A/N - Thank you to everyone that voted at the end of the last chapter. Option one was the overwhelming winner, so enjoy the chapter

Félix banged the back of his head against the elevator wall. They hadn't been stuck in there all that long, but it was frustrating him not knowing what was going on.

"Have you heard anything else from Marinette?" He asked Kagami, who had also sat down on the opposite side of him.

"No, my phone died. Maybe you should try yours."

"Left it in the car." He replied, loosening his tie. "Maybe I should try and open the doors or something."

Kagami gave him an odd look. "I'm sure it will be fixed shortly." She then furrowed her eyebrows as she watched him drum his fingers on the floor. "Are you claustrophobic?"

Félix snapped his head in her direction. "Of course now." He said defensively. "What makes you think that?"

The Japanese girl gave him a slight shrug. "Adrien is. I thought maybe since you are cousins..."

"I'm not Adrien." He said sharply.

"I never said you were."

Félix eyed her suspiciously. "You used to date Adrien didn't you?"

"That was years ago." She said, sounding rather annoyed at the question. "I realised we were different people. Besides, he should be with Marinette. They were meant to be together."

"Are you so sure? Isn't all this just Gabriel shoving them together?"

Kagami could see Félix was being cynical, but he didn't know about the fact his cousin was Chat Noir and she wondered what he would think of it if he did. Of course, that wasn't her secret to tell.

"It was always there between them, they just needed a nudge in the right direction. Sometimes the heart can feel what the eyes can't see."

Félix huffed in response, resorting to taking off his tie altogether and undoing his top buttons. Kagami wasn't trying to look, but the glint of a gold chain under her shirt caught her attention. With no power, there was no air conditioning either, and even though the weather was still quite cool, Félix could feel beads of sweat forming across his brow. He rested his hand over his bent knee, leaning his head back against the wall. He looked over at Kagami who seemed to have been studying him.

"So?" He eventually said. "What is it you see?"

Kagami didn't answer immediately. She slid across the floor to come closer to him. On instinct he was about to move back, but found himself transfixed by her presence.

"You're not what you seem to be." She said quietly, almost as though if she raised her voice he would skitter away from her. "You act cold and distant because you think you have to separate yourself from being associated with Adrien. You believe that looking like your cousin is a curse, not a blessing as many might tell you, but behind your facade is someone of fire and conviction, someone who will take an opportunity to grab life with both hands, but with enough humanity to not hurt those that matter to them." She placed her hand on his where it rested on the floor. Félix looked down at her hand before looking back up at her. "You're running away from something, something you're afraid to tell anyone about, and yet you hold it so close to you." She whispered the last words and it sent a shiver down Felix's spine.

Félix could feel the heat from her body radiating over him, her warm hazel eyes looking at him through her lashes, the orange glow of the emergency lights illuminating the freckles on her nose and cheeks. He could feel himself pulling closer to her, his lips parting in anticipation - until the lights suddenly came back on blinding them both.

The stark harshness suddenly kicked Félix back into reality. Stupid, stupid, he cursed himself. He stood himself up, dusting his suit off before he offered his hand to her. "We should get back to Adrien and the others." He said as evenly as he could, like his heart wasn't pounding in his chest. "I have a feeling the electricity cutting out like that wasn't an accident."

