The window slowly closed, and darkness shrouded the broken man once again. He fell to his knees, whispering the words that would transform him back into his civilian identity. But he wouldn't feel any different.

Nooroo appeared, and was frightened, to see his master this way. He spoke, but Gabriel didn't listen.

Day after day, he sent akumas out of his lair, to get the objects that could - that he so wanted. And day after day, the akumas failed. It was taking its toll on the blond man, who was certain with his first one, the jewels would be his. Now, he was over 30 villains in, and he seemed no closer than he had been on day one. There was no correct way to do it - he just had to pick someone, and hope he was lucky. But Ladybug was always the lucky one. Ladybug... He admired her, her unbreakable spirit, her intelligence. If she wasn't in his way, he would wish her to be an ally. Maybe he could befriend her in his civilian form? But not today.

Chat Noir... He, too, was a formidable opponent, but nothing without Ladybug. Hawk Moth's akumas had controlled the feline hero multiple times, he recounted. If only the same could be said for Ladybug...

Gabriel gripped his chest, stifling the tears that so desperately tried to come out. Nooroo kept talking, and the man was only semi-aware of it. He looked at the reflective floor, into his own eyes...

"Am I a bad guy?" he asked as if realizing it for the first time.

The purple kwami was caught off guard, and hesitated, before answering. "W-well you do hurt innocent people on a daily basis and take advantage of their emotions..."

Gabriel knew this. He nodded slowly. "So... I am. I am a bad guy."

"But! But you don't have to be! It's not too late to change!" Nooroo tried.

The man never looked away from his reflection. He pondered Nooroo's words. Was it too late? Certainly not, he hoped. And if it wasn't... Well... Maybe he could give up the whole supervillain thing. He let out a slow sigh. "If it isn't too late... Will you help me?"

Nooroo squeaked. "O-of course, Master!" He was surprised, but happily so. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to help me be a good guy... Like Ladybug. I don't think I want to be the villain anymore," Gabriel admitted, with a small, sad smile, and a tear rolling down his cheek. He stood up tall.

The kwami's eyes widened. "W-well, you could start with trying to improve your relationship with your son... Going to his modeling things, having dinner with him... And since you're not a supervillain anymore, you actually have time to do those things!" Nooroo helpfully suggested with a smile.

The man nodded. "Yes... That sounds good. I'll start with Adrien... I should have never ignored him like that."

"You could also get out of the house more. You never seem to leave this place at all... You could go out with Adrien for lunch sometimes?" Nooroo asked, pleasantly surprised to how well Gabriel was reacting to all this. He was expected to get yelled at, but no, that never happened. Hope was in the little kwami's heart... Could even a supervillain change their ways?

The blond man nodded and smiled. "Sounds like a plan. Tonight, I'll go to dinner with him... Somewhere fancy. Maybe that place that opened, by the river?"

The kwami quickly nodded. "That sounds good!"

"Excellent... See, it's like I'm already a good guy." Gabriel smiled softly. He, too, had hope. He didn't need the miraculous to survive, did he? He just needed Adrien. His son...

Adrien sat alone at dinner, per usual. He pushed around his food with his fork, waiting for a guest he was sure would never come.

Suddenly, the door opened, and in walked his father. "Sorry I'm late, Adrien," he looked at his boy with a strange face. Something like regret...

The blond boy looked up, surprised. "You... You actually came..."

"We will not be eating here tonight. We have a reservation for somewhere else." Gabriel said, trying not to show how much his son's words hurt him. It was a good thing he had plenty of practice.

Adrien nodded and stood. He hesitated, but the man knew what his son wanted. Gabriel slowly walked over and embraced his son tightly.

The boy was caught off guard, gaping, surprised, before he hugged his father back. He felt like he was about to cry.

"Excuse me, Mr. Agreste?" asked Natalie, raising an eyebrow at her employer.

Gabriel let go and looked at his assistant. "Natalie?"

She graciously smiled softly. "May I speak to you in private?"

He hesitated, before nodding, and following her out of the room, and closing the door behind them.

"I'm confused, sir. I thought your focus was the miraculous. You told me yourself that Adrien could wait until you had them... Unless you already do?" asked Natalie, tilting her head.

The man slowly shook his head. "No, I've decided to take a short break. Adrien is more important than the miraculous... In fact, I need to go out to dinner with him now. Here, take this..." He handed her the butterfly brooch and promptly turned back and walked into the dining room, to find Adrien on his phone.

The boy looked up, a deep sadness, or accusation, in his eyes... Gabriel looked away. "Are you ready?" he asked.

Adrien sighed, put away his phone, and nodded.

"Let's go, then." They walked outside and into the car. Adrien's bodyguard drove them to the restaurant - an upscale, five-star place that neither of them had been to before.

