'AGRESTE'IVE DEVELOPMENT

As many of our loyal readers know supermodel and actor Adrien Agreste, 24, has been away filming in Argentina over the past couple of weeks, but we're quite sure the drama between Edward and Rosaline, in the latest 'Legal Blue' instalment, is nothing compared to the drama of Agreste's real lovelife.

Onlookers were shocked to find Agreste leave the airport alone, Vivica Agreste, 23, nowhere to be seen. The actor's wife has always been 'pride of place' waiting to take her Beau in her arms and welcome him home, however this time she was nowhere to be seen.

Not only that, but sources also say Agreste was chauffeured to an apartment in the city centre, one which has recently been revealed as his own private property; it seems our Parisian superstar has been hiding in his very own bachelor pad.

An occupant within the same apartment building as Agreste, Jennie Lorde, 67, gave us the following statement: '[Adrien] has been living in the building for around 10 months, alone. He has regular female visitors but none which seem to be more than just a good friend. We've never seen his wife and we are unsure whether she knows of Adrien's whereabouts. Though he is a good neighbour he is often away at bizarre hours, sometimes we wonder if he has a secret job to do during the night.'

As usual, we have been unable to get a statement from any of the Agrestes. However, I think it's safe to say Paris' Number Two couple is no more.

•••••

Marinette stood outside the Agreste Manor for the first time since she was 20 years old. She rarely came here, the want to face off with Gabriel Agreste was about as exciting as the want to set her hair on fire. Her memories danced around in front of her, memories of Adrien sneaking her, Alya and Nino into the house whilst his father was meeting with Tomoe Tsurugi, all so they could watch the newest M. Night Shyamalan movie on Adrien's new widescreen television, complete with deluxe surround sound. She'd always remember her surprise at Nino, her usually reserved friend being as excited as a child fuelled on Haribo. Many times Alya had to remind him that it was just a sound system.

She'd snuggled up to Adrien that night, the need to hide herself from the television and whatever the monstrosity was that they'd thought would be a good idea to watch. Instead, the evening had ended with her sleeping in her Ladybug get up just in case something came into her room to 'get' her. Damn horror movies.

Alya, Nino and Adrien were fine, no issues for them! They laughed at the bad outfits and the even worse storyline but unfortunately she had to sit there faking it, well, until Adrien had covered them both in a blanket and wrapped her in his arms. She only saw it at the time as Adrien being Adrien, but right now, looking back into the past, she was quite sure it meant more to him. That it was a 'move' she had completely missed. As usual Marinette had missed the signs, a regular occurrence when it came to Adrien.

They were so naive back then, she almost thought it was cute. Almost being the key word. They were idiots, idiots who both wanted each other yet weren't brave enough to make the first move—how she regretted that now.

Taking a deep breath, she pressed the buzzer on the Agreste gate, waiting in a nervous anticipation for someone to respond. She was beginning to think turning up at the mansion alone wasn't her greatest idea, but being the stubborn ass she was, instead of contacting someone to come along for shits and giggles she decided to come alone, after all, worst comes to worst she can transform and get the hell out of there.

She spoke to Peyton earlier in the day, her boss having no idea what this was about, and she was very much against Marinette going. Neither woman trusted Vivica, but this needed to end now; with everything she'd heard from Adrien, enough was enough and she was done with being Vivica's little slave. So being summoned to the Agreste Mansion seemed very much a kill or be killed movement, not too comical considering the messages she'd be receiving.

The messages hadn't stopped. Before leaving Argentina she'd received three more, and she knew for a fact that Adrien was growing curious of her sudden mood changes. One minute she'd be all over him, then, in the next, bolting for the door. There were only so many excuses for her to leave; only so many headaches she could fake until he began to question her motives on the relationship.

The same fear she had from when she was a teen had started to resurface, the fear Adrien would be used against her. Sounding her fears out to Tikki, she began to wonder if she should break up with Adrien or tell him the truth, bringing him into the loop that she was one of Paris' heroes and that she put her life in danger quite regularly. He deserved to know, he deserved the choice of whether he wanted to stay or go, knowing the pros and cons of being with one of Paris' saviours. She also needed to talk to Chat Noir. There wasn't a chance she would tell someone without his permission. After she'd told Alya back in their mid-teens it had created a rift between them, one that she wasn't willing to go through again.

