"Huh?!!!" Alya, Marinette, Nino and Chloe exclaimed, shocked.
"Wait, you knew?" Marinette asked Adrien who was awfully quiet.
"Only recently."
"That's why you've been so distracted lately." Alya put in.
"Yes. I wanted to tell you Marinette... I mean, Ladybug. Remember the night I called you to the Eiffel tower? When Sonia showed up and took away my voice?" Adrien was saying as he walked closer to Marinette.
"I had no idea that you are Ladybug. And to think all this time you were right here... you were my friend and classmate. I..." He suddenly stopped.
"You what?" Marinette managed to choke out despite the lump in her throat.
"I am very happy that you are Ladybug." She blushed.
"Thanks. I'm relieved too that you're Catnoir." They stood there, staring at each other and completely forgetting the others.
"Argh, enough mushy! We have a villain to deal with remember?" Chloe interrupted, walking over to stand in between them.
"But we can't just go there, we won't be allowed in." Alya said with concern.
"Don't worry. We will teleport inside the house."
"Oh, but I don't have the Horse miraculous with me."
"It's okay, Marinette. I made the miraculous after all."
"Oh, you're right."
"Everyone ready?" Sonia asked, looking at each of them in turn.
"Wait!" Adrien spoke up, turning to Sonia. "I need to speak to you first. I have to get this off my chest before we do this."
"This is not the right..."
"Please, I have to." He pleaded. Sonia nodded and the others left the class for them to have some privacy.
"Look, about why I didn't keep in touch with you after you left..."
"I understand Adrien. Honestly, you don't need to apologise, I guess I was just being selfish. You're not like me, you are not rebellious at all. But I'm happy you were able to stand up for what you wanted. Being here with your friends. I may be rebellious, but I've only had Chloe as my friend for the longest time. And you, everyone here loves you. At least, you didn't wallow in depression, it's a good thing you got plagg." Sonia finished and grinned widely at him.
"Urh... Uhmm..." Adrien stuttered, not sure of what to say.
"I forgive you, and we are cool again. Twins?" She asked, opening her arms to him.
"Twins." He went into her arms, hugging her tightly.
"Woah." At Nino's voice, Adrien broke the hug. They were in his room.
"When?" Adrien began.
"One last thing." Sonia said with a smirk and waved her hand in front of them. They all transformed according to their miraculous.
"Cool." Nino commented.
"But we didn't say the words." Alya said, looking at her suit. "Also, I'm not wearing a Miraculous."
"I know. It's better this way, for now. Let's go, he's in the basement." Everyone began following Sonia except Adrien.
"What's wrong?" Marinette asked him tenderly.
"Our Mom is down there." Sonia answered for him.
"What? Isn't she like... dead?" Chloe asked.
"She is, but my Dad won't let her go. All these while, he has kept her there, hoping to revive her again. I really don't know how this will work, but I trust you guys, that's the only option I have."
"We will make sure it works." Marinette assured Sonia.
"Uhmm, I hate to be a spoilsport, but what exactly is the plan? We can't just go there without an actual plan, can we?" Alya pointed out.
"Marinette should do the talking, anyone else can help her out. I want to stay behind you guys and strategize, just in case something goes wrong. But be sure that I won't let harm come to any of you."
"It's okay, Sonia. We trust you." Sonia smiled at Marinette, then frowned.
"There is one more thing you should know about the Renaissance miraculous."
"Renaissance?"
"The one that can bring back a dead person. You know, rebirth?" The other five nodded.
"I know I said it can bring a person back to life. But what I didn't say was that it's a life for a life. If you have to bring a dead person back, you have to exchange it for another life. Usually, people thought animals could do the job but the person using the power is the sacrifice. If my Dad manages to get your miraculous and tries to revive my mom, he is actually exchanging his life for hers without knowing. Also, if I am to do it, I have to be an adult where my body is fully developed or it can kill me."
"Hold up!" Chloe interrupted. "I thought that was not an option, why are we talking about it then?"
"I know my Dad, Chloe. He has done all these bad things just to get my mom back. He will definitely be stubborn and may not listen to us. But if it comes to using the Renaissance's power, I would rather do it than lose my dad as well. I just want you guys to trust me."
"Didn't you just say it could kill you? No way." Adrien disagreed.
"I have an idea. You guys just have to trust me."
"No. We can't take that chance."
"Adrien, nothing is going to happen to me. Anyway, it's just a last resort if convincing him doesn't work."
"I don't like this." Adrien said in surrender.
"I don't like this either but we need our Dad back."
"Then let's go."
They made their way to the basement. Natalie and Gabriel were facing the glass case where Emilie laid.
"This has to stop." Adrien spoke up, getting their attention. Gabriel and Natalie turned around sharply, clearly shocked to see all the superheroes there.
"Nooroo, dark wings rise!" "Duusu, spread my feathers." They said at the same time, transforming.
"Natalie, you are Mayura? Well, I figured since you are close to Dad."
"How dare you Adrien? Why would you betray my trust and bring these people here?" Gabriel demanded, angry. Then he cooled. "On a second thought, this is great. I finally have Ladybug And Catnoir right here. Give me your miraculous."
