Chapter Text
Time didn’t have meaning for her anymore.
She knew that it once did. At least…she remembered remembering that it once did. That, at one point in time, she had a name and a place in time, and that time flowed forward and she along with it. But that was then. This was now. And all there was now was Omega and his frozen angel face, save for his grimacing, growling mouth. So, she fought, and she fought, and she fought, and she fought…because she knew that, as soon as she stopped, time would resume on his terms and she could not—would not—let that happen.
Time might not mean anything to her anymore, but she was still going to do whatever it took to protect it.
As long as it takes, she told herself, the phrase familiar even though she could not place it. It gave her comfort though and it became her mantra.
As long as it takes.
As long as it takes.
As long as it takes.
* * *
Diego opened his eyes, hands raised in front of him to cup a face that was no longer there. He slowly touched his lips, wondered if he had just imagined Jack’s kiss or if it had truly been her last act of his existence.
Yet, somehow, he was still there.
“How…?” wondered a voice before Diego could say the same thing. He turned to find Master Fu looking around, still clutching the Miracle Box. The Kwami who encircled him did much the same, except for Fluff.
“She stopped him,” the Rabbit Kwami explained.
There was a groaning on the other side of the room, which caused the Kwami to hide. Evie was kneeling next to a man whom Diego assumed was Dr. Lacasse. He had never actually met him before, but he had heard a lot about him from Jack.
Dr. Lacasse said something in French as he rubbed his head. Master Fu was quick to jump up and answer him. Seeing that he had things handled, Evie made her way over to Diego.
“So…it worked,” she said softly, a wane smile on her face even though her eyes were still glossy.
“Looks that way,” agreed Diego, glancing out the window. Down below, cars were stopped. People were talking in hushed tones, shaking their heads, trying to make sense of what they had experienced. The wind blew though, and a pigeon landed on the railing to coo. Everything was peaceful. There wasn’t a single sign that anything devastating had happened at all.
Master Fu was walking Dr. Lacasse to the door now, seeing him out. As soon as he was gone, the old man leaned against the wall and sighed.
“Great. Now I owe him a free massage…” he complained as the Kwami phased out of their hiding spots. He took a quick glance about the room and tilted his head. “Where did Rabbit go?”
“She went to fight Omega instead of me,” Evie explained.
“Sí, but she should be back soon,” said Diego. He paused though as something occurred to him. “No. Me retracto. Shouldn’t she be back here already? I mean, she’s got control over time and space. There’s no reason for her to be late…”
Evie paled, but it was Fluff who spoke up, her ears drooping.
“She’s not here because she’s preserving this timeline," said the Kwami. "Permanently.”
There was a pause before nervous laughter burbled up from Diego’s throat. “That’s crazy, pequeña. Just…loco. Jack’s just…” He struggled to come up with a suitable explanation.
“I can sense them,” said Fluff. “Her and Omega. Fighting across all of time and space. Forever.”
Diego felt like he’d been gutted, like he couldn’t breathe. He imagined this was what Jack felt like when that building had collapsed on her during the Tattoo fight.
“What do you mean, ‘forever’?” he demanded.
“She’s never coming back,” explained Fluff. “She can’t or Omega wins.”
“N-never…!?”
Evie’s comforting arm snaked its way around Diego’s shoulders. He flinched at her touch though, not wanting to accept it, not wanting to accept any of it, but he couldn’t find the strength to push her away.
“I’m so, so sorry, Perro Negro,” she said.
If this had been the Evie from his time, his Evie, he would’ve cried in her arms, but this was a stranger. She didn’t even know his real name. Instead, he warred against his emotions for control, intent on locking them away. He wrapped his arms around himself as if he thought that would help, but it was a losing battle. Wrecked with silent sobs, he leaned over and willed for the world to end.
But the world did not end. It kept on turning, all thanks to Jack. Oblivious, reckless, beautiful Jack. What Diego wouldn’t do to see her again, just once. Just for an instant. If he could take this burden from her. Trade places. Make it so she could be the one who could continue her life. After all, she had friends, a family. If it had been him, no one would’ve cared, other than Jack, of course, but she would’ve moved on eventually. He was sure of it. But he never would. He couldn’t.
There was a shuffle of footsteps and the creak of a floorboard once, then twice.
“Not all hope is lost,” came the kindly voice of Master Fu.
Diego glanced up through blurry vision to find the old man offering him the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses, the ones from Diego's time. Diego glanced at his fingers, realizing his brass knuckles must’ve fallen off when Plagg vanished before his Miraculous.
“Whoever controls both these Miraculouses at the same time can make any one wish come true with a special invocation.”
“W-what?” Diego turned to Tikki and Plagg. “Is this true?”
Plagg refused to meet Diego’s eye, but Tikki nodded solemnly.
“Why didn’t you guys say something earlier!?” Diego demanded.
“They did not say anything because they understand this power is beyond dangerous. It literally destroys the universe and creates a new one based on that wish,” said Master Fu. “It seems to be what Omega was after in reengineering the Kwami, and you’ve seen what he’s done.”
Diego wiped his cheek hard. “Why…why are you telling me this?”
“Because a young girl just sacrificed her life to eternity to save the last twelve years and the next twelve as well. She gave up everything to prevent a madman from absolute control. And never was it with any thought of herself, or else we would not be here now. Heroics like that should be rewarded with a happy ending, don’t you think?"
"Totalmente, but...I don't think Rabbit would ever forgive me if I destroyed the universe just to save her."
Master Fu smiled conspirationally. "Do you really think she'd let you, considering what she's given up to protect it?"
There was a beat of silence. "Oh," said Diego. The words sank further, gaining further meaning. "Oh."
"This is quite the risk, Guardian," warned Evie. "What about Omega?"
"I'm sure he won't take too kindly to any wish that threatens his plans. You probably only have one chance though. Please, make the most of it."
It took Evie a moment, but she eventually lowered her head in acquiescence. Diego took the Miraculouses with a shaking hand. The silver ring turned back into a three-fingered brass knuckle made of onyx. The earrings transformed into a single silver industrial piercing.
“Here, Evie,” he told her, offering her the Miraculouses, but she shook her head.
“I can’t,” she said.
“Why not? You’re the Guardian!”
“I know, but you’re Rabbit’s partner."
“Yeah, but I’m not a Chosen One, so—”
“What are you talking about?”
Diego's brow lowered. “You didn’t choose me, Evie,” he told her gently, but Evie just cocked her head at him.
“Uh. Are you sure? When I sensed your intentions, they were every bit as pure as Rabbit’s.”
“¿Eh? But that’s…impossible…”
The young woman grabbed his hands and curved his fingers over the Miraculouses. “Please,” she implored. “Rabbit needs you, Perro. She might have seven Miraculouses now, but she is still the Chosen One of the Rabbit Miraculous. She wasn’t meant to fight alone. You know that.”
