Between Generations

Chapter 34

Red electricity slipped over the entirety of Ladybug's body, restoring the dull cold color of her suit to its original vibrant red.

Lise backed away, her breath catching. She clasped the Miraculous tin in her left hand.

The figure sat up, and surveyed her surroundings in robotic motions. She blinked.

When her eyes fell on Chat Noir, her cold blue eyes softened, and seemed to regain her humanity. Anguish coarsed through Lise's body from Ladybug.

Ladybug fell to her knees beside Chat Noir's enclosure.

"They really did it, then, my love," she whispered. "They stole our Miraculouses, and used dark magic to conceal us here." She looked at her hand, still covered by the versatile suit material. "But how...?"

It was then that she finally noticed her.

Lise tried to retreat into the shadows, but she knew it was useless.

"Who are you?"

Lise held the Miraculous tin close to her chest for comfort as she stepped closer. "I'm Lise. I came to wake you up. All of you. Everything's going wrong. He...the man...he's trying to get this." She held out the tin.

Ladybug's eyes widened in recognition. "All of the Miraculouses...but how?"

"It's a long story. But here."

Ladybug gazed at the tin. She reached out for it, and studied it intensely. Her eyes met Lise's.

To Lise's surprise, there were tears in them.

"Thank you, Lise."

She opened her love's glass enclosure and slipped on his black ring.

A few moments later, Lise's father was awake.

-----

Lise gulped in air as she sprinted down the streets. The late evening breeze was giving way to the dark midnight chill, but there was an uneasy feeling in the air. The sky was clear except for a few dark clouds ominously looming over the young girl.

Something's going to happen. I can feel it.

She finally reached her apartment building, now feeling sure that she wouldn't run into the fortune teller from before. She was probably long gone now.

Lise jammed her keys into the lock, and sprinted up the stairs. She slammed open the door of her home.

Her parents' footsteps echoed through the house when they came running. "Lise? Is that you?"

"Mom! Dad!" Lise grasped a dining room chair and leaned on it, gasping for breath. It looked eerily similar to the chair where she had sat in when she was at the fortune teller's.

Her mother's pink hair was flattened and frizzy when she raced toward her daughter in her white rollerblade pajamas. Kim followed in a matching set in neon green. His eyes had dark circles around them, and Lise suddenly noticed a fresh set of wrinkles had formed by the corners of his lips.

"Where have you been, citrouille?" Alix exclaimed as she enveloped her in a hug. "We've been calling and calling. I came into your room to make sure you were asleep, but you were gone! I was so worried..."

Lise sighed deeply into her mother's hug. I am so, so loved.

Why do I always have to ruin everything?

"Mom." Lise pulled away. "I'm really sorry to worry you both. I really am. I'll explain later what happened, but first..." She hesitated. "I need to know. Am I adopted?"

Both Kim and Alix sucked in a breath. Her father's eyes widened not with shock, but with realization.

Lise could tell that both her parents knew that it was time.

"Yes," Alix exhaled. "And we'll explain everything to you too, but..." She turned to her husband, who walked over to the desk in the living room and opened a drawer. He pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper.

"You need to read this," he said quietly.

With trembling hands, Lise took the paper, and unfolded it.

She absorbed the words.

An eternity seemed to pass while Lise read the note and her loving parents watched.

A tear slipped down her cheek.

So much time had passed since the writing of this note, but since Lise's experience in the past, it almost felt like she had met the person who wrote it.

Just yesterday.

"Thank you." She embraced her parents. "And...I'm sorry, but I've got to go."

"Lise, wait." Her mother held out a hand to stop her. "Where are you going?"

The concern in her mother's eyes touched Lise. It was so surprising to know that even if she wasn't her daughter, Alix Kubdel still cared for Lise so very deeply.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir are back. But the villain is coming. Paris is no longer safe."

-----

Dark clouds were covering the sky, sending an ominous threat of rain down to the two superheroes waiting in the middle of the quiet road.

A few buildings around them were reduced to rubble, events of the Dark Collector's actions while Lise was in the past.

Ladybug clasped her husband's hand as they surveyed the scene before them. The roads were cracked from impacts of akumas, graffiti was sprayed on property, and once-thriving shops and restaurants were now abandoned.

She swallowed a sob. She turned to Chat Noir.

The once-skinny young boy from her teens had become a lean, muscular man, and his leather catsuit had stretched itself to fit his broad chest, biceps, and thighs. His hair had been cut short before their marriage, from the usual swooping blond locks to a more masculine cut. His jawline had sharpened from the soft young shape they used to be.

Ladybug had changed herself. Her facial features had matured, and she no longer wore two ponytails, rather, she did updo's. She looked up at Chat Noir, her height barely reaching his shoulders. His cat-green eyes gazed down at her.

"Did we make the right choice, Adrien?" Ladybug whispered.

He touched her cheek with a leather-covered hand. He rubbed his thumb along her cheekbone. She reached up to it and held it close. Her red-and-black covered hand contrasted with his dark hand.

"We made the choice we believed would be the best," he said softly, his deep voice startling her for a moment. He exhaled slowly from his nostrils, and Ladybug felt comfort in his presence. She closed her eyes.

"Fifteen years," she breathed. "So much time has been lost. Do you think she's still here?"

Chat Noir smiled. "We'll have to find out."

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