Kagami wordlessly placed her hand in his and let him pull her up. He steadied her momentarily with his other hand on her waist before letting her go and pressing the button for the ground floor.

~~~~~
"I don't understand Nathalie." Adrien said, shaking his head and still in disbelief looking at the photos. "Why would my father do this? What was the point of it all?"

Nathalie sat on the seat on the other side of him from Marinette who was holding his hand between hers. "It's not something we can talk about here." She said in a low voice. "Once your friend restores the power, we will go back to the mansion and I will explain everything."

"I don't want to go to the mansion." Adrien said angrily, closing his eyes. "I have bad memories of that place."

Nathalie placed her hand on his arm. "I understand Adrien, but it's important. There is something there you need to see, to understand why your father has done what he did."

The lights flickered back to life, and Adrien's phone rang.

"Max?... yes, the systems are linked... so they are both working now?... alright then... oh you did?... I see.. thanks for everything, I owe you one... bye."

"Everything alright?" Marinette asked at his frown.

Adrien nodded. "Max has the security and the electricity working again. He said when he was fixing the system that both the security here and at the mansion had been breached, more than once over the last few weeks. He said though he's fixed it so it can't happen again."

"What were they looking for?" Adrien looked over at the sound of his cousin's voice as Félix walked in with Kagami.

"This." Adrien said, passing the card and the photos over. Félix looked at the images and cursed under his breath, but it was clear to everyone he wasn't surprised at what he saw.

"You knew?" Adrien asked, astonished. "How the hell..."

"Not here." Félix hissed under his breath. "Too many ears around, although I think it would be stating the obvious that Lila was behind this. I never thought she would stoop this low though. How the hell did she even find out? Where is Uncle Gabriel anyway?"

"Missing." Nathalie said. "I don't believe he left by choice either. Ricardo would have known that the service elevator works in the event of black out. It was a security measure that has no doubt been exploited."

"We should call the Police." Adrien said, but Nathalie shook her head warily. "We can't contact the police. Could you imagine what would happen if they found out who he really is." She indicated her meaning by pointing at the photograph.

Everyone in the room looked at each other, the same thought crossing their minds. "Does he have the um...?" Félix tapped just under his neck and Nathalie nodded her head.

Marinette heard Plagg shifting around in her bag. He knew as well as anyone else that the Butterfly Miraculous in the hands of someone like Lila could have devastating consequences. They would have to be prepared.

"I'm going to tell the press that Mr Agreste is unwell and we will hand the press statement over for publication." Nathalie said, trying to think logically. "There are more important issues to discuss." Only now did Nathalie remember that Kagami was still with them. Surprising everyone, Félix grabbed Kagami's hand and pulled her closer to him.

"She's coming with us." He said bluntly. "She is already part of this now."

There was a silent conversation that seemed to have passed between Nathalie and Félix before the assistant turned to Adrien. "Are you alright with that?"

Adrien nodded. Aside from Marinette, Kagami was someone he completely trusted, not to mention she was part of the team, even if Nathalie and Félix didn't know that. Besides, it was clear that something had changed between her and Félix. Whatever it was Félix and Nathalie wanted to tell him, Adrien felt he was going to need all the support he could get.

Nathalie arranged to temporarily close Gabriel Incorporated citing his sudden illness and the fallout of the resignation of several board members and staff. While the others made their way down to the awaiting limo, Nathalie honestly wondered whether the Gabriel brand could ever recover from this as she locked the doors from the few remaining protesters.

No one said much on the trip to the mansion. Marinette rested her head on Adrien's shoulder. He turned his head slightly to kiss her on the forehead. He wanted to be strong for her, but deep down he was terrified. His father was Hawk Moth, the villain of Paris, the man he and Ladybug had fought against for almost five years, a man he had vowed with his life to protect her from. He knew his father was a cold and distant man, but he never would have thought him capable of this.

In hindsight maybe he should have. Ladybug had suspected him once before. Adrien was sure Marinette would have already remembered that and he cursed himself for being blind, but he didn't want to believe it. He was still struggling to believe it. And Félix... Félix knew and didn't tell him. Why?

He looked over to his cousin. Félix was looking out the window, his hand still firmly holding Kagami's. The Japanese girl had her head back against the headrest with her eyes closed, but she was letting him hold on and Adrien wondered what she knew. He felt Plagg slip out of Marinette's purse and into his shirt, softly purring against his chest to reassure him. He had missed Plagg being there, even though he knew he was right there with Marinette. Somehow though, he felt his Kwami knew he needed him now.

