Facsimile

Facsimile

Ladybug skidded across the ground, before resting in a heap against a wall. Chat Noir hit the wall and slowly slid down, so he was lying next to Ladybug. Hawkmoth laughed as he approached the two teenagers. Rena and Carapace were lying face down, unconscious, across the room. Ladybug tried to get to her feet as quickly as she could, only for Hawkmoth to kick her side and jam his sword into Ladybug's abdomen.

The Heroine gasped, just before Hawkmoth tore the earrings from her ears and sneered down at her.

"Miss Dupain-Cheng," Spat Hawkmoth, his face curling up in disgust, "I should've known."

Without another word, Hawkmoth stomped on her leg, breaking it, and drew back and swung the sword upwards, removing Marinette's right hand. Marinette stared at the stump of where her hand used to be, shock blinding her to reality, before it slowly faded away and was replaced with horror. Marinette started screaming, not noticing Hawkmoth preparing to thrust his sword into her neck.

Chat Noir suddenly sprung into life, and tackled Hawkmoth, sending the man to the ground.

"If you truly loved Emilie, you would help me." Snarled Hawkmoth, punching Chat in the face.

"No, Mother wouldn't want that, Father," Snapped Chat, his own face curling into a snarl, "She'd be disgusted."

"If you won't help me save her, then I have no son!" Roared Hawkmoth, back handing Chat away from him, "If you won't give me the Miraculous, I'll just find your object and force you to hand me the ring."

Chat froze, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't be naïve, Adrien," Sneered Hawkmoth, glaring at the boy, "did you truly not notice how she deteriorated after creating you? How you were sucking the life from her?"

"Wh-what are you saying?" Stuttered Chat, as Marinette's screams started to cease.

"You're a SentiMonster, Adrien, the same one that stole my wife from me!" Roared Hawkmoth, starting to advance on Adrien, "Nathalie is searching all your belongings for your tether and will not stop until you do as you are told!"

Unbeknownst to everyone, Tikki was staring at the coffin that held Emilie. The Kwami frowned, before focusing on the woman, gently waking her up and restoring the little remains of her life force. Everyone froze when they heard the coffin open, and Emilie step out. The woman groaned, before staggering forwards. Hawkmoth quickly rushed to her, all the while making sure Chat didn't follow him. He dropped his transformation and caught Emilie before she hit the floor.

Emilie blinked and looked around. She could see the Amok she'd created after that dreadful incident, she also saw a sobbing girl that was clutching the remains of her wrist, before her eyes settled on her son. Even wearing a Miraculous, Emilie would recognise her son anywhere.

"Emilie," Said Gabriel, making the woman look at him, "destroy the Senti-Monster, so we can be a family again."

Emilie frown, before reaching up and taking her husband's glasses. Gabriel was confused, until she snapped them in half and a feather fell out of them.

Gabriel looked over at Chat Noir and wondered why he wasn't fading. A noise drew is attention to his feet. His left hand was missing. Gabriel looked at Emilie, who was slowly becoming livelier.

"I don't understand." Said Gabriel, as Emilie glared down at him.

"I heard everything you said, while I was in that thing, but you got one key detail wrong." Whispered Emilie, her voice cold, "Adrien wasn't the Amok, Gabriel. You were."

Tikki grabbed the earrings and flew over to Marinette, before starting on reattaching Marinette's hand back to her wrist.

"My husband, my Gabriel, was killed in a car accident, when Adrien was four." Said Emilie, her voice slowly getting louder with each word, "I didn't want my son to grow up without a father. So, I created you. I had made you in his image. You were made, Facsimile, because I wouldn't move on and grieve. Something I intend of fixing, right now."

Emilie grabbed the feather and flourished her hand to disperse the darkness in it. Gabriel, Facsimile, only stared in shock as he felt himself fading away. What this how his Senti-Monsters felt when he destroyed them?

Facsimile finally vanished, as Emilie dropped the broken pair of glasses on the floor, before turning her attention to Adrien and the girl. The girl was holding onto her wrist, trembling so much that Tikki wasn't able to reattach her hand. Emilie frowned, before approaching the girl and crouching next to her.

"Breathe." Said Emilie, softly, "In through the nose, out through the mouth."

The girl started panting, before her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she collapsed forwards in a dead faint. Emilie quickly caught her before she broke her nose.

"Is... is Marinette going to be alright?" Asked Adrien, as Emilie gently turned her over.

"I think that depends on how much blood she's lost." Responded Emilie, just as Nathalie burst through the door.

"Sir, I looked everywhere, but I couldn't his object," Said Nathalie, trying to wring her water out of her hair, "are you sure Adrien's the amok?"

"No, Nathalie, Adrien wasn't the Amok." Stated Emilie, making Nathalie freeze, "Gabriel was."

Nathalie stared at Emilie, before looking at the girl, Marinette, and then at Adrien. Emilie was vaguely aware of the puddle of blood forming from Marinette's severed hand.

"Nathalie, what are you waiting for?" Emilie asked slowly, "CALL AN AMBULANCE!"

Nathalie jumped before getting on her phone. Emilie ignored Nathalie, in favour of watching her son getting closer to Marinette, trying to hold her severed hand against her stump so Tikki could reattach it. There were soft pink glows as Tikki worked, before she gently settled on Marinette's chest.

"Hawkmoth didn't hit anything fatal." Said Tikki, as Adrien gathered her up and picked up the earrings.

"Be careful not to move her too violently." Said Emilie, looking for the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous, "We don't know if Facsimile grazed anything that could tear open once we move her."

Adrien didn't say anything, making Emilie look at him, he seemed to look anywhere but his mother. Emilie noticed and gently touched Adrien's shoulder, "Adrien, sweetie, what's wrong?"

"You killed fath-the senti-monster." Said Adrien, "A-and you said that father was dead. I-I know that he was bad, b-but did you need to kill him?"

Emilie stared at her son, who look almost afraid to speak to her.

"Adrien, while some Amoks are properly alive, they generally question things and form their own minds," Said Emilie, gently, "Facsimile was just a half-made copy of a man whose wife couldn't cope with the grief of losing him. Facsimile was born out of my selfishness and was tainted by it. He was fully prepared to kill both you and your friend, regardless of who you were."

Adrien's face quivered, prompting Emilie to pull him into a hug. Adrien broke down and cried into his mother's shoulder. Emilie heard Nathalie leading a couple of paramedics to the lair.

F

Adrien looked up from his phone, Marinette's arm was in a cast, and she was confined to a wheelchair until her leg had healed. Everyone in class was taking turns to pushing Marinette around the school. Alya was heaving Marinette up a small slope.

"Girl, why, are, you, so, heavy?" Panted Alya, dropping to the ground when they stopped.

"The brakes are on." Grumbled Marinette, "I put them on when you didn't stop."

Alya groaned and looked over at Adrien, "Adrien, do you need a hat?"

Adrien frowned, "Not really, no."

"Marinette wanted to by some expensive shit, just to make you a hat."

"How'd you do that, your arm's in plaster?" Adrien said, looking at Marinette.

Marinette gave a grumble, that sounded a lot like 'magic'.