"We are not here to fight, Hawkmoth. You need to stop this." Ladybug said softly. "We finally understand why you've been akumatizing people. It's because our miraculous can bring your wife back. But you are taking it too far, you are hurting people. Look around you, your children are willing to move on with their lives, with you."
"Be quiet! My life can never be complete without Emilie in it. They want to move on because they don't think it is possible to get her back. Once I do it, they will definitely thank me."
"And what about Mom? Do you think she will be happy to see what you have turned into? There are things that we just can't change. For a whole year, you haven't given her a chance to rest yet. You've kept her in that box, depriving her rest." Adrien spoke up.
"What? You think you can talk me out of this? You said there are things we can't change, but you're wrong. I can change this situation, as soon as I get your miraculous!" Hawkmoth and Mayura charged towards the superheroes but a huge protection orb covers all five of them besides Sonia. She stepped forward.
"I knew you wouldn't listen. You want to bring her back, don't you? Here." She outstretched her hand to him, opened it to reveal Ladybug And Catnoir's miraculous.
"No!" Marinette whispered, feeling her ears for her miraculous. "She took them! Why?!" She whispered to Adrien.
"I don't know, but she asked us to trust her. That's what we are going to do." Marinette nodded her approval.
"You can have them. But you should know that with that power comes a great consequence. You have to give a life to get a life and it must be the person who uses it. Are you willing to give up your life for Mom's?" Gabriel thought for a moment before grabbing the miraculous.
"Yes. I will do anything to have Emilie back."
"You are crazy!!" Sonia suddenly shouted. "You won't even be here to see her. What if she dies again? So what? Adrien and I will be orphans? Are you thinking correctly at all?"
"Emilie deserves it." Gabriel stood his ground.
"What about us? Are you thinking about us? Do we deserve it? Dad, please stop all this. We have already lost Mom, we can't lose you too." For a long moment, Gabriel and Sonia just stared at each other. Sonia pleaded with him with her eyes to listen to her. He finally turned away to the glass box.
"I am sorry. Nooroo, dark wings fall." He muttered under his breath, detransforming.
"Stop!" Sonia shouted and he stopped in his tracks. "You can have mom back. Obviously, I mean nothing to you, so I'll exchange my life instead." Without giving him time to respond, a thick blue smoke surrounded for five seconds, then shifted to the glass case. When it cleared, Sonia was unconscious on the floor and the orb that covered the superheroes disappeared.
"Sonia!" The five children ran to her side. No heartbeat, no pulse. She seemed... dead.
"But... She said she wouldn't do it. Why...?" Adrien was confused, holding his sister's lifeless hand.
"Sonia...?" Gabriel dropped the Miraculous, rushing to Sonia's side too. Adrien angrily pushed his hands away.
"Isn't this what you wanted? She told you to stop, didn't she? Now she's..." His eyes got teary and so did his friends and Natalie.
"Gabriel?" The soft voice from the glass case direction had all heads turning towards it. "Mom?"
Emilie was awake and she looked so confused. When Gabriel moved, she caught sight of Sonia and suddenly tried to run to her but fell hard on the ground. Gabriel was by her side the next second.
"What happened to my daughter? Why does she look so white?" She was asking, clutching Gabriel's jacket tight.
"I am sorry, Emilie. She did it for... She gave her life for yours." Emilie's eyes shone.
"No! Why did you allow her? She is still so young. She is our daughter. I don't want that; if that is the only way for me to be alive, I don't want it. I don't want anyone exchanging their lives for mine." Gabriel broke into tears then.
"She tried to tell me that. This is my fault, Emilie, I just can't let you go."
"You have to. I don't remember what happened but if I'm still here, it means you never buried my body. Please, I know this is hard but do it for me, for our family; move on and be happy. Whether it's the children, or another woman..." She locked eyes with Natalie. "You have to be happy without me. It doesn't mean that our love isn't strong enough. It means that... Aah." She suddenly clutched her head, shaking in pain.
"What is happening?" Gabriel asked, trying to soothe her.
"I think I'm dying?" Emilie choked out, still holding her head. "Take me to the children, I have to hold them one last time." Gabriel did so immediately. Emilie pulled Sonia's limp body and Adrien's into her arms.
"I love you both so much." She turned to Gabriel. "I will always love you, Gabriel. Watch over our children, will you?" Before he could answer, the blue smoke appeared again, covering both Emilie and Sonia. This time when it vanishes, Emilie is the one lifeless while Sonia was stirring awake.
"Sonia!" Everyone said happily. Her eyes finally fluttered open.
"Did I do it?" She asked weakly and to no one in particular. Adrien, however answered, squeezing her hand warmly.
"Yes sis. Even if it was just for five minutes, it was my best five minutes ever."
"Mine too." Gabriel agreed as he helped her sit up. Then he drew her into a deep hug.
##endofepisode 🐼🐼🐼
Note: This is totally fictional. I have no idea what happened to Emilie or why she is in that box. No one knows whether she is dead or not but Adrien believes so, that's why I'm working with that.
