After eating a late lunch, they packed up a suitcase and went over to the Agreste mansion.
Emilie welcomed them at the door with open arms. "I'm so glad you're going to stay with us for a while. I miss my baby being at home."
"Mom," Adrien groaned, separating the word into two syllables.
"I'm sorry. I know, you're an adult now. But I'm still happy that you're here." And she guided them inside.
Plagg and Tikki flew out as they walked through the foyer.
"So what's the cheese situation like?" Plagg asked Emilie immediately upon appearing. "I hope you have enough on hand for all of us now."
"Plagg!" Tikki chastised. "We're guests! You can't just go around demanding cheese like that!"
Emilie laughed. "We have a little, Plagg. But don't worry, I'll order some Camembert. That's your favorite, right?"
And the kwami's eyes widened. "I knew I always liked her!" he said to Adrien, zipping around his head.
"Yeah, she's great," he agreed, throwing a smile in her direction.
And they all made their way up the stairs and into Adrien's old room.
"Nathalie cleaned the place up," Emilie explained. "So you should be more than comfortable here. It will be nice and private for you, and you'll have your own bathroom. You can almost completely avoid the rest of us if you really want to," she joked.
"Thanks Emilie," Marinette said. "But you know we love being around you guys."
"You say that now," she replied with a smile. "But after a few days you might change your mind."
"Don't worry, Mom. We'll be fine. Besides, if we really need a break, we always have an easy escape," Adrien told her, jutting his chin towards the windows.
She laughed. "Alright, well you all settle in. I'll come and get you when dinner is ready."
"Oh, we probably won't eat. We just ate lunch before we came over."
"Hey, speak for yourself!" Plagg quickly reprimanded him.
Adrien shook his head in amusement. "We'll still come down to the dining room," he continued to his mother. "Just don't bother making a plate for me or Marinette."
She gave him a gentle smile. "Okay, baby. I'll see you then." She turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.
Adrien exhaled, looking around. "I can't believe I'm here. I told myself I'd never live in this house again."
Marinette went up and wrapped her arms around him. "Things were very different back then."
"Yeah, they were." He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. "Why don't you lie down in bed and rest, Princess."
She tilted her head at him. "Why don't you join me?" she offered suggestively.
Tikki giggled and Plagg rolled his eyes before they phased through the floor and disappeared.
Adrien started to smile, but stopped. "We shouldn't. You're injured, and I don't want to hurt..."
"I feel totally normal, Adrien. And my injury is wrapped up, so there's no reason we can't."
"I don't think it's a good idea."
Marinette pressed up on her toes and kissed him. Then she moved her lips down his neck. "Please Kitty," she whispered, knowing exactly what she was doing.
This was pure torture. "Princess..."
"Oh my Kitty, your Princess needs you."
He hated himself for being so weak. "Okay," he breathed, pulling her closer. "But if it starts to hurt, we're going to stop."
"Deal."
************************************
Annabelle was over-the-moon happy that evening.
Not only were Adrien and Marinette there for dinner, but they would be living at their house for at least a few days, maybe more.
She loved having her brother around, and she loved Marinette too. So she was giggling from happiness all evening.
And she tried to convince everyone that she wasn't tired after the meal, but her half-shut eyes told them otherwise. So Adrien took her up to her room to tuck her in for bed. That made her even happier.
"Here you go," he said softly, pulling the blanket over her and sitting on the edge of the bed. "I hope you have a good night, Annabelle."
"Wait! You need to sing before I can fall asleep," she protested.
"Uh, sing?"
Annabelle nodded and sat up, waiting for him to start.
He blinked at her. "I uh, I'm not really a good singer."
"It's okay. Just try!"
And Adrien chuckled. "Alright. Well..." he paused as a thought came to his mind. "How about 'Little Kitty on a Roof'?"
She gasped. "Mama sings that to me all the time! Do you know that song too?"
"Of course. Mom used to sing it to me back when I was a little kid."
"I want you to sing that one! Please sing it! Pleeeeeeeeease!"
And he laughed before he started singing. Annabelle wrapped her arms around her knees as she listened, and she even joined him on the last line.
There was a huge smile on her face after the song ended. "That's my most favoritest song ever!" she declared.
