Hey everyone! This chapter has around 3000 words, so I suggest you get comfy!
Enjoy!
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The ambulance soon arrived to pick up the dangerously wounded Gabriel, and help him.

"Dad! You will be ok, I promise! You will live!" Adrien said to his father inside the ambulance.

Meanwhile, Noroo was in poor condition as well. His wings started to turn to ash, and he grew weaker and weaker. Master Fu did gave his all to heal Noroo, but he didn't have high hopes.

Could this be the end for Noroo?

Tikki, on the other hand was getting better and better. Her spots returned, and she could float again. But her eyes were still, broken. Nobody knew why. She was safe, right? No reason to be sad?

"Tikki, what's wrong? Please, smile, nod, look at me, anything!" Plagg begged her. Tikki looked at him, and whispered with a shaky breath:
"Plagg, Spotty Bane...."

But she trailed off as Marinette silently entered Master Fu's home. They made eye contact, both instantly bursting into tears, running and flying into each other's arms.

"Oh Tikki! My sweet little Tikki! You came back to me! You came back to me!" Marinette smiled through her tears.
"Marinette! My Marinette! I missed you so much!" Tikki smiled back at her.

They hugged like that for a while, Tikki showering Marinette's cheek with kisses, and Marinette giggling like a little girl. Then, Tikki remembered something:

"Marinette! How's your baby?"

At that, Marinette's smile disappeared. Her eyes became glossy, as she tried to supress the memory. With a whisper, she replied:
"One of them is fine, the other...." She trailed off, blinking back tears. Tikki looked sadly at her, and hugged her cheek. Then, she went down to her stomach, and leaned her head on it.

Humming in approval, she went back up to Marinette, and said:
" This baby is very healthy, Marinette. I am sorry you lost the other."

"Its ok, Tikki. It was my fault anyways." Marinette looked down.
Tikki gasped and asked her:
"Who told you that??? You didn't kill her on purpose!"

Marinette looked up at Tikki, and bit her lip.
"Spotty Bane...."

"Don't listen to that lying, disgusting, low-life snake." Plagg growled.

"Plagg!" Tikki turned to him, wide eyed.
"What Tikki? What do you have to say? Don't even try telling me he has good in him, because he doesn't. You two should know that first." Plagg snapped at her, and flew away.

Tikki sighed, and looked back at Marinette, and said:
" Spotty Bane isn't a great father figure, but he does care."

Tikki looked away, expecting Marinette to gawk at her words, but instead she said:
" I don't doubt it. He is similar to Gabriel in many ways, only he had much more time to screw things up." Marinette smiled at Tikki, leaving Tikki gawking at her words.

At the hospital

Adrien was in the waiting room, staring at the wall. His father is currently being operated on, because the bullet damaged his heart.

Adrien sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, when he heard heels clicking down the hallway. The person with the heels turned a corner, and came into view. Her usually tied up hair was loose, her outfit was different, and her sunglasses were missing.

Chloe.

Once she saw him, empathy filled her eyes as she walked hastily towards him. Adrien stood up, and looked at her with a frown.

"Chloe? What are you doing here?"
"I was close by and I heard your dad got shot." She stood two feet away from him.

(Watch it! This is a Chloe and Adrien scene. You have been warned)

Awkward silence filled the hallway for a few minutes, and then Chloe spoke:
"Adrien, I am sorry. For your father. And for everything." She looked at him, and then looked down.

Adrien was stunned for a few seconds, and then he smiled and replied:
"Apology accepted."

"Really?" Now it was Chloe's turn to be stunned.

"Yeah. Its stupid to hold grudges, the past is the past." Adrien replied.

"But... I thought..." Chloe couldn't form a sentence to save her life.
"Chloe. You are my first friend ever. No matter how annoying and spoiled you might act, you are still my first friend."
Chloe's surprised look was replaced with a happy one, as she ran and hugged him.

"Thank you so much, Adrikins!" She yelled, making him cringe a little. Soon, a buzzing of a phone ended their hug, as Chloe jumped and looked at her phone.

