Marinette thought she was dead, actually she was positive she was dead. Everything was dark and the pain in her leg had completely vanished, which meant only one thing. She, Marinette Dupain-Cheng aka Ladybug, was dead. But she couldn't understand why it was so dark. She knows she'd done a few wrong things and made mistakes but she didn't think she'd been bad enough to be in purgatory; that's the only explanation for the pitch black.

She tried to talk, but her mouth wouldn't move, it seemed restricted, like her mouth was covered. Until, suddenly, it wasn't. She still couldn't understand what was happening but she could definitely hear speaking.

"I love you Princess."

Only one person called her Princess and he was here. Her personal hero was here, he saved her. She'd remembered he'd been with her when she was in the storage room. He knows who she is, she'd told him. If she could hear him though did that mean he was here too, that he'd been shot.

Marinette felt something soft touch her lips, it felt like a ... like a kiss. Was Chat kissing her?

An electric current seemed to shoot through her body, giving her strength. She willed it to move to her eyes so she could open them, so she could see her hero once more. Her eyes didn't open, but her mouth began to move.

"I love you too, Kitty."

She felt lips meet hers again, soft, gentle and kind. The electric feeling circled her again as her eyes fluttered open. The blinding light of the fluorescents above her made her wince. It was too bright. She slammed her eyes closed again, disappointed she couldn't keep them open long enough to see him. She needed to see him.

The soft pressure on her lips happened again and this time her eyes opened with a lot more ease and a lot less pain. The lights didn't blind her this time and she noticed people in the room, one a dark shadow to her left and the others sitting beside her to the right.

"Tom, get a doctor."

"Marinette."

"Quick, hide."

Two voices she recognised. Her mother and Chat. She couldn't see any mouths moving and everything was spinning. Spinning too hard and too fast, she needed to close her eyes again, so she did. Who was hiding?

"How many times has she opened her eyes?" That was a new voice. One she hadn't heard before. Wherever she was, it wasn't just her family there.

"Twice. The first was short, the second was longer and she managed to look around before closing again."

"This is brilliant news. Keep talking to her and trying to get her to fully wake up, I'll go find a doctor to come and examine her."

She could hear a door close and some shuffling around.

"M'Lady, if you can hear me I just want you to know I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry for everything, but I need you back and I need you strong. Please just open your eyes, let me see the beautiful blue I love. Please Bugaboo, just ... please." She could hear the sobs in her partner's voice. She wanted to shout how he was forgiven, how she still loved and adored him, that they could talk things out and fix it. They could always fix it.

A damp feeling hit her cheek. It was definitely wet flesh against her own. Chat. He must be crying. Trying again, using all the will power she could possess she opened her eyes, looking directly into his.

"She's awake, Mr and Mrs Dupain, she's awake."

She moved her hand off the mattress and uncoordinatedly placed it on his cheek. It may have taken a few attempts and ended with a bit more of a slap than intended, but she'd made it. She was touching him and he was real. The room was real and she was back.

"Take it easy sweetheart, you've had a lot of painkillers and a blood transfusion. Plus your anaesthetic is still wearing off."

"Maman?" Her voice croaked, eyes still firmly placed on the black cat next to her bed.

"I'm here sweetheart," Sabine moved next to her daughter as the girl broke down in tears. Before Sabine could engulf her daughter in a comforting hug, the raven haired girl had already attached herself onto Chat Noir.

"Don't leave me please, I need you." Her voice was a broken whisper, sweeping into his ear.

"Can we have a moment?" Chat asked Sabine.

Marinette turned her head to see her mother nod, stand and make her way out the room.

As soon as the door shut, Marinette kissed Chat on the lips.

"Before you speak, please let me just have you for this moment. Let me have some time to pretend I'm yours."

Her words broke through him, flooring him with guilt and heartache. He could feel the pressure build from his cheeks, to his nose, to his eyes, then the tears flooded out.

"I'm yours. I will always be yours." He tightened his hold around her back, kissing her forehead as he buried himself into her hair. "I love you, Marinette."

She broke down, full unattractive sobs into his suit's shoulder.

"Please don't make promises you can't keep. If you're mine, I won't ever give you back."

"I don't think anyone would take me back, I'm damaged goods, so you're stuck with me." He said, rubbing soothing circles onto her back.

"Please don't joke around. You can't give me false hope."

She was breaking him, crushing his heart and his soul. He put her in this position and he was the only one who could pull her out. His Lady was strong, confident and collected, the girl in front of him at the moment was none of those things, and he was the only one to correct it.

"I'm not joking, Marinette." He pulled back to look into her face, placing one hand delicately on her cheek. "I'm yours and only yours."