When they arrived, the group made their way into the dinning room. It had already been set up for dinner, and Gabriel had clearly been expecting them all to be there judging by all the places set. Adrien rested his leg on a chair, the weight of the pins feeling like they were weighing him down even more than usual, unused to him being on his feet for so long. Marinette gently ran her thumb across his cheek, worry written all over her face, but reassurance too. Félix pulled out a seat for Kagami before sitting next to her.

Nathalie took in a deep breath and looked at the faces staring back at her, waiting for an explanation. It wasn't supposed to have happened like this and yet somehow she always knew the burden of explanation was always going to fall on her shoulders.

"To tell you why Gabriel did what he had done, I need to take you back to when Gabriel and Emilie married. Emilie and Gabriel were quickly seen as a future power couple of the fashion industry. Gabriel's unique and innovative designs coupled with Emilie's beauty and family connections soon had the Paris fashion industry sitting up and taking notice. With the financial backing of the Bourgeois family they were well on their way to realising their dream of creating their own fashion house. There was only one thing missing from their perfect lives. A child."

Kagami noticed Félix seemed to have shifted uncomfortably beside her. She reached across under the table, placing her hand on top of his. He interlinked their fingers together, but didn't look at her, only as the empty plate in front of him. Nathalie continued.

"For over a year Emilie tried everything. Tracking her cycles, taking vitamin supplements, avoiding alcohol... she would scour the internet for hours for any kind of suggestions, tips, old wives tales, you name it. When nothing worked she saw a fertility doctor. By this stage her sister had also run into the same problems. Three, maybe four rounds of IVF had been unsuccessful. In desperation, Emilie traveled to see a specialist in Switzerland. Exhausted and feeling deflated, Gabriel decided to take some time out from the business and take Emilie to travel through Asia. It was during that time they met Kagami's mother in Tokyo."

She gave a small smile to the Japanese girl. Kagami did know that her mother had met the Agrestes at a social event when they were travelling through Japan, a meeting that turned into a lifelong friendship and the decision to move to Paris when she was a teen.

"Did they travel to Tibet?" Adrien suddenly asked. "The Miraculous, the Grimoire... they found them in Tibet didn't they?"

Nathalie was surprised Adrien knew anything about that but nodded in response. "Yes. They went to Shanghai in China first. While there they learned about a lost temple where jewels of great magic were kept. Curiosity got the better of them and Gabriel called me to come and join them on an expedition to find the temple. One night we were snowed in on the mountains and our Sherpa took us to a small village. While we were there, we found the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous along with the Grimoire."

"Who had them?" Marinette asked.

"Nobody really." Nathalie replied. "Gabriel soon discovered that half a dozen goats and chickens were far more valuable to the man than pieces of jewelry and a book he didn't understand and he was more than willing to hand the items over. He had never worn Miraculous and knew nothing of the kwami's inside.

Duusu and Nooroo told us what they knew, which admittedly wasn't much. We did learn that the temple was lost and that there were many more Miraculous in the world. Emilie wasn't interested in any of that though. There was only one thing she was interested in, and that was the Peacock's ability to create living beings... Sentibeings, not sentimonsters." She pointed out, shaking her head. "There was nothing monstrous in what she created."

Adrien leaned forward slightly in his seat. His heart was in his mouth, and his breathing felt almost constricted. "What did she create?" He asked, terrified of her answer. A thousand scenarios ran through his head, all of them with an answer he didn't want to know, but knew he had to.

Nathalie rested her hands flat against the table, as though she were bracing herself. "She created the baby she believed she could not conceive. A baby with blond hair and green eyes like hers. A baby created from the emotions of her husband's greatest heart desire for a son that would become his heir and successor. A baby that held their hopes and dreams for the future. A baby she named... Félix."

Marinette tried to stifle the gasp that rose to her throat and Kagami felt Felix's hand slip out of hers. She turned to him, but he simply folded his hand on the table calmly as though he was waiting for the world to implode.

"How long have you known?" Kagami asked, taking in his lack of reaction. It explained so much to her about him. His reserve, his determination to keep her at a distance and his fear of getting close to anyone.

