He couldn't bring himself to look at Alya or Nino. He didn't even want to imagine what their expressions looked like. Instead, he focused on Marinette. She was as tense and anxious as he was, but something in her eyes kept him steady –kept him from drowning in the guilt and regret that was trying to swallow him whole.

He moved towards her, "How –,"

"I saw the battle," she said, "I saw him standing in Hawk Moth's place when his miraculous was removed. I never told anyone."

He was relieved that she'd protected his family, but he couldn't understand why she'd done it. Even in London there'd been articles about people asking about the disappearance of the akumas and questions on the identity of Hawk Moth. Rewards were listed, ones worth thousands of pounds, and yet she hadn't said a word.

Alya's voice died on her lips and Nino came up behind her, his eyes just as wide. "Bro...you...you're joking right?"

Adrien shook his head and Alya's face twisted into an array of odd expressions, changing as though she didn't know which one to settle for. "You mean to tell me that this whole time, Gabriel Agreste was the one terrorizing Paris."

Marinette didn't say anything else and Nino began rubbing circles on Alya's back. "Nino," she muttered, "I think I need some air." He didn't hesitate. Moving his arm around Alya's waist, he ushered her outside the kitchen into the lounge and left Marinette alone with Adrien.

He couldn't stop the questions formulating in his head. The final battle had taken place in his manor, a far cry from the average street in Paris. They'd shattered the window during their brawl, so it was possible, but he couldn't understand how he'd never even saw her.

"That's why you never questioned me," he mumbled, "You knew all along why I was leaving." She sent him a guilty smile and he couldn't help but admire the small blush along her cheeks. "You've been keeping my secret for all these years. Why?"

"It wasn't my secret to tell," she replied.

She turned her back to him, mixing the hot chocolate powder with the boiling water from the kettle and he sat down on the bar stool. With every passing second, the thought of her being his Lady didn't seem so far fetched. She knew something only he and Ladybug were supposed to, her child was the right age and the father was absent from their lives.

"I...I heard you have a son," he said, feeling his pulse quicken with every word.

"Did you hear it from Chloe?" she asked, her tone bordering on hostile.

Adrien sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, but that's not important. I –,"

"It's important to me," she snapped. She turned around to face him, leaning back against the counter on the far wall and glaring at him from over her mug. "What did she say to you?"

He didn't know whether it was a good idea to answer, but the way Marinette approached the topic of Chloe made him realize that one wrong word could still have him kicked out of her home and banned before he had time to blink.

He swallowed thickly. "She said you had him while you were still seventeen." He glanced up to see her reaction, but her eyes were void and hollow. She was hiding her emotions and he grew increasingly afraid the longer he spoke. "She said you don't know who his father is."

Marinette sighed, her face more tired and worn than irritated. "I was drunk that night. I couldn't remember where I was or who I was with. The next morning I woke up alone with a hangover and before I knew it I was pregnant."

"You didn't get an abortion?" she asked.

Marinette looked horrified. "No!" she hissed, "I'd never –," She inhaled deeply, the air seeming to spread throughout her body and relax every muscle. "I'd never do that to an innocent life."

"But you didn't know who that father was and you were just a kid," he replied. "Weren't you scared?"

"Terrified." She looked up at him and Adrien was taken aback by the desperation in her bluebell eyes. Then she blinked and the pain was gone, replaced by her something cheerful and bright. "But I survived and I don't regret a thing. Hugo is the light of my life now."

Hugo. So that was his name.

"You're very strong, Marinette." Adrien played with his hands on the kitchen counter and thought of his sheltered childhood. He thought back to the isolation he'd experienced after his mother's disappearance and how hard Natalie tried to be there for him instead, checking on him and listening whenever he felt alone. "You're so very strong."

"I had people there to help me."

"And I'm sorry I wasn't one of them." Looking up at her, Adrien was surprised by how much he meant it. Aside from Nino, Marinette was the closest friend he'd ever had. She always tried to do what was right, to keep everyone around her happy and he'd told Plagg once after he'd turned sixteen that if it weren't for Ladybug, he might've fallen in love with her instead.

She smiled then, something earnest and warm. "It's all right. Even if you were here I'd never expect you to help me. He's not your child."

The words made Adrien wince and he coughed in his fist to disguise it. "Besides Hugo what else has changed?" he asked.