"Yeah, mine too," Adrien agreed, smiling back at her.
"Do you think it's about Chat Noir?"
And he paused, surprised by the question. "No, it's definitely not about him. Mom used to sing it to me long before Chat Noir or Ladybug ever showed up."
"Oh, okay," she said, lying back down.
"But I can understand why you would think that. He does call Ladybug his 'Lady' all the time."
Annabelle nodded. "And she calls him 'Kitty' all the time!"
"Yes, she does. Wow, you sure know a lot about them. You must still be a big fan of theirs, huh?"
A shrug. "Just Ladybug."
Ouch, that hurt. "Right," Adrien said, trying not to let on how disappointed he was. "I almost forgot, you only like Ladybug."
After a nod, Annabelle snuggled into her pillow. But then she looked at her brother again. "Why hasn't Ladybug been around lately? Chat Noir is the only one on the TV now."
"I don't know," he lied in a whisper.
"You don't think something bad happened, do you? Like she got sick or something?"
It felt like his heart was breaking. "I'm sure she's fine." A moment passed as he collected himself. "Maybe she's on vacation or something."
And Annabelle smiled. "I hope she went somewhere fun! Like Disneyland!"
He forced a smile back. "Yeah, maybe she did. But that's enough stalling. It's time for you to go to sleep."
"Okay," she sighed. "Goodnight Adrien. I love you."
Suddenly he felt better. "I love you too, Anna. Sweet dreams." And he stood up and flipped off the light before leaving the room.
He went downstairs and into his father's study, where everyone else was gathered. And he overheard Marinette explaining what happened over night and that morning.
"...and I woke up just after three," she was saying. "Then we had lunch, packed our bag, and came straight over here. I'm feeling fine, like I wasn't injured at all. And as long as I keep the area clean and dry, I should be good for a while." A pause as she looked at her father-in-law. "Gabriel, I know you two wanted to start working tonight, but I didn't get much sleep, and Adrien said that he didn't get any. So I think it's best if we wait until tomorrow morning when we're all rested and recharged."
"We're starting tonight," Adrien interjected, joining the conversation.
And Marinette jumped slightly, not realizing that he was there listening. "A... Adrien, don't be silly. You need to sleep."
"I'll be fine." He walked over and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You should go upstairs and rest. You went through a lot last night."
"But we still need to discuss what happened with Lila the other day," she argued. "We have to discuss the plan for her."
"We'll do that tomorrow," Gabriel said. "I agree with Adrien. You've been through a lot and you need to rest."
"Go to bed, Princess," Adrien added.
And she looked between the two of them before pulling Adrien a step away. "I want you to come with me," she replied quietly, so only he would hear. "I don't want to be in a new place all by myself."
"You won't be by yourself, you'll have Tikki."
"That's not the same. I want you to be there with me."
He sighed. "This is the only way that I can help you get better, Princess. So I need to do this. I need you to be healed as soon as possible."
She didn't have to respond, the sadness was evident in her eyes.
"How's this?" he continued. "My father and I will work for an hour or so, then I'll take a break and come see you. If you're still awake, I'll stay there until you fall asleep. Okay?"
Knowing he wasn't going to relent, she nodded. "Okay."
Adrien smiled at her before turning to his father. "Ready?"
"Ready," Gabriel replied. "Nathalie, if you'll join us. Emilie, why don't you go to bed too. You and Marinette can help us tomorrow when you're both rested."
Emilie nodded, and hooked arms with Marinette. "Let's go," she said, pulling her to the door.
And Marinette sighed as they walked. "I don't like this," she admitted quietly.
"Don't worry. Let them work a little tonight. I'm sure by midnight they'll be exhausted and call it quits. Then we can all tackle it tomorrow."
Reaching the door, Marinette looked back. And she saw Adrien and Gabriel standing side-by-side at his computer.
Emilie looked back too. "It's actually nice to see them like that."
"Like... what?"
"Working together. I'm sure you won't believe this," she continued in thinly veiled sarcasm. "But they were never close."
Marinette snorted. "You don't say."
"Yeah. Right after Adrien was born, Gabriel's brand started taking off, and he had to work all the time. They never really had the chance to bond, and I'm sure their relationship only got worse while I was asleep."