A cackling was heard from the speaker in front of her, tearing her out of her thoughts and worries and into the moment. She pushed down the increasing feelings of fear, of anything remotely related to her nervous disposition. She could do this. She was Ladybug; she just needed to breathe and keep a calm mind, the sweat lacing the palm of her hands betraying her composed aura.

"Who is it?"

The voice made her flinch. That wasn't Vivica.

"It's M-M-Marinette." Nice going, she thought.

Suddenly 14 year old Marinette Dupain-Cheng was standing at the intercom waiting to pass Adrien's homework through the gate, a pink post-it note perfectly positioned on top letting Adrien know she'd delivered it. A historic occasion where she'd managed to follow through and sign her name. God, she was a mess back then; the stuttering, the crazy ass plans, the impossible missions. She'd come so far since then and she needed to think about who she was now, not then. She was smarter, stronger, and could take down a whole army if needed to.

"It's Marinette Dupain-Cheng." Her voice suddenly took on an air of arrogance, her tone strong and stable; this was more like it. "I'm here to see Vivica Agreste." Saying the woman's name was like sucking a sour lemon. She didn't deserve to hold Adrien's last name, she didn't deserve anything to do with him.

The silence on the other side of the intercom was deafening, and for the first time since she'd arrived at the gate she wondered if she should just turn around and go home. But she wouldn't, there was no way she would have this forever hanging over her head, just another 'thing' to deal with, and it's about time she made some changes in her life. Chat was right, she could do it.

"Enter," the voice boomed, the gates creaking and squeaking open, a telltale sign of lack of use. Nobody came in and out of the Agreste mansion, and she was hoping she wouldn't be only making a one way trip.

Watching the gate open, Marinette exhaled, pulling together what was left of her courage, and making her way towards the steps. This was it...it was now or never.

•••••

Adrien opened the door to his apartment only to be hit with a wall of woman's laughter. He was beginning to feel like he didn't live here, himself. Since returning home his little bachelor pad had become women central, he was only a manicure and one more episode of Gilmore Girls away from being a fully fledged female.

"Honeys, I'm home," he announced, closing the door behind him and placing his coat and shoes in their designated places.

"Ladies, our husband is here." The sound of joyous laughter hit him again and he couldn't help rolling his eyes, making his way into the kitchen and keeping himself away from the lounge. He grabbed himself a beer from the fridge before counting down the seconds until he was called away.

3...

2...

1...

"Adrien, come on. We're waiting." The girls laughed, the sound of excited chatter echoing around the room and causing him to shiver. He was starting to wonder why he'd allowed this. Why one guy was putting up with not one, not two...but four women, plus his new (wonderful) girlfriend.

"I'll go and get more wine."

The familiar voice preceded the familiar face.

"Welcome home." Soft lips met his cheek, his lips curving into a smile as the effect.

"Kagami, how much have you all drunk?" he asked, moving around the room and putting his recent groceries away before finding and swigging a good proportion of a chilled beer. He'd been quite efficient with his shopping; more cheese for Plagg, croissants in case Marinette came round along with her favourite red leaf loose tea (the specialist strainer hopefully arriving in his next Amazon Prime delivery, along with the whole damn 'Dare' series, hopefully without any added monkeys).

"This," she said, lifting up a bottle of very expensive red wine, "will be our fourth."

He sighed, rubbing his brow line together. At least only two of the four cackling women will be staying with him this evening, two of them will be off doing whatever they do. It was none of his business, and frankly at the moment he didn't care. He glanced towards his phone again, a slither of hope passing through that Marinette would want to come and stay the night.

"Come and join us." Grabbing an extra glass and holding the bottle like a champ in the same hand, Kagami led Adrien into the lounge only to come face to face with the woman firing squad of his fellow heroes.

"Adrien!" Fei announced, standing from her spot with a slight wobble. She sauntered her way over to him, kissing him on the cheek and looping an arm around his neck before slapping him in the chest. If he was choking, she would have not only cleared whatever was in his airways but also sent the damn thing half a km out the window. "This guy is the best," she said, slapping him once again. "Don't you think girls?"

Jess and Aeon held up their glasses in support of Fei's statement, Kagami whooping along with the other girls before sitting down and calling for Fei to come alongside her.