Diego’s breath caught halfway up his throat and all his regrets came roaring back, crashing over him like a wave. All those months he watched Jack struggle. All those months Wrekk begged and pleaded with him to go help her. He should’ve gone sooner. He could’ve spared her from so much pain and misery and heartbreak.
No, no, but wait. This time, it would be different. This time, he really would come as soon as he could.
He slipped on the brass knuckles and fitted the industrial piercing into his right ear.
“Aprobado. Let’s try this,” he said, holding up his fist. “Plagg! Claws out!”
Transforming back into Gato Negro, Diego slammed his hands together like he had seen Omega and Jack do before him.
“Plagg…? Tikki…?” he called out, a little uncertain, but it was now or never. “Unify!”
Tikki went whizzing into his ear and he began to transform a second time. He wondered what he should call himself. Black Beetle? Gato Chinche? But any name he came up with felt hollow. This wasn’t an ordinary superhero he was becoming. He was assuming god-like powers to save the girl he loved from a horrible fate.
Wait. That was it!
Fate.
El Sino.
When two people belong together, nothing the world throws at them is going to keep them apart.
"I am El Sino," he introduced. "And I'm going to get my partner back!"
Diego turned only to catch his reflection in the window. There were the cat ears and tail he had grown accustomed to as Gato Negro, but two pieces of his hair were now sticking up, akin to antenna. His collar was now red, and he had a jacket hanging over his shoulders that resembled a ladybug's shell. Looking down, he saw his once familiar black suit dotted with red spots that become more and more frequent until it turned into a red suit with black spots down at his feet. He couldn't explain it, but he felt luckier, more confident. As if he could take on the world and win.
"¿Bien?" he wondered, spinning to face Evie. He did a couple of muscle poses. "What do you think?"
Evie couldn’t help but laugh. "I think you're a ham," she said. "But also...a hero."
"Come here, El Sino," said Master Fu, motioning Diego towards him. "I must share the special invocation with you. Do not share it with anyone. Do you understand?"
Diego saluted. "Yes, sir."
He went over and squatted next to the diminutive old man so he could whisper in his ear. Diego could instantly sense the words had power far beyond his comprehension, but he held them fast and memorized their every sound. After all, for their plan to succeed, he had to commit to his part.
He had to be willing to destroy the universe.
* * *
They stopped fighting at the same time. They knew. They both knew.
And then they were there. The time: March 6, 2003 13:24:548. The place: Paris, France. The Eiffel Tower. A lone figure in red and black stood on the very top of the structure with his hands spread wide, shouting into the maelstrom that had kicked up, his words getting lost yet building power as the area around him glowed, turning the world red. He could destroy what she was trying so desperately to protect. He could prevent what Omega was trying so desperately to achieve. For once, they were united. He had to be stopped.
They froze time. The wind died. The interloper fell silent.
But, from there, their opinions on what to do greatly differed. Omega darted down, intent to kill, but she stopped him.
"Alpha!" he roared. "You know what he intends to do!"
She did. She possessed the Swan Miraculous, after all, same as Omega, but there was something...strange about the intentions she was feeling. Yes, it was true he wanted to destroy the universe, but it was also true he wanted to preserve it. How could that be? What was she missing? And then she felt the answer thanks to the Dragonfly Miraculous. Something familiar. Something that made her trust.
He wanted to help her...because he loved her.
She unfroze time.
* * *
Diego reacted on instinct alone. One moment, he was shouting an invocation that was going to destroy the universe and, the next, two blindingly bright figures had appeared locked in battle next to him. He swung his weapon as hard and as fast as he could at Omega, nailing him in the stomach and knocking the wind out of him. Suddenly, he was just a man in a mask, decked out in a garish hodge-podge of familiar animals’ parts and rainbow colors. The still-shining figure held aloft a watch—Jack's watch.
"No...no!" begged Omega as he struggled to fly away, but there was no escaping the angel who remained. She didn't appear to move, but, every time Diego blinked, Omega was stripped of another animal and another color as he flew closer and closer to the ground. Finally, he was reverted to Cygnus. Then his wings vanished, and he collapsed on the ground, nothing but a withered old man in a fancy suit and a Panama hat.
"Grandpa!" cried Evie, leaning over the edge of the observation deck.
Diego suddenly found himself and Evie on the ground near Omega, allowing Evie to run to her grandfather's side. There was a flutter of wings and Diego turned to see the angel landing next to him. It was Jack, of course, but she had never looked so terrifying, nor as beautiful. Her skin was perfect, her hair long and luxurious with the occasional shimmer of rainbows as it wafted in the breeze, but her eyes were completely covered. It was unnerving, especially since Diego got the sense it didn't impeded her vision at all. Though she wore only white, he recognized aspects from everyone's costumes—his dog ears, Praying Mantis's robes, Firefly's head covering, Nymph's bobbles, Chameleon's tail, Trumpeter Swan's wings, her own boots.
“It’s over,” said Jack, folding her wings. It was difficult to tell, but it seemed like she was looking off into the middle distance. Her reverie ended abruptly though when she turned to Diego to give him a stiff nod. “I see now that you were calling out to us the only way you knew how so you could help me defeat Omega. I would have never been able to do so without you. You have my thanks.”
Diego laughed at being address as if he were a stranger. Of course, Jack didn’t recognize him as El Sino. How could she? He was quick to dismiss his form, sending Tikki and Plagg somersaulting through the air.
“Jack, Jack! It’s me!” he told her, all smiles, but her face remained like stone. Diego’s grin faltered. "Jack...?"
She tilted her head towards him, confused. “Who is Jack?” she wondered. “My name is Alpha.”
“Ha, ha. Very funny.” Diego attempted to give her a playful shove, but she side-stepped him and he stumbled forward.
“Who are you?" she wondered.
“What do you mean?” asked Diego, his heartrate spiking as he spun to face Jack, but she was looking less and less like the girl he remembered the longer he stared at her. “I’m Diego. Your boyfriend.”
The angel had no reaction and Diego’s face began to crumple. A soft ‘oh’ even escaped Plagg’s mouth as Tikki floated over to pat a dejected Diego on the shoulder.
“You don’t…you don’t remember me?” Diego asked, his voice catching.
“I think…I think I remember remembering you. A long time ago.”
“How long?”
“I cannot say. The time I have lived is nigh infinite. Eons, I suppose. To the heat-death of the universe and back again.”
“But…no…”
Diego grabbed his hair and sunk to the ground in a squat. No, no, no, no, no! This was wrong. This was all wrong. He had come as soon as he could, so then how come he was still too late?
“You’re out of time,” she told him.
Diego looked up at Jack with tears in his eyes. “Huh?”
“The Kwami too,” she said, nodding towards Tikki and Plagg. “This is not the time from which you all hail. I will return you to whence you came.”
With a precise swing from one of her wind-and-fire wheels borne of ages of practice, she made a thin slit in the air about three feet off the ground and yanked reality open, forming a cloudy portal about the size of a door.
