Partners in Crime (Miraculous Ladybug)

• C h a p t e r F i f t e e n •

"Kitty?"

"Shhhh. Let him wake up on his own."

"But Emilie's already . . . back to the way she was. Shouldn't he be awake by now?"

"Just let him sleep. He's looking better already. And his fever's down."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

The two female voices echoed around Chat Noir's mind. He thought he felt a hand brush his cheek, and another laced its fingers through his.

It was hard to hear properly; his ears were still ringing. But he was sure he hadn't imagined the voices.

Marinette and Nathalie.

He stirred, but his chest was still sore. He moaned quietly, and the hand squeezed his fingers. "It's okay, my Kitty," Marinette's voice murmured. "Rest well. I'll see you in the morning."

🐾🐞 🐾

An indefinite amount of time later, Chat Noir awoke to the sound of quiet music playing throughout the house. Gentle sunlight shone through his window, warming him as he sat up, blinking groggily.

He stared down at his hands, which were gloved in black once again. Surprised, but not upset, he swung his legs out of bed and stood up, trying to remember what had happened.

His kwami came to mind all of a sudden, and he stiffened. "Claws in!" he gasped, and his transformation wore off in a flash of neon green light. Plagg reappeared, spiraling everywhere until he collapsed on Adrien's bed beside him.

"Three weeks," he gasped out, dropping his head back in utter exhaustion. "Three weeks of powering you! And then akumatized?! Kid! How could you let that happen?!"

Adrien scrunched lower. "I'm sorry, Plagg," he mumbled, reaching back to scratch his neck. "I . . . I didn't mean for any of this to happen. It just . . . did." He stood up and hurried to his little friend's cabinet. "Here, I'll get you some camembert."

Plagg accepted the service with enthusiasm, but his excitement didn't last long. "Adrien," he said quietly, after he'd regained his energy. "You almost died."

Adrien swallowed. "I guess I did," he replied. "What happened? All I remember is feeling sick . . . Ladybug saving me from falling off a roof . . . and nothing else."

Plagg flew up closer and sighed. "It was the wish," he explained quietly. "Remember what Ladybug told you a while ago? With every wish, there is a price. When your father wished your mother back, you took her place. He regained a loved one and lost another." He snorted. "I hope he's learned his lesson."

"Hang on. What?" Adrien shook his head. "If I took her place . . . why am I feeling better now? What happened?"

Plagg sighed again. "That's the tough part, kid," he muttered. After an endless hesitation, he told him, "Your father renounced his wish to wake you up. Your mother is gone. For good this time."

"What?" Adrien jumped to his feet and took off out of the room. Plagg quickly zoomed after him. "That's impossible!" he gasped, racing down the stairs . . . and straight into his father.

"Adrien! You're awake!" Gabriel exclaimed, his eyes widening in relief. Biting his lip, he wrapped him in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry, son," he murmured. "I've been so selfish all this time. But things are going to change. I promise."

Adrien stared at him blankly, blown away by the affection his father was showing. "I-I heard about Mom," he stammered, his chin quivering. "Is she really . . ."

Gabriel lowered his eyes, some of the energy draining from his shoulders. "I'm afraid so," he replied softly. "She wanted me to. And she- she was peaceful with it." He swallowed. "We're holding her funeral tomorrow."

She's gone.

I didn't even get to say goodbye.

"I'm sorry," his father whispered sadly, as though he could tell what was going through his son's mind. "There was no way to wake you up for those moments. She said goodbye to you, though. She reminded you how much she loved you."

Adrien forced himself to nod, even though his heart was breaking at the thought of never seeing his loving mother again.

I'm not alone, though, he reminded himself silently. Father will be here for me now. And Marinette. And Nino. Everyone else.

"Gabriel-?" Nathalie's voice cut off as she spotted Adrien, and she hurried over to him and embraced him. "I'm sorry about all this, Adrien," she said softly. "And . . ." She paused, taking a deep breath. "I know I'll never be able to replace your mother. But I'll do my best."

Adrien gazed up at her in amazement, then at Gabriel. The last time he'd even mentioned the idea of his father moving on with Nathalie hadn't gone well at all; Gabriel had been furious and offended. But now he was smiling softly at his former assistant, and Adrien noticed an engagement ring on Nathalie's left hand.

"Kitty Cat!" another familiar voice gasped suddenly, and he barely turned in time before a beautiful girl with short black hair practically crashed into him, clinging to him like a life force. He hugged her tightly, stroking her hair, then turned his head and kissed her on the cheek. "Good to see you again, m'lady," he laughed, his heart warming at the sight of her. Marinette leaned back and grinned radiantly.

He took a deep breath, thinking about how things would be from then on. Nathalie would be his mother now. His father seemed determined to spend as much time with him as possible. He had the most caring and wonderful girlfriend in the world.

Things were looking bright.

Now, it was time to check on the world. He wasn't sure it was possible to make up for what he'd done as a supervillain, but nothing was going to stop him from trying.