Neither Fei or Aeon should be here, but since the siren feather had been taken from the Louvre, Jess had called protocol and contacted both Kagami and Aeon; Kagami had been begging to bring her wife, and the latter asked to come and make a trip, causing Adrien to return home to not one, but two people sleeping in his apartment.

But he had to agree, they were going to need all the help they could get if Jess' research was true. The siren feather was aimed at males, therefore they needed all the female super strength possible, and even though Alya was around, Adrien knew Rena Rouge would not be up for battle, not in her 'position'. Having Fei, Jess and Aeon around helped give his Lady the additional strength she needed to fight, because even though their Miraculous holders were trained and battle ready, they did not possess the power of those who were full time heroes, who constantly battled for the greater good.

Fei and Jess were smart, they complimented his Lady well; even though he knew Ladybug would ultimately take the lead, knowing she had these girls beside her was a relief. He knew, without a doubt, he wouldn't be fighting alongside her this time. He would be the first one attacked when it came to the feather. Split Ladybug and Chat Noir and you create a disadvantage. The main aim every super villain had come into battle with.

"If the akuma alarm goes off, I'm not responsible for Ladybug's disciplinaries," Adrien said, eyeing the girls over and crossing his arms.

"Pfft," Jess said, waving an arm around, "don't be just a sour puss."

"Ha! Sour puss!" Aeon cried before adding a meow for extra effect.

"I still can't believe you're Chat Noir!" Kagami laughed, leaning her head onto Fei's shoulder. She was so relaxed when she was drunk, it really made her personality warm up ten fold; ever the opposite to in their childhood days. "I've dated two superheroes. Aren't I lucky?"

"Gami, you're a hero yourself, remember," Adrien said, picking up some of the discarded bottles from the floor. Thank god they were only staying for two weeks.

"Not the same as you and her though." She pointed at Fei. "These two, too. You're all real superheroes. I only get to be one when I need to blow things away, or make things wet." She pouted her bottom lip, Adrien laughing at his friend's playfulness. Seriously, Kagami plus alcohol was a great thing.

"You know what," Aeon said, calling over to Adrien. "Can you get LB here please? We can be like the Spice Girls."

"Yeah!" Jess jumped in. "Girl power and all that shit."

"Zig-a-zig-ah!" Fei said, holding the glass aloft and saluting the other girls.

Kagami and Fei were going to be staying for the next couple of weeks, Kagami having her exhibition at the Louvre the weekend followed by Rose's gala the next and although he enjoyed their company he couldn't help but wonder when he was going to get suitable one on one time with Marinette. They'd been home three days and they hadn't seen each other since leaving the airport. He knew something was going on with her, the fact she rocketed out of the doors like a homing missile did nothing for her keeping it a secret; plus she'd been completely stand offish, not committing to anything when it involved him.

He'd been waiting for Tikki to arrive without any avail. Obviously something was going on and he needed to be patient, however, that was a lot easier said than done. So, instead he spent his nights scaling the rooftops in order to check his Lady was safe; resulting in no more than eight hours sleep over the past three days.

A blast of 'The Imperial March' sounded around the room, Jess wincing at the familiar tune, Adrien's eyes meeting hers in question. Jess was his only confidant in all this, her expression sobering with understanding as she stood.

"Girls? Have you seen the balcony yet? It's quite the feature."

A resounding no circulated around the room as Jess led the girls out with a slight reassuring squeeze on his shoulder. He knew this wasn't good news. His lawyer was here and she hadn't mentioned the signed divorced papers so it seemed Vivica was ready to make her next move.

"What do you want?"

"Is that any way to treat your wife?"

"I'm fed up with this shit now Vivica, tell me what the hell you want or get off the phone," Adrien snarled, his temper getting the better of him.

"I need you to come to the mansion, something has arrived for you and you need to come and pick it up."

Adrien sighed, walking over to the window and looking out at the street below. "I'll send a courier for it."

"No," Vivica exclaimed, "it's sensitive information, for your eyes only."

His blood ran cold. Sensitive information which only he could collect? He didn't know why, but his thoughts went straight to Marinette's identity. Was his father making another threat? Something greater than he had before? He wouldn't put it past him to have one more sane attack, playing one last game before he completely lost his sanity — if he ever even had it to begin with.

