Finding Mom

When I get home and detransform, Plagg immediately goes for cheese, even though it was just a few minutes ago when he had some.

I take out my phone and go to the gallery.

There's lots of work.

I delete all my Ladybug pictures, except one.

It's the first picture we ever had taken together, so I keep that.

Now I go around my room and collect the few pictures I had cut out from magazines.

There's not many, it seems creepy to have a bunch printed out.

As I'm throwing them in the trash there's a knock at my door.

I open it to see The Gorilla, who hasn't been around much today.

He grunts and motions for me to follow him.

We go downstairs where I find two unexpected visitors.

"Aunt Amelie? Felix? What are you doing here?" I ask.

"Oh Adrien! We are so sorry about your father! We came to see you as soon as we could!" My aunt replies.

"Thank you, it's so good to see you again!!"

"You too, sweetie."

I smile at her and address my cousin.

"Hi Felix!"

He nods to me and sticks out his hand for me to shake, but I'm not one for such formal greetings if possible.

I hug him, but he just stands there.

After pulling away, Aunt Amelie hugs me.

"You poor dear, first your mother and now this! It's dreadful!"

"Uh yeah. It's been weird, but I'll be ok." I reassure her.

"Oh, you're so strong! But do you have any idea why Gabriel did all this?"

"It was to bring mom back." I say quietly.

"Did you find out what happened to her?" Aunt Amelie asks.

"Somewhat. I'll need some help with it."

"What do you mean?"

"She's in the basement, on life support or something."

Even Felix loses his composure at this, both of them looking shocked.

"Oh. Oh my. What will we do?!"

"I don't know. I guess take her to the hospital?"

"Yes. How do we get into the basement?" Asks Aunt Amelie.

"I'm not sure... The superheros are the ones who told me where mom is, but they used a miraculous to get in." I tell her.

"Well couldn't you just call them out something?" Felix speaks up.

"Probably not." I'll have to find a way to get out, so I can get the horse back, if Ladybug even returned it.

"So what do we do?" Felix asks.

"There had to be another way in. Father wasn't using a miraculous." I say.

But how father getting in?

The elevator! He'd come down in an elevator!

"I have an idea!" I say as I run to the study.

If the picture of mom was hiding a safe, maybe it's hiding other things.

"Adrien, what are you doing?" Aunt Amelie asks me after following.

"I found a safe here once, maybe there's something else hidden."

"Ok, what should we try?"

I can't even get into the safe, Plagg opened it.

He definitely can't do that now.

"Hmm..." I trail my hands over the painting, pushing down slightly, and I find it.

I find a button.

I can't believe he did that.

He said he doesn't like me anymore, just as friends.

That can't be right, look at what happened to Hawkmoth.

When we found him he'd went mad.

In selfish, hurtful ways.

I can't do this.

I'm hurting myself, and Paris.

I yank the brooch away, making my normal clothes return.

After coming home from my meeting with Cat Noir, I'd transformed, I thought I needed to feel the power.

I'd taken my earrings off again, so I put them on.

"Marinette, what is happening?! What are you doing?!" Tikki demands.

"I'm sorry. It was the miraculous. I don't know what happened." I whisper.

"Oh, Mari. The butterfly is a very dangerous miraculous, which is why it has the most timid kwami, to balance it out. And while it can be used for good, it's much more often used for evil, selfish purposes."

"Like what I was doing."

"Nevermind what you were doing. Let's focus on now. You need to take all of the miraculous back to Master Fu!"

"Even you?" I don't deserve to keep her anymore, but I can't bare the thought of parting.

"That is up to Master. But you still have to go to him and apologize. "

"You're right. Come on." I open my bag and she flies in.

I gather up the other boxes from where I'd hidden them, and go out.

I block the voice out and go to Master's house.

After quietly knocking the door opens.

"Marinette, where have you been?" Master Fu asks sternly.

"I'm sorry, Master. The darkness took me."

"I feared this would happen. It always tried to take the pure. I'm just glad you were able to beat it."

"Me too. Now please take this away!" I shove the brooch at him, and he takes it, along with the others and puts them into their box.

"Even though what you've done wasn't good, I am proud of you for defeating Hawkmoth. And choosing partners to help you. They were good choices."

"Thank you, Master. Now I have a question."

"What is it?"

"Do I have to give up being Ladybug now? Since I used the butterfly for evil?"

"No. Tikki will help you. And I'm sure you didn't have evil reasons. What were your reasons, anyway?"

"Oh, um. It's kind of embarrassing."

"Marinette, I may be 186, but I was a teenager once too. You can tell me."

"Ok. I wanted to be with Cat Noir."

"But, why? Hasn't he tried to get you to go out with him for a long time?"

"Yes, but that was before."

"Before what?"

"Before he had a girlfriend."

"Ah."

"I'm despicable, right?"

"No, not at all. That's actually a common occurrence."

"Really?" That's news to me.

"Yes. But didn't you have someone else you liked?"

"Yeah, Adrien Agreste."

"Oh, right."

"Mhm. Thanks Master, this was a big help! See you!" I say and leave.

I think he mutters something, but I can't catch it.

"See, it was fine! You should probably apologize to Cat Noir when you see him."

"I will. I don't know what I was thinking, coming onto him like that."

"You weren't, the darkness was."

"I guess."

"Don't worry Marinette! Everything will be fine!"