“Take these with you,” she told him, forcing a handful of Miraculouses upon him. Diego nearly fumbled them as he realized these were the ones she had stripped from Omega. The ones from his time, that he and Jack had traveled so far for to get back. “And him,” she added, nodding towards Omega himself.
For the first time, Diego took note of Omega sitting in the grass not far from him, looking like a frail and harmless old man as he yanked up grass and stared up at the sky. Evie was kneeling next to him trying to talk to him, but he didn’t seem to be paying any attention to her.
“Grandpa!” she called out, apparently not for the first time.
He dragged his eyes down to her. They were polite but blank and painfully familiar. Diego had seen that look from his abuela countless times near the end of her life.
“…Who?” he wondered.
“It’s me. Your granddaughter. Evie.”
He turned away as if she were of little interest, and Diego witnessed Evie’s heart break right before his eyes.
It seemed Omega’s memory was completely gone too, but without the magical assistance of the Miraculous he had been left a feeble shell of a man. Despite everything, Diego had never wanted Omega dead, but he wasn’t sure if something akin to Alzheimer’s was a fitting end or not. On one hand, it rendered Omega harmless. On the other, he wasn’t aware of what had happened to him and couldn’t feel remorse for what he had done. It was Evie who was going to suffer. It was an ending, yes, but there was no justice in it. It just was what it was.
Jack strode over to speak with Evie. Together, the two of them helped Omega to his feet, and they shuffled over to the portal together.
“So, he’s lost his memory completely…” said Diego, standing back up.
“I think…I think it’s for the best,” said Evie, fighting back tears, trying to be the strong Guardian she thought she should be. “You’ll take him back with you, right? Back to his time? To me?”
Diego nodded. “Absolutamente.” He turned to the angel. “Ready, Jack?”
It took her a moment to realize he was talking to her. “…Me?” she said. “I’m sorry, but I cannot go with you.”
“¿¡Qué!?” cried Diego. This was all too much. “B-but it’s your time too!” he sputtered, widening his stance. He wasn’t going to let this happen, at least not without a fight. “I’m not going back without you.”
“Be reasonable. If I don’t put things back the way they were, you’re not going to be returning to the same present you left. See how the portal isn’t clear?”
Diego turned to look at the swirling gray clouds that made up the doorway to his present. They roiled ominously, like an oncoming storm. When he turned back to Jack to argue his case further though, she was gone.
Gone. Like she had been since the moment she kissed him back at Master Fu's.
“Well…I guess this is goodbye, then,” said Evie, awkwardly breaking the silence. She held out her hand. Diego decided to salute her instead. She sheepishly returned the gesture. “It was nice to meet you, Chosen One of the Dog Miraculous.”
“You too, Guardian.” Diego paused. That didn’t seem like it was enough. “My name is Diego, by the way. Diego Rodríguez.”
The young woman gave a sudden start of recognition. “…Manny’s son?”
“That’s right. And I just wanted to let you know…that I wouldn’t be the Chosen One if it weren’t for you. So…uh…thanks.”
“But I didn’t—”
“Not yet,” agreed Diego. “But someday.”
And, with that, Diego took Omega by the hand and walked through the portal, Tikki and Plagg flying after him.
The instant Diego saw the same scene he had left, he breathed a sigh of relief. Jack had done it. The timeline had been restored.
There was a heavy clunk as the handcuffs pinning Adrien to the wall dropped like a stone. Seeing this, Marinette stood up, now free from her invisible cage. Everyone else—Howard, Dave, Lalita, Kat, Zach—stood knotted around Evie.
“DR!” Evie yelped, jumping to her feet and tripping over rubble as she rushed up to him, the others following. Cheers and shouts of jubilation echoed throughout the half-destroyed underground platform, but Diego had a hard time hearing them when he had lost so much.
“All right! You did it!”
“I can’t believe it.”
“Je savais que nous pouvions compter sur vous!”
“You’re alive!”
“Oh, thank goodness.”
Evie reached Diego first and threw her arms around his shoulders, holding him tight as she stumbled up against him. Diego hugged her right back as it dawned on him that nothing had felt real after Omega’s defeat until this very moment.
“It’s okay, I’m okay,” he murmured, even as his body shook.
Evie’s tunnel vision expanded beyond Diego. “Grandpa…” she realized.
The old man tilted his head to the side and gazed at her with mild interest. This Evie, who had worked in memory care, recognized the look instantly.
“What…what happened to him…?” she asked, falling back in shock.
“He lost his memory. In the fight.” Diego didn’t know what else to say. “I don’t think it’s coming back.”
“Serves the old fart right,” said Zach.
Lalita of all people smacked the boy in the arm.
“Ow!”
“Hush,” she told him.
“…I see,” managed Evie. It was a difficult pill, but she swallowed it as best as she could as she gently took her grandfather by the hand and led him to a half-destroyed bench to sit. “It’s probably for the best.”
Past Evie had said the same exact thing and Diego was curious. “What makes you say that?” he wondered.
“I think it’s the only thing that could ease his pain of losing my parents. Forgetting them entirely.”
“Oh.”
A voice with a French accent cut through the air. “Hey, uh…where’s Jack?”
Diego turned to find Adrien picking his way through the debris towards the rest of them, holding hands with Marinette. Their Kwami cried out their names and zoomed on over, overjoyed to be reunited with their holders.
“Bon travail, Tikki,” Marinette said as she cupped the nuzzling Kwami to her face.
“Tu m’as manqué, Plagg,” Adrien told his Kwami, rubbing him between his ears.
The portal had shut the instant Diego stepped through it, but he still glanced at where it had been.
“Jack…had to stay behind,” he explained. His stomach twisted as if the world had flipped. “That portal Omega opened was a portal to the past. He was trying to change it. Jack stopped him, but she had to stay behind to put everything right again.”
“How?” wondered Dave.
“I don’t know, but she did it. Otherwise, we all wouldn’t be here.” Diego turned to Evie and handed her a fistful of Miraculouses. “Here.”
“You got them all back…!” Evie realized.
Diego swallowed thickly, acutely aware now of what such an act had cost him. He pushed those feelings down though as he went over to Adrien and Marinette. He pulled out his industrial piercing and passed it off to Marinette. They transformed into two black studs in her hands. Then Diego slipped off his brass knuckles and gave it to Adrien. It transformed back into a silver ring.
“I don’t know what would’ve happened if you two hadn’t given up your Miraculouses to us,” Diego admitted to them. “Thank you.”
“Don’t worry, Diego. I can fix this!” insisted Marinette, putting her earrings on.
Diego watched as the girl transformed back into Ladybug. Only then did he notice the rabbit’s foot on a keychain, dyed red with black spots, she had clutched in her hand. She tossed it into the air, using the Ladybug equivalent of Miraculous Rabbit. Instead of cotton and yellow energy though, it was tiny ladybugs and pink energy. They shot off in eight different directions. One was directly at the ground. The swam swept through the entire platform, cleaning up rubble, fixing the gaping holes in the ceiling and the wall, and returning the train cars to their tracks. Diego wondered if Paris had been returned to normal as well. After everything that happened, he had to hope.