"When?"

"Well what are you doing now?"

He looked up, the faint sounds of girlish laughter sounding above him. He could go now he supposed, after all the sooner he'd gotten this over with the better, especially if Marinette was compromised.

"I'll be over in thirty minutes." Ending the call, Adrien placed the phone into his back pocket, making his way into his kitchen before heading up onto the rooftop balcony.

"So? What did the Wicked Witch of the West want?" Jess asked, the girls all studying Adrien as he appeared before them.

"I need to go to my fathers place."

"Do you think that's wise?" Kagami placed her glass down, crossing one leg over the other as she looked quizzically at Adrien.

Of course he didn't think it was wise, if he was being honest he thought this whole thing was positively suicidal–but he had no choice. If it came to the possibility of Marinette being hurt then there was no way he was cowering away, even if the thought of the manor made him sick to the stomach. Every inch of that house churning his gut with more force than a meat grinder.

"What choice do I have?" he answered, his arms crossing over his chest. Defence mode fully initiated.

The silence of the rooftop answered his question. He had no choice, number one priority was Marinette, and he would do whatever it took to protect her. Even if once again that meant playing dumb.

•••••

Knocking on the door, Marinette waited to be greeted only to find the steely stare of Nathalie Sancoeur opening the door. Marinette hadn't seen the woman in years, and to be honest that wasn't long enough. She used to respect Nathalie, even feel slightly sorry for her, it couldn't have been easy working alongside Gabriel Agreste, but that had changed. Knowing Nathalie stood by and allowed him to take control of Adrien in such a despicable way horrified Marinette that people could be so manipulative.

"Miss Dupain-Cheng," Nathalie said in a way of greeting, her eyes hard and unwelcoming.

"Mlle Sancoeur," Marinette replied, her voice coming out a lot stronger than she felt.

Do not let her intimidate you! You're stronger than this.

She stood tall, even though at her best height plus the added extra couple of inches thanks to her heels, Nathalie still towered over her.

Marinette cursed firstly her lack of growth spurt, and then her mothers petite build. She'd always felt her build was cute and a nice little lady trait of hers, but right now she'd go for another half foot at least.

"This way, Mrs Agreste is waiting for you."

The way Nathalie said 'Mrs' made Marinette quiver. Was it possible that Nathalie knew? Was Nathalie in on this charade? Considering the woman had been a player in their separation, and in Adrien's blackmail, it wouldn't go past her. She just couldn't understand why Nathalie would be in favour of such controlling behaviour?

Marinette followed the Agreste's assistant into a room she'd never been in before. One a little warmer than her other experiences of the 'Agreste' mansion, the plain monotone walls of the rest of the mansion matching to the owner's personality; but this was different.

It had hints of purple velvet to add a pop of colour and life to the white walls and grey surroundings; something so opposite to Gabriel she thought maybe this room belonged to Adrien's mother, that this was the style of Emilié Agreste.

She stepped through the threshold, the atmosphere choking her with its thickness, the tension palpable as her eyes met those of Vivica Agreste, and for once the woman looked ready to murder. There was a soft concerto of music playing in the background, the volume high enough to block the sounds of their voices outside this room. Marinette tapped the side of her bag, hoping Tikki would take the hint and sneak to see if there was anything filming or listening in on the conversation then making sure it was disabled.

The model's jaw was clenched tightly, her eyes darkened with revulsion as Marinette felt Vivica's gaze slip over her body, taking in every tiny detail. There was no doubt in Marinette's mind that she knew.

"Take a seat, Marinette." Her name rolled off Vivica's tongue with venom. The poison laced in each syllable was enough to have Marinette recoiling and on the verge of running away. But she was a hero, if there was one thing she knew to do, it was to protect herself physically; mentally not so much.

"I'd prefer to stand up." Her voice was stronger than she thought possible, and she couldn't help but wonder if this had something to do with Tikki, something only magic could ensure.

"As you wish." Vivica signalled Nathalie to leave, the door closing with a harsh connection as Nathalie exited the room, Vivica's scathing gaze never leaving her own. It wasn't a staring contest so Marinette did blink, but as soon as the natural reaction was over, Marinette's eyes were straight back in the 'game'.

