Alfred looked at the teens in the back of the car that conversed in French, glad to finally meet the duo that were Amira's latest addition to her circle of friends.
While Amira called them mere conveniences, Alfred knew that they were anything but that. After all, she would talk about them during half of their weekly calls.
Shortly before leaving for Paris, Amira had asked if she was able to do weekly calls with him, Alfred quickly agreeing and even giving her a private line for their calls.
Around two and a half weeks ago, Amira had told him about her two friends going to Gotham and asking if there was some way to ensure their safety.
Amira suggested the family hosting their stay, in which Alfred found it to be a marvelous idea.
"If I may ask Miss Amira, why did you suggest this idea?"
"I need to make sure they're safe." She told him. "Paris' Victims are one thing, Gotham's villains are another. Seeing as I'm not allowed to even be near a gala until I'm officially introduced to society, I need to do what I can to ensure their safety...I don't want to lose them."
"Pardon me for suggesting this Miss Amira, but why don't you just come to Gotham to ensure their safety?
"As much as I know that I can, you know I really can't. Paris needs me here. They need Ladybird to remain in Paris until the Hawkmoth threat is lifted. Until then, I am to stay here..."
"M.Pennyworth, is this really okay with M.Wayne? In regards to hosting our stay, that is." Chloe asked, feeling Adrien squeeze her hand.
Despite already being teens, there were still habits the two still shared. After all, Chloe was the only other child Adrien knew growing up. She was his safety blanket during events they were forced to attend as kids... just like he was hers.
She still remembers them as clear as day.
"Have no worries about it, Miss Chloe, Master Adrien. Master Bruce and Master Dick were delighted to hear about the two of you attending tomorrow's gala, Master Dick more so than Master Bruce."
"Master Dick?" Adrien decided to ask. His father never told him about there being another Wayne.
"Master Bruce's son. Adopted, of course." Alfred elaborated, not once taking his eyes off the road. "Seems like we have arrived. Welcome to Wayne Manor."
-----
Tim peeked from behind the doorway when he heard two accented voices join Alfred's upon the manor door opening.
Tim watched as the two blonds gawked at the manor interior, setting their luggage beside themselves.
He jumped when a hand landed on his head, Tim turning to see Dick looking at him with a tired smile.
Tim frowned.
"You should be in bed."
"I have to make sure everything goes according to plan. For everything to work out as if he was here with us."
"Dick, stop pushing yourself like this. You have to rest."
Dick simply smiled at Tim as he chose then to approach the two guests.
"Welcome! The two of you must be Adrien and Chloe! Marinette speaks so much about you two!" Dick cheerfully said, stretching out his hand towards Adrien.
"You know Marinette?" Adrien asked, wondering- that's right. He must know about her if Marinette knew Selina. "That must've sounded stupid. Marinette knows Mlle Kyle, so it must make sense if you knew her as well." Dick let out a chuckle.
"Not at all! Sometimes we forget the connections we have with one another, so things like this tend to happen. Now, I'm pretty sure the two of you are tired from your flight. Alfred, if you would show them to their rooms?"
With a bow, Alfred ushered the guests to their rooms, Adrien and Chloe taken aback by the massive portraits in one of the halls that they passed by.
While the two wanted to ask Alfred who the smaller boy in one of the portraits was, they couldn't bring themselves to ask when they saw M. Pennyworth look at it with sadness in his eyes.
In one particular photo, Adrien couldn't help but notice a small girl in the distance, feeling as he had seen that girl before.
Or maybe he was just drawn to her bright smile that warmed up him as he walked through the chilly manor.
"Here are your rooms, Miss Chloe, Master Adrien. I hope they are to your expectations." Alfred said, signaling towards the two rooms across from each other. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
-----
Barbara sat in class, tuning out her professor as he talked about the different sectors of the brain.
That's when she saw a notification on her phone, making sure to not let a sigh escape her as she read it.
Grabbing her things, Barbara left the lecture hall without another word, dreading the fact that she is going to have to ask someone else for notes in her next class.
Her finger hovered over the name of the person who was the subject of the text, wondering if this was a good idea.
She was glad to know she was sent to voicemail.