Marinette scanned the platform eagerly at first, but then her face started to fall.
“Qu’est-ce qui ne va pas, ma...Marinette?” wondered Adrien, hand immediately on her shoulder.
“Je pensais que ça ramènerait Jack…”
“She thought Miraculous Ladybug would bring Jack back,” translated Adrien. He looked grim as the reality of the situation set in. “We’re sorry.”
“It’s okay…” Diego insisted, lying to himself to keep from breaking down. “You did what you could.”
Kat shuffled forward, her heavily magnified eyes brimming with tears as she hid her mouth behind her fists. “So…that’s it? Jack’s not coming back? Ever?” she squeaked.
Diego opened his mouth but hesitated. He wanted to curl up in on himself. To wake up from this nightmare or go to sleep forever. A life without Jack…he tried to imagine it and couldn’t.
“No.”
Diego was just about to say the word himself, but Evie had beaten him to the punch. The woman was shaking her head repeatedly. She shoved her hands into her pockets and pulled out the Dragonfly Miraculous. She used it to pin her bangs back, summoning Zaasa.
“No,” she said again, putting her hand back into her pocket. Hokss appeared. She pulled out the Rabbit Miraculous, the Chameleon Miraculous already around her wrist. She put the watch on next to it, bringing forth Mimmi. “I’m not going to stand for this.” she said. “No Chosen One of mine is going to sacrifice herself like that! I’m the Guardian. It’s my duty to protect her!”
On went the Mantis Miraculous like a pinky ring and Roadd appeared. Evie pinned the Firefly Miraculous to the breast pocket of her shirt and Lummen popped out. She flung the Dog Miraculous around her neck and Wrekk emerged, taking a moment to salute Diego. Diego proudly saluted his Kwami back.
Finally, Evie slotted the Swan Miraculous through the knit of her cardigan’s sleeves.
“Guardian!” cheered Ceeree when he appeared. “I knew you would save me! I just knew you would. You are, after all, the best Guardian in the whole wide world.”
Evie couldn’t help but laugh. “Wow, you haven’t changed a bit, have you?”
The Kwami molted a few feathers. “Are you not pleased to see me, Guardian?”
“Of course I am! But we can catch up later. Right now, we’re saving Jack.”
“That’s right!” cried Mimmi, punching a nubby little arm into the air. “C’mon, everybody. Let go save my Chosen One!”
“Ceeree!” Evie cried, crossing her arms. “Spread my wings!”
The Swan Kwami went spiraling into her right cufflink, changing them from brass to silver. Evie lifted her legs off the ground as she curled up into a ball. The power of the Miraculous held her aloft as feathers made of lavender light began to grow all over her body. Once she was completely encased, she burst free in her superhero outfit, flinging feathers everywhere. As they swirled around her, Diego was instantly reminded of watching Jack stand among Negator’s purified Akumas and thought it was only fitting.
Evie held her arm out in front of her and the feathers concentrated in a spot just below her hand, forming her scepter. She caught it before it fell, spinning it around her fingers before pointing it skyward, standing on one leg as if she were going to take flight.
Swan Princess had returned.
“Ev…!” choked out Howard as he stared at his wife with wide eyes.
“Goodness me!” realized Evie as she put her scepter on her hip. “You never did see me transformed, now did you? Only Dox. Ah, well, here I am. Swan Princess, at your service.” She curtsied.
“You’re somehow even more beautiful that you were before, which I didn’t even think was possible.”
“If you intend to make me blush, you are succeeding, sir.” She held out her hands as she looked around at the surrounding Recrees. “Are we ready to depart?”
“Ready, Guardian!” the Recrees chorused.
“Lovely! Then, without further ado...Kwamis!” Evie folded her hands as if in prayer. “Unify!”
Her body began to glow with iridescent light as the various Kwami were sucked into their Miraculouses simultaneously. Like her grandfather before her, she began to transform, taking on a similar guise, a winged being of light with multiple limbs. But while Omega’s had been terrifying, Evie’s was beauty and comfort and grace. A goddess of kindness instead of an angel of selfishness. She did not wear a mask, her eyes instead a kaleidoscope of rainbows. She smiled down upon all of them with pure benevolence.
And Diego had to imagine that, somewhere in the vast cosmos, whoever or whatever ordained that Evie should be the Guardian was pleased with their choice.
Taking her now multi-colored scepter, Evie opened a portal with a beam of rainbow light. In the blink of an eye, she was gone. In another, she had returned, an unconscious and untransformed Jack in her arms. She laid the girl gently on the ground in front of Diego, who was by her side in an instant, clutching one of her hands to his chest. He didn’t know when he started crying, but his cheeks were already slick with tears when he looked up at the Guardian.
El ángel custodio. His Guardian Angel.
“T-thank you, thank you—I could never…Evie…you…”
She held up a hand and spoke to him psychically.
Please don’t thank me yet. To preserve the timeline, I had to take her from after she restored it. You know what that means.
Diego grimaced. “Right. Her memory…”
Evie detransformed, shedding Recrees left and right. Once the little creatures got their bearings, they immediately darted back to their original holders. Diego found Wrekk hovering in front of him holding a salute.
“Permission to hug you, sir!” barked Wrekk.
Diego laughed, though it was weak. He could use a bit of relief. “Permission granted.”
Wrekk burrowed into Diego’s chest, a warm little knot. Diego pushed his hands that held Jack’s hand up against the Kwami’s back.
There was the soft clink of metal as Evie dropped the Dog Miraculous next to Diego.
“Don’t let them get stolen again,” she half-joked.
“Yes, ma’am,” said Diego as he put his dad’s dog tag back on. It was strange to think they were now eons old when Diego had only been missing them for a day or so. They were back where they belonged though, right next to his heart, and that was all that mattered.
As Evie went around the room handing Miraculouses back out, Diego adjusted himself so that he could cradle Jack in his arms. Wrekk maneuvered carefully, perching himself on Diego’s shoulder. They both waited for Jack to awaken.
“She fought bravely, sir,” said Wrekk. “I was sorry to be on the side of the enemy.”
“It’s not your fault, amiguito,” insisted Diego. “I’m the one who let your Miraculous get stolen.”
“You’re also the one who got it back.” He yawned, clearly exhausted. “Don’t you ever forget that.”
Suddenly, the platform began to echo with cries of dissent. Diego and Wrekk looked up to find Evie standing with Zach. Dave, Lalita, and Kat were converging on them.
“What are you doing!?”
“Don’t give it back to him!”
“He has no right!”
“Right?” echoed Zach, the word bitter in his mouth. “Like yous guys have any right!? You weren’t chosen by the Guardian.”
“Yeah, but at least we were chosen by our Kwami,” countered Dave.
“So was I, you jag-off!”
Lalita crossed her arms disdainfully. “A likely story.”
“But it’s true!” insisted poor little Hokss. “Zach was in trouble, so I transformed him to save him!”
