One Year Later

Mari laid in the bed she and Adrien use to share, had really only been two months? Had it all been real? Are you awake? I need to call you. 

Call away. I can't sleep anyway. She looked around her room, Natalie had been amazingly helpful. Her parents had been busy with the bakery, so Nat had come over to help her pack up all the apartment. Mari was still torn between moving in with her parents and starting over somewhere new. With Hawkmoth gone there was no need for her to stay in Paris, other than Nino and the twins. 

She picked up her phone on the second ring. "Hey, Nino." 

"Hey Mare, Mom needs to go into the hotel, some kitchen emergency, and I'm having too ruff a night to be alone with the twins."

"I'm having a bad night too, Give me five to restock my overnight bag." 

"Okay see you soon." He hung up, You really should just leave stuff here, you're here so often. 

Her parents would ask too many questions. 

Fair, See you soon. 

***

Nino hung up the phone. "Marlena! Mari's on her way, the twins are settled feel free to go." 

"I'm sorry Nino, I thought the other girl could handle it but I guess I was wrong." She smiled and cupped his cheek. "They have grown so much in the past month she would have been proud of how you've handled everything." 

"I know mom." Nino sighed, "I miss her." 

"Oh, my boy I know. She was lucky to have you." 

"Mom? Before you go, You know how Mare is the boys' God Mother?" She nodded, "Well before The twins were born, the three of us had been talking about going away? You know starting over, I know Mare still wants to, I don't want her to go alone, and I need her to help me with the twins... If I were to go with her would you be mad?" He looked down.

"Oh Nino, I lost a daughter, but you lost your wife, your partner, I can't image how hard that is for you. Marinette has been the most wonderful of women to you. I think it would be good if you both left to start over! just not too far away okay? I wanna be able to see my grandbabies." 

"Really you wouldn't be mad?" He could hardly believe his ears. 

"Look, Nino, I know you and Mari were close before you met Alya and Adrien. It makes sense that you would cling to each other now, and I way rather have a woman who knew my daughter than some stranger raising her boys." 

"Thanks, mom, I'll keep you posted." She smiled and walked out the door. Nino looked over at his sleeping twins, Howard Edward and  André Victor  Césaire. He'd given them her name it just felt right. 

Mari walked in. "Hey, Ninny."

"Thanks again for coming." He watched as Mari's hand rested on her stomach as she sat. "So when were you gonna tell me? He placed an arm slowly around her shoulders. They kept their distance when in front of Alya's family and even Natalie but their parents knew their story. So there was no judgment. But they still hadn't talked about what was happening next. 

"Tell you what?" She quickly moved her hand away. 

He chuckled and grabbed her hand and pulled it back on top of her stomach. "That your pregnant with Adrien's child?" 

"I was worried I'd miscarry with all the stress. So I haven't told anyone. Mom and Dad have been so busy. And Natalie assumed I threw up from grief of packing up Adirens things." 

"Well, you were my wife for seven years so I noticed but wanted to make sure what I was seeing was real. Did Adrien now?" 

Mari shook her head. "I found out the morning of the battle. I was gonna tell him that evening, I like to think he heard me while he was lying in that hospital bed... But I really don't know. I took the test on a whim that morning, we'd been so careful, but I guess one night we weren't. I was three weeks late... So I'm just over two months along. If this one anything like ours I've got at least three months till the press notices." She sighed. 

"Think they'll still care then?" 

"Daughter in Law of Hawkmoth pregnant with his heir is evil in its blood? I see it now." She rolled her eyes. Before he could speak, "Nino, I've been doing some digging, and you know that little getaway town we use to go to when we're kids?" 

"The ones that like three hours from here?" She nodded, "Ya, of course, I can't wait to tack the boys there in a few years." 

"Well, what if we moved there? Together?" She squeezed his hand, "There is a shop for sale that has a three-bedroom apartment upstairs and a basement that we could turn into a pretty fun nightclub." He looked at her with eyes wide, "I figure if we use the trust from the Mayor and the money I inherited from Adrien we could afford it and do whatever minor changes we need and when the legal battle is over the money I get from him will be enough to cover the cost of any major changes we want." 

"You've really thought this all through haven't you?" He smiled, "I asked mom today if she'd be mad if I left town with you and the boys, and she didn't really seem to mind as long as I didn't go too far away." 

"Would you really want to go away with me?" he looked at her.

"Mare everywhere I look in Paris I see Alya or Adrien, I want somewhere new so this can be somewhere we visit and teach our kids about their parents." He leaned down and kissed her. "Marry me again?" 

"Yes, Let's elope the day we move, then have a bigger wedding in a year or two, when it's socially acceptable." 

"I agree. So how long will take to move?" 

"We can start the paperwork tomorrow," She smirked at him. "Though we should tell our parents everything, including my news." 