"Since Emilie disappeared." Félix said matter of fact. "My mother was afraid that if something happened to her sister, something would happen to me. We didn't really know how it worked then." He rubbed his hand over his chest, the chain there peaking through again.

"Wait a minute." Adrien said, trying to sit up more and looking at Nathalie. "You're telling me my mother used the Peacock Miraculous and created Félix before handing him over to her sister?"

Nathalie nodded her head slowly. "You must understand Adrien, your mother wanted a child more than anything in the world, but there were two things she didn't know. The first was the lasting effects of using a broken Miraculous. We didn't know how it broke, it was already that way when we found it, and Duusu didn't know either. Félix was not just any sentibeing, she intended him to be human in every sense of the word, and when I saw him he was in every way a new born baby. It took an enormous toll on her physically and it was something she never fully recovered from. I know all too well how difficult things were for her and to be honest, I was relieved when Ladybug took the Peacock Miraculous back, for Félix's sake. It can be dangerous in the wrong hands."

There was no need for Nathalie to say it out loud. It didn't take a genius to join the dots to work out Nathalie had been Mayura before Hawk Moth started merging the Miraculous himself. In hindsight Adrien strung together in his mind the many times Nathalie had been I'll in the past being linked to the same broken Miraculous. Even now she would often suffer unexplained illness bouts.

"What was the second thing?" Marinetted asked tentatively. "You said there were two things Emilie didn't know."

Nathalie's face softened a little. "When Emilie created Félix, she didn't know at the time that she was in fact expecting a child of her own. Somehow against all the odds she fell pregnant on the trip." She smiled to herself. "Emilie was so happy and ran to tell Gabriel, but he didn't receive the news as enthusiastically as she thought he would. No one aside from me knew about Félix at that point and Gabriel worried that two children, two sons in particular, that were almost twins for all intents and purposes would become rivals. He didn't want the company destroyed by fighting siblings so he...he..." Nathalie struggled, the thought clearly distressing to her.

"He wanted her to get rid of me." Félix finished for her. He snapped his fingers to re-enforce the point, an action that made Nathalie flinch. She went on to explain that Emilie could never bring herself to do that. She didn't see Félix as something that could just be destroyed, but as the living, breathing being she had intended him to be. Rather than snap Félix out of existence, she gave him to her sister instead to raise as her own. No one had intended for Félix to ever be told the reality of his existence."

"Nathalie..." Adrien asked tentatively. "Where is my mother? Did... did she die?"

"No Adrien, she didn't die. She fell into a magical coma. Your father spared no expense to keep her preserved in a chamber below this house. It was important to him to keep her close to him. His main goal was to bring her back and he was convinced the only way to do that was with the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous. His wish was to change what had happened so she never would have used the Peacock Miraculous."

Adrien looked over to Félix. If his father wanted to prevent what had caused Emilie's illness, there was only one answer to that. To save his mother, his father would trade Felix's existence for hers. The thought made Adrien feel sick. True, they hadn't always been close, but Félix was family, no matter how he was created and as much as he wanted his mother back, he could never have agreed to that.

"Can I see her?" He asked.

"Of course." Nathalie replied.

The assistant stood and indicated for Adrien and Marinette to follow her. Kagami and Félix also followed.
Nathalie pressed the secret buttons, sending Adrien and Marinette down first before she would follow with the other two who were awkwardly silent.

When the elevator came to a stop, Adrien and Marinette made their way across the gangway towards the light at the end. As they crossed the gardens, dozens of white butterflies flew up around them.

"Akumas?" Adrien said quietly as to not frighten them. "But before they are evil evilised".

"Remember, the Miraculous were intended for good, not evil." Marinette replied, keeping her hand on his back as they walked. "I can't believe he was breeding his own down here."

"I can't believe this was under my house."

Marinette could hear the anger in his voice as he said it. Anger that he had lived in this house, even when he was Chat Noir, and had no idea what had been going on under his very nose and at the web of lies that had been spun around him.

A closed sarcophagus loomed as they came closer. Marinette stood beside him silently as he steadied himself and reached out, pressing the button that opened the outer casing. Marinette reached out to hold him as his knee buckled, Adrien leaning heavily on his crutches as tears began to flow from his eyes.

"She looks just like the last day I saw her six years ago." He sobbed, handing one crutch to Marinette and putting his hand on the glass. "It's almost like she is just sleeping."