“It’s okay…” Kat said, voice wavering. “You don’t have to lie for him anymore. You’re free now.”
“I believe him,” said Diego loudly.
Everyone turned to him, surprised.
“Why?” wondered Dave. “This little punk lives on lies.”
“So did I. Takes one to know one, right?” Diego managed a self-deprecating grin.
“I didn’t choose Diego and neither did Wrekk,” Evie reminded the others. “And he turned into an amazing hero.” She paused, thinking over what she had just said. “You know, it’s kind of funny. I looked for a Chosen One for the Rabbit Miraculous for years and years. I always assumed I never found them because it had been Jack all along, but that she had been too young. But now I wonder if maybe she grew into the role, like Diego did with his. Maybe everyone has the potential to become a Chosen One.”
“Us? Definitely,” said Lalita with a nod. “Him?” She wrinkled her pretty little nose in Zach’s direction. “I don’t think so!”
“Ah, senorita, you’ve got to have a little faith,” encouraged Diego. He turned to Zach. “Listen, I don’t care what the others say. I believe in you.”
Zach looked as if no one had ever said those words to him before. “R-really?”
“Yeah! Just, uh…don’t go kissing my girlfriend again.”
“Oh, come on! That was one time! On the hand!”
Diego laughed. “C’mon, guys!” he encouraged the others “At least give Zach a chance at redemption.”
“But what if he continues to misuse Hokss?” wondered Kat.
“Huh…?” wondered the little Chameleon Kwami. “Zach is my bestest friend in the whole wide world! He’d never do that!”
“Then he answers to me,” volunteered Evie, ignoring the confused Kwami. “And all of you, of course.”
“Fine. Do whatever. I don’t actually care all that much,” said Dave.
“Mantis!” complained Lalita.
Dave paused, eyes narrowing. “Did you…did you forget my real name?”
“N-no…!”
He rolled his eyes.
“It would be really cool of yous guys if you would lemme keep Hokss,” said Zach. “I was only working for Mr. Ende ‘cause he promised to change the past so my ma wouldn’t die ina crash. You don’t have to believe that sob story if you don’t want to, but it’s the truth. I thought I had nothing left to lose, but when it came down to it…I did.” He held his hand out to Hokss and tickled him under the chin with tenderness no one had seen from him before. “When I found out Mr. Ende tried to kill me, all I could think was, ‘Whose gonna take care of my lil buddy?’”
“Aw!” said Kat. “Maybe we should let him keep the Chameleon Miraculous…”
“Don’t tell me you buy that drivel!” said Lalita.
“But he sounds sincere…”
“Of course he does! It’s called acting. Why do you think he’d so good as impersonating other people?”
“How about this?” said Diego. “How about I take full responsibility for him? Whatever he does, good or bad, it’s on me.”
This surprisingly got through to Lalita. Diego had to chalk it up to another win by his charisma.
“Hm. Well. I reserve the right to tell you, ‘I told you so,’” said the girl, crossing her arms.
“Done!”
Evie returned the Chameleon Miraculous to Zach. Diego thought it was only right, considering it was the guy’s mom’s charm bracelet. He wished he had something more to remember his mom by other than flashes of memory.
“Thanks,” said the boy sheepishly as he hooked the bracelet back around his ankle. “You know, you ain’t half-bad, Diego.”
“Da nada,” said Diego. “Something tells me you’re not eith—"
There was a groan in his lap as Jack started to come around. Wrekk tumbled off Diego’s shoulder and they exchanged wordless glances of trepidation. It was only now that Diego wondered if maybe this had been a bad idea. Maybe they should’ve just left Jack wherever she was, where she didn’t know anyone, and no one knew her. Her memory and mind must’ve deteriorated too, just like Omega’s, and she no longer had the power of seven Miraculous to at least keep her coherent. She did have a younger body though. Diego had to hope that would count for something.
Jack sat up, steadied by Diego’s arms, and looked at all the hopeful people gathered around her. “…Where…?” she wondered.
“The Paris Métro,” Diego told her.
She turned to him, the same blank look in her eyes as Omega, like Diego’s abuela. His heart began to sink like a stone.
“Where?” she asked again.
“Jack!” squeaked a familiar voice. There was a blur of white and Mimmi tackled Jack back into Diego with her prodigious strength.
“I…know you,” said Jack. She sounded misty. Far away. But there was a glimmer of hope.
“That’s right!” Mimmi let Jack back up as she shook her head vigorously up and down. “You saved me!”
“Your voice…it was inside me. There were many voices…inside me.” Jack hunched forward and rubbed her face. “I can’t…remember…”
“Here,” suggested Evie, kneeling and offering Jack the Rabbit Miraculous. “Maybe this will help?”
Jack took the watch up with a tentative hand, examining its face before flipping it over to look at the back. “‘July 24, 1999. Between the Earth and the sky above, nothing can match a grandmother’s love.’” At least she still remembered how to read. She turned to Diego. “What does it mean?”
Fighting back tears, Diego gently took the watch from her and buckled it around her wrist. She watched with intense fascination.
“It means that there once was a woman who loved you very, very much,” he explained. “And she didn’t want this to happen to you. She didn’t want any of this to happen to you.”
The first time Diego heard that the previous holder of the Rabbit Miraculous didn’t want Jack to have it, he was incensed. That person was clearly an idiot who couldn’t see what he and the Guardian saw. When he later found out it was Jack’s own grandmother, his feelings did not change all that much. He knew how proud his abuela would’ve been if she had known he was Perro Negro. But Dr. Blaylock was a very shrewd and calculating woman. She knew the dangers of wielding the Rabbit Miraculous better than anyone, and the risk of giving it to her granddaughter didn’t outweigh the reward for her. He understood that now. She loved Jack, and it was clear to him now that all the woman had ever wanted was for her granddaughter to be happy, healthy, and safe.
“I was supposed to protect you,” Diego admitted. “And I didn’t. I’m so sorry, Jack. I don’t…I can’t…” He was beginning to break down.
“We need to get above ground. Make sure Paris is okay,” said Marinette, cutting in and giving them all someone new to focus on.
Everyone agreed it was a good idea, so Diego lifted Jack to her feet. They set off towards the doors at the end of the platform, Jack leaning on Diego heavily as he tried to remain calm. His panic was growing with every step though as the gravity of the situation began to take hold, crushing him slowly. Were Jack’s old memories gone forever? Would she even be able to form new ones? What was he going to tell Jack’s parents? He turned to ask Evie, but she was deep in conversation with her husband as they guided Omega up the stairs, discussing how Evie would assume executorship of her grandfather’s estate now that he was no longer sound of mind and what that meant for them. He decided not to bother them.
The dusky sky was a welcoming sight, as well as seeing the alley all in one piece. Marinette pulled out her phone and flipped through a couple of screens. It suddenly began to burble in French. Diego looked over the girl’s shoulder to see it was a newscast. There was a picture over the anchor’s shoulder of Ladybug and Cat Noir.
