Love is Timeless (Time After Time)

First Sequence

I: Caught Up in Circles

Marinette's breath comes in large huffs, trying to catch her breath when all she wants is to collapse –she doesn't want to take too long of a break, not when the akumatized villain is wrecking more damage than is usual.

But she also knows that she can't keep this up.

She's unsure where Chat Noir is. She can't get the others there either and so she's all alone, fighting tirelessly against this villain and ready to fall at any moment. She's terrified and alone and she just wants to stop for a moment –

Marinette's not sure what happens next. All she knows is she's blinded by bright, bright light and she's falling.

She falls and hits the ground hard, and it hurts but she mostly knows that her body aches and is in pain and she doesn't know what happened.

So she finally lets herself go and blacks out thereafter.

When she awakes again, it's to two beautiful eyes, like gemstones that glitter and shine prettily for her –one pair is as light and smooth as jade and the other reminds her all too much of blue diamonds.

She's fallen so, so far from the heavens that she thinks she might've been found by angels that had chased after her.

"Hello, mon mignon," she smiles at Marinette. "I'm Emilie and this is Gabriel. We will take care of you, little one."

Marinette could only blink and close her eyes, because the world is strange and her body is still in agony.

She feels herself get picked up and opens her eyes slightly, and her breath hitches as she recognizes the man who holds her.

Gabriel is Gabriel Agreste, and he's holding her like a princess.

"This is too much," she mutters and thinks it's a dream.

She closes her eyes once again and wills herself to sleep and hopefully wake up to reality.

II: Confusion Isn't New (But This Time Is)

Her angels with their perfect marble visage, gemstone eyes, and silky strands of hair are...

Adrien's parents.

Emilie Agreste, who is beautiful and kind and excited about Marinette, is here in the flesh and not a memory for a boy and his father. And there is Gabriel, who isn't distant but careful and sweet and thoughtful.

And without any questions, they take her in and take care of her, letting her rest enough to realize that after she'd hit the ground, she had devolve back into plain old Marinette –she's terrified at the thought that they know both of her identities, even though she knows that Ladybug isn't one they'd recognize.

The magic from her Miraculous has managed to heal her enough, but there are still leftover aches and pain, bruises and cuts that the two help mend. She wants to ask them what happened, why were they there, but she can't actually even speak for a few days. Instead, she's confined to a bed and being helped by them recover.

She has suspicions of where is...when she is because Emilie ("I insist, mon mignon! And Gabriel is Gabriel.") is still here and Gabriel looks younger, less lines and lighter eyes. She wears colorful clothes that spin around her in joyous movement, while Gabriel doesn't wear his classic outfit. He wears dark colors and not always suits, smiles more (that are tiny but there) and he speaks quietly but kindly.

Adrien hasn't even been born yet.

Marinette doesn't know these strangers and feels out of her depth (she lets slip that she's from the future before she silences herself). But Emilie is more than happy to have her around and Gabriel is a steady presence she has grown to depend on in the short time she has been there.