"Mom?" Emma questioned as she studied a picture that her Mother and her collaboration partner was using as a reference. Ladybug laughing alongside ChatNoir while Carapace, Rena Rouge, Viperon and Queen Bee were goofing off in the background. They all looked so young and so happy. Naive kids not knowing how fast their world would come crumbling down around them.

"Yes, Bug?" Marinette was measuring Leon. Making sure the dress form matched his measurements exactly. As models fluctuated in muscle tone due to many different factors.

"Do you think Ladybug will show?" She asked, referring to an upcoming celebration event in dedication to Ladybug and her contributions to society.

Emma's odd question piqued both Adrien and Gabriel's interest. Gabriel still bent on his amatory venture. To revive his one true love felt closer than ever. He had the Cat Miraculous within his reach. However his plans were foiled with the mere fact that the Ladybug Miraculous whereabouts were unknown. As so the fate of its previous holder.

Adrien had an understanding of his father's agenda. Despite how cruel it was to terrorize the innocent, Adrien had no doubt that if he had the Cat and Ladybug Miraculouses that he would bring HER back. To return to the happier days when SHE was by his side. To relive the days in which SHE told him that SHE had everything under control. Telling him it would all be okay even if the odds seemed impossible.

Emma knew that the famous black and red superhero was indeed her mother. Emma desperately wanted to see her Mom be the hero that she looked up to. To sport the costume once again and help the people of Paris. To be the hero of legend, the one that had monuments built in her honor. But the rule 'Don't use the Miraculouses for personal use' was repeated often in the Dupain-Cheng household.

Marinette had feared that if she ever returned as Ladybug that Papillon would somehow get a whiff and rear his ugly silver head yet again. If he found out that the Ladybug Miraculous was still out there then history would repeat itself. 'To what end?'

The anxieties and responsibilities that came with the title Ladybug was not something Marinette missed. The neverending spiral of doubt that came with each close call. To have her teammates blindly trust her with their lives even though she was a stranger.

Her worries were not even the worst part. She would have to face ChatNoir again. A member of her team that unintentionally graced her with an escape. To get out of the superhero business before she imploded from the stress. To be a normal girl with a normal life. Or as normal as a retired hero juggling being a single mom could be.

"I don't think so." Marinette could see disappointment written on her daughter's face.

"I want her to."

"How about we see if Viperon shows up?"

Marinette added as she could see if she could persuade Luka on spending a weekend in Paris. She had pushed Luka to pursue his musical career yet found herself missing his company as much as Emma did. It was nice to have someone to lean on for support but his career was taking off. With national tours, plane rides, jet lag, setting up equipment, it was a mystery on how he made time for Emma's phone or video calls let alone sleep or his Alter Ego.

"You think he will?!" Emma was thrilled at the possibility of seeing her favorite superhero and one of her favorite people. As she also knew the identity of Viperon. A man that she looked up to as a father figure. "That would be so awesome!"

Both Marinette and Gabriel took a quick break after working many hard hours on their designs and patterns that were far from finished. Adrien sat next to Emma hearing her go on and on about an imaginary friend. He hardly had any experience with kids but thought children were supposed to be out of the imaginary friend stage at this age.

"She likes chocolate chip cookies! Only two types. Either Mom's or Papaw and Nana's. She's very picky." Emma exclaimed.

"She does?" Adrien smiled knowing that he was feeding into her imagination. Something that his father didn't do.

"She's smaller than my Barbies." Emma briefly thought of how she liked to try to put doll clothes on her friend.

"That's tiny." He never had an imaginary friend. Something that all children seemed to have but he never needed one not when he spent time with his mother playing the piano or watching black and white movies she starred in.

"She can fly too!" This creature of course was a Kwami. Ladybug's Kwami, Tikki to be precise.

"She has a black spot on her head." She added.

Adrien was trying to come up to what her imaginary friend would look like and it looked nothing like the real one.

"Do you wanna go to Papaw and Nana's?" Marinette asked, thinking that her daughter might want to grab her switch real quick.

She didn't want Emma to spend the little daylight left stuck in perpetual boredom.

"No, thanks." Emma crossed her arms in protest not wanting to budge from her spot next to Adrien. As she was getting a kick out of talking about Tikki without revealing who or what Tikki actually was.

"You must have made a good impact on Emma." Marinette laughed.

"I guess I did." He had not realized how easy it was to talk to Emma as usually children took a long while to warm up to him.

Adrien began to wonder if he should ask Marinette out for coffee to catch up on these past ten years. 'Maybe it's too soon? Too much?'

Marinette felt her stomach growl. She had skipped breakfast due to panicking in getting her daughter to school and collecting her items scattered about the apartment. "Would you like to go out to lunch?"

"Now?" Adrien remarked, surprised that Marinette had beaten him to the question he debated about asking.

Marinette laughed at Adrien's response. "Sorry, I don't mean to laugh but that was directed towards Emma but you're welcome to come. If you'd like."

Marinette corrected, causing an odd feeling of embarrassment to flush over him. He was more eager to reconnect with Marinette than he thought. Perhaps it was because he missed her? Missed their friendship that he knew he didn't deserve. 'One dinner won't hurt.'