“We are being thanked for saving the city,” she explained excitedly. “Looks like everything is back to—”
Diego watched as the anchor put a hand to her ear to better hear through her earpiece. Her eyes bulged and she began to speak faster. The picture changed to a reporter out in the field. He was standing in front of an ornate building that looked vaguely recognizable. Behind him, standing on the roof, was a familiar purple figure.
“Trumpeter Swan!” recognized Diego. “But…how!?”
Evie was by his side in an instant to see for herself.
“But…but that’s impossible. I’m right here!” insisted Ceeree, molting slightly.
Evie ignored the Kwami. “It’s the work of Hawk Moth,” she explained. “I imagine Rodney did not take my grandfather’s defeat well. He gave up everything for him by becoming Trumpeter Swan, and then False Hood, only to have it all come to nothing…”
“Sounds like a loose end in need of tying up,” said Lalita. “Where is he?”
“Looks like Hôtel de Ville—City Hall,” explained Marinette.
“Got it.” Lalita turned to her Kwami. “Zaasa, forewings fly!”
“Woo!” the creature cried, throwing up his arms as he spiraled into her French barrette, transforming Lalita back into Nymph.
“Wrekk, bare my teeth!” insisted Diego an instant later. He transformed too, much to Jack’s mild confusion. “You’re not going anywhere without me, senorita. I’ve got a bone to pick with this Akuma.”
“Bone! Nice one!” said Adrien.
Marinette elbowed him in the stomach. “We’re coming too,” she insisted. She looked around at the others. “I think we all are.”
“Well, hurry up then!” demanded Lalita. “I don’t have all night.” And, with that, she flitted away.
Everyone else jumped into action all at once, transforming and making haste to catch up. Diego aimed one of his grappling hooks at the nearest roof to follow only to stop at the last second. He turned back to see Jack, Omega, Howard, and Evie the only ones left in the alley.
“Go on, Ev,” Howard was telling his wife. “I’ll take care of your grandpa. You go join the others.”
“But…” she started, clearly torn, but then she caught sight of Diego. “DR, what is it?” she wondered. “What’s the matter?”
“Jack…” He gestured to her vaguely. The girl didn’t seem to be looking anywhere in particular.
“Don’t worry,” Evie assured him. “We’ll look after her.”
“Sé que lo harás, but it doesn’t feel right…fighting without her when she’s right here. Wrekk and Mimmi—they’re meant to be a team.”
“That’s true…” Evie heaved a sigh. “I guess it’s back to the drawing board to find a new holder for the Rabbit Miraculous.”
“What!?” cried Mimmi from atop Jack’s head. “But I don’t want a new holder. I want Jack!”
Pity flooded Evie’s eyes. “I’m so sorry, Mimmi, but we don’t have much of a choice. With Jack in the state that she’s in—”
“Please don’t give up on her! There must be a way to get her back to normal. There has to be! We just have to…we just have to be positive!”
“Mimmi, I know you’re upset, but—”
The Kwami rose up into the air. “You weren’t there, Guardian. You didn’t see. Jack fought so hard. Every time she fell down, she stood back up. Don’t you get it? She sacrificed everything, even her own memory, just to stop Omega from succeeding. She didn’t give up, so I won’t either. It’s the least I can do after I…” Her luminous eyes began to fill with tears as she drifted off. Shaking her head, she tried again. “We Kwami were created to be immortal. The time for me was nothing, but, for Jack, it was everything. It destroyed her.” Mimmi swung around to float in front of Jack’s blank face. “I destroyed her.”
“Don’t go blaming yourself for something Omega did, Mims,” Diego insisted.
“I just wish I could give her what I have, you know? It isn’t fair that she should lose her mind while I got to keep mine. I remember everything.”
Diego nodded.
Then froze.
The Kwami remembered.
The Kwami remembered.
When Jack was Alpha, the power of the Recrees kept her cognizant, but she remembered nothing. Could it be because the Kwami she wielded knew nothing about her? She was a stranger to them after all, a random holder who had shown up one day out of the blue. But Mimmi, this Mimmi, who encouraged Jack and cheered her up when she was feeling down and loved her—maybe this one could make a difference.
“Mims!” Diego cried. “Mims, if you inhabit the Rabbit Miraculous right now, what would happen?”
“Um…” The Kwami wiped her face. “Jack would transform into Rabbit.”
“Exactamente. And you, and all the memories you have of Jack, would be inside her Miraculous, right?”
“Diego, that’s genius!” realized Evie. “When Kwami inhabit their holder’s Miraculous, they give them innate knowledge on stuff like hand-to-hand combat and how to wield their weapon and superpowers. In theory, you might be able to give Jack your memories of her, Mimmi!”
Mimmi grew thoughtful. She began to bounce a little in the air, buoyed by hope.
“At least when Jack is Rabbit, she’ll remember what you remember of her,” said Diego.
“I might be able to do more than that!” said the Kwami, now positively vibrating with excitement. “The inside of a Miraculous is an unconscious creation of the current wielder’s mind. It will be blank. But I might be able to get it to work in the reverse. I remember what it looked like before Omega took it and I am a Kwami of Creation. If I put it back the way it was…Jack might get her memories up until she lost the Rabbit Miraculous back in full. As long as she wears the Rabbit Miraculous, she’ll always have them!”
“Then what are we waiting for!?” Diego turned to Jack. “Mi conejito, repeat after me: Hop to it.”
She blinked at him.
“Ven ahora, I know you can do it!” he told her reassuringly. They were so close. He wasn’t about to give up now. Not when they had come so far. Time and space. The destruction of the universe and back again. He just needed her to say three words for him. “Hop to it.”
“Hop…to…it…” Jack tried, the words foreign to her, as if they were in another language and she was worried her pronunciation was incorrect. They worked just fine though as Mimmi got sucked into Jack’s watch.
Jack flinched and drew back, the transformation crawling up her arm. Her chakram appeared in her hand and she held it up, squinting at it.
Then, slowly, painstakingly, she waved it in front of her face, her white domino mask appearing. With staggered movements, she continued with her transformation—tossing her weapon, pulling her rabbit ears into existence, smoothing her hair into a braid. She moved faster and faster as she went along, as if she were a machine shaking off its rust after years of disuse. Soon her legs were sailing through the air as she performed a few flawless kicks. Her fluffy tail then appeared—transformation complete—and she stood there, not moving.
“…Jack?” Diego ventured, holding his breath.
* * *
It was like a rush of everything all at once. Jack found herself shuffling backwards, her body slamming against a wall as she looked about wildly.
“What happened!?” she demanded. She grabbed her head as flashes of memory ripped through her consciousness like bolts of lightning. The office of the furniture warehouse. The truth about Diego. The voice of Hawk Moth in her ear. And then there was a ruined subway tunnel. Mimmi scrambling up her chest. Omega’s cold hand around her wrist. “Oh my gawd, I was Akumatized, and then…Mimmi! I think Omega took her! But then…” She looked down at her gloved hands. “Why am I still Rabbit?”
