"The best way to rewrite your mistakes isn't with whiteout. It's to teach the lessons you've learned through those trails so that others don't make the same mistakes you once did."

— Forbidden Love

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

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Nothing went according to plan, Chat Noir realized.

The moment he stepped into the dining room with Marinette on his arm, her entire family looked his way. Her aunt was the one who had a more skeptical look as she studied his every move—like she was waiting and expecting him to pull out Marinette's chair for her to sit, which he would have done for her no matter who was watching. Marinette seemed to appreciate the gesture as she sat down, and he took a seat next to her, sliding in beside Marinette's third eldest sister, Krissy, on his left, and his love on his right. Marinette's uncle—he wasn't sure if the man even had a name—sat from across the other side of the table, engrossed in a newspaper of some sort. Elizabeth sat on Krissy's other side, and Marinette's aunt had taken a seat beside her husband.

He found himself fidgeting in his seat when her aunt began to serve the food she had prepared, and he felt Marinette's hand slide into his the moment she noticed his distress. He turned to look over at her and offered her a genuine, thankful smile, which she returned softly. His nerves were settled finally when the food was served, and when everyone at the table began to divert some of their attention to their food, he found his shoulders relaxing and the tension in his body vanishing.

Until their aunt looked his way again and asked him a simple, yet complicated, question. "So, Adrien, is it? How did you and Marinette meet, may I ask?"

Chat Noir gulped and almost choked on the fork that was currently in his mouth. He internally scolded himself to remember his table manners as he turned to meet the woman's eyes, and he cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Ah... well, that is a bit of a long story."

"Really, it is not." Marinette disagreed immediately. "He lived on the other side of the wall, you see. I crossed over one day and we just so happened to run into each other. Since then, him and I would secretly meet one another and spend countless of hours together. It really is that simple."

The disapproving look Marinette's aunt had to offer her bothered him. Instead, their aunt merely hummed and turned her attention back to her food, leaving him to shoot Marinette a sideway glance that clearly read 'are you out of your mind?'

He was trying to make a second-good-first impression, after all, and telling the guardian of the love of his life that they had spent so much 'unsupervised time' together looked unprofessional and faultless. He wanted to assure the woman who would grant him approval to marry Marinette that he was a trustworthy man.

And Marinette was making that somewhat difficult.

Marinette innocently shrugged and returned to poking at her food with her fork, which left him to stare down at his lap unsurely. Marinette's hand was still clasped in his own, and their entwined hands were both still resting against his right thigh, but he somehow felt as if he still needed more comfort. If only he still had his animal instincts from before, he would have probably had a better envision of how to handle this awkward situation.

"So," Krissy decided to break the silence that time, drawing in a bit of everyone's attention. "A while ago, I realized that someone had given Marinette a pendent, but I was not sure whom it was from. Did you give it to her, Adrien?"

"Yes, I did." Chat Noir nodded.

The change of topic seemed to pique Aunt's interest, and she turned to look at Chat Noir once again, her eyes lit and filled with curiosity. "A pendent you say. What sort of jewel is it?"

This time, however, Marinette failed to answer that question for him and instead waited for his answer expectantly. So, he shifted uncomfortably, straightened his posture and cleared his throat. "Well... it's not a jewel. It's an arrowhead."

Their aunt seemed to be disappointed by that reveal, something that didn't seem to surprise him as the evening progressed. The woman's interest dwindled immediately, and she frowned, "A what?"

"An arrowhead," Chat Noir repeated lightly, "Is a tip– usually added to an arrow– that is sharpened to make a weapon deadlier. They are usually carved in stone by our Arrowsmith, back in my village. An arrowhead is considered a very treasurable gift where I am from; it symbolizes the strength of a bond, depending on whom you give it to."

"You gave my niece a deadly weapon?!" Aunt almost shrieked, as if she hadn't even heard his entire speech on why he believed the arrowhead was such a treasurable gift and a symbol of something stronger than he could ever imagine– which he wasn't surprised she hadn't grasped that. Granted, he hadn't expected any other human to understand the importance of one. He knew for sure back when he had first given it to Marinette that she hadn't understood its purpose. Now though, after everything they had been through, he was certain Marinette saw the artifact differently.

And she assured his thoughts when she spoke up again. "Will you calm your arse down, Aunt? You should see me twist a pocketknife or shoot a rifle. I can assure you I do not miss."

Chat Noir could not contain his smile as he eyed Marinette fondly. Oh, he did not doubt her words for a second. Even from across the table, he could have sworn that Marinette's uncle snorted in amusement.