"Oh, that's my boyfriend!"
"Boyfriend?" Adrien questioned.
"Yeah. Louis, he is really hot! And rich! And lovable! And everything!" Chloe swooned over him.

Adrien shook his head and smiled. Some things never change, no matter how hard you try.

"Anyways, I have to go now. See you later Adrikins, I hope we can repeat this sometimes!" She squeaked as she leaned and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

But the moment her lips touched his cheek, a voice echoed in his head.

Got you.

And the image of a snake, black with purple spots, staring him down with an evil glint appeared in his head. The snake hissed and lazily opened its mouth, as if prepairing to swallow him whole.

"Sir! Sir!" A nurse shook him, snapping him out of his trance. He blinked a couple of times, and looked down at the short nurse.

"Your father has survived the operation. He is recovering right now." She said, looking down at the chart she held.

Adrien was confused. Already? That's fast. He looked on the clock on the wall, only to see that three hours had passed! Why didn't Chloe snap him out of it? Damn, she probably didn't even notice he froze.

"Can I visit him now?" Adrien looked back down at the nurse, and she shook her head.

" He is still in intensive care. Visiting hours are tomorrow from 5 to 7. Now, you need to fill out some paperwork, Mr.Agreste."

Adrien just nodded and followed the nurse. Suddenly, the back of his neck and his back started to sting. He hissed and stopped in his track. The nurse turned and lifted her brow at him.

"Sir? What's wrong?"
"My back really stings." Adrien hissed as he tried to rub his back. The nurse went behind him, and lifted his shirt.

"Sir, a sting like that is expected when you have a new tattoo."
"Tattoo? What tattoo?"

The nurse took her phone out, and took a picture. She showed him the picture, and he was honestly terrified. The snake bent and twisted to form an S and a B. The head was on the back of his neck, smirking at him from the picture.

Did Spotty Bane just.... Brand him??? As his property??? This can't be good.

With Slithering Bane

Snakes soon ruled the former Serpentina mansion, guarding it and calling it home.

Slithering Bane was floating around the room he calls home, when he felt it. Adrien is finally available to him. He laughed coldly, which called his minions over. The Evillustrator, Bubbler, Volpina, and Jack, were all lined up in front of him, Jack the only one relaxed.

Slithering Bane made eye contact with each and every one of them, and said:

"Well, my dear servants and friends, we have achieved the first phase of our plan. Agreste will belong to me now."

"Master Slither, If I may ask, why didn't you take Marinette when you could, if she has the same power level?" Volpina asked.

"Marinette is too weak right now. She is a powerhouse, and makes for an interesting toy. She just doesn't have anything I could provoke her with. Adrien on the other hand...." Slithering Bane smirked.

Volpina nodded in understanding, but still had questions on her mind.

Back to Marinette

"...Yeah. Ok, Adrien. See you in 10 minutes." And Mari hung up. Master Fu looked up, still holding his cup of tea.

"What's on your mind, child?" Master Fu spoke as he closed his eyes. Marinette took a deep breath, and said:

"Sometimes. It doesn't even feel like I'm pregnant. I don't have cravings, morning sickness, and all of the things I had in the beginning. Its just weird, you know?" Marinette looked through the window, putting her hand over her stomach.

Master Fu put down his cup, and sighed.
"Marinette, you don't need those symptoms to prove you are pregnant. Some women don't ever get those symptoms. And as for not feeling the baby, that's my fault. That oil Adrien rubbed into your stomach when you were battling your child was freezing oil. It freezes everything inside your stomach, including the other child."

Marinette blinked at him in surprise, and felt a bit of fear as she asked:
"W-will my baby be alright?"

Master Fu nodded, and said:
"The baby should start growing again in a month."
Marinette let out a breath of relief, and waited for Adrien to come.

10 minutes later

A knock was heard at Master Fu's door, and soon Adrien joined them. He sat down on the couch, near Marinette, and gave her a long kiss on her lips. After that, he picked her up, and put her on his lap, while she giggled at this. She leaned her head back on his chest, while he held her by her hips, but was extra careful.

