A/N: Big shout out to Whimstories for beta-ing this!

"Maman!" wailed Hugo, reaching out for the unconscious heroine. But before he could touch her, his hand was grabbed immediately by Emma.

"No, Hugo…" she murmured as tears began to leak out from her bluebell eyes. She wasn't sure whether to let her younger brother go to hug Ladybug, or stop him before the reality could crush his hopes.

Emma knew about Hugo's sufferings when their Maman died, and now that she was back - not from the grave apparently - she wanted to make sure that her younger brother will not going to suffer from sleepless nights looking for their mother again.

"Maman!" the boy cried again, but this time he was flailing his arms wildly to escape from his sister's clutches. "Let me go, Em! That's Maman, right? Maman! Maman!"

"Hugo…please...please, stop..." Louis stepped in as he knelt down in front of his screaming brother then pulled him for a tight hug. "We...we don't…"

'We don't know if that's our Maman or not' were the words he wanted to say but not in front of his youngest sibling.

"Papa?" Emma glanced at their father who was dead silent while staring at Ladybug's sleeping face. "That's...that's Maman, right?"

Unfortunately, Adrien remained unresponsive as his mind was bombarded by several questions.

What is she doing here? How did she end up here? Was she hit by an Akuma?

Of course, he cursed mentally, that's why she's here as Ladybug.

He tried to recall all the Akuma names and powers that could possibly transport her to the future, but so far, none came up. The nearest that he could think of was Chronogirl, but he never time-traveled when he took the hit before. Though Numéric was able to trap him to a different dimension twice, his power didn't teleport him to the future. Besides, he was good at keeping tabs on his partner's well-being.

Unless she lied and kept the information all by herself.

But why? He asked himself again, rattling his memory bank for some news clips or Ladyblog posts he might've missed. We made an oath not to keep secrets to each other. We even made that promise before we got married.

Why are you here, Marinette?

"Papa?" Emma called his attention twice, and when she received no response, she decided to approach him. Her shoulder tap jolted him back to reality "Papa, are you okay?"

"Uh…" he sniffled, wiping his stray tears with the back of his hand. "I'm fine, munchkin."

Adrien's heart shattered at the sight of his kids, especially on Hugo who was mumbling 'Maman' repeatedly under his breath. But before he could say something, a familiar beep from Ladybug's earrings caught their attention.

"W-we have to move out," he told them mournfully, balancing Ladybug's weight on his arms as he stood up. He was relieved that his leg therapy paid off.

"Are we going to the hospital, Papa?" Louis asked.

"No, my kitten," his father answered. "We're going home."

But first, he thought to himself as he eyed the remaining spots on the superheroine's earrings, Ladybug must strip off her costume.

They didn't have a personal vehicle or a driver to call, and while he can hire an Uber or any service company with private cars, he didn't want to risk her detransforming in public. Not to mention some possible setbacks after she released her transformation.

He wasn't sure what caused her to travel to the future, and with the swollen bruise on her right temple and the noticeable burn marks that spattered on her skin, he knew from experience that her body absorbed the worst blow. Dropping her transformation by force might cause some undesirable reactions.

If she remained transformed, her Miraculous power can speed up her healing process.

That is if he knows how to extend her transformation.

Adrien led his children to an isolated part of the cemetery, just behind a big mausoleum surrounded by the bushes. With that loud explosion, he thought he might meet some bypassers or authorities along their way, but so far none of that happened.

They found a patio with a stone table and benches , which were luckily unoccupied, so he placed Ladybug gently on the table and used Louis' rolled overshirt to cushion her head.

Then the second beep sounded.

"Papa?"

"Hmm?"

Louis bit his quivering lips "Is...Is she okay?"

She.

Adrien might be oblivious as a person but not as a father towards his children. He had his fair share when he was raised by an indifferent father, and ever since then, he swore to himself not to be like Gabriel Agreste who decided to hide his wife behind his grieving son's knowledge.

That, as a son, he deserved to know his mother's state.

Adrien couldn't deny the heavy tension in the air, and after giving a second thought, he croaked "I - I'm not sure, my kittens, if...if Maman is okay or not."

His answer turned on their waterworks, and this time, the kids didn't hold themselves back from moving closer to Ladybug but careful enough not to touch her bruised body.

"Why is Maman so young?" Emma asked. "And why is she wounded?"

"That's Tikki in her earrings, right?" Louis added just in time with the third beep.

Adrien simply shook his head as he mustered all of his strength to keep his emotions at bay. "We'll know after the timer ends."

"Maman will be here forever right?" Hugo sniffed, his stubby hand caressing the tips of Ladybug's hair. "Maman is not gonna leave us again, right?"

That question alone drove a lance to Adrien's heart.

The last spot on Ladybug's earrings blinked, followed by a flash of pink lights that enveloped her body, dissolving her red spandex costume and replacing it with a familiar pink capri pants, a white shirt and a dark gray blazer, and when her spotted mask disappeared from her face, Adrien couldn't help himself but weep.