She moved forward again, their lips meeting in blissful happiness. He was committing to her. She was going to be ok.

"Kitty, I think I know who Shadowmoth is."

Not the first thing he'd want her to say after their loving kiss and declarations but he understood why she'd said it. They only had a short amount of time together.

"We'll talk about it later, I just want to concentrate on you at the moment." Chat responded.

"You don't get it, Chat, I need to speak to-"

Voices outside the room pulled both the heroes' attention. Chat stood up quickly and made his way to the window.

"I'll be back later." He stepped one foot out before turning back and running to the bed. He kissed Marinette and dropped her a wink, "I love you, Bugaboo."

"Get out of here you mangy cat." Her smile contrasted against the tear streaks on her face, looking out of place on such a sorrowful face. "I love you, too.

He climbed out the window, extending his staff and she watched him move into the city. He was hers. He was committing to her, she just hoped she'd live long enough to enjoy it.

The door opened and Tom rushed in, obviously looking to see if a certain cat was still around. His shoulders relaxed as he realised Marinette was alone, welcoming the doctor to follow him into the room.

"It's good to see you awake, Mlle Dupain-Cheng. I'm doctor Aubert, I performed the surgery for you." Marinette nodded at the doctor and tried to take in everything he was telling her. It seemed she should be able to make a full recovery, and luck must have been on her side. Little did he know, she was Lady Luck herself.

Once all the medication had been prescribed, and a rehabilitation plan had been put into place, he left Marinette with her parents. It seems she would need to be kept in hospital for the next couple of weeks to be checked over for any infections or complications.

She sat up in the bed and slumped backwards. Her hands covering her face, IV still in place and a heart full of longing and fear.

"How are you feeling?" Sabine placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder as the girl lowered her hands into her lap.

"I'm not going to lie, Maman, this was not how I expected to spend my sweet sixteenth."

Sabine smiled at her daughter as Marinette groaned.

"I don't think it was an accident, Maman, I don't think I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was planned and I was the target."

"Sweetheart, if that's the case we need to call the police." Tom moved into Chat's vacated spot and sat down.

"Ha," Marinette cried, "want to know what the police will do? They'll call me."

"Well then we'll tell them Ladybug isn't around any more." Tom said, fully ready to defend his daughter.

"It doesn't work like that papa. I'm the guardian of the Miracle Box. The mother box to the Miraculous." Marinette explained.

"Then give it to someone else, Alya or Chloe, I don't care. I just don't want to see you hurt."

Marinette placed a hand on top of her papa's.

"If I were to give away the Miracle box and renounce my Miraculous, I'll lose all my memories and Chat will have no one to partner with. We're two parts of one whole and only work well together for that reason. No Ladybug, no Chat Noir, Shadowmoth will win."

"Then take his Miraculous back and choose a new Ladybug and Chat Noir." He wasn't giving up, his baby was hurt, he wanted to protect her and as her father it was his job.

"It's not that simple. It's rare to find a Ladybug and Cat miraculous holder. They're magical soulmates, they have to be a perfect pairing or it won't work. Me and Chat were chosen for a reason, and it's our burden to deal with."

Tom looked at his daughter and realised she wasn't a baby anymore, not only that, she was the one saving Paris daily. Her and Adrien had been doing this for three years successfully, he had no right to interfere with what she was doing, he knew nothing about it.

"I'm just worried about you," Tom said. Marinette sighed and looked at her papa, it was understandable.

"I know it probably doesn't seem like it but we know what we're doing papa, I promise. We look out for each other, trust us."

Tom nodded before turning to his wife, they needed to mention Adrien, the question was how? There was no way they would bring up the fact Chat Noir was Adrien Agreste, it wasn't their place to say it. It was up to Adrien. But something needed to be said as the boy was currently outside the room waiting to see her, and he was moving into their house. She'd question everything, that's what Marinette did.

"Chat Noir wasn't the only one who saved you, Sweetheart." It seemed Sabine could tell what Tom was hinting at. She came to sit on the edge of the bed and took Marinette's hand in hers. "Once he'd found you, someone else wanted to help get you out."

Marinette looked between her parents, "who?" She asked.

The door opened slowly and none other than Adrien Agreste walked into the room. She watched as he tentatively made his way over to her bed, and sat in the seat Sabine had recently vacated.

"Hi," Adrien gave a weak smile to Marinette before handing her the teddy bear currently in his hands, or should he say teddy cat. "This is for you." She took it off him with a smile and placed it next to her. He'd made a quick trip via the gift shop on his way up to her room, he wasn't intending to get her the black cat but somehow he wanted to drop her a hint. He wanted her to know who he was.