"She is in a way." Nathalie said as she and the others approached them. "I believe there has to be a way to help her without needing the Miraculous wish. I tried to convince your father that if we could just talk to Ladybug and maybe contact the Guardian Temple, I truly believe there must be a way to bring her back, but he refused to listen. I think somewhere he lost his way. He became so fixated on defeating Ladybug and Chat Noir that he couldn't see any other possibilities."

Behind Nathalie, Kagami and Félix stood silently. Félix had his eyes down. "You have seen her before?" Kagami whispered to Félix. He nodded his head silently.

"The day I found out about Gabriel. I feel like I'm responsible for this."

"You are not to blame Félix." Kagami assured him. "None of us ask to be born, we just exist."

"I wasn't born though, was I?" He replied, something painful in his voice. Kagami wanted to reassure him somehow, but she didn't know what to say. She was still trying to process all this herself.

"Can I just have a moment alone with her, please." Adrien said, his eyes fixed on his mother's face.

"Of course." Nathalie responded, indicating for Kagami and Félix to follow her. "When you're ready just come back up in the elevator."

As they walked away, Marinette leaned the crutch she had been holding against the coffin and wrapped her arms around Adrien and rested her head against his back

"M'lady." He whispered.

"I know Kitty." She whispered back, squeezing him a little tighter.

"This has all been too much." He admitted. "My father is Hawk Moth, Félix in a sentibeing and now my mother. Nathalie was Mayura... I feel like I'm on a merry-go-round and I can't get off." His voice broke again and Marinette moved to his side and Adrien put his arm around her and pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head, using her as his crutch, both literally and figuratively. "I don't know what I would have done without you here. Seeing you is the only thing keeping me sane right now"

"I'll always be here with you, Kitty." She assured him. "And we will do everything we can to save your mother. I'll go and see Su-Han and find out what we can do. If Miraculous magic caused this, then Miraculous magic must be able to fix it, without using the wish."

"I hope so." Adrien said, a thread of hopefulness in his voice. "I know my mother would love you." She looked up at him and he was smiling softly at her, but then it dropped away. "We need to find my father first though. I'm angry at him, more than I know how to articulate out loud, but that's between me and him, not him and Lila."

"I agree. Your mother is safe here with Nathalie until then. Come on, we should go back to the others now."

She passed him back his other crutch and Adrien took one last look over his mother before closing the outer casing. When they returned upstairs they found Nathalie, Kagami and Félix in the sitting room with a pot of tea. Nathalie offered them to sit down and poured them each a cup too.

"You know, Emilie always said that there was no trouble so great that it cannot be diminished by a hot cup of tea."

"Mother says the same thing." Félix added thoughtfully, a fond smile tugging the corner of his lips. "I guess we should address the elephant in the room... if Lila was behind Gabriel disappearing, and I'm not sure there is much doubt in that, then it would be reasonable to assume she now has the Butterfly Miraculous."

Everyone looked uncomfortable at each other before Félix continued. "I took the liberty of calling your friend Max while you were gone, he confirmed that a mirroring device had been installed allowing Ricardo, and by default Lila, to watch both Gabriel's home office, as well as his work one for some weeks. I think catching him in the act of transforming emboldened her to carry out her takeover plan."

"What can we do though?" Marinette wondered out loud. "We can't get the police involved and we need proof before we can ask the superheroes to get involved."

Kagami gave her a curious look and Marinette subtly shook her head. Now wasn't the right time for that kind of admission and for all anyone else knew, Ladybug and Chat Noir were out of the country still.

"We need to do what she did to us." Nathalie said with irritation. "We need a plant in her company, both to find where Gabriel is and to locate the Miraculous. There has to be a weakness we can exploit."

"Who though?" Kagami asked. "This isn't exactly the kind of disclosure you can make to too many people, nor is there anyone we know that she would trust to get close to her."

"I can."

Adrien lifted his head to look at his cousin. "What do you mean? You hadn't spoken to Lila in years until last night."

Félix ran his fingers through his hair. "There's something you don't know about Lila and I."

With Kagami giving him an encouraging nod, Félix relayed the whole sorry story of his boozy night with Lila in London, just after he had found out about Gabriel being Hawk Moth. He then showed them the text messages Lila had sent him the previous night.

"I can convince her I changed my mind and want to team up with her."

"Do you think she would believe you?" Marinette asked.