"Hey, Tim just filled me in. Are you sure this is a good idea? Please call me when you get the time."
With that said, Barbara pocketed her phone and directly headed to Wayne Manor, not liking the heavy premonition weighing in her mind.
What were they thinking?
Didn't they realize that all of their secrets were in danger by having two outsiders within the manor?
Sighing, Barbara prepared herself for the possible danger that may ensue from this.
-----
Chloe just couldn't stand doing nothing, so when she asked Alfred what places they were allowed to roam in, she wasn't expecting a gym as an option.
Of course, there was no way in hell Chloe was going to expose herself by going to the gym, so she asked to be guided to the manor's library. Adrien happily tagged along, talking about wanting to start on some of their homework before heading back to Paris in two days.
"Chlo! I found us a place." Adrien squealed, dragging her to a spot near the library windows where a perfectly placed desk with floor seats there, beckoning them to sit.
Adrien quickly sat down on the tri colored one while Chloe hesitated to sit on the other one that was black with golden threads.
"This feels wrong." Chloe ended up blurting out, quickly getting up from it. "I feel as if-"
"Chloe, you're just nervous about being here. Just take a seat and do a bit of homework, it'll take your mind off the uneasiness."
But the uneasiness wouldn't leave her. She felt as if they weren't supposed to be sitting there...as if the seats weren't meant to be used by anyone but those who usually sat there...
With a sigh, she complied. "I guess you're right." Maybe she was uneasy.
-----
An hour passed until Adrien got up, stretching his legs a bit.
"And where would you even get help? We can't reach Marinette without using a phone from this home. Our phones don't work here, remember?" Chloe said, gesturing to her phone. "I totally forgot to get my other phone that works abroad. Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous." She muttered, going back to doing her chemistry work.
"We're in a library Chlo. I'm bound to find something that could help us."
Adrien walked off to the front of the library, going from bookcase to bookcase, baffled to not even find a single book on chemistry.
It wasn't until he got to the second level where he found some chemistry textbooks, when a certain workbook caught his eye.
Taking it off the shelf, Adrien opened up the French workbook, surprised to see full marks on every page.
As he kept turning the pages, a photo slipped out, Adrien managing to catch it as it fell.
When he picked it up, the same girl from earlier smiled back at him as well as a boy her age.
The two children were covered in grass and dirt, Adrien noticing how the girl looked oddly like Marinette.
"Did you find anything?"
"Oh. Um, yeah! Just one though." Adrien fumbled, putting the photo and the workbook back into their place before grabbing the chemistry textbook he had found earlier.
"Just one?" Chloe scoffs. "Some library this is."
"At least it has one?"
"Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous."
Adrien smiled at Chloe's antics, sitting back down, only for his mind to trail back to the picture he saw just minutes ago.
Why did she seem familiar?
-----
After a few hours of studying, the duo were called for dinner.
The two managed to sit in comfortable silence, not questioning the fact that they were the only ones at the table.
After all, Adrien was used to it while Chloe enjoyed not having to talk to any Wayne.
Not having a Wayne meant a more at ease Adrien, meaning not having to listen to Adrien forced to butter up a rich man just to please his father.
Stupid Gabriel.
Thank the kwamis Chloe was never trained to do that. Then again, maybe she should have.
Maybe it would've been a chance to learn etiquette from her mother...
Who was she kidding...her mother wouldn't even waste her time doing such a trivial thing.
Dinner lasted just half an hour and soon it was time to call it a day...or so Chloe thought.
-----
Chloe tipped toed out of the kitchen, Pollen having gone ahead of her with a napkin filled with some flowers she found in the kitchen.
She had woken up with a jolt due to hunger and not wanting to bother Alfred so late at night, Chloe decided it was best to go herself.
Confident in herself, Chloe walked to where she believed her room was located, turning corners as she made her way back.
She proudly stood in front of what she believed was her room, turning the knob and letting out a sigh of relief. She closed the door behind her, only to realize it wasn't her room.
After all, she didn't have a wall filled with notes and photos. This was her first day at Gotham, this collection belonged to someone who obviously lived here for longer than a day.
Turning to leave, Chloe did a double take on what caught her eye.
