Tom and Sabine's Boulangerie Patisserie wasn't as flourished as it used to before.

The place was still considered as 'one of the most popular French bakeries in Paris' by their patrons and constant customers who still comes and goes for their pastries, but the magical spark, that unique flavor one always felt in every bite was gone.

It's as if that essence vanished the same time Marinette disappeared into their lives.

Walking towards the bakery triggered lots of unwelcome memories to Adrien. He remembered the panic attacks he suffered every time he revisits the day he learned about Marinette's disappearance. There were no notes or recordings about why she decided to leave, and the hurtful part for him was seeing the lucky charm, the bracelet he gave as a gift on her fourteenth birthday, was found inside her drawer cabinet together with other things she no longer cared.

The familiar doorbell sounded when Adrien pushed the door with an 'Open' signage. He almost teared up when the scent of butter and vanilla assaulted his senses, and the flashbacks of a certain pig-tailed girl in aprons standing behind the cashier hit him like a freight train.

"Adrien?" Sabine's voice broke his reverie "Adrien, is that you?"

Recovering his bearings, he stood up straight and greeted "Salut, Madame Cheng."

The petite Chinese woman tackled him in a warm embrace, an action he reciprocated immediately "It's been a while since you last visited here. Come, we have fresh croissants here. Or do you still prefer choquettes?"

"Thanks for the offer," he smiled after she released him "But I'm here for something else."

"Oh," Sabine's bright expression changed drastically, and with a downcast gaze, she muttered "We still don't have any information about my daughter's whereabouts. If you will excuse me, I have to attend some errands in the kitchen."

She turned around and about to leave him in that empty bakery alone when he blurted out "I know where Marinette is."

She halted her tracks "What?"

"I know your daughter's whereabouts," said Adrien fervently "Marinette is with the Order of Miraculous."

The way her shoulder flinched when he mentioned 'Miraculous' told him that the mother was aware of her daughter's condition "What are you talking about, Adrien? We know that's impossible, right?"

"You don't need to bluff, Madame Cheng," the blond walked in front of Sabine who averted her gaze from his clear green ones "While I'm still upset that you hide this truth despite knowing our grievances, I somewhat understand why you did it."

"Adrien, I - "

"Adrien?" Tom emerged behind the oven "It's good to see you agai - Sabine? What..."

"Tom, I - "

The burly man stepped in front of the blond with a steely look "I think you need to leave now, Adrien."

"Monsieur Dupain, I'm - "

"Tom, he's not - "

"You don't need to defend him, Sabine," the man admonished without tearing his eyes on the squirming boy "It's obvious to me that he's harassing you and - "

"Monsieur Dupain, I'm not - "

"Tom!" the petite woman yanked her husband's arm when he raised his fist above Adrien's head "He knows!"

"What?!"

Sabine crossed her arms and scowled indignantly "Drop that attitude at once, Thomas Dupain, or I swear I'm going to use a tray and hit you in the head."

The baker tucked his hands swiftly on his side much to the blond's relief, only to jolt nervously when he met Sabine's icy glare "I will tell you our reasons if you tell us how you discovered our daughter's whereabouts."

"It's a long story, Madame Cheng," said the blond, then gulped audibly when Tom locked the door and flipped the signage as 'Close'.

"Why don't we discuss these things upstairs?" the man suggested which earned an affirmed nod.

Adrien couldn't help but feel the nostalgia when he entered the Dupain-Cheng's living room. Marinette's pictures were still decorated on their walls, as well as the gaming console they often use to play Ultimate Mecha Strike under the television. The lack of changes gave him some false vibes that their daughter was still living with them.

"We thought that the magus' blood skipped on her," Sabine began when she sat on the couch beside him "She was born and tested as negative like us, so we assumed that our blood lost its magical components, which is very likely since Tom and I came from a mixed family."

"We found out that she was a latent user after she cut herself with a knife," she went on with melancholia "We immediately brought her to the Order's facility, and after we explained her situation, they prescribed us some magical suppressants with an option for surgery."

"Wait, what?!" the blond almost bolted out from his seat "Magical suppressants? I - I thought the Order will immediately capture those people with magical abilities? And what's with the surgery?"