"I'm the best chance we have." Félix replied. "I know Lila well enough to know that she's far more dangerous than Gabriel ever was with a Miraculous. I'm not sure she even cared about taking over the company, she was just on a warpath to destroy it. This though? This means power and if there is one thing Lila truly loves, it's power."

"How do we know we can trust you?" Nathalie asked skeptically. "To be fair Félix, you demanded Gabriel give you half this company, you kept secrets and have done many underhanded things."

Félix reached into his jacket pocket and took out the contract Gabriel had given him. He handed it over to Nathalie while Adrien watched on with confusion. "What's that?"

"A contract giving me your father's controlling share of the company." Félix realised he could have put that a little more tactfully at Adrien's shocked face. "To be fair he did intend to talk to you about it today. Lila's little ruse changed things. I haven't signed it yet though. I've... I've been rethinking a few things lately. Take it unsigned as an insurance of good faith in this. If Lila thinks I have something to gain, she will be more likely to slip up."

Marinette put her hand on Adrien's shoulder and he gave her a half reassuring smile, but she could see it was another blow to him. Did his father think he wasn't capable of running the company? Was it because he regretted that Adrien wasn't the son Félix might have been? Adrien pushed the thoughts from his mind. There were other things that needed his focus now, and only one person could truly answer those questions, someone they needed to find.

"If I'm going to trust you with this, then I need to know why didn't you tell me about my father? You've known about it for over a year, was it just all for this?" Adrien asked angrily, pointing at the contract.

Félix averted his eyes from Adrien and onto the empty tea cup on the table. "Partly." He admitted. "In exchange for my silence I made a deal with Gabriel to cut you loose, let you compete in the Olympics, move out, live your life."

Adrien's face showed his shock. "But, why would you do that?"

"I hoped if you found life away from your father more enticing, it would be easier for you to walk away from the company. I know you never wanted to be a model and you wanted to be free of your father's influence."

"You were trying to ease your own guilt." Nathalie scoffed. Félix half shrugged in return.

"Adrien wasn't my target, Gabriel was. I guess my motives weren't much different from Lila's except that I wasn't aiming to destroy the company, I just wanted what I felt was my fair share. He owed me that and time was running out."

"What do you mean?" Adrien asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"I mean that the reason your father was shoving you and Marinette together was because if you had a child, Gabriel had set it up that his share of the company would have automatically reverted to them, keeping me out of any claim. In the end Lila forced his hand for him. I can't blame him for trying, I suppose. He wanted to secure his blood line and you were the only guarantee of that, not me. I couldn't touch your share of the company, even if I wanted to since it's your mothers half that was left to you. You will get that when you turn 22 or if you marry, whichever comes first."

A silence fell over the group. There was a lot of baggage to what Félix had just said, and Adrien could feel the weight of it. Félix, for all intents and purposes was Adrien's older brother more than his cousin, created by the same parents, only through magic rather than the usual means. It was only natural he felt entitled to what he believed was his birthright and Adrien wasn't about to deny him that. Business was always Felix's prerogative and Adrien had to admit he had no desire for it.

Adrien glanced his eyes across to Marinette. She was holding his hand in both of hers, knowing his whole world had once again been turned upside down, but so had hers. Everything she had worked towards as a designer was now in the balance thanks to Lila. Of course Adrien wanted to marry her and have children, there was no question of that in his mind at all, but he wanted to do it on his terms, not to his father's timeline of demands. As much as he loved living with her, it hadn't been his choice and the day he planned to propose he wanted it to be about them and them alone and certainly not as a means of trying to deny Félix his share in what should have been rightfully his.

Felix stood up and walked over to Adrien. "I'll admit I resented you for a long time, Adrien. I felt like you had taken my place, even though it wasn't your fault. But after what happened to you, and now all this with a Lila, I find myself at a crossroads. I believe this is something worth fighting for, not for Gabriel, but for us Adrien, you and me. Will you stand with me to save what is ours?"

Félix held out his hand to Adrien who took it and pulled Félix into an embrace. Félix was taken aback by it at first, but then accepted the warmth which it was given in.

"You go find out what you can from Lila." Adrien said with renewed determination. "Marinette, Nathalie and I will work on the company. We will bring Lila down together for what she has done and I promise you will always be part of this family Félix, you always were."