Slowly closing the door with a soft thud, Chloe walked towards the wall, slowly making out the subject of the photos thanks to the moonlight seeping into the dark room.
As Chloe got a closer look at the photos, a giggling little girl in different frilly dresses were in each one, showing different milestones in her life.
Her first steps, her first pet, her birthdays, a few displaying some drawings or baking.
In each one, Chloe couldn't help but notice that it was only M. Wayne in them, never once the girl's mother being there.
As the girl grew, she began to resemble her father even more, the smile vanishing and now wearing a scowl on her face. Her midnight hair got longer by the photo, her emerald eyes sharper.
The girl was always shown with the same uniform from Gotham Academy in these later photos, but the photos were always taken from different events.
Assemblies, science fairs, art galleries, math decathlons, trips, award ceremonies...the girl was practically in every Gotham Academy event!
But then those photos completely stopped.
Soon, two boys entered the picture and the perfect model student from Gotham Academy vanished completely.
Whenever the two boys were in the frame, the girl was smiling, grinning, baking, running, in sport competitions, and just...simply being a kid.
There was even one where she was dripping blood from her nose as she was shown winning a dodgeball competition, the boy beside her holding it as well. Meanwhile, the teen behind them ruffled their hair as he, too, smiled at the camera.
This toothy grins from the children cause Chloe's chest to twist for some odd reason.
As for the teen, he looked like a more younger version of Dick. Maybe it was him.
But just like the other school photos, those soon vanished as well...or to be more honest, all the evidence of this girl growing stopped completely.
There were no more photos on the wall, the wall barren.
Chloe noticed a photo album on the floor, picking it up. It was empty.
Looking back at the photos, Chloe wondered what exactly happened to the girl, to the boy her age.
Deciding to take this as her cue to leave, Chloe noticed a photo peering from under the bed, only managing to see the tip of it.
Upon picking it up, Chloe felt her heart stop.
The photo looked back at her with an all familiar scene.
A scene only Queen Bee and two others should only be able to see.
Looking back at her, her favorite view of Paris was staring back at her.
Paris at its most gorgeous view, from on top of the Eiffel Tower once the sun has set and the moon rises, stars that peppered the night sky.
Chloe didn't know how long she had been staring at the photo until Pollen poked her forehead.
"My Queen! There you are! You had me worried sick when I noticed you weren't behind me!" Pollen cried, hugging Chloe.
"Sorry about that. Got a bit distracted." Chloe patted Pollen's head, assuring her that she had meant what she had said. "We should probably head back. We got a long day ahead of us and we're going to need our beauty sleep if we want to survive tonight's gala."
Smiling, Pollen agreed, Chloe placing the photo on the dresser before closing the door behind her, never noticing the pair of eyes that caught her leaving the room.
-----
Chloe huffed as she tucked a loose hairstrand behind her ear, regretting putting her hair into a messy low bun. Despite her bangs being in place, having the rest of her hair in a mess was ridiculous!
Then again, she wanted it this way, the only way she could think of wearing her hair tonight. After all, it paired decently with her black pantsuit.
She couldn't help but fall in love with the way the pantsuit fit snuggly, how she didn't have to bother with worrying if she'd trip over the hem of a skirt or get it caught somewhere.
Now she got why her mother loved wearing these things.
Of course, her mother also wore a large sun hat no matter where she went, but Chloe wouldn't dare wear such a hideous thing.
To think her mother called herself a designer and fashionista.
Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!
"Chloe, Earth to Chloe." Adrien whispered, Chloe looking at him from the corner of her eye.
"I know, I know." Latching on Adrien's arm, she plastered a smug smile on her face as she watched a few girls walk back from where they had come from. "To think this is the only reason why you want me around."
"It's not like that!" Adrien squeaked, pulling Chloe towards the punch bar.
Chloe looked at the suit he was wearing, pursing her lips as she grabbed his jacket's cuff.
"M. Pennyworth wasn't kidding when he said he was a jack of all trades. His embroidery is impeccable! And to think he did this in one afternoon." Chloe couldn't believe the detail on the golden design, how it was sewn so elegantly onto the black suit. It was just as professional as the design on her belt, just as precise as well.