Marinette's soft smile widened and she approached him, cradling her mug in her hands. She sat down beside him, her dark hair tied in the same short pigtails that had become her signature hairstyle. "Well, Kim entered the Olympics and is married to Ondine. Nathaniel's gotten into a famous art school over in Italy and Luka's band went viral on the web.

"What about Max?" he asked, "Or Ivan and Mylène."

Marinette took a sip of her hot chocolate and smiled. "Max is working at a space station in America, working with their equipment. Ivan and Mylène married the year after they graduated and have two kids together, Clément and Jeanne."

It was hard to picture everything the way Marinette had said. He knew everyone in his class would one day grow older and go their separate ways, but to hear how they'd already begun starting their new lives was hard to swallow. He could still picture Max advising Kim on the most rational course of action or see Alix and Chloe arguing over the value of sports.

"Sounds like they have everything all figured out," he mumbled.

Alya and Nino stepped back into the room then and forced him to start explaining everything, every hint and every clue that they could've missed. Alya asked most of the questions while Nino added a couple every now and then.

It was hard, making up explanations that wouldn't make them suspect him of being Chat Noir, especially with them so critical of what he'd said.

"Please, don't tell anyone," he said, "My father would be completely ruined and we've worked so hard to put everything behind us these past seven years."

"Of course we won't tell anymore," replied Alya, "I just...I'm sorry Adrien. I wish we'd know."

Nino sat down in her dinning chair across from them and frowned. "I always knew there was something weird about him." Alya slapped his arm, but it only made him scoot further away from her. "I'm serious," he said, "He was always just so...harsh."

Alya shook her head, placing her hand on Adrien's arm. "Ignoring him, where are you staying?"

"I'm staying at Chloe's hotel until the movers bring some of the stuff to the old house. It should only take about a day or two."

Alya smirked, "Then I'm sure you saw that beauty mark Marinette gave her." Marinette looked away from them both and Adrien couldn't help but worry about the whole ordeal. Chloe was still upset about it, but that was expected with how much she loved drama. If Marinette was upset, then it must've been something bad.

"W –Well what exactly happened between you two?" he asked. Nino looked away and Marinette didn't answer.

"Chloe was being her typical self and –,"

"She insulted my integrity in front of Hugo and said that it was my fault he didn't have a father." Adrien's stomach churned with guilt and he instinctively reached over to grab her hand. She offered him a weak smile, but it was hardly the reaction he actually wanted.

"I'm sorry, Marinette."

"That's not even the worst part. What am I gonna tell him when he asks me? What am I going to say to him when he realizes that he's missing a father?" she asked, running her hand down her face.

Adrien wanted to tell her that he could act as Hugo's father, but he wasn't yet sure if she was Ladybug and attaching himself to a child that wasn't really his was dangerous –especially since he was still chasing Ladybug. He needed proof first. He needed to know.

"Do you remember –,"

"No," she snapped, "I don't remember anything about him." Adrien frowned, expecting her to provide some sort of hint that he could use to piece together the father's identity.

"No eye color, no hair, no –,"

"Hugo has green eyes," said Alya suddenly and a smile slipped onto Adrien's face. "They look real cute on him too."

Turning back to Marinette, he ignored the flashing defiance in her eyes and squeezed her hand tighter. "Think, Marinette. Don't you remember anything about him? Was he a brunette, a ginger, a –," he swallowed thickly, "A blonde?"

Marinette snatched her hand away from his, bringing it to her chest and scowled at the table in front of her. Watching as she closed her eyes, Adrien waited anxiously for an answer to slip passed her lips –a confirmation that Marinette was the girl he was in love with.

"Dark hair," she mumbled, "I think he was a brunette." All Adrien's hopes shattered.

"A brunette?" asked Nino, "You sure?"

"Yeah," she replied, nodding slowly, "Yeah, he was a brunette. But everything else is hazy." Adrien didn't bother about anything else. It wasn't her. She wasn't Ladybug.

He'd been so close to discovering her, to finding her and fixing the mistake he'd made by running away all those years ago. Perhaps if he'd stayed he would've found out who she was or been able to love her like he'd always wanted to. Perhaps if he hadn't left things would be different.

All he knew now was that the girl beside him, while he loved her deeply, wasn't the one he was looking for. And he had no idea where to go from there.

See, drama!!! I have so many ideas for this type of plot and I really hope they get to work out the way I want them to. Thanks to everyone for all your votes and comments on previous chapters, they really help me try and make time during my busy days for this story.

Please don't forget to vote or comment if you liked this chapter and I'll update again as soon as I can.