"Come and have a seat. I need to speak with both of you."

Adrien and Marinette walked into the pool house not only seeing Emilie there, but also Amelie. Perhaps his mother needed back up as much as Adrien did. Marinette couldn't help but grip his hand tighter as it began to shake. Did his mother have any idea what so ever she had put her son through? Marinette had been there. Marinette had picked up the pieces, along with Nino, when no-one else would. She'd left him abandoned with his father. Marinette hated thinking of that word for Gabriel, he did not deserve to be a father. Though if it wasn't for Gabriel, Adrien wouldn't be here with her today. She wouldn't have the memories, the heartache, the love she felt for someone so special yet so misunderstood.

Adrien led her over to the sofa still grasping onto her hand as though it was his lifeline. This small hand in his made him feel like a man. It made him feel as though he had something to protect and more importantly it made him feel worthy. Worthy of his success, his fame and him. She liked him, puns and all. The real Adrien hadn't been around in a while but he knew this hand in his was bringing him back to the boy he once was, only this time he was mature and stable.

"Ok, what did you want to speak about?" He asked, unsure if he actually wanted to hear. No, he did ... needed to hear this. This was important. Marinette sat beside Adrien with her hand firmly placed in his. He was squeezing it a little bit, but there was no way she was going to tell him it hurt. He needed her and that was more important ... unless he broke it.

"I don't know where to start." Emilie sat opposite the couple and placed her head in her hands. Amelie was quick to her sisters side, comforting her by placing a hand upon her back. Much to everyone's surprise Marinette - sweet, kind and caring, Marinette was first to speak up. She wasn't holding anything back either.

"You can start by how you destroyed him on the evening of his fifteenth birthday and left him with his asshole of a father."

Adrien placed a hand on her leg trying to calm her down but she was having none of it. This woman was one of the many instrumental in ruining Adrien's life. Who knows where he would be now without his mother leaving him and his father restricting him? She could even blame herself. She hadn't been honest with him, she hadn't been truthful. If she had, things might have been different he might have felt wanted and loved.

"You weren't there to dry his tears, to calm him, to let him know that regardless of everyone leaving him he was still worthy. None of us did enough for him." She could feel the tears pooling into her eyes when suddenly a hand cupped her face and turned it to face him.

"Sweetheart, please calm down. I'm ok now." Adrien was so close to letting her know that she was the reason he was ok, but it wasn't time. They weren't there yet. He wasn't ready yet.

"Adrien, she's right. Marinette, I am so sorry for everything but it was out of my hands." Emilie let out a deep sigh and again Amelie encouraged her sister to continue.

"The night of your birthday, after you went to your room, I spoke to your father about taking you to live with me."

Adrien's hand grasped onto Marinette's again. He didn't know this, he had no idea. He wasn't going to say anything, not yet. He wanted to hear everything out of her mouth first.

"Your father, Adrien, as you are probably well aware, is not a man to be reasoned with." Amelia spoke giving Emilie chance to catch her thoughts and her breath. She's came to Junior's party in hope of speaking to Adrien. Felix and Bridgette had mentioned bumping into him and Marinette, and how they were intending to come along. Marinette scoffed before placing her face into Adrien's shoulder.

"As you probably guessed, he didn't allow me to take you. When you were ten and started modelling for his brand, I never realised but he had a contract drawn up. As he was my husband at the time and I loved him, I trusted everything he had done for you, and everything he intended to do. What I hadn't realised is that when I signed to allow you to model, I had signed over full custody to him, and if anything were to happen, like a divorce or separation, he would have full access to your care and well-being. The day I came to talk to him about you living with me he threw the contract at me, restricting me from seeing you until your eighteenth birthday. By then the poison had been placed and I guessed you wanted nothing do with me. The lack of letter responses from you confirmed that."

Adrien was astounded. Over the past few weeks his whole life was becoming a lie. Firstly Kagami and now his mother.

"So you wanted me?" Adrien had lost his cool and calm facade. He was pulling into himself, he was shying away again and Marinette could feel the erratic tremble in his hand, bringing her second up to cover his and calm him.

"Of course I did, Adrien! You were my life, my soul!" Emilie moved to the end of her seat looking closer at Adrien. Suddenly Marinette felt like an intruder in this moment between mother and son, but something still wasn't adding up right in her mind.

"Why didn't you try and come back?" Marinette asked. "When Adrien turned eighteen?"

"She did." Amelie spoke. "Gabriel had taken things to the next level though. We had arrived at the mansion only to be greeted by the new Mrs Agreste." Amelia spoke the name like venom. It wasn't a shock to anyone that only one year after the divorce Gabriel had married his assistant, Nathalie. They had been having a long blown affair and were one of the reasons for his parents split. Emilie had been mortified to walk in on them one day in a very compromising position.

"Nathalie wouldn't tell me where you were so I headed towards where I thought you would be. At the park with your friends opposite Marinette's bakery, and low and behold there you all were." Emilie now began to look between the two of them. Marinette truly believed she was going to be brought into this conversation sometime soon.

"I followed you then to the school. To your fencing practice and heard you'd made the olympics. I was so, so proud of you."

Adrien looked at Marinette and then looked at his mother. That evening when he came out of school Marinette was waiting for him. That evening he'd made possibly one of the worst decisions of his life.