They sat at a table for two, out beside the river. Gabriel got champagne, and Adrien got water. The conversation was stilted - Adrien kept looking at his father strangely. There was no good way to talk to him.

"How is school going, Adrien?" asked the man in another attempt to start a conversation.

The boy shrugged. "Good, I guess..."

Gabriel's brow furrowed. "What's wrong?" he asked, trying to get to the root of the problem.

Adrien sighed. "It's just not the same... Without her. Without mom." He looked ready to cry.

It was like an arrow shot through the man's heart. "Oh," he whispered, staring at his son.

"It's been a year, father... since we last sat down like this. But that last time... She was there. Everything was so much happier then... But now?" He shook his head. "Now, you've been so distant, so far away... I understand that you're grieving, but you're also my father. It's like I didn't just lose my mom that night... I also lost my dad."

Gabriel looked at his hands. He could no longer look at his son. He had failed her... He had failed himself. He wanted to protect Adrien from it all... But it seemed even that backfired on him. There was nothing to be said. How was he supposed to rekindle the relationship he had with Adrien now?

"Thanks for trying... But I think I want to go home now. You can't make me happy with fancy dinners and half-baked attempts at conversation." He stood, and left the area, leaving his broken father behind.

The man stared at his hands still. How could he have messed up so completely? Adrien... How could he have failed his son like that?

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw it - the black butterfly. It wasn't coming for him, no, he went right past him... In the direction that Adrien went.

"Adrien, wait!" the man shouted, running after his son.

The blonde boy stopped, confused, turning to his father. "Huh?" And then he saw the butterfly and let out a gasp.

The little black insect was hot on Adrien's trail - but luckily, Gabriel was faster. He jumped in front of Adrien in the nick of time - and the wicked akuma touched his glasses.

"Father!" yelled Adrien, gasping as the pink outline appeared in front of his face.

Gabriel felt everything around him subside. His son, yelling... It was like it was in another world. Then the voice pierced through, to his consciousness.

"Mr. Agreste... Your own son rejected you. You say you want to put him first now, but you must see that it's too late for that. There's only one thing that can right this wrong now..."

He slowly nodded, and whispered, "the miraculous..."

Adrien began to get even more freaked out, desperately trying to pull the glasses away from his father, fruitlessly trying to break them.

"There's only one way to make sure things get done - do them yourself. So, what do you say?" the voice asked, so tempting...

"DAD! You can resist... Please..." his son cried, staring into the man's eyes. His son... Adrien had never left his side. The boy might not be as close... But there was hope in those green eyes.

Gabriel closed his eyes and clenched his fists. "No. I say, no." The akuma promptly left his glasses, looking more than a bit surprised.

Adrien looked surprised. "No way..." he stared at the akuma as it drifted away, up into the air. "How did you do that?" he asked, turning back to his father.

The man looked at his son and smiled. "I was going to say yes... But then, I realized, that you were still here. Adrien, my son... I realize now, I should have never shunned you. I only hope you can forgive me..." He lowered his head in shame.

The blond boy embraced him. "I forgive you. Mom might not be here, but we are. And somehow, we gotta get through this..."

"I'd prefer if we did it together," the man said with a smile.

Behind them, suddenly, there was screaming. The duo let go of one another and turned to look - to find an akuma terrorizing people.

Adrien's instincts kicked in and he began to run, only to be caught by the wrist by his father, and practically be dragged to the car. "We're going back home. We'll be safe there," Gabriel explained, fastening his seatbelt.

The boy bit his lip, but said nothing, only having a worried look.

"Ladybug fights this most recent villain alone and seems to struggle with being alone. Where is Chat Noir? Will he show up at all?" asked the reporter.

Adrien and Gabriel sat on the couch, watching the TV together like they never had before. Adrien shifted uncomfortably. "Dad, I told you, I need to take a shower..."

Gabriel didn't seem to notice, staring at the TV screen. The boy couldn't tell if his father was focused on watching or just staring into space in thought.

"Dad? ...father?" asked Adrien, looking seriously concerned.

The man jolted and quickly turned to his son. "Adrien... I have something important to show you."

Adrien's eyebrows shot up. "What? What is it?"

Gabriel lowered his eyes. "It's... It's a surprise, actually. I'll be right back... Stay here, alright?"

The boy hesitated before nodding. "Of course, father."

"Good..." Gabriel walked to his office, hands held behind his back. He approached the painting, and pressed the secret buttons that would allow him to enter his secret lair. In seconds, he was there - and Natalie stood, cloaked in an outfit very similar to Hawk Moth's.

She seemed surprised. "Mr. Agreste! I didn't think-"

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, before snatching the brooch from her neck, causing her to detransform.

"Giving you more protection. If Hawk Moth is going to disappear, and you start to interact with your son around the same time, there has to be proof it's just a coincidence," Natalie explained grimly.