"Lovely room isn't it?" Vivica said, arm waving around, Marinette not even attempting to look. That break in eye contact could result in anything and she was not willing to take the risk.

As she continued looking at Vivica, she began to run through the techniques Chat had taught her. He'd made sure to go through how to remain the one with the power when put in, what seemed, a powerless situation.

Rule number one - Don't let them think that they have anything on you.

"Why am I here, Vivica? I thought we agreed that all conversations were to go through Peyton."

"And yet here you are. So I think you either have something you don't want to say to me in front of your boss, or you know as well as I do that you're hiding something?"

"Are you going to tell me or are you just going to waste my time?" Marinette crossed her arms over her chest, defending herself against what was about to be thrown.

"Now, now, Miss Dupain-Cheng, why rush? Sit and have a glass of wine with me. I'm sure we have a lot to discuss regarding my husband."

Fuck! Marinette internally cursed, she knew, Vivica Agreste knew she was getting up close and personal with Adrien. What other reason could it be?

"Why did you hire me?" Marinette said, her voice taking a stand as her legs threatened to give way.

"For the same reason as many other women hire you. What do you think?"

"Are you sure that's the reason why? Nothing about a prenup?"

The sound of Vivica's laughter made her skin crawl. Was this not as simple as she thought? The way Adrien sounded it was about the prenup, about money and power, so why all of a sudden did it mean more?

"I see Adrien has been talking. What else has my husband told you?"

Marinette could feel her confidence wavering, Vivica's whole relaxed demeanour a fear in itself.

"He - he told me you've been separated for months. That you're going through a divorce."

"The paperwork hasn't been signed yet. He's still legally mine."

"He's not a possession," Marinette said without thought. Vivica finally moved, placing her wine glass down and uncrossing her legs.

Marinette needed to remain calm; Rule Two - defuse the situation.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped," Marinette continued. "But he's not a cheater, and you know it:"

"Well, just because you're incompetent at your job doesn't mean someone else won't be able to succeed."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Sitting up, Vivica stretched forward taking a manila envelope off the table in front of her, an envelope Marinette hadn't spotted until now.

"I think you know exactly what that means. I have been paying you quite a substantial amount of money, have I not? And you had one specific job to do. However it seems your loyalties have changed and in that you've broken our contract."

Marinette could feel the bile rising in her throat. What had happened? What was in the envelope? As Marinette felt her face becoming more stricken by the second, Vivica's smile grew an alarming amount, her body language changing immensely.

"I hired you to trap my husband, not to have a steamy affair with one of his co-stars."

She could have laughed. Marinette could have broken down there and then, and been labelled as certifiably insane because the shoe would have been a perfect fit. The sound of blood pulsed in her ears blocking out anything apart from her own heartbeat and Vivica's voice.

"Our contract is tight, Marinette, breaking it would only lead to complications on your behalf, and I would hate to see someone like you in jail. So, tell me; have you trapped my husband?'

"What's going on here?"

Marinette's world crumbled; a wrecking ball smashing straight into her newly healed heart breaking it into pieces once again. Adrien was standing behind her. His voice so familiar her heart screamed at him, begging him to turn around and walk out the door.

"Oh, Adrien. I believe you've already met Marinette?"

Still not daring to turn her head and face him, Marinette homed in on Vivica, her voice hard against the woman opposite . "Did you set this up? Did you tell him to come here?"

Vivica's smile grew even more menacing, and Marinette could feel the tension radiating from Adrien as he remained in his stance behind her. He was going to end it with her right there and then, calling off their newly found relationship and once again kicking her to the curb.

"Yes," she said, finally standing up. Her couple inches of extra height made Marinette cower, this woman, right now, held her future in the palm of her hand, or more precisely on her left ring finger. She should never have agreed to this trap. She should have stood her ground and stayed well clear, she should have continued to hate Adrien Agreste. "I thought it might be nice for us all to get together. I do rather like a threesome."

She felt him move forward, now standing beside her, his large, masculine body overpowering every nerve in her own. She hadn't seen him since they landed back in Paris three days ago. Her heart betrayed her as she ran away from him, her main priority to keep him safe. Yet here she was betraying him in the most horrible way. Would he ever be able to trust her again?

"Marinette?" His voice was soft, a complete opposite to how he should be talking to her. She saw him reaching out towards her, quickly moving her arm back and out the way.

