a craft store and bought anything that they thought she would like, want, or use for her designs. A bolt of pink satin, a bolt of turquoise velvet, a spool of fine black lace, three cream colored spools of angora yarn, a bag of amethyst crystal beads, gift cards to her favorite craft shop, and high quality needles and different color threads. But her gifts were not limited to crafting items. There was a large box of Godiva chocolates, there was enough that she was able to give a piece to everyone in class and still have multiple pieces left for herself. There was also a wrist wrap that could be heated up or cooled, definitely a good thing to have right now.

The rest of the day, their classmates did everything they could to take care of Marinette. Max presented her with notes from the classes she had missed. Kim carried her lunch to their table for her, despite her protests that she could do it herself. But the thing that Felix thought meant the most to her, was that everyone listened to her story when Alix asked her during lunch how she had figured out Lila was a liar. Some people snickered when she admitted to following Adrien and Lila out of the library since those kind of antics had been the norm for her, but they still listened to the end. At which point, Adrien thanked her over and over again for saving his father's book from the junk yard, and the rest of the class apologized all over again.

By the time school was over, Adrien had taken it upon himself to take his and Felix's gifts back home so that Felix could help take Marinette's gifts home. He did so happily; hi s arms full carrying fabric, yarn, and other gifts to her home over the bakery. When they arrived, Sabine looked surprised by the treasure trove of gifts and stood by while Marinette excitedly described each gift, who gave it to her, and read the cards. Felix couldn't help but smile as he sat beside her, glad that he could see her this happy after going through such a traumatic time.

Realizing how late it had become, Sabine offered for Felix to stay for dinner and he gladly accepted. Tom soon joined them after the bakery had closed for the day. Tom challenged his daughter to a fighting game, hoping that he would finally have a chance to beat her, and Felix couldn't help but chuckle as Marinette trounced her father with ease.

Dinner lead to the familiar banter of a tightly knit family that successfully drew him in, his dry humor adding a new spin that everyone seemed to enjoy. After their meal Nathalie called to tell him that Adrien's bodyguard was on his way to pick him up. Marinette volunteered to walk him down, taking his hand as though she always did so, although the slight blush dusting her cheeks told him that she was very aware.

Before the car arrived, Felix decided to pluck up his courage and take a great risk. "Marinette, would you like to go out with me this weekend… just you and me?"

"You mean, like a date?"

He could hear the nervous tremor in her voice, but thought it best to ignore it and his own nerves as he nodded. "Yes, I would like to go on a date with you."

Her blue eyes went impossibly wide for a moment before she gave him the brightest smile he had seen all day. "Y-y-y-yes, I date really would- I mean-"

Before she could continued down her stuttering path, no matter how cute he thought it was, he used their joined hands to ease her into a hug. His heart pounding harder when he heard her sigh.

"If I were to try and kiss you right now, would you slap me?" Felix hadn't meant to say that, it was a thought that had worked its way into his voice. When she let go of his hand, he thought for sure that she was going to feel a sting to his cheek. But then her hand cupped his chin and he felt the soft pressure of her lips against his. It was the sweetest kiss he had ever received, and he wasn't interested in comparing it to anyone else.

AN: And there it is! I spent a lot of time looking through French truancy laws, fines, legal actions, and all that jazz, to make sure that I got Lila the worst punishment possible while still keeping it realistic. Mme. Rossi did say that she would be doing her best to keep her daughter out of jail, but that isn't to say that if she put a single toenail out of line, that she would end up there anyway. I hope that was a satisfactory punishment for all of you, I might have tried to make it worse, but I figured ruining Lila's empire, social life, and image in every way possible was the best way to go.

Decided to end on a sweet note between Felix and Marinette because I can. They really are sweet and more natural by the end of this story and I wanted to showcase that a bit. I hope you all liked the class redemption as well. I know a lot of stories crusify all of them, but not all of them believed that she did it during the Ladybug episode, which means that they doubted Lila. I wanted to give them a chance to shine at the end. Anyway, I hope all of you enjoyed Different Ways to Fall. What was your favorite part of the story? Warm-Fuzzies and please review!