Next to her, Diego laughed, sounding more than a little delirious, but also relieved. "I can't believe it!" he cried, his arms enveloping her and swinging her around with ease. "Mimmi! She did it!"
"Did what?" wondered Jack.
“I’ll fill you in later, mi conejito, but to catch you up—Omega’s been defeated, but Hawk Moth is still on the loose. We’re pretty sure he Akumatized the guy who was Trumpeter Swan back into Trumpeter Swan. Are you ready to go fight him?”
“Geeze, DR, give her a moment,” admonished Evie, pushing Diego back.
Jack clutched at her head again. There was something new, now. Something different. It was a memory, but it wasn't hers. She was fighting herself. Then she saw an unfamiliar superhero, a mix of Ladybug and Cat Noir. He hit her in the stomach. Then she saw herself pull the Rabbit Miraculous off her wrist before everything went white. Somehow, she was seeing Omega's defeat through Omega's eyes. “I...stopped him," Jack realized. "I stopped Omega. And someone helped me. Was it you?"
Diego’s tail wagged. “That’s right! You remember that?”
“Kind of, but it’s strange. Like I’m remembering from a different point of view and—” Jack stopped short, finally able to make sense of what had just happened not even a minute ago of people transforming into superheroes right in front of her. "Adrien is Cat Noir!?” she cried.
Diego's brow wrinkled. “Er…si.”
Jack panic-jumped up to the closest rooftop. “We need to find him! Now!”
Diego shot his grappling hook at the edge and reeled himself up to her level. "Is that really so surprising? What about Marinette being Ladybug?"
“No! You don't—Listen, I have to find him. I have to tell him! City hall, right?”
Jack took off like a shot, a streak of white into the growing night as she vaulted over chimneys and crossed rooftop gardens. The familiar and comforting shape of her partner struggled to keep up with her.
“Tell him what?” he called out.
“That his father is Hawk Moth!”
"…Dang," said Diego after a stunned pause. "That’s ruff."
* * *
As they all milled about in front of the airport security gate, Jack looked around at their diverse little group. Diego hand-in-hand with her. Dave and his duffle bag casually slung over his shoulder. Lalita dressed to the nines with her gold leopard print luggage. Kat trying to hide behind the backpack she was holding in her arms. Zach sitting on a bench with nothing but the clothes on his back. They waited for Evie and Howard, who were currently trying to secure an airport wheelchair for Omega. Well…Mr. Ende now, Jack supposed. Her brow crinkled as she watched the old man stare straight ahead into nothing. She didn’t want to, but she pitied him. It didn’t have to be this way. He could’ve stopped fighting her at any time and prevented such a cruel fate. He was so desperate to change the past though that it had probably never occurred to him what he would lose if he kept going.
Jack glanced down at her Miraculous. She would be the same if not for Mimmi. Her and Diego had experimented, and, without her grandmother’s watch on, she was lost too. All her memories were now stored around her wrist. But at least she had them, and some of Mimmi's to boot. It truly was the greatest gift her grandmother could've ever give her.
“So, are you going to let me leave this time?”
Jack turned to find Lalita glaring at her.
Dave stepped in before Jack or Diego could say anything. “You’re not gonna let that go, are you?”
“She trapped me here!” cried Lalita.
“And preserved the timeline, so, I dunno, maybe call it even.”
“Humph. The only call I’m making is to my agency. Excuse me.” With her phone in her hand, the model marched away.
“Don’t let her get to you,” Dave insisted, putting a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “You did what you had to do. It’s not all easy choices, being a hero. But we don’t do it cause it’s easy, right? We do it cause it’s the right thing to do. I guess I forgot about that. Thanks for reminding me. It's something I'll have to remember when I’m superheroing.”
“Wait…” realized Jack.
Dave offered a wane half-smile. “Can’t have a kid showing me up,” he said. “From now on, Denver’s gonna have a pretty prominent defender."
“That’s awesome!” said Jack.
“Good for you, man!” cheered Diego.
“I’d…I'd like to pick a city too. Um. Once I’m done with college, of course,” decided Kat quietly. “Not New York. It’s too…um…well, the United Heroez are there. But maybe someplace like Detroit…or Chicago. I’ve always been a Midwestern girl.”
“I think she’d be happy to hear that,” said Dave, nodding towards Lalita as she paced in front of the departure screens talking in rapid Gujarati.
“Yeah,” agreed Jack. “Striking out on your own? That takes a lot of guts.”
“You…think?” wondered Kat.
“I know better than anyone that fighting by yourself is not easy. But you’re never alone. Not with our Guardian around.”
“Ah! Right. She can send me a Champion…”
“And she can send for us if the going gets really tough,” added Diego. “We’re a familia now, Kat, and you’re no ghost to us.”
The girl smiled, some Firefly shining through.
“All right!” came Evie’s hoarse but cheerful voice as she approached, her husband right behind her wheeling her grandfather. “Sorry that took so long. Is everyone ready? Everyone got their tickets? Where’s…?” Evie looked around for Lalita only to see the model approaching. “Ah! There you are, Lalita. I bet you’re eager to get back to New York.”
“Only for a little while,” said the girl. “I made it very clear to Kushal that I’m returning to the runway circuit as soon as possible.”
“So, you’re taking my advice…” observed Dave.
Lalita scoffed. “Don’t flatter yourself, flyboy. Being here just made me realized that my talents as a superhero are wasted in New York—too much competition. I’m already an international supermodel though, so why not become an international superhero as well? It’s never been done before, and I like a challenge.”
“That’s a great idea!” said Jack.
“Of course it is,” said Lalita, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “I thought of it.”
Howard glanced down at his watch. “It’s two o’clock. You three should probably head out to your gate.”
“Sorry again I couldn’t get you a direct flight, Dave,” Evie told him.
He shrugged. “Eh. Two flights are better than the four I had to take to get here.”
“So, this is goodbye, then…” realized Kat, eyes flickering towards Jack before falling to her sneakers.
“Not for long,” Jack pointed out. “You’re all coming back for Positivity Fest at the end of the summer, right? We can pick you guys up with the Horse Miraculous.”
“R-right!”
“Might as well,” said Dave.
“I’m certainly not going to miss a ceremony that’s in my honor,” said Lalita.
“You mean ‘our’ honor?” questioned Dave.
“It’s cute that you think that, but we all know who has the bigger social media following here.”
Dave rolled his eyes again. “Not hard to beat zero,” he mumbled under his breath.
“Still…” said Kat. She stopped short, as if surprised by her own ability to speak. She swallowed and pressed on. “Thanks, Jack. For, um, believing in me.”
Jack beamed. “Anytime.”
In a flurry of goodbyes and waves, the others saw Dave, Lalita, and Kat off. Jack fervently hoped they would all continue to grow into their roles and become Chosen Ones. Diego seemed confident though, and that gave her confidence too. The future felt bright for their small little group of disjointed heroes.