A matching set.
Chloe let go of the cuff, holding her head high as they passed by a group of older teens.
"I feel bad for making him do it, but after considering what you had told me this morning, I knew I had to get it done."
To prevent from other families trying to impose their children onto Adrien or Chloe, the two thought of making their wardrobe to match, to give the impression that the two were already an item with each other.
So far it was working, even though a few people didn't buy it.
"There you two are. So, are you guys enjoying the gala?" Dick managed to snap the two of them from their french conversation.
"Dick!" Adrien said with a grin. "To be honest, it's kind of draining. Never had to run from so many adults wanting to introduce their daughters to me."
"You're telling me." Dick said with a chuckle, cringing at the many times he had to talk to older adults who had once sneered at him when he was young. But upon hearing that he was to inherit all of Bruce's wealth, they all tried to get into his good graces.
As if he would. Plus, love wasn't in his mind at the moment.
Burrowing those unpleasant thoughts to the back of his head, Dick noticed a pair approaching them. "Chloe, Adrien. I would like to introduce you to my father, Bruce Wayne." He gestured behind them before leaving the teens with the adults.
Turning around, Adrien and Chloe were faced with tonight's host, Selina pressed snuggly against his arm.
"Good evening, Adrien. Chloe. It's a pleasure to finally meet the two of you." Bruce smiled at them, Adrien having to tilt his head back a bit. Chloe now understood why all the ladies of Gotham fell for him. "Care to join us for a drink?"
-----
Tim watched as Amira's friends stirred up a conversation with Bruce, the two blonds chatting as if they had known Selina for years.
"Shouldn't you be there?" Tim jumped when he heard Barbara talking from behind him, almost falling out of the computer chair he was in. "Careful there! Wouldn't want to give Dick a reason to scold you for being down here without one of us with you."
"I could say the same to you. I thought you wanted to know more about the two Parisians."
"Touche." A silence fell between the two. "Come on, Tim. Bruce is going to come looking for us if we don't hurry and make an appearance."
Huffing, Tim straightened out his tuxedo and followed Babs out of the Cave, dreading tonight's events.
On one hand, he had yet to tell Bruce and Alfred of what he saw last night. What would they say when he tells them of one of the Wayne secrets being exposed? On the other hand, he had to deal with seeing something he never thought Bruce was capable of doing.
How did Dick let him do this?
-----
Adrien and Chloe were grinning from ear to ear as they listened to Selina's retelling on how she beat Bruce in poker during their first date when Bruce's attention was drawn to something across the hall.
Selina managed to see what caused Bruce to become distracted, noticing that Adrien and Chloe also caught onto Bruce being signaled by Dick from across the hall.
"Seems like it's almost time for the speech." Bruce muttered, turning back to the two teens. "It's been nice talking with the two of you. I hope to speak with you two soon."
"Pleasure was ours, monsieur." Adrien said with a bow and a grin.
"It was a pleasure meeting you and getting to talk to you. I can't wait to rub it into my mother's face the next time she calls. To think she has yet to talk to you while I have." Chloe puffed out her chest as she took a sip of her drink, Selina laughing at her words.
"Please tell me how that goes. Can't wait to hear how she reacts to that." Selina said, giving her a piece of paper.
"I promise I will." Chloe said, giving the woman a grin as she accepted the paper and stuffed it into her pockets.
With that, Bruce and Selina walked away from the two teens, Chloe and Adrien watching as they were left alone for possibly the rest of the night.
They watched as they waved as they passed by people before seeing Bruce become a bit grim when he got to Dick.
Seeing Bruce's face didn't sit well with Chloe, taking a sip of champagne as she watched the Waynes walk together to the front of the hall.
Just what were they hiding? Did it have to do with the kids in the photos she saw last night?
Noticing that she was out of champagne, she turned to Adrien.
"Adrien, fetch me some more? I feel like I'm going to need it."
-----
"Are you sure you want to do this, Bruce?" Selina asked, giving his arm a squeeze as he got hold of a mic.
"Selina. He wouldn't have wanted it any other way." Bruce tried to reason, but knew fully well that she had already seen through him. "Jason and I had prepared for this for months. What would he think if I couldn't go through with our promise now that he was gone?"