"Oh, Princess…" he choked, burying his head between the crook of her neck as fresh batches of tears welled on his green eyes. "My Lady…Mari..."

There was a faint electronic burnt smell on her skin mixed with a citrus perfume he remembered she always used when they were in lycée. Her clothes were not tattered, though there was a smear of chocolate on her sleeve, which told him that she was either eating something with chocolate fillings or having a bakery mishap before the akuma attack.

His kids were sobbing uncontrollably as they huddled near him, yet despite those loud cries, a familiar grunt made him sit bolt up straight.

There on his side was a red kwami squinting and trying to move around.

"Marinette…" the kwami moaned, "Are you al-"

"Tikki!" Hugo exclaimed as he scooped her hastily, which caught her off guard "I miss you!"

Her blue eyes blinked rapidly at the sudden change of scenery, only to round like saucers when she saw Adrien's adult state.

"Long time no see, Tikki," the blond greeted with a smile. "And welcome to the future."

.

.

.

There was nothing more awkward than riding a taxi with three sniffling kids, an undisclosed quantic god, and a battered time-traveler wife sleeping on her future husband's lap.

Adrien had to hide how he squirmed in his seat every time the driver checked his side mirror with an inquisitive gaze. He even caught him eyeing his communicator, which only increased his anxiety and fear that he might report an 'unusual passenger' without him knowing and either end them cornered by a police car or him being raided in his home for interrogations.

The blond might be able to justify their red blotched eyes since they came from a cemetery, but not the visible injuries from the girl without revealing her identity.

So he uttered, "She fell from a tree," off-handedly, believing that the driver would buy his lie.

Thankfully, he didn't pry further or engage in a conversation. He just remained silent yet apprehensive all throughout their ride until they reached their destination.

"You better have her checked for fractures," he told him cooly then left before the blond could give him an answer.

It was pretty late and beyond the bakery's operating hours, so Adrien wasn't surprised when his assistants left the premise with a Closed sign flipped on the glass door. He was relieved that no one was snooping around when they entered the house as he wasn't sure how to handle an onslaught of questions, especially his neighbors, about his dead wife's younger form.

His kids were milling around him as he deposited Marinette to the master's bed. He knew they wanted to be helpful, so he decided to give them a specific task - Emma on preparing the hot water and towels while Louis on looking for medicines and some burn ointments.

And Hugo?

"Why don't you look for delicious cookies for Tikki?"

"Even the super delicious ultra chocolate-y ones?" he asked with bluebell eyes brimming with excitement.

"Even the super delicious ultra chocolate-y ones," his father chuckled.

"Oui!" the boy answered, placing the red kwami gently on the duvet then patted her head much to her amusement "Be a good girl, Tikki, and don't move there until Papa says so!"

"He called me a good girl," Tikki commented as Hugo padded outside the room.

"You've always been a good girl, Tik."

"His enthusiasm reminds me of Marinette. He even looks like Marinette."

"Sometimes it blows my mind how similar they were," Adrien muttered then averted his gaze towards the kwami's blue orbs.

"I'm sorry, Adrien," the kwami bowed apologetically "I don't think I can even imagine the pain and hardships you've faced, not to mention raising your kids alone."

He shook his head. "It's okay, Tikki. We've survived and moved on."

"Your kids are wonderful, Adrien."

"They're a trooper, Tikki. They've been raised well. She raised them well."

"You both raised them well," she corrected, then pawed the golden surface of his wedding ring "You've sacrificed a lot - not only for your family but also for the people in Paris."

"What happened Tikki?" the blond asked, "Why did Marinette end up here?"

"I'm not really sure, Adrien. You know that kwamis are not aware of the happenings around our holders when they're transformed, right?" He nodded briskly at her words. "The last thing I remembered was Marinette calling her transformation after receiving an akuma alert. She had to excuse herself to use the bathroom - "

"Wait, what do you mean by 'excuse herself to use the bathroom'?" he interjected, "Was she at school during the attack?"

"Well, yeah. Few weeks after the start of the autumn term."

So that falls probably around October...and today's month is July. Adrien thought solemnly, Maybe the akuma that hit her has a different approach towards time traveling?

"Any idea about the akuma's powers? How about the name?"

Tikki simply shook her head.

"Do you think we can call Master Fu?" the kwami proposed. "I know this is the future, but I presume the Guardian is well, and I'm sure he can cure Marinette and...Adrien?"

"I'm sorry to tell you this, Tik," the blond sighed glumly. "But Master Fu is long gone."

She gasped. "Bu-but how about the Miraculous? W-who's taking care - "

"Master Fu took it," was his answer much to the red kwami's shock.

"Tha - that can't be…"

"A few years ago, a decade after we defeated Mayura and Papillion, Master Fu sacrificed his life to bring the Miracle Box to the Old Temple - including the ladybug and black cat Miraculous," said Adrien morosely. "To be destroyed there."