"Those rumors that you're hearing about the Order are not real," Tom interjected, sliding a tray of fresh croissants and refreshments in the center table "I don't know why they tolerate it, but I think leaving them as is makes them more mysterious. You can grab one, kid, I'm not planning to bite you."

"Tom!"

"I'm chill, okay?" the man raised his hands when he met his wife's beady glares, then focused his attention to Adrien "Can you blame me for having this overprotective streak towards my wife?"

Sabine pinched the bridge of her nose then shook her head with exasperation "Don't mind my husband, Adrien. He's harmless like a teddy bear."

"Hey!"

For the first time since Marinette disappeared from their lives, Adrien bawled his eyes laughing, and the infectious sight made the couple guffawed with him.

"It's been a while since I last laughed like crazy," commented the burly man as he wiped the happy tears leaking from his eyes "I never thought I badly need that."

Adrien nodded while trying to catch his breath.

Once the humor was gone, they went back to their unfinished discussion.

"Why did Marinette join the Order?" he asked.

Sabine eyed her husband who answered, "A year ago, I was diagnosed with a kidney failure."

Adrien dropped the croissant that he was biting "I'm sorry I didn't – "

"It's alright, son. I had an early diagnosis, and I'm getting the maintenance I needed before it could turn into worse," he waved his hand nonchalantly then sighed "But we're just bakers, you see, so having monthly check-ups, dialysis with some prescribed medications took a toll on our savings; plus, the fact that our daughter had to take her suppressants so she could live her life as normal, we almost end up broke. Until one day, she approached us and suggested the surgery."

"It's a magical procedure to strip a magus from their power," Sabine explained before the blond could ask "As we all know, a magus' blood is essential in making Akumas. Papillion killed hundreds of magi to achieve that goal, and with his newly acquired knowledge, he was using the blood in the form of corrupted butterflies to turn a non-magical being into magical ones. We don't want our daughter to suffer in Papillion's hands so we agreed to her bidding, only to find out that she wasn't qualified."

"Marinette has an ancient magus blood," she continued despondently "She bears the power of Creation, one of the most powerful Miraculous in the world, so stripping that ability is like stripping her soul from her body."

"All I want is nothing but my daughter's happiness," Tom sniffled with watery eyes "And as her father, I'm supposed to be the one who should protect her, not the other way around. But reality sucks; as much as we hate to admit that we need the money to survive, she has the ability not only to save herself from Papillion's claws but also to generate enough money for my medications."

"The Order promised us to support Tom's medication in exchange of Marinette's service. We refused at first, but our daughter was very adamant to follow her call," Sabine wiped her tears with no shame "She's our only child, Adrien. She's too young to fight magical demons and evil magicians. She has dreams and aspirations, and she dumped them all at once for the sake of our lives."

"Why didn't she say goodbye to us?" the blond asked, "Why didn't she left a note about her departure?"

"We have no clue, Adrien. She didn't inform us that she will be leaving that night either. Probably it's a command from the Order."

"Did they tell you if Marinette can go back and meet us again?"

The mother shook her head "Once you become a Miraculous wielder, you have to leave your past behind. You have to dedicate your life in defeating Papillion and his Akumas until your last breath. You have to accept that half of your body is already buried six feet below the ground."

"If Marinette didn't accept her call, not only our finances will suffer but also our safety. Papillion's main goal is to hunt the bearers of Creation and Destruction, and we're aware that the suppressants weren't enough to cloak herself from Papillion's henchmen. Either way, she will have to face her Fate or die without giving a fight."

"How did you know that Marinette was with the Order?" asked Tom.

"She saved me twice," Adrien confessed after wiping the crumbs around his mouth "First from Stoneheart, then days ago from Glaciator."

"How did you know that it was our daughter?" the man asked again "All Miraculous wielders have their glamours on, and if ever you discovered their identities, they will certainly wipe your memories out."

"Let's just say they wiped my memories once, but for some unexplained reasons, I retrieved them back. So basically, they didn't know that I know."

"Know what?"

The blond smirked, "That Marinette goes by the name of Ladybug."