Selina caressed Bruce's cheek before pecking his lips.
"Just remember, if you need a breather or if you feel like you need a minute to compose yourself, I'm here." Smiling, Bruce turned his attention back to the guests and turned on the mic.
Tapping on it, the sound gathered the attention of everyone in the room, Bruce possibly regretting doing this despite how much it hurt him to do so.
He watched as Dick soon left his side and walked right out the hall, watching as Barbara tried to bring him back in, only to fail.
She looked at him with concerned eyes, only then noticing that Tim was looking at him with worry in his eyes.
Bracing himself for what was to come, Bruce plastered on a smile he hoped his guests couldn't see through.
"Good evening everyone. I do hope you are all enjoying yourselves. My name is Bruce Wayne -for those of you who don't know me already- and this is my lovely fiance Selina Kyle. Yes, I'm sorry to disappoint, but as rumors already have it, I am to get married sometime next year."
A series of mixed chuckles, cheering and sobs filled the room as Bruce awkwardly stood there.
"Putting that aside, I welcome you all to this year's Wayne Gala."
-----
Adrien listened as Bruce continued to talk, growing a tad bored of the man's roundabouts about the improvements on Gotham and the different charities the gala once was known for.
He was starting to sound just like the many people he had met during those stupid parties he was dragged to with his father. Hosts who would go on and on about their achievements and brag about their wealth.
Just your ordinary asshole.
But as Bruce started to transition to his next point, Adrien picked on the odd tone lining his words. His words were coated in guilt, sorrow...and love.
"This year, my son Jason and I decided to start a new foundation, the Catherine Todd Foundation. Now, as most of you have noticed, he's not here. While tonight is not a school night, he does have other things to attend to tomorrow, so I made him turn in early today. You should've seen the pout on his face when I told him it was past his bedtime."
The crowd laughed.
"Of course," Selina picked up. "Just because he isn't here to say it himself, doesn't mean he can't tell you all what this foundation means to him."
Murmuring filled the room, Adrien picking up a new champagne glass for Chloe and turned to got back to her, only to freeze in place.
A screen protector had been lowered and there, on the screen was the boy he had seen yesterday.
"The boy from the photo." Adrien muttered to himself, only then remembering that this boy was also in the family portrait he saw when he first arrived at the manor.
This boy...he is a Wayne...his name is Jason...
Jason Wayne...Bruce's son...
Adrien listened as Jason greeted and thanked everyone who was able to make it to the gala. He went on how he had planned this foundation with Bruce, what the foundation would do. How the foundation helps to create safe shelters for the kids that lived in the slums, help create rehabilitation centers for those with addictions and more notably, create resources for those enduring domestic violence.
Adrien listened as Jason went on a tangent on how these were the things he didn't want any other person to have to go through, just like how his mother did.
In honor of his mother who raised him and had to fight through poverty, addiction and abuse, Jason named the foundation after her.
To pay homage to the woman who he loved the most and allowed him to make it this far in life.
The video then ended with Jason thanking everyone again, the hall erupting into a large sound of applause, Adrien hearing a few sniffles here and there.
He didn't know how, but he somehow found himself back at Chloe's side.
"I think I need some fresh air."
-----
Chloe wandered around the hall, exiting it and turned a corner, slumping against the wall.
"It was the same boy as the photos." Chloe told herself, placing her head on her knees.
The same one, there was no denying it. But the video felt off.
Looking at the half empty champagne glass in her hand, she chugged it down, tilting her head back to drink the last drop.
Something was wrong, and Chloe knew it. Despite Bruce telling everyone else that he was sent to bed early, she had yet to meet the boy.
She's been here for two days and she had never seen him around the manor at all.
Just what was going-
"What were you idiots thinking!" Chloe heard someone whisper yell, Chloe deciding to stay where she was, placing her head against her knees.
"Babs," she heard the other say. So the first voice belonged to Babs. "Bruce said this was the only way-"
"Was Dick on board with this?" Babs asked, letting out a heavy sigh when Chloe assumed he nodded. "Tim...what the hell?"