"Thank you, Adrien. So what happened? How did you know where I was?"

Adrien took a deep breath to steady his nerves. He couldn't tell her the truth, not yet. They still weren't quite there.

"Alya asked me to help find you. I went to the dress shop where you were shopping and Chat Noir asked me to get you outside. He said to tell them I was your soulmate so I could ride with you in the ambulance." His voice began to wobble, and he closed his eyes. Willing for strength to keep talking. "I was so scared. I thought we were going to lose you."

Seeing Adrien's eyes build up with tears did nothing to help Marinette's resolve. She began to cry with him and opened her arms out for a hug. He didn't need to be asked twice. Bouncing forwards, he wrapped her in his arms and cried on her shoulder. This was his Marinette, and he was hugging her as himself.

Lost in the hug, Adrien never noticed the heavy weight on his shoulder. Marinette had fallen asleep in the comfort of his arms, and he could think of nothing more worthwhile than that. Cupping her head, he lowered her down onto the pillows, placing the cat under the covers with her and tucking her in tightly.

"Let's leave her to rest." Tom exclaimed, "I'm sure you could do with a shower." He patted Adrien on the shoulder and led him towards the door. Adrien stopped and made his way back, placing another kiss on her lips, and whispering words of love and devotion to his soulmate. Tom and Sabine watched in fondness, before leading Adrien out the door and into their home.

The world was black once more, and again she had no idea where she was. Had she finally died this time? If she hadn't last time then this must be it. But didn't the doctor tell her she was going to be fine. Just rehabilitation and rest?

Her eyes began to open, like blinds rising up on a frosted window. Her eyesight wasn't perfect but she could tell she was in a room. It was cold. She noticed a figure standing with their back to her. He was a tall dark shadow blocking out some of the moonlight flooding in from the circular window he was standing in front of. There were white butterflies everywhere. Their beauty a juxtaposition of the confines of the room surrounding her,

"She's not wearing them?" A female voice spoke.

"What do you mean she's not wearing them? She never takes them off?" The tall figure continued to stare out into the night sky as he spoke. The moon aglow, lighting up the room and creating eerie shadows.

"I've searched everywhere. They're not on her or with any of her personal belongings."

Marinette shivered, something didn't feel right. What were they after? She tried to move an arm to touch her ear, were they trying to get her earrings? Slowly but surely her hand met the lobe of its destination, only to find it bare. Where were her earrings? Where was Tikki? Why was she only just checking now?

"Could your son have taken them?" Son? No, that can't be right. Why would Shadowmoth's son take her earrings. Wait ... Shadowmoth's son? That means - oh no, Adrien.

"I don't have a son." The cold, harsh, male voice chilled her to the bones.

"Gabriel, give Adrien sometime. He'll be back"

"Not now he's with her, not if he knows. He is no longer my son."

"No!" Her voice was soft, struggling, weak. She was Ladybug, she's not meant to be any of those. Although at the moment she wasn't Ladybug, and she didn't have her earrings. She was just a normal girl, just Marinette.

"No,"'she said again, "no, no, no." She repeated it again, and again, and again. Was anybody listening to her?

"Marinette?"

"No, don't touch him! Stay away from him."

"Marinette, please wake up."

They knew who she was. One of them was saying her name. She needed to get out of here, she needed to find Chat, or Adrien, she wasn't sure anymore.

"Marinette, please, you need to wake up. Doctor! I need a doctor!"

A sound of beeping echoed through the atrium she was stuck in, it sounded like the Miraculous coming to the end of her charge. She looked around and saw blue eyes. No, no, it can't! It just can't be. She'd stopped it, she'd fixed this, it couldn't happen again, and yet it was. He was there as clear as day. Blue eyes and white suit.

The room began to fill with water, the figures by the windows had vanished and she was no longer with the butterflies, the window was broken with water flowing into the room, suffocating her. She was drowning.

"Chat?" She said, a muffled reply hitting her ears. "Chat? I need you!"

"Can someone please get a sedative?"

"Chat?" She was getting wet. The water was taking over her body, but she still couldn't move. She needed to swim but she couldn't move.

"Chat? Chat? Chat?"

The water was taking over her body, slowly moving up her face. She was suffocating, she couldn't breathe, she needed to breathe, she needed to-

Just as the doctor was about to sedate her, Marinette shot up in a bath of sweat. She was soaked from top to bottom, her mind racing and unable to comprehend where she was. Without thinking, she tried to get herself out of the bed, causing a chain reaction of pain to shoot through her body. She needed Chat. She had to find Chat.

