Adrien's POV

"We have to do this quick, before anything else happens," Marinette says as she paces around her room.
I nod. "Right. We can't let this world suffer more than it already has."

Suddenly, there's a weak knock at the door. We glance at each other nervously.

"I'll get it," we mutter in unison.
Marinette turns red. "N-no, I..."

"I got it, bugaboo." I start walking to the door. What if it's Mother? Or Father? Did they hear everything? My heart pounds as I get closer. Biting my lip, I turn back to Marinette.

"They'll get suspicious if we don't..." she whispers.

She's right. We can't give them any reason to think we're up to something. Deep breath... turn the handle... pull it open...

Two churning oceans stare back at me, windblown ropes hanging down around them. Rugged sails lay across the figure. The person in front of me seems more like a shipwreck scene than anything else. I can barely recognize them.

"C-come in," I tell them.

Slowly, they enter the room, dragging as if forced through sand. The creaking is almost audible. The very sight of them like this makes me fearful. The mighty has sinken, has lost...
And slowly, as the seas focus on nothing in particular, a gust of wind picks up the words, "I lost her..."

There's a pause, and then Marinette says gently, "Sit over here and tell us."

Chloe goes to the bed and sits down, tears dripping down her pale cheeks. She doesn't even bother to wipe them away. "Sabrina's gone..."

"What?" I whisper, going to stand by her. "Sabrina?"

She sniffles. "I-I don't know... she was there at the Eiffel Tower with me when it all started... the city changing... we watched it together... but then she started wandering away. I didn't know what was happening. I commanded her to come back, and nothing, so I asked her as nicely as I could, and then she was too far away and I pleaded... She turned around and gave me this helpless look, like she was trapped... it was a goodbye look... and I screamed for her. I had to, I needed her... But she turned back around and kept going, and suddenly, she just... left. I could still see her outline for a little bit, but then it was all over..." Chloe swallows, then starts sobbing. "I really did need her, you know? She was the only one I had..."

Marinette sits next to her and hugs her tight. "I'm so sorry, Chloe... She was so special to you."

"She was! I tried looking for her, I tried, I searched everywhere, but she was nowhere..." She sniffles. "I looked for what felt like a million years before Daddy told me to go here and demand for her back. But... I can't demand any more. I'm just not strong enough..." She trembles in Marinette's arms.

I hug both of them, Chloe's grief flooding my heart. I know what it feels like to be alone, to have lost someone so close to you. Why is it that hers needed to be sacrificed for mine? I swallow, thinking of how much it hurts. But I need to be tough now. For her. For all of us. "It's all right, Chlo," I assure her softly. "We'll get her back."

"How?" she cries. "I..."

"We know what happened. Leave it to us."

She clenches her jaw. "N-no! Tell me and I-I'll fix it myself! She's my best friend! I'm bringing her back!"

"Shh, Chloe..." Marinette murmurs, rubbing her back in an effort to soothe her.

Holding back a sob, she falls onto her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Adrien," she whispers after a moment. "I shouldn't have snapped at you... this is just... I can't..."

My eyes fill with tears for her. "It's okay. I understand."

"And Marinette... I'm sorry about how I treated you before all this. It wasn't right..."

Marinette hugs her. "I forgive you. And I know, I haven't been the best to you either."

Chloe sniffles. "I-I don't blame you for anything. It was only because I was awful."

"It doesn't matter anymore now. What matters is that you're changing for the better."

"Yeah." I smile at her. "We're both really proud of you."

Chloe smiles back weakly. "Thanks." Then, slowly, her face falls, and she begins to tear up again.

My lady glances at me sadly, then back at her. "Don't worry. Sabrina will be here soon."

"What can I do to save her?"

I bite my lip. Sabrina's so important to her. Of course she wants to rescue her herself. But... she can't, not with the current situation. It would be too dangerous. "Well..." I take a deep breath. Please don't panic... "I'm afraid there's not much you can do."

Chloe bows her head toward the floor, crestfallen. "Okay..." she whispers.

"We'll get her back," Marinette assures her. "We know what to do. You just go home and relax."

She nods a little. "Thank you. But... won't it be risky?"

"Maybe," I reply. "But we'll do our best to stay safe. Don't fear for us."

Chloe's eyes well with tears once more. She grabs us and squeezes us with a surprising amount of strength. We return the embrace. I know she'll be all right. After a moment, she gets up and hurries to the door. "Thank you so much! Good luck!"

"Thanks! You too!" we call back in unison.

And with a wave, she leaves.

Marinette and I turn to each other and take a deep breath.

"Midnight," she whispers.

So I'm back after a hot minute... or a couple...

I got in another play, so I've been pretty busy with that.  I had writer's block too... ugh.  Sorry I kept you waiting for so long!

Also, I'd really like to thank @KiraHakuno, who cleverly commented asking who died to bring Mrs. Agreste to life.  I actually hadn't thought about it, and your comment inspired this chapter, so thank you very much!

And thank you to every single one of you for reading!  It all means so much to me!!!  I hope you guys all have a wonderful day!

Song: Helena - My Chemical Romance (cinematic ballad cover by Halocene)

(It's so gorgeous and sad and I listen to it on repeat...)