Forget Me Nots

The sweet air wafting around the Parisian streets traveled throughout the town drawing citizen sin left and right. People bustled about, swinging the scent between their bodies letting it travel further and further, reaching even the highest people in the city nowadays. Suddenly, a young lady was bumped into the ground causing her to drop her papers and knock off her glasses. Scrambling to pick everything up, she looked up to see a blurry figure in a black suit. She squinted and asked, "excuse me? Do you mind handing me my glasses? I have to pick up my news stories before they get blown away!" The blurred figure hesitantly picked up her papers and glasses then handed the woman her glasses. "Thank you," standing up and blowing on her glasses the journalist exclaimed, "some people can be so rude on Monday mornings! My name is Alya, a writer for Paris' number one newspaper and blog." The figure said nothing in return as Alya carefully put her glasses back on and grabbed the papers from the kind person's outstretched hand. "Some people-!"

Without giving warning, Alya dropped all of her papers again and grabbed the suited up woman in front of her and yelled in astonishment, "Marinette?!"

There, standing in the streets of Paris in a business suit built for the 25-year-old woman she was, was Marinette clear as day. Her long hair was tied up in a ponytail while her fly-aways drifted in the sweet scent of her parents' bakery a few streets down. She wore little makeup besides the overpowering red lipstick that made her stick out like a sore thumb at work.

She didn't know what to say to the woman in front of her that had aged a decade yet still held the same spunky personality she remembered from high school. Awkwardly trying to hug Alya back she answered unbearably formal, "yes? How have you been, Ms. Cesaire?"

From her hug, Alya popped her head up and protested, "nope! Nope! Nope! We're best friends, you're not allowed to call me like that."

Marinette held her arm, "we haven't talked for a while so I wasn't sure..."

Alya smiled and assured her life-long friend, "no matter how long it is or how far we go, we'll always be with each other for life. That is until you get sick of me of course!" She poked Marinette hin the side making her squirm as she giggled thinking of the last time she saw her old friend. "Wanna grab a coffee before the day starts?"

Marinette hesitated and looked at her watch then nodded, "I have some time to spare."

"For me? Why thank you!" Alya linked arms with Marinette and marched her away to the nearest Stirbucks.

Sitting down at a table near the window, Marinette tapped her cup thinking of what to say to a girl she'd been separated from a decade ago with no rhyme or reason. Before she could conjure up the courage to explain herself, she felt warm fingers curl over hers. Looking up, she saw Alya smiling at her warmly seeming to understand the demons she was wrestling within.

"You don't have to tell me where you went, I know you had a really bad accident and had trouble remembering a lot of it. I think it was for the best that you transferred to stop straining yourself." Alya giggled and confessed, "I'm just glad you remember your partner in crime!"

Marinette flinched at the word she didn't dare to think of. Images flashed across her mind of a damaged memory making her headache. She began rubbing her temples then asked through blurred vision, "I uhm, heard you studied in America. How was the air over there?"

Alya beamed at the question, realizing that she did keep tabs on her friends after everything, "well...Since you asked I'd better dish everything out!"

Flinging her hand into the air and in front of Marinette's returning vision, a gold band appeared with a striking pumpkin diamond on top. Looking up, Marinette screeched, "Nino?!"

Alya paused. Obviously a little suspicious knowing that Marinette didn't recognize any of the boys from their class after returning from the hospital. But she ignored her concerns and exclaimed, "duh! I was about to ask him myself when he whipped this bad boy out! Can you believe it? The invitations should be arriving any day now so keep a lookout," she winked.

At that statement, Marinette gave an involuntary sigh and stood up, "that sounds...great." Looking down at her watch she sounded her best to be flustered, "I'm going to be late for my morning meeting, I should get going now. It was nice to meet up with you again after so long, Alya."

Extending her hand, Marinette waited for her long-lost friend to take it before they went their separate ways. And she did, only to pull her in close for what seemed like their last hug for a while. Whispering in her ear, Alya choked back tears, "I hope you get better soon." Without another word, Alya let her go and picked up her things to race out of the cafe.

Marinette looked after her friend before leaving as well for work across the city. Crossing paths with people she used to know or even may have never met. Looking up to the sky as the sun disappeared, she came face to face with a towering billboard menacingly hanging over her head. Holding her forehead, she scampered away as her vision blurred thinking of what sent her to the hospital in the first place. When her mind cleared, she thought it best not to look up again in fear that her migraines would come back to attack her high school memory.

Pushing open the doors to her workplace, everyone greeted her to and fro. She smiled and waved but didn't stop as she headed towards the elevator. As the doors opened, she let the people getting out to scurry away while she stepped in alone. Pressing her floor, she waited anxiously, hoping no one would join her for the awkward trip upstairs.

With a ding, the doors opened again to an almost vacant hall leading to a few offices. Walking down, she briskly stepped into her office and closed the door behind her. Looking around, she scrounged around in her desk looking for the keys she left there the night before. Before leaving, she sorts the scattered papers on her desk into piles and files to be taken. Looking around the barren desk once more, she picked up her bag and left for her apartment.

Closing the door behind her, she turned to leave but tumbled backward after bumping into someone. "I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going," she mumbled barely audible.

"It's alright, I was in a bit of a rush as well, Marinette." He looked her up and down then smiled, "it's been a while, how've you been?"

She looked back at him and apologized, "I think you have me mixed up with someone else, I'll be going first." She didn't look back as she clicked the down button on the elevator and stepped in.

From behind her, Adrien was still smiling as he looked after her until the doors closed. He went to step into a nearby office when his phone started boing off. Picking it up, a panicked squeaky voice came from the other end, "sir! Did you see the billboards of your father posted around the city?! I've tried talking with the mayor to have them taken down but-!"

"It's alright. It's the 10 year anniversary of his defeat right?" Adrien chuckled somberly to his assistant then said, "leave them up. Ladybug and Sir Noir did their duty for this city and should be praised for it. Just as my father should pay the price for it. Whether it be in prison or on a silly billboard." Hanging up the phone, he opened the office and stepped in greeting the people waiting for him, "I'm sorry I was late. I'm sure everyone wants to go home quickly so let's start as soon as possible," he smiled warmly.

Though, in the back of his mind he knew that tomorrow came the day he'd been dreading most. While he smiled and chuckled cheerfully on the outside, within he couldn't help but have this melancholy creep up his throat. He swallowed hard trying not to think of what was to come and instead looked forward to getting the closure he's needed for the last decade.