Félix pulled back from the embrace and placed a hand on Adrien's shoulder. "You don't have to Adrien. I know this wasn't your fault and I don't want to take away from you and Marinette."

Adrien gave Félix a warm smile. "You can't take anything from us, Félix, but you can give to us, as partners."

Félix nodded his head. "Partners. I like the sound of that. I'll head back to the hotel and get the first flight to Milan. If you don't hear much from me, don't be concerned. It's only for safety, okay."

Félix leaned over to kiss Marinette goodbye on the cheek and waved to Nathalie before he turned his eyes to Kagami. The emotional tension between them was palpable, and yet unspoken. Félix simply said goodbye and headed out towards the doors. Marinette could see Kagami was debating with herself and she leaned towards her.

"Remember what you told me, Kagami. Never hesitate. If you have something to say, go and say it."

Kagami looked towards where Félix had exited and ran out towards the door. The blond was already down the stairs and heading towards Gorilla with the car.

"Félix." She called out to him as he was about to open the car door. He wheeled around and fell back into the side of the car as Kagami crashed into him, wrapping her arms around him. Félix took a moment to register what was happening, but quickly recovered to hold her close to him, burying one hand in her midnight hair.

"Kagami." He murmured as he held her. "I'm not who you thought I was. I'm not... I'm not real."

Kagami pulled back, cupping his face in both her hands. "You are real to me, Félix. I can feel the heat of your skin. I can feel the warmth of your breath." She slid one hand down to his chest. "I can feel the beating of your heart. You might have been conceived through magic, but you are alive and you deserve to live the life that was given to you. Don't let Lila manipulate you. Don't forget who you are inside you." Félix interlocked their fingers, resting his forehead to hers. "Don't forget me, Félix, because I will be here waiting for you to come back to me."

Félix pressed a feather light kiss to her forehead. "I can't ask you to do that Kagami. You deserve more than someone like me."

"And you deserve more than you allow yourself." She said firmly. "You are not the origin of your creation, you are Félix Graham De Vanily. You are astute and resourceful and someone who won't take things lying down. You could have teamed with Lila, but you didn't because you knew deep down it was wrong. You could have signed that contract in Gabriel's office, but you waited because you wanted to talk to Adrien first. You are a decent person, even if you can be selfish and conceited at times. You don't have to push everyone away. You were created out of love, not fear or hate and I know that the mother who raised you must have loved you very much. Who you are today is every bit a part of her."

Félix looked down into her hazel eyes and could see truth in them. Somehow, beyond everything he believed to be possible, this beautiful woman was willing to stand by him, to wait for him and was offering a life he never thought could be his.

"I don't know what the future holds for me. I don't know how long my existence will be, whether I can father children or if something ever happened to the miraculous that..." He was silenced when Kagami pressed a finger to his lips.

"Then we will take each day as it comes." She said defiantly. "If you will trust me with your heart, I will trust you with mine."

Félix saw something in Kagami he doubted many had seen before, a fragile vulnerability, and he felt a sudden urge to want to protect her at all costs.

When Félix let her go, Kagami worried that maybe she had misread the clues he seemed to have been giving her. But her mouth soon dropped open when Félix took off a necklace that he was wearing under his shirt. It was a gold pendant with two rings interlocked. He then put the necklace around her neck.

"What is this?" She asked.

"My heart." He replied simply, his voice heavy with emotion as he tucked the chain under her hair before cupping her cheek. "It belonged to Emilie but it was a family heirloom along with the De Vanily rings. It's where she placed my amok before she gave it along with me to her sister. I'm trusting you with it to keep it safe until I come back."

Without saying a word, Kagami hooked her hand behind his neck and surged up onto her toes, pressing her lips into his. Félix felt electricity shoot through him as he pressed her body closer to his, returning fire with fire as they momentarily became lost in each other. When they parted for air, Félix held her face in his hands, the overwhelming emotions bringing tears to the edge of her eyes.

"You give me hope Kagami." He said, rubbing his thumb across her cheek. "I will be back, I promise. Can you do me a favour and go to London? Tell my mother everything so she knows what's going on."

"She doesn't really know me, Félix. Why would she take any notice of anything I say?"

Felix's eyes softened and he gave her a lopsided smile. "I'll let her know my girlfriend is coming to see her. Trust me, she's going to love you."

With one more impassioned kiss Félix got into the back of the car and made his way to prepare to go to Milan, feeling more human than he had felt in a very long time.