"I saw you come out holding Kagami's hand and you were both smiling, but I knew you hadn't seen Marinette. I remember you there waiting from him for over an hour walking backwards and forwards practising how you were going to tell him you loved him." Adrien's head shot to Marinette who was now looking at her feet.

"We were young Adrien, don't worry about it." She spoke softly, keeping her bluebell eyes away from his for safety. Marinette didn't want him to know or feel bad about her lycée feelings. They were young, and he thought it was just a crush. There was no need to bring it up now. Yes things may have been different but they're still here, they eventually got together.

Adrien looked her over. How had he not seen and understood this wonderful girl, and his best friend during his teen years and the love she would have given him. If he was being honest with himself he had seen her, he used to think about her a lot but he just couldn't drag her down with his messed up life. He had always thought she deserved the best.

"After you two had your disagreement and you stormed away, Adrien. Your father pulled up outside the school. He'd cornered Marinette -" Adrien again looked over at his girlfriend, he was to blame wasn't he? It was his fault. Her downfall had been all 'down' to him. If it hadn't have been for Adrien being such close friends with Marinette his father would have left her alone.

"What did he do Mari?" Adrien turned his full attention to the girl sitting shyly next to him. His voice was a lot harsher than he'd meant it to be and her flinch didn't go unnoticed. His mother kept looking as though she wanted to speak too. "Mother, please, I want to hear it from Marinette's mouth." He lifted his hand up stopping his mother, keeping his eyes firmly placed on Marinette.

"Princess?" Adrien had softened his voice and reached out taking both her hands in his. This was not the time for his emotions to get the better of him. "What did he do?"

Adrien watched as Marinette looked at his mother and gulped. She didn't want to tell him this. He was never, ever meant to know. She hadn't realised someone else had bared witness to the most terrifying moment of her life.

"He just spoke to me about my business." She wouldn't look him at all. It still felt so fresh even though it was years ago. Gabriel Agreste was always looking out for himself, he must have already been wary of Marinette's talent and her relationship with his son. Her fingers left Adrien's hands and she began to play with them in her lap.

"Marinette, you need to tell him sweetheart." Amelie was now walking towards Marinette, obviously Emilie had told her the whole story. Obviously she knew what happened, and obviously Adrien was the only one that hadn't been privy to the information and his temper was wearing thin. He watched closely as a tear began to streak down Marinette's face.

"What the fuck did Gabriel do?" Adrien looked between the three women surrounding him. Did he actually want to know this? He was on the verge of putting a hit on his father as it was, perhaps this would be too much and drive him over the edge making him do it himself.

"If you can't explain sweetheart, at least show him." Emilie stood from her chair walking over to Marinette and crouching down before her.

"Marinette please, Princess? What did he do?" Adrien crouched next to his mother and for the first time in over ten years he felt his mother's comforting arm embrace him and it felt needed. Almost as needed as Marinette's.

"Everyone just thought I'd tripped up onto glass and cut myself. I was always so clumsy it was believable. I heard that Luka had found me bleeding out and managed to get me to hospital before I lost too much blood. I was there for a couple of weeks nothing too bad." Marinette talked down to the floor. She couldn't look into his eyes. She didn't want to place anymore guilt on him than he already felt about himself.

"I suppose Gabriel thought we were sleeping together. I'm guessing it had something to do with Lila as she was there too. He wanted to -" she took a deep breath and reached out for Adrien needed his comfort to continue. "He was just making sure - " she took a deep breath, it was time to come clean.

Marinette could truly say that day had been the worst day of her life. It not only effected her physically but also mentally. First the argument with Adrien where she'd felt like her heart had been ripped apart, but then the following event with his father.

She had no idea what she'd done to make Gabriel hate her so much, she knew he was a hateful man, but what happened was low even for him. But not only had he hurt her, it had came with a warning too. A warning to not tell anyone. A warning of complete destruction to herself, her family and his own son. Her next words came out, small, quiet and timid.

"He thought I was pregnant with your child and he wasn't happy. I didn't see he had anything in his hands until it was too late. I heard a lady screaming at him as I blacked out. I don't know what would have happened to me if this woman hadn't had been there." Marinette looked up at Emilie. "It was you, wasn't it."

Emilie nodded slowly releasing the tears she'd been holding since she first saw her son that afternoon.

"Thank you." Marinette whispered as she wrapped her arms around Emilie's shoulders, engulfing her into a whole body hug of thanks and gratitude.

Adrien had no idea what he'd just been told. His father had attacked Marinette, he'd physically harmed her because of him. If he wasn't so hot-headed and hung around to talk to Marinette after their argument about Kagami, he could have been the one saving her, he could have been her hero.

"I might not ever be able to have children. The knife went through one of my Fallopian tubes and severed it. Only one works." Marinette looked into Adrien's eyes and he crumbled. Weeping for her loss he wrapped her up in his arms and cried with her.

Perhaps it was time to forgive his mother and let go of his anger towards her. She'd saved his girlfriends life when he should have been the one protecting her. Perhaps it was time to reconsider how he dealt with hardship as compared to Marinette he had none.

His father had destroyed one of her dreams, had caused her upmost problems and most of all his father had done it to keep control of him. Adrien was honest when he said he didn't want children, but the thought of Marinette, one of the most maternal women he knew not being able to fulfil that fantasy broke his heart.

He knew in that moment he'd never he able to make it up to her, but he'd be damned if he didn't try.