Marinette nodded. "Being mortal enemies will do that."
And Emilie nodded back, keeping her eyes on them. "I hate to say it, but I'm actually happy that they finally found some common ground." Then after a moment, she turned and continued on her way to the foyer.
Marinette followed. "Solving riddles is common ground?"
"Saving the people they love the most is common ground."
And Marinette didn't respond as she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.
So Emilie kept talking. "Gabriel wasn't always like this, you know. When we were younger, he was... sweet, and gentle, and loving. He was actually a lot like Adrien is now." She paused and shook her head. "But then, things started changing. As the years went by, all of those wonderful parts of him slowly faded, and eventually they disappeared altogether. It wasn't just one thing that did it, it was a million little things. And I think my enchanted sleep really pushed him over the edge." A faint laugh. "Obviously." Another pause and a sigh. "I wish you could have known that side of him. He was really... wonderful."
Lost in thought, they were both silent for the minute it took them to reach Adrien's old room. And when they stopped at the door, Marinette finally responded. "I don't think that part of Gabriel has completely disappeared. Because I've seen it. I've seen it in the way that he loves you. In the way that he loves Adrien. In the way that he loves Annabelle. It's still there. Maybe it's not like it used to be, but it hasn't disappeared."
Emilie reached up to wipe away a stray tear. "Yeah, you might be right," she admitted quietly.
A moment passed by in silence while they stood there.
Marinette made no effort to go into the room. "Are you going to bed?" she asked Emilie.
A shrug. "I probably should."
"I probably should too." Another moment passed by. "But instead... would you maybe want to come in and hang out for a while?"
Emilie smiled, her sadness changing into happiness. "I would love that."
************************************
The two women spent the next hour talking and laughing. Emilie told Marinette stories about Adrien as he was growing up, and about all of his most embarrassing moments. Marinette was beside herself from laughing so much.
After that, Marinette talked about her childhood and growing up at the bakery. Then she talked about the early years of her and Adrien's relationship.
Although Emilie had heard the story of how they ended up together, it was interesting to hear it from Marinette's perspective. And as Emilie continued listening, the happier she became. Because it was obvious how much Marinette loved her son.
"Wow," Emilie whispered at the end of the story. "I always thought that you and Adrien were perfect for each other, but now I know for sure. I'm really happy that he found you, Marinette. You're good for him, and it's obvious that he loves you dearly." She suddenly stopped as her thoughts turned back to the reason Marinette and Adrien were there; they were running out of time. And it took a moment to fight back the sorrow that was rising up again. "Anyway," she continued, clearing her throat. "Let's talk about something else for a while. Have you two thought of a name for the baby yet?"
She shook her head. "I really want to name him after Adrien, but he's adamantly against it. So I have to think of another name instead. Ugh, I'm not having much luck though."
"Hmm, well maybe you should get one of those baby name books. Then you'll have thousands of names to pick from."
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. I need as much help as..." Marinette stopped as she heard the door open.
And Adrien was more than a little surprised to find the two of them sitting on the couch. "Princess, Mom, what are you doing still awake? I thought you both were going to bed."
"We were going to," Emilie answered on their behalf. "But we decided to stay up and talk for a while instead."
He walked over to them, a frown on his face and his arms folded across his chest. "You both should be resting."
"So should you," she countered, earning a smile from Marinette.
His face fell more. "I'm fine. But both of you need to..."
"Excuse me," Emilie interrupted with her 'mother' voice. "But I'm the parent here, not you. You're not allowed to tell me what to do. Understand?"
After a moment of shock, Adrien looked down in embarrassment and lowered his arms. "Yes, Ma'am."
"That's more like it."
"Adrien," Marinette said gently. "It's late, why don't you stay here and come to bed with me?"
"I just came to check on you. I'm going back downstairs in a minute."
Emilie stood and moved up to him. "Here's a bit of marriage advice, baby. When your wife invites you to bed, you go to bed."
"Yes, Ma'am," he repeated sheepishly.
Emilie winked over to Marinette before speaking again. "Well, I'm going to yell at Gabriel to get to bed too. Have sweet dreams. I'll see you two tomorrow morning."
"Goodnight," Marinette replied.
With her job done, Emilie left the room.