"Hey, hey, hey, calm down." Arms were wrapped around her tightly, but she was suffocating more. She tried to fight them away from around her body but they were not letting go.

"Mari, breathe it's just me."

'Just me' was holding her too tightly. They were trying to get the Miraculous, whomever this was, was trying to get her earrings.

"Get off me," she shouted, "get off!" She pushed hard against the body causing its owner to step back a few steps towards the door.

A doctor jumped in and held her down before she could hurt herself, and began to talk through breathing exercises. In and out, slow, steady breathes.

It could have been anywhere from ten minutes to an hour, but she was finally calm again. Her vision cleared, and the vice-like grip on her chest released.

"Welcome back," the doctor said. "You had a panic attack but you're ok now."

"I need my soulmate." Her voice was raspy and shaky, but she didn't care, she needed Chat.

She couldn't understand why the doctor looked at Adrien before leaving the two alone, letting him know that he could buzz if needed. Looking over at Marinette, Adrien noticed the look in her face. She hasn't remembered what Tom had told her yesterday, and she didn't wake up last night for Chat to explain more. She'd been asleep for over eighteen hours.

Adrien was exhausted. He'd gone against Tom and Sabine's wishes, and came straight back to the hospital last night. There was no way he was leaving her alone, not if it's true and Shadowmoth had figured their identities, he would be there to protect her all day and all night if he had too.

"A-Adrien, why are you here again? How did you get in?"

"Chat Noir told them I'm your soulmate so they'll let me in." He walked back to the chair and took off his jacket. It was one she'd never seen before, to be fair he was dressed differently to what she'd grown used to.

"New clothes?" She asked.

"Yeah. I'm trying to break away from my father."

"You look good." She settled back into her bed and ran her hands through her hair, she desperately needed a shower.

"Thanks. Listen, Marinette, I think we need to ta-" before Adrien could finish his sentence, a knock came from the door. Slowly, it opened and, surprisingly, Alya stepped into the room, she was winding her fingers together and looking sheepish.

"Sorry for interrupting, your mama put me on the visitation list."

"It's great to see you, Al." Marinette looked over to her friend, who at the moment was scrutinising Adrien. The atmosphere was tense and she had no idea why, What had happened at the mall?

"Would it be ok to have a word with Adrien outside? It'll be quick." Marinette was scared for the poor boy, Alya seemed everything but calm at the moment.

Adrien gulped and looked at his soulmate,

"I think that might be a good idea." He said, "We'll be back in a minute." Smiling to Marinette, he made his way to the door, Alya following closely behind.

As they exited the room, the nurse glided past them with a breakfast tray for Marinette. Full continental with croissants, meats and cheese. Adrien and Alya stood staring as the nurse passed them again, dropping off the tray with Marinette before moving onto her next job. Fake smiles passed between the three humans, as Adrien counted down the moments until Ayla attacked.

In 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...

As the door shut Alya grabbed Adrien's shirt and slammed his back into the wall.

"What the hell are you doing? Actually, no, don't answer that yet." She stretched into her pocket, one arm still pinning Adrien to the wall. "What do you know and how?"

"I thought we'd been through this," Adrien stated.

Alya continued her hold on Adrien, gripping harder as she tensed.

"You were Chat at the time? Now I get to kick Adrien's ass."

"Trust me , please," Adrien placed his hands on Alya's and pulled it from his shirt. He was trying to calm her down, but it was as though a new wave of fire hit her.

"Trust you? Why? Give me one good reason."

"Because I'm her soulmate."

Alya's voice came out quiet and harsh, "her soulmate who wanted to marry someone else."

Adrien dropped his hands from her shoulders and felt as though he'd just been slapped in the face. She was right, Alya was right again.

"I'm sorry I really am. There's a lot you don't know. But yes I'm an idiot, a coward, a fool. I just ... Marinette understands the reason why, I've told her. She knows."

Alya looked at him, studying his face. He looked weak and weary, he'd finally left his fathers clutches, he saved his best friend and soulmate, he was one half of the worlds greatest super duo, maybe just maybe he deserved a chance to make this right.

"You have an hour to tell her. Make sure she puts on the earrings when it is safe to do so." She turned and walked down the corridor. Leaving Adrien to decide what to do. He felt in his pocket and pulled out the earrings.

Twenty minutes later he'd got a plan and an award winning speech. He was going to go into Marinette's room, woo her with his words, grovel again for forgiveness and give her back her earrings.

Pushing the door open He walked in like a man possessed, he was going to get his girl and charm the socks off her. Well, that was until his grand plan flew out the window along with his heart and lungs.

"You know kid, this hospital cheese sucks. Don't you agree, pigtails?"