Gabriel let out a sigh. She was right, someone might put together the pieces. But he didn't care. "You are never, I say never allowed to use this miraculous without my explicit permission. Is that clear?"

She bowed her head. "Yes, sir."

He shook his head and turned away. "I want you to go check on Adrien. Tell him I'll be right there..."

"Of course, Mr. Agreste," she nodded, and off she went.

"But he said to stay here!" argued Plagg. "What's he gonna think when you're gone?"

The blond boy shook his head. "That doesn't matter, Plagg. Ladybug needs my help... I'm sorry, dad," he muttered. "Plagg, claws out!" In seconds, Adrien Agreste was replaced by Chat Noir, who subsequently hopped out the window.

Getting to the scene of the right was a cinch as he had seen the road signs on the TV. Quickly, he found a troubling sight - Ladybug trapped in a makeshift metal cage. In front of her stood a helmeted villain, who let out a deep laugh. "Foolish girl! Your silly little yo-yo is no match for the power of Magneto!"

Chat Noir gasped, before laughing. "Somebody's been reading too many comics!" He swirled his stick, getting ready for the battle.

"You!" 'Magneto' quickly turned around, eyes widening at the sight of the hero. "Prepare to be pummeled!" He held his hands up, and a dozen cars took to the sky, ready to be thrown at the feline hero.

Ladybug gasped. "Chat Noir! Be careful!" she warned, gripping the bars of her cage with fear.

"When am I not, my lady?" asked the boy with a chuckle, before running towards the comic book villain, scanning for weakness.

Magneto shouted, and began throwing cars at Chat, one by one, all narrowly missing the boy. He began to throw street lamps, signs, lights - anything that was metal, he used as a projectile.

Ladybug struggled to escape her prison. "Lucky charm!" she cried, or tried to, but her yo-yo could not get enough altitude. She growled, kicking at the bars futilely.

"Ladybug, stand back! Cataclysm!" Chat Noir raised his hand, and ran at the bars, corroding them to release her.

"NO! You will not escape!" Magneto's attacks became more frenzied, he threw more things, ripping even the barest bits of metal to launch at them.

The bluenette jumped around, agile on her feet. "We can't keep this up forever - cover me, chaton!" She ducked into an alley. "Lucky charm!"

Chat Noir gasped, seeing his partner flee, and Magneto got his opening. The feline found himself wedged between two cars, trapped. His stick was out of reach... He was hopelessly stuck, and Magneto, floating on a metal platform towards him, knew it. "Ladybug!" he shouted.

"Coming!" the girl yelled, the object wedged under her arm.

Magneto took the hand with Chat's ring on it, and began to slide it off...

Ladybug gasped. She didn't know what to do with the object yet, and there was no time to move. She turned away. No, Chat Noir needed privacy. She would not know his identity.

"My lady! Look!" he shouted.

She turned around to see Magneto gone, replaced with some teenager with a horrible Magneto costume. The akuma floated out of his unbroken helmet. "Where am I?" he asked.

The girl stared, before remembering she had to catch the akuma. She promptly did, and released the little butterfly. "Bye bye, little butterfly... Miraculous Ladybug!" she threw the object into the sky and looked at Chat Noir. "How did you do that?"

He shrugged. "It wasn't me, I can tell you that. One second he was sliding my ring off, the next he's not akumatized anymore. I don't know what to tell you."

Ladybug grabbed her chin in thought. "Hmm... That's weird, that hasn't happened before..."

Chat Noir's ring beeped. "Sorry, my lady, I have to go. Make sure this kid gets home!" Without looking behind him, he raced off, back to his dad's place.

"Nooroo, dark wings, fall," Gabriel said, and his costume vanished.

Natalie cleared her throat. "So, it was you, then? I saw it on the news." She explained.

He nodded. "I know what I'm doing, Natalie... How is Adrien?"

"Gone." She lowered her eyes. "He must have snuck off while you we were in here. He wasn't in his bedroom, or the kitchen, or anywhere else I could think of."

Gabriel's eyes narrowed. "I see..."

Adrien jumped through the window, and closed it behind him. As soon as he touched the couch, he de-transformed. He let out a yawn.

"That was a close one!" Plagg admitted, with a chuckle.

The blonde boy nodded. "At least it wasn't like Christmas..." He lowered his head, remembering how his dad had acted on that day.

Plagg gasped, and quickly hid, a moment before Gabriel walked in.

Adrien stared at his dad. "Hello..." He awkwardly waved.

"Adrien... Do you remember what I said before?" Gabriel asked, in a condescending tone.

The boy slowly shook his head. "Sorry, father... I don't."

"I said I wanted to show you something... Something important. Can you keep a secret?" The man offered a smile.

"Wha... What is it?" asked the boy, eyebrows shooting up.

He smiled softly, ruffling his son's hair. "I'll show you..."