A Snap in Time

Chapter 1 (Adrien)

It didn't hurt as much as he thought it would.

He had visions of uncontrolleable pain coursing through his body, taking over every inch of his flesh and bones as his life ended and got deleted from its permanence in history.

But it didn't, it was barely more than an itch.

There was something he couldn't understand though. If he was gone, erased from existence, why could he open his eyes and see something more than pitch black?

He looked around and noticed it was very similar to what he recalled his room looking like. A climbing wall, a zip line, computers, games table ... it all seemed so similar yet he felt so different.

What was that all about?

"Kid? Kid? Is that you?" He recognised that voice.

Plagg, his kwami, appeared instantaneously and let out a sigh of relief. Never did he think he'd be so happy to see the little cheese addict.

"Yeah, Plagg, it's me. What's going on?"

The small black blur phased into existence, floating next to his holder and following Adrien's curious expression as he looked around the room.

"I don't get what's happened," Adrien said shaking his head, slowly he stood up and moved off of his bed, beginning to walk around his room and noting a thick coating of dust on his desk, whilst grime hung onto the windows and wallpaper beginning to leave the walls.

What he thought was his normal room was nothing as such. It seemed old, and tired and worn.

He moved out the door and into the main hallway of the mansion heading towards the stairs. He stood in shock frozen on the landing and looking out into the hallway. Dust sheets covered everything from the hallway tables, to the giant portrait of himself and his father which hung notoriously at the top of the stairwell.

"Plagg?" Adrien questioned, unsure what he wanted to say or what he wanted to ask.

"I know kid," the kwami said worriedly, "I don't get it either."

Adrien walked down the stairs listening to the eerie creak of each step echo around the empty chamber. He could never say the mansion was full of life, but this ... well ... this was more dormant than he was used to.

"Father?" Adrien's voice came out shakily as he made his way towards his fathers office. He knew Gabriel didn't like people interrupting him, but Adrien felt like he had no option. He needed to know what was going on.

Pushing open the black heavy door, he stuck his head into the room before calling out again.

"Father? Are you in here?"

Keeping Plagg close by, Adrien stepped into the room and gasped. What was usually Gabriel Agreste's perfect untouched study was upturned and dishevelled in a way Adrien had never seen before. The table was overturned, as were the chairs, and his fathers computer smashed. The painting of his mother was ripped from top to bottom, and the photo frames from the walls were discarded across the floor. A final turn of his head revealed onto more thing; the safe was open and empty.

"I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

Plagg looked around the room taking note of the way the former curtains were hanging from the pole, torn from their previous life of blocking out the sunlight.

The lack of curtains allowed the sun to shine brightly in the office, sending dust particles swirling around the empty space. The strange speckles landed before taking off again in another wild dance.

Both holder and kwami wandered looking at the carnage left abandoned on the floor and walls. Photographs ripped, books carelessly left, trophies smashed ... the complete opposite to the perfection Gabriel Agreste stood for.

"Kid, you need to see this." Plagg called for Adrien's attention and the blonde model headed over to where his kwami was currently sitting.

"What is it Plagg?"

Adrien crouched besides his kwami noticing what he was looking at. A picture. A picture Adrien had drawn of himself, Gabriel and Emilie, well, that's what he thought it was. A closer look showed that Adrien was nowhere to be seen, instead young Adrien was labelled as someone else, young Adrien was labelled as Felix.

"What the -" Adrien's cussing was broken by a ring from his cell phone.

Reaching into his back pocket he pulled it out and pressed the button to receive the call. Nothing happened. He pressed it again, and again, and again, only for it to remain ringing out. With one final attempted the call stopped, suddenly being sent to voicemail. With a groan Adrien tapped the screen one more time, only for it to unlock.

What the hell?

Adrien began to press buttons on his phone watching his screen to short circuit with every demand. Each call he made was littered with the sound of interference, and his screen broke on every message he tried to send.

"Plagg, I don't understand?"

"See if you can listen to the voicemail, Adrien."

The young blonde nodded and pressed the tiny red dot sitting patiently on his home screen.

"Adrien, Kitty, I can't ..."

The voice on the other side of the phone had obviously been crying. The broken words and sniffles were prominent in the speech.

"I want you back, Kitty. I miss you so so much! I couldn't save you, I tried but I was too late. Please forgive me. Please Adrien."

The crying increased as other voices could be heard in the background. He recognised the voices, but couldn't quite place them. He knew the main one was his lady. His Lady knew who he was under the mask. His lady was calling him personally, and he noticed her voice sounded familiar. So, so, familiar.

"I just need you to know I love you. I love you with all my being and I will never ever love anyone the way I love you. It's me and you against the world Chaton, and I will find a way to bring you back to me. I can't live without you"

The call ended and he looked down at the screen. Before his phone permanently shut itself off one name was displayed crystal clear on the screen.

Marinette.

His heart hammered out of his chest. He'd found her. He'd finally found his lady, but the message didn't make sense, nothing was making sense. He needed to find her, she'd know what to do, she always did.

Taking a deep breath and checking the time he made a decision. Walking out of his fathers office and out of the mansion he made his way to the school and more importantly to Marinette.