" How is your father, Adrien?" Master Fu calmly asked.
"He is recovering. The surgery went well, he just needs time. What about his kwami?" Adrien asked back.
"Noroo is doing badly, I'm afraid. Both Tikki and Plagg are trying their best to repair him, but its going slowly. He will be out for the next few months."

Marinette's eyes widened, as she remembered the students that got transformed into Darkblade's minions.
"What about Stormy Weather? Animan? Darkblade and his servants?"

"They still have a couple of days before detransforming, don't worry."
Marinette sighed in relief.

"But you must know that time is running out. We can't fight him for much longer." Master Fu said with a serious look.

"Then, let's go all in, tonight. We can't afford any civilian deaths, or further damage to the city." Adrien said.

Both Marinette and Master Fu looked at him like he had grown a second head.

"Are you sure, Adrien? Do you think this is a good idea?" Master Fu asked him with a slightly raised voice.

" Yes Master. I am sure. As we speak, we are risking lives of innocent people. We can't keep going on like this. This way, we will atleast know we tried, if we failed." Adrien looked him straight in the eyes.

Marinette broke out into a smile, and Master Fu nodded his head.
"Only if your partner agrees with this."

"His partner agrees." Marinette said in a light voice.

Adrien smiled an honest smile, and said to her:
"You don't even know how much I love you."

"I do have a faint clue, you know." She winked at him playfully.

"Marinette, whatever happens here, I want you to know that you are the best thing that ever happened to me." Adrien whispered to her as he kissed her cheek.

"And you, Mr.Agreste, are the best crush I ever had." She leaned her forehead against his, and closed her eyes.

After stealing a kiss from her, he lifted her again, and put her aside.
" I would love to cuddle more, but I should feed Plagg now. I habe a feeling he will come whining here any second now."

"How do you know?" Mari tilted her head to the right.
"Oh, years of experience." He flashed a smile, and went to the other room. Tikki soon flew out of the same room, and landed on Marinette's lap, munching on a cookie.

Half an hour later

Both Adrien and Plagg exited the room, Plagg sitting on Adrien's shoulder, eating camembert.

"We are going out for a walk, we'll be back soon." Adrien said as they exited the flat.

After walking for a while and sitting on a bench, Adrien let out a long sigh.

"What's been getting to you, kid?" Plagg casually asked while looking at the melting snow.

"Everything, Plagg. Spotty Bane, the baby, my dad being Hawkmoth..."

"Oh. Yeah, I was pretty shocked when I figured it out at first." Plagg said as he swallowed the rest of the smelly cheese.

Adrien turned to him, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"Plagg? You knew? You knew this enitre time, and you didn't say anything?!" Adrien asked him, his voice filling with anger.

"You were supposed to find out on your own, Adrien." Plagg replied.

Adrien stood up, while Plagg floated on the same place.
"You mean to tell me that this whole time, you knew I was fighting my father, and you said nothing?!"

"Yes. So?" Plagg didn't even look at Adrien while replying.

Adrien's anger boiled, as he yelled:
"Why do you have such a chill atitude towards this! This is no small talk!"

" Adrien, you are acting like a teen all over again. That's in the past now. I don't get you humans. Always so caught up in the past. Especially you and Marinette." Plagg looked him with cold eyes.

"So what you are saying now is, we should just forget the past?! Marinette should just forget she ever got posioned, lost our kid, and almost died?! She should just forget about that and live on like nothing happened?!"

"Yes. Yes she should. It is not a big deal, Adrien. She survived, end of story!" Plagg was getting angry as well.

" I've had enough of you, Plagg! It's like you don't care about Marinette anymore!" Adrien shouted.

" Well, maybe I don't right now, because Tikki is in danger!" Plagg growled back.

"Tikki isn't in any danger! She is safe back at Master Fu's place!"

"You dumbass!!! SPOTTY BANE CAN TAKE HER AWAY AT ANY MOMENT! I'M PRETTY SURE HE LOST ALL INTEREST IN MARINETTE!!!"

