A Little Fall of Rain

The Ritual

Marinette was at a loss. Was... was this supposed to happen? She looked over to Adrien, hoping that he might say something. After all, he was the only one that had been through the ritual before. However, Adrien remained focused on his mother. Soon, Nathalie repositioned herself on the floor, gently laying Gabriel's head in her lap. Her fingers softly caressed his hair.

Soon, the Kwamis ended their song. Their glowing light faded, and, once again only candlelight lit the apartment. Marinette looked over to Adrien, wishing she knew what he was thinking. She couldn't imagine what he must be feeling right now. What if it was her parents lying lifeless on the floor? Marinette shivered as she held his hand.

The seconds turned into minutes. No one spoke, not even the Kwamis. Occasionally, a candle would pop or fizz, or a siren wailed in the distance. But other than that, they all sat in thick, heavy silence.

Plagg flew over to Adrien and touched his shoulder reassuringly, but Marinette doubted Adrien knew he was there. He just sat staring wide-eyed at his parents' unmoving bodies.

With every minute that passed, a heavy dread started building in Marinette. She had never felt so useless. What if Gabriel failed? Could Adrien live with the guilt that he had stood by and watched his father needlessly die?

Suddenly, Emilie arched her back as she gasped for air. At the same time, Marinette heard Gabriel begin to cough. Then, his eyes shot open, and he twisted out of Nathalie's lap. He sat up an instant later, cupping his wife's face.

"My love?"

Emilie's eyes flickered open as she inhaled a weak raspy breath. "Gabriel?"

Marinette heard Adrien gasp.

"Yes, I'm here," Gabriel nodded, choking back a sob. He then gently lifted his wife, pulling her into his lap. Squeezing his eyes shut, Gabriel buried his face in her hair, letting his cries grow louder by the second. Weakly, Emilie raised an arm and rested her hand on his wrist.

Marinette looked over to Adrien. He had a look of pure astonishment on his face.

"Where am I?" Emilie asked as she blinked in the dim candlelight, trying to take in her surroundings. "Nathalie? Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me," Nathalie responded with tears streaming down her face. "Glad to have you with us again."

Emilie looked around the room until her eyes settled on Marinette and Adrien.

"Oh, hello," Emilie greeted shyly. She then squinted as she looked at Adrien, her head cocked ever so slightly. "You... you remind me of my son."

Adrien's face fell at her words. Marinette's heart broke as Emilie continued to gaze at him, her eyes showing no sign of recognition.

Letting go of Marinette's hand, Adrien gestured toward his chest. His chin trembled as he spoke. "It's... it's me, Mom. It's Adrien."

Emilie's smile quickly faded as confusion washed over her face. She continued to stare at Adrien, blinking as if her mind couldn't understand what her eyes were telling her. Before long, her face contorted in a look of pure terror.

"How long?" Emilie demanded as she turned back toward Gabriel. "How long has it been?!"

Gabriel's face fell to an expression of pure heartbreak. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"Over three years," Nathalie told her bluntly.

Emilie's brows furrowed in shock as she turned toward her Adrien. Her eyes darted around rapidly, trying to take in the teenager in front of her.

"No, he's too old," Emilie slowly shook her head. "Adrien is... he's only thirteen."

"I'm... sixteen, Mom."

Emilie's chest started to rise and fall rapidly. She turned back toward Gabriel with desperation in her eyes. "You can fix this, right? You can... use whatever you have to, and you can fix this!"

Gabriel shook his head. "Not this time, my love."

Emilie turned back toward Adrien, reaching toward him with hesitant fingers. Adrien leaned forward, allowing her to cup his face in her hands. Emilie's face was ghostly pale as she stared into her son's eyes.

"I... I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I never meant for this to happen. I didn't think-" Emilie's voice stopped as she began to cry, her body shaking with every breath.

"It will be okay, Mom. You're back with us now." Adrien wrapped his arms around her and gently pulled her into a hug. "It will be okay."

As Marinette watched mother and son hold each other, it was hard to keep her emotions in check. Yet, she had no idea what she was feeling. This sweet, gentle boy deserved so much love and happiness. But, at the same time, she could help but realize that this had been Hawkmoth's goal the entire time. Her enemy got precisely what he wanted. Marinette tried to shake the thought from her head. For now, wasn't it enough that she was happy for Adrien?

"Marinette?" she flinched as Gabriel said her name. She reluctantly looked up to meet Gabriel's eyes. "My family is whole again," he continued softly. "I'll do anything you ask. Even if it means going to the police and turning myself in."

Marinette's jaw dropped.

"Gabriel?" Nathalie looked at him in confusion.

"Wait? What do you mean?" Emilie asked, pulling away from Adrien.

Suddenly, everyone in the room was looking toward Marinette.

"I... I don't know," Marinette stammered. It was what she always wanted, right? Hawkmoth behind bars. His Akumas had terrorized Paris for years, leaving countless traumatized. And yet... Now that it was a real possibility, Marinette didn't know what to do.

Desperate for guidance, she looked over to Adrien.

"Father, there will be time for that later." Adrien gently said while wiping his eyes with the backs of his fists. "Right now, you should get Mom to a hospital. I'll be there soon. But first, there's something I need to do."

"I need to take Marinette home."