“We should probably go soon too,” reasoned Evie. “Things take a little bit longer with…with my grandpa.”
“Evie—” Jack started, but the woman shook her head, knowing exactly what Jack would say.
“It’s not your fault. He brought this on himself.”
“But you deserve better,” said Diego.
“That’s sweet of you to say, DR, but I’m the one who let him go on for so long because I wanted to stop him quietly.” She wilted and Howard was by her side in an instant to rub her back comfortingly. “I think this is a just punishment,” she said quietly.
“What’s going to happen to him?” Jack wondered.
“Nothing. I’ll take care of him, just like he took care of me.”
“You’re good at that,” said Diego.
The woman gave a sad but frank smile. “I’ll try to make things right. My grandpa is unfit to run E Enterprises now, so I’ll dissolve it, sell off its parts, try to make sure no one loses their job. I’ll donate most of the money—I don’t need it. I think I’ll keep DyTech though.”
This was news to Jack. “How come?”
With a nervous but excited glance to her husband, Evie continued. “Well, with Howie opening a White Hat branch here, we were thinking of moving.”
“To Paris?” realized Diego. “¡Estupendo! You can keep an eye on Jack for me.”
“That definitely factored into our decision,” agreed Evie. “It’s a big life change, but we talked about it, and we really want to start our family here.”
“Omigosh!” squealed Jack, bouncing on her toes. “You’re pregnant!?”
The couple laughed.
“Maybe someday,” said Howard.
“We were actually looking into adoption first,” explained Evie. She smiled mischievously, a sparkle in her eye. “We were thinking of someone older. Someone who’s been kicked around the foster care system a fair amount. You know, someone who would enjoy life in Paris. Know anyone like that?”
Wide-eyed and disbelieving, Jack turned to Diego to find that his face had gone completely slack. He pointed to himself. Evie nodded eagerly, Howard laughing.
“I know we’re probably a bit young to have a fifteen-year-old and the process takes time,” she started to say. “But—”
Diego threw his arms around Evie with joyous abandoned. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” he cried.
“This is…happening?” said Jack, her mind unable to parse the moment. She felt like her whole body was vibrating. “This is…this is a thing?”
“No, but…wait…” said Diego, frowning as he pulled back. “I can’t just leave Los Angeles high and dry…” He turned. “Hey, Zach!”
The boy jumped at the sound of his name. Jack had almost forgotten that he was sitting nearby. Since he didn’t have a passport, he was going to use Camouflage to pretend to be an off-duty flight attendant under Evie’s supervision to get back to the states.
“How do you feel about Los Angeles?” Diego asked him.
“Whatd’ya mean, how do I feel? It’s Hollywood, man! That’s, like, the dream.
“Bueno, cause you’re going to be defending it from now on.”
Zach stared.
“Don’t worry!” Diego assured him. “I’ll be back when summer’s over to show you the ropes, get you in good with the people.”
“Wait. Seriously?” said the boy, realizing that Diego wasn’t joking.
It seemed to dawn on Diego that maybe he didn’t have the power to offer such a thing and backed down a little. “Er. I mean…if the Guardian is cool with it.”
Evie looked thoughtful. “Having a city to care for might be good for Zach,” she decided. “Let’s try it.”
“Wow. Just…wow. Um. Thank you! Don’t worry, I won’t let yous guys down!”
But Jack still wasn’t over Evie’s intention to move to Paris and adopt Diego. She poked her boyfriend to get his attention again.
“So…so…this is definitely for sure happening? You’re coming…here?”
Her boyfriend grinned as he scratched his head. “It looks that way!”
“Then…then…you’re going to have to learn French!”
Diego burst out laughing. “That’s your response?”
Jack knew she was being silly, but she could think of nothing else to talk about. “Adrien probably can't tutor you, but I'll find someone who can."
“Oh, you’re not going to teach me? Probably for the best.”
“Why’s that?”
“You do realize it’s Chat Noir and not Cat Noir, right?”
Jack shoved her boyfriend playfully as he nearly choked on his own laughter. She turned to Evie.
“Thank you!” she cried, her turn to hug the woman. “You have no idea how much this means to me. You’re the best Guardian ever.”
“I wouldn’t go that far…” said Evie, pulling away.
“It’s true though,” Jack insisted. “You went back to get me. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be standing here right now. So…thank you.”
“Man, if Hawk Moth were still around, all that positivity you just generated would’ve kept his Akumas away for weeks, Evie!” said Diego.
Here a shadow passed over Evie’s face, darkening her impossibly blue eyes by a shade or two. “I hope Adrien’s going to be okay…I gave him my contact information if he ever needs to talk. I know better than anyone what it’s like…”
“I don't know what's going to happen to him now, if he'll go live with his aunt in England or what, but I'll always be there for him for whatever he needs," said Jack.
Diego wrapped his arms around her, making her feel warm and secure, and burrowed his face into her hair, pressing a kiss against the back of her head. “The way you treat your friends is just another reason why I love you, mi conejito.”
Jack blushed. “I mean, sure, you like me, but love is such a—”
He spun her around and looked her deep in her eyes and she was falling again.
“No,” he insisted. “I love you.”
She had never said it in return. She had never gotten the chance.
Until now, that was.
“I love you too,” she said.
“Yeah. I know. The whole ‘sacrificing yourself by fighting Omega for all of eternity so I’d pop back into existence’ thing sort of tipped me off to that.”
Diego’s laughter was infectious. Jack couldn’t help but join in. Everything was so ridiculous. How they met, how they both became superheroes, how they fell in love, how they were able to stay together despite all the odds. Their entire present had melted away, and, yet, here they were, professing their love for one another in an airport.
Maybe there was something to Mimmi’s ‘Be positive’ mantra after all.
“Uh. Guys?” wondered Zach, ruining the moment. Jack and Diego turned to see him looking up at one of the airport’s TVs. On it was footage of what looked to be a giant peacock rampaging through the 5th Arrondissement.
Diego took a step forward, eyes wide. “What is Lalita doing!?” he cried.
“That’s no Emotimal…” realized Evie. “That’s…that’s something else.”
“The Peacock Miraculous!” realized Jack. She turned to the Guardian. “I’m sorry, Evie, but Diego and I have to go.”
“Go, go!” the woman insisted, herding them away. “We’ll be in touch.”
Hand-in-hand, Jack and Diego exited Charles de Galle Airport and searched for a safe place to transform. Way down at the far end was a disused check-in counter. The moment they concealed themselves behind it, their Kwami came out of hiding.
“Woo-hoo!” cheered Mimmi. “You hear that, Wrekk?” She grabbed him and shook him like a rattle. “We get to be together again! I’m so excited!”
“Yes, ma’am! But we’ve got work to do.”
“Right!” The rabbit Kwami turned to Jack. “Ready when you are!”
“Mimmi!” said Jack, a smile dancing on the edge of her lips as she punched towards the sky. “Hop to it!”