" YOU CAN'T JUST CARE ABOUT TIKKI!!! CARE ABOUT THE OTHERS AS WELL, YOU STUPID CAT!"

"OH YEAH? WATCH ME!"

Adrien suddenly snapped. He can't take this anymore. Why should he? He will do anything possible to protect his family, and if Plagg is so selfish, then they shouldn't work together.

"I've had enough of you, Plagg." He said coldly.

"What did you say?" Plagg widened his eyes.

" I've had enough." Adrien threw the ring into the dirt, and left through the shadows.

But before leaving, he said:
"You really are the son of that rotten snake."

With Slithering Bane

Slithering Bane was overjoyed. Plagg is out of the way! All the work has been done for him. He flew gracefully back to his minions, and said:

" Jack, Evillustrator. Get my prey for me, now." Slithering Bane turned to them, keeping his smile on his face.

When they left, Volpina tried asking him one more time:
"Master? I still don't get it. What's so special about him? Why him?"

"Why, my dearest Volpina, the answer is simple." Slithering Bane smiled down at her, a glint of madness in his eyes.
" He is the descendant...."

Slither sat on her shoulder, and spoke:

"...Of Nightmare Fury, my strongest holder, ever." Slithering Bane let out a laugh before continuing:
"And now, he is no longer under a kwami's protection...."

"And I can revive her!" His sinister laugh spread through the room, making even his snakes scatter.

"But first, time to get the main ingredient."

With Adrien

Adrien was walking down a dark alley. He noticed that the sun was setting, but he couldn't care less.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of him. Once he took a closer look, his jaw clenched.

Jack.

He heard rustling behind him, and turned to see the Evillustrator standing there with a wide smirk.

"What do you two clowns want?" Adrien spat at them.

"You." Both answered at the same time, and a box suddenly surrounded Adrien.

A few minutes later

The box around Adrien disappeared, leaving him in a dimly litted room. He looked around, and at first, saw nothing. But then, a candle lit itself. On the table, on a plate, was a severed finger. On that finger, was a beautiful ring. Gold, with a big black diamond in the middle.

Adrien immediatley knew who this belonged to, and stepped away.

"Spotty Bane! Where are you!" He shouted. After a few seconds, nothing.
But then, and eerie voice spoke:

"Spotty Bane isn't available right now. Do you wish to leave a message?"

Adrien turned to see Slithering Bane, shining in the candle light.
"Who are you?"

"Slithering Bane is the name." Slither smiled.
" I came here to help you." He continued.

"Help me? With what?" Adrien said.
" Don't play dumb with me, Adrien! I know about the voices. I have them too." Slither smirked while pretending to knock on his head.

The voices. Adrien never told anyone about those. Ever since he transformed into that thing, he has been hearing voices, whispering in the night, in his dreams, from the shadows in the corners.

" It is torturing you, isn't it? Voices in your head, immense power tearing at your soul, your soulmate in danger.... You want to control the demon, isn't that right... Adrien Agreste?" Slither circled around his head.

Yes, yes he does. Maybe..... Maybe he will be able to protect Marinette completely, if he can control it.

" Yes...." He replied. He knew he was making deals with the devil, but he will do anything to end this.

" I would be pleased to help you, Adrien. But you must give me something in return." What can Adrien possibly give him. He didn't know, and he honestly didn't care.

" You can have anything you want, after I am certain Marinette and the baby are safe."

Slithering Bane smiled, and said:
" Well then, I am pleased to meet you..."

Slithering Bane landed on his shoulder smirking, while Adrien took the black diamond ring.

" .... Partner."

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Well then. A lot of things happened, and yeah....

I will make that bouns chapter! So,

I have a question:
What do you want the Bonus chapter to be about?
1. Adrienette fluff
2. The history of Spotty Bane
3. DjWifi fluff
4. A look through Emma's eyes.

I hope you liked this chapter! This story is

To be continued in: War of Change: Clash of two Titans.

Stay safe kitties!

☆Ocean Fury☆