"Ya, but for tonight, I'm gonna pretend you're my wife again." after checking to make sure the twins were still settled he took her to his guestroom. 

***

Mari woke up in aliving memory, was it her's or Nino's she wasn't sure. But it was clear she wasn't waking up soon. Hawkmoth and Mayura were facing her, oh this was that memory. She took a breath and let herself go.

Hawkmoth had challenged Ladybug and Chat Noir to a battle two v two, Nino was waiting on standby. His job was keeping Alya off the field, she was seven-month pregnant with twins she wasn't allowed to fight. 

Similar to their battle as teenagers Chat ended up in Hawkmoths grasps, only this time he had actually used his Cataclysm already so was defenceless. Ladybug fighting Mayara, and by the time she got her caught in her yo-yo, Hawkmoth was removing Chats ring off. "Adrien!" Ladybug called out. Nino get here now!  Hawkmoth is taking Chat's Ring!

Hawkmoth threw Adrien on the grown, "So not only are you a completely useless son, married a worthless girl, you also are the reason I can't bring my wife back!"  Adrien stood to fight his father, Hawkmoth kicked his son square in the chest and he fell off the seven-story building they were fighting on. 

"Adrien!" Ladybug tried to get to him but Hawkmoth tripped her, and she heard him hit the ground. 

With his foot on her back, he told her, "He's not worth saving." 

"How dare you! He was your son! All he wanted was your love! " Mayura knocked him over and stole the ring back tossed it to Ladybug. "Go recharge and call the other heroes, I'll see if I can slow him down." 

Ladybug hid and RedFox laned next to her as her transformation fell. She fed both the Kwaimi's. "Nino I need you to be Fox Noir, while I become Lady Turtle, We have to get his miraculous and stop him. And maybe safe Adrien." 

"You got it spots!" Nino knew she was hurting, but they didn't have time for that now they had to stop him. He didn't love giving up Wayz but Wayz slowed everyone else down, Tiki seemed to be the only Kawmi he didn't. And when Adrien and Alya were studying, they had gotten good at being this set of teammates.  

Mayura quickly got out of the way, hoping to avoid being akumatized, she dropped her transformation left the pin where she knew Ladybug would find it, and went ran down the stairs trying to call the paramedics for Adrien.  By himself, Hawkmoth was quickly overtaken by the two hero's, the betrayal of his partner and his son weakening him. With Gabriel's Miraculous in hand, they hand him over to the police. When they asked about Mayura Ladybug showed them the Miraculous and shrugged. She promised to answer their questions but she had to check on Chat had been hurt in battle. 

 Lady Turtle and Fox Noir landed next to Adrien. Ladybug looked at Natalie, she nodded and Ladybug understood. She would keep her secret. "Lucky Charm!" She threw it up in desperation. Adrien hardly moved. But he was breathing. Thankfully Natalie's call had been the reason both cops and EMTs were there when the battle was done, she'd managed to keep it a secret that Adrien was Chat.  And Paris was so used to seeing the heroes in different suit combos that no one questioned where Chat Noir was or if Adrien was him. 

Adrien never did wake up, Mari sat with him all night, praying he would wake up, "Come on baby, I need you, I can't raise our baby without you. I promise I'll find a way to name our baby after you and your mom. But please wake up."  And with that plea, the heart monitor went silent. 

***

Nino woke up to the boys crying, Mari seemed to wake to the noise too. As they walked out to the living room, "My dream?" Mari asked. 

"I think it had to be, I didn't have that many details." Each of them picking up one baby. 

"Sorry, that battle plays over and over again, I've pulled you into that dream before, haven't I?" She rocked André while Nino changed Howard's diaper. Then they swapped. 

"Ya, maybe." He blushed, "But I've pulled you into my last hours with Alya before so we will call even." With a baby in each of their arms, they sat down on the couch. "You know when your's comes we will be outnumbered." 

"Ya, I guess we will. I'll probably give the baby Adrien and I's last name. Graham Cheng." 

"I think Adrien would like that." Nino kissed her forehead. 

***

So as their 25th birthdays came and went, they were secretly married, parents to three under a year, yes the twins were almost a year but they were only ten months older than Elisa Addie Graham Cheng. They had moved to that little tourist town, and Marinette rebranded herself as Simply Miraculous and Nino ran the Shield Night Club crediting Mari for the name because of one of her many nicknames for him. Master Fu took all but the four Kwamis back to the temple making sure the other Gardiens knew where to find them if the time ever arose to need them. Marinette set up an email where people could call on the heroes if they needed them. They explained the Chat Noir and Rena Rouge had retired and would not be wearing the mask again, wanting to disappear. Rumours flew but Mari and Nino were gone so it didn't matter to them. Nino and Mari deiced they didn't want a big wedding so they told Alya's parents and they celebrated with them. Natalie promised to help and play the role of grandma for Elisa. So they were a strange, happy family.