"Listen, I wasn't the one who-"
"I don't care about who suggested it and who gave it a green light. I'm worried about Amira. What is she going to say when she finds out-"
Amira? Who's Amira?
"Amira? She's who you're worried about?"
"Tim, Bruce pulling a stunt like this isn't going to sit well with her, especially not after the last time they talked."
"What if she doesn't find out? What if we don't tell her? After all, she lives across-"
"Did you forget what happened last time? Just because she lives in Paris now doesn't mean she won't find out. She will and when she does...who knows what's going to happen."
"Babs, you're-"
"I'm not over thinking this Tim because I know what might happen and that's what is scarring me... What if she starts to hate us even more because of this? What then? Will she ever accept and forgive us? Tim...I can't bear with this...I can't."
Chloe heard the woman's voice crack, a few sniffles as well.
"I miss the days where the two of us got to share recipes, small stories of our father's getting along, the days where Amira was able to be herself again, to be the child she was meant to be."
I miss the days where Dick didn't have a smile plastered to his face every damn second of the day. I miss the days where he let himself get angry, to become upset and frustrated without having to hide in an empty classroom."
"Babs...I-"
"Is that too much to ask for? Is it too much to ask to get my two friends back? Is it, Tim? Is it?"
Chloe listened as the silence became unbearable with each second that passed.
"Barbara, you should know better than to wish for that. We can't control something that we have nothing to do with."
"But we can do-"
"If we do anything, we'll make things worse. Or did you forget what happened a month ago?"
Barbara went quiet. "Remember how she reacted when she saw us? How she ran when you called her by her alter ego? Do you really think we should be interfering with the Waynes' family matters when we don't have a spec of her trust?"
Tim huffed. "I know you just want to make things right with her, but I suggest you wait until things get better before things turn out as bad as it did with the Justice League when they lost her respect."
The Justice League?
"Wait, you know what happened between them and-"
"Of course I do. Did you really think Bruce's passwords would prevent me from trying to find out what's behind it?" Tim asked offendedly. " Anyways, as for what happened, they thought it was a good idea to kidnap her before attempting to recruit her. They almost got her to join them until she found out they just wanted to keep an eye on her. Wasn't onboard with them viewing her as an unfortunate child dealt with the burden of protecting Paris."
Chloe froze.
Protecting Paris?
"Wait, you're rich?" Bee screeched out, looking at Chat for back up. "I mean, that would explain the burner phones, the equipment at the- you have the money to buy out an entire floor!"
"Yes Bee. I'm rich, although it's my father who's rich and was stupid enough to forget to take away my black card."
There was no way... but... didn't the day she become Queen Bee...
"So that's how they got banned from Paris." Barbara muttered. "Does-"
"He does and wasn't happy to know they did that to her. He-"
"So here's where you two are!" Dick scolded. "Selina and Bruce have been looking for you two!
"Sorry about-"
"There's no time! Bruce needs you two to help look for Jagged Stone! He's the opening act and you two-"
Chloe listened as the trio's voices trailed away, Chloe lifting her head until it hit the wall behind her.
"So this is where you have been." Chloe watched as Adrien crouched in front of her. "Come on Chlo! Jagged is about to-"
"I'm not feeling so well Adrien." Chloe whispered, slamming her head into her knees. "I think I drank too much."
Helping her get up, Adrien didn't question Chloe any further. Her face had said it all. Something went down and she needed more than fresh air to clear it out of her mind.
"I'll make sure to tell Alfred of our early retirement. I just hope M.Wayne doesn't feel offended by your lightweightedness."
"Oh shut it! You know damn well I resisted drinking too much because we're considered underage to drink in America!"
-----
The gala was a success, or so that's what Dick told Adrien when the two literally crashed into each other when Adrien had walked into the kitchen that morning.
He also thanked Adrien for his father's donation and to relay the thanks to Chloe as well.
"Who gave the larger donation?"
"Bourgeois." Dick said, grinning into his milkshake when Adrien let out a grin. "I'm guessing your parents are always trying to outshine the other?"
"Since they knew each other on the field." Adrien had answered back before Dick had to leave for school.