"Oh my fucking god." Vivica covered her mouth with her perfectly manicured nailed hands and started to laugh. "You're joking right. You actually thought she liked you didn't you, Adrien?" The cackling sounded up again, Vivica enjoying the shift in the mood between the two. Marinette turning her head to look at her boyfriend? Ex-boyfriend?

He opened his mouth intending to say something to her but she couldn't stand it. Instead getting in their first. "I was going to tell you." Her voice was filled with unshed emotion building behind her eyes. "I-I swear, I didn't want to do this anymore."

She watched as his jaw clenched. He was angry, and to be honest she couldn't blame him. Stretching out to grab his arm, this time he backed away, walking and standing a distressing distance away from her. How could they be here again? Another string tangling into the already complicated web. She stepped towards him, this time stretching out to him, wanting some form of connection - anything.

"Adrien, please, let me explain." She could barely talk; keeping her voice low so it wouldn't crack; her eyes and nose were stinging the telltale signs of tears to come.

He watched her, his green eyes suddenly colder than looking at a pair of ice blue ones. They usually held so much warmth, how could they suddenly turn to so much hate.

"Oh shit! You were falling for him too, how precious. Well, it's a shame how trust can break you apart. You see Adrien, it's all an act. Everything she's been slipping you is fake, and I must say she's damn good at it too; playing you and Christopher like that, without either of you having a clue. What some women will do for fame, eh?"

He turned his head from Marinette to Vivica. The room suddenly plummeted in temperature, as the frostiness of Adrien mixed with the burns of Vivica caused her legs to shake and teeth to chatter. She hadn't felt like this since the day three years ago when Adrien hadn't shown. The overwhelming hurt, and shock too much to take in. How can one person be so cruel?

"Adrien?" Marinette's voice attempted to say, only a part of his name sounding out for everyone to hear as the rest failed to make it out of her mouth.

"Marinette, leave." His voice was like a slap in the face, his eyes not even willing to look her way.

"Adrien, please,"

"Just...leave." He turned his head to look at her, his lips clenched together as his eyes burned into hers.

Seeing his eyes so harsh and threatening, broke the shattered fragments of her heart into many, many pieces. Once again, she'd been pulled in by Adrien Agreste and once again it hadn't worked. Over and over again, this story had the same ending, it was obviously never meant to be; a love due to fail before it even began and she knew she'd always circle back to the hurt. Adrien was her addiction. It didn't matter how many times he called her, she'd always come running.

She sniffed, the tears cascading like a waterfall down her cheeks, the last remaining memories of her and Adrien fading away, and once more having to be locked away. Once again, she was alone.

"Please," she whispered one more time, her hands holding together tightly in front of her body, begging him to let her speak; to let her tell him the truth that she didn't want to do this. That she'd tried to get out of it. That she'd quit the job. That she wanted to be with him.

"Go, Marinette." The disgust in his voice had her turning and running out the door–fast.

•••••

Internal relief radiated around his insides as he watched Marinette run out of the door heartbroken, Nathalie's smug smile following her as she left. He prayed they thought they'd succeeded, that she was leaving here without Adrien wanting to run after her. That he was angered and disgusted by her behaviour, that he wanted nothing to do with her.

"Happy now?" he said to Nathalie, watching her close the door. "Once again you've broken both our hearts."

In response, Nathalie raised one eyebrow before turning and stalking out of the hallway into his fathers office.

A hand touched his shoulder and he wanted nothing more than to smack it off and preferably sue his 'wife' for sexual harassment.

"I'm sorry Adrien, I know you liked her, I could see it in your eyes at the collège anniversary. I hope you aren't in too much pain because of her betrayal. I just needed to show you how naive you were when it came to women."

"So, you hired someone to trap me? You know what, I can't be here." He ran a hand through his hair, he needed to think about how he was going to play this now, only one thing was certain he needed to make sure she thought she'd caught him off guard, that he hadn't got a clue. He needed to keep Marinette safe.

"I'm not the one fucking other women Adrien. You know how the prenup works, one wrong move on your part-"

He cut her off mid speech. "You have zero proof, however, I'm quite sure Félix has some undeniable evidence of his own." His voice was undeniably calm. An act he'd manage to perfect over the years.

"Félix?" He watched Vivica's face pale, evidence he finally had an upper hand.

"You know, my cousin who looks almost identical to me? Yeah, well, he may or may not have evidence which flips everything in my favour. Whereas you have nothing, I have enough to turn everything and everyone against you and your little click. So be careful what you're doing Vivica, because right now I have nothing to live for, and they always say those are the men you need to fear."

"Are you threatening me?"

He glared, counting slowly in his head to calm his voice. "I'm giving you a friendly word of warning. You all made one grave mistake in your little plan; you used Marinette. With her I'm strong, but without her...I could get dangerous."

Turning on his heel, he made to exit the room only to see Nathalie had returned, arms across her chest and staring nonchalantly at Adrien. Walking towards her, he stopped to whisper in her ear, "I've told you once before and I'll tell you again, when it comes down to it make sure you're on the right side because all you've done today is add fuel to a very unpredictable fire."

Her face morphed into an expression of shock, Adrien taking that moment as the right time to leave. He had places to go and more importantly, a person to see. Exiting his old home Adrien gave it one last look, telling himself he would never set foot in that place again. Climbing into his car, he put his foot down and swiftly headed for where he knew she'd be.

"Plagg, it's time."

"For once, I'm in complete agreement. You did a good job in there again kid, and before we begin all this I just wanted to say how proud of you I am, Tikki too. Marinette's not going to take this easy kitten, but just give her time. No more going into grumps if she doesn't accept it straight away."

Adrien started to laugh. Pulling up at a red light, he turned his head to his kwami. "I promise that teen Adrien won't be making an appearance tonight. I've waited three years, I can wait more. I just want her to know I'm not angry or disappointed or any of the emotions I might have just displayed in there. It's going to be such a relief to finally have it all out in the open."

"It will kid, and we're both here for you all the way. The other kwamis too."

The engine kick started again as Adrien moved from the line and headed towards his destination. The shadow appearing on the ground, stretched from the positioning of the sun heading towards the horizon, gave her abnormal proportions, but it didn't matter. He knew exactly who it was and where she was heading. She was going to their secret place; a place they rarely used but knew well. The place where they were free to break down.

•••••

Ladybug landed in the abandoned building, stumbling forward before collapsing onto her knees, an arm wrapping tightly around her stomach. She screamed in fury and in pain, an unwelcoming combination of feelings she hoped she'd never have to feel again, a feeling which was worse than any akuma related pain she'd experienced over the years.

Reaching for her yo-yo she flicked it open and searched for the one person she needed, the only person in this world who could understand and comfort her. Finding Chat Noir's number, she hit the call button and waited for his response, only for none to come. Once again, she was greeted with his voicemail.

"Chat? If you get this I need you. I need you so much." The call ended into another bout of sobs, her body shaking as her hands clawed at her chest, trying to remove the pain exploding from her heart. If her heart wasn't there then she couldn't feel the pain, right? She just needed to get...it...out!

Her hands grew tired, her clawed hands gripping hard into fists as she began to beat them against her chest, each pelt attempting to remove a never ending pain.

"Bug, stop!" His voice, loud and clear, echoed around the derelict room. "Bug!"

He wanted her to stop but she couldn't, she needed her heart to go, or turn black or something! The pain just needed to stop.

"It hurts so bad," she said softly, "it's so bad right here." She struck herself again, punching hard against her chest until her wrist was yanked away and she was pulled to stand, her body engulfed in black; in the decorative armour of her partner.

"I know it does," he said, his voice just a murmur in her ear.

"He'll never forgive me Chat, I've messed up too badly this time. All that rage and anger has been my downfall. I should have tried to tell him, I should have tried to stop it from getting this far, but instead I've hurt him. He'll never forgive me."

He shushed her, the soothing sound causing her to close her eyes and relax into him more. Her rock. Her stability. Her best...everything.

She began to relax as his hands found her hair, separating and filing through the strands, the tips of his claws scraping her head as he caressed her, caring for her in her favourite way that only he knew.

"I - I -" strangled sobs once again left her lips as she buried her head into his chest, burying herself away from the world.

"He'll forgive you, as long as you forgive him."

"Forgive him." She snorted. "He has nothing to be forgiven for. He's been nothing but his wonderful, caring self."

"If only it was all that simple, Marinette."