On his own -since Chloe insisted on wanting more sleep- Adrien wandered through the manor's gardens, roaming around and taking in the serene ambiance.
After an hour of wandering through the shrubs and rose garden, Adrien stumbled upon a secluded gazebo covered in vines and daisies.
As Adrien stepped onto in, the floorboards thanked him in the form of creaks and squeaks. A table and a pair of cushions that matched the ones in the library greeted him, Adrien noticing some greater wear in the black one than the other.
Was the tri-color one more recent then?
"So you found the old gazebo." Alfred spoke up, Adrien having a heart attack from the elder's words.
"M.Pennyworth, how long have you been there?"
"Just a few moments. I actually came here to air out the place." Adrien let Alfred do what he said he had come for, watching him slowly and gently clean the dirt and dust off the table. Alfred gently beat the cushions a bit before carefully setting them back down in the same spot there were.
"M.Pennyworth." Adrien dared to speak up, feeling awkward being in the gazebo with Alfred. Something told him he should've left the moment Alfred had arrived. Watching him cleaning the place felt like it was something sacred for Alfred and Adrien didn't know why. "This gazebo...it's very important to you, isn't it?"
The trees swayed in the wind as Adrien waited for Alfred's answer.
"Yes. Yes it is." Alfred stared at the cushions he had finished cleaning. "This was Master Jason's and his sister's favorite place to study whenever the day let them be outside."
"His sister?"
"Amira is her name. A sweet child she is, though it pains me to not be able to see her again."
"Not see her? But she is Jason's sister, so didn't M.Bruce-"
"M.Bruce only adopted Master Jason. Miss Amira didn't have the same luck as Master Jason you see. Another couple took her in and took her elsewhere after..." Alfred trailed, Adrien noticing the elder man stare at the tri-colored cushion with sorrow, the same way Adrien's father's eyes would look when he broke to him about the news concerning his mother.
"Please M.Pennyworth, you don't have to tell me anything. Forget-"
"Even though it pains me to remember Master Jason, this is part of the healing process. This is part of my healing process of my grandson's death."
Adrien stared at Alfred with wide eyes.
"Jason...is dead?"
"Master Jason... he died in a villain incident almost a year ago."
"But hold on a second. Wasn't that video from last night-"
"Pre-recorded." Alfred cut off. "Master Bruce insisted on doing that last night despite my being against it. Should Amira find out about it, it would be sure to-"
"Amira? As in...his sister?"
"And best friend." Alfred added. "Those two were inseparable. Attached to the hip. Even after the two were taken in by different families, the two went to the same school and stayed together. But when Jason died, her parents took her with them to open up their business in Paris. To start anew and let Amira recover from his death."
Adrien watched as the daisies swayed in the wind, watching as they continued to flourish despite the harsh fall winds.
"Well you look at the time," Alfred said as he took out his pocket watch. "I have to start prepping on tonight's dinner. If memory still serves me correctly, we have a few more guests tonight. Until dinner, Master Adrien."
Alfred left Adrien to ponder in the gazebo, hoping that the boy was able to catch onto the hints he left for him.
"Continue being a friend for my granddaughter Master Adrien. I trust that you and Miss Chloe help to bring her back from the abyss of despair."
-----
It's been three days since Bee's and Chat's departure. Tomorrow, they were coming back, but Ladybird told them to take the day off. No matter what happened tomorrow, they weren't to make an appearance until the day after.
"So, is this goodbye?" Carapace asked Ladybird, watching as she huffed.
It was finally Carapace and Gris' last night of patrol, Carapace wondering if this truly was the last one.
He had grown fond of his new role, even if it was for only four nights.
But he knew better than to try and ask Ladybird to let him keep his miraculous. After all, Chat Noir and Queen Bee were to return two nights from now.
"Who ever said I wouldn't need your help in the future?" Ladybird said with a smile, Carapace grinning at that. "After all, the end of Hawkmoth's terror is growing near."
At that, Carapace's grin fell as did Ladybird's. What irony.
"The final fight..." Gris muttered, looking at the tranquil Parisian night. "I wonder what awaits us when that day happens."
The trio looked out into the distance, wondering what the future held for each of them.
For Ladybird, she hopes it brings closure.