Lillian could only gape in disbelief. "What—"

"I think it's a lovely gift." Marinette instead added, before her aunt could continue. Chat Noir watched attentively as Marinette removed her hand from his, instead reaching into the pocket of her dress where the arrowhead was currently nestled in. She pulled it out and examined it with a gentle touch before she put it on display for her family. Her sister, Krissy, who had already seen the pendent, smiled softly, whereas Elizabeth merely gazed at the object in awe. Emily was too engrossed into her meal to really care. "It has a lot more meaning to it than a silly ring or fine necklace. I think it's the thought that is most important." Marinette smiled fondly at the object before she tucked it away into her pocket once more. "And that is all that should matter."

For the first time that evening, Marinette's uncle peered over the newspaper he was reading and smiled warmly at his niece. Everyone around the table froze—her aunt, her sisters, and even Marinette herself as they all turned to look over at their uncle in disbelief. It was almost as if they hadn't expected him to put in his input throughout the evening (which Marinette had mentioned to him privately upstairs that her uncle was not a talkative man whatsoever.) Adrien had expected to not hear a word from the man, let alone receive any approval for him to marry his niece. However, everyone around the table gaped as her uncle set down his newspaper and made direct eye contact with Chat Noir, who sat at the very far end of the table from him. The blonde gulped nervously, despite the fond smile that the man wore. "You seem like the kind of young man who would go the ends of the earth for our beloved niece."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement. Therefore, Chat Noir cleared his throat and straightened his posture. "Yes, sir. I would do anything for Marinette. Anything. I love her more than words can describe."

And it was the uttermost truth. He would do anything for the woman beside him. He would sacrifice anything; he would give up his life if it meant she would be safe; he had already sacrificed his life, and half of who he once was, to save her from a man who would have ruined whatever innocence she had left. Nathaniel would have ruined Marinette to her death. Sure, he was able to cause some harm and permanent damage that could not be erased, but Chat Noir and Marinette both tried to remain positive through it all. It could have been worse, he always reminded himself. It was already bad, but it could have been worse.

As if his thoughts had been voiced aloud, Lillian scooted her seat back and let its wooden legs scrape against the wooden floor. She stood and towered over her plate, sending a look of displeasure at her niece and himself. "And what about the child? Surely you must consider how dishonoring this will look if you two are to be wed. The child is not yours. He belongs to another man! A man who is currently waiting at the chapel for your hand, Marinette!"

Chat Noir felt himself almost rise as well, ready to defend his honor and prove that he would love Marinette no matter what... but Marinette was quicker to respond. She stood to her feet as well and slammed her fists on the table, glaring at the elder woman. "Let him wait for the rest of eternity if he has to! He took my pureness from me! He took something that he had no right to take! And he gave me something I was not prepared for! How can you expect me to marry him willingly after everything he has done to me? You would rather marry me to a man who raped me, instead of to a man who is here before you, willing to do whatever it takes to marry me? A man who risked his life for me? And now, suddenly, you are concerned for the child that I am carrying?"

"The child has always been a concern of mine!" Aunt barked. "Of course, I was not expecting to find out the way I did. The fact that I had to find out from Sir Nathaniel himself after you stormed out of that chapel was humiliating! It is of law that you be wed to him. You have his child!"

Marinette laughed bitterly. "Do you really think his main concern is of the child's? He is using the baby as collateral for my hand in marriage! He could care less if the child was born or not."

Lillian gasped in disbelief. "How could you assume such a horrible thing?!"

"And how can you be so oblivious?!" Marinette retorted in response. "Do you not understand the intensity of the fact that Sir Nathaniel raped me? Does that not matter to you?"

Adrien could feel the stress radiating off Marinette as she glared at her aunt, and he could see the tears beginning to cascade down her swollen, flushed cheeks. Immediately, he reached for one of her hands that was still balled into a fist on the table, and when she felt his touch, she immediately entwined their fingers together and squeezed, letting him know silently just how much she appreciated the contact. But her eyes never faltered from her aunt, even though he so desperately wanted her to meet his eyes. Just so that he could reassure her that he would never be like Sir Nathaniel.

Aunt looked torn between what she wanted to believe, and what was real. For some odd reason, she seemed determined to have her niece marry such a despicable man, and Adrien so desperately wanted to know why. "Please Marinette, sex is not classified as rape just because you did not enjoy it. Perhaps it was at the wrong moment in the wrong place. Who is to say that it will not be more enjoyable in the future when you are truly husband and wife?"

Adrien wasn't sure what to make of her words. The most he could do was stare at the woman with wide eyes, wondering what on earth was running through her mind to think that Sir Nathaniel's actions should be excused. If he was still in his magical body, Chat Noir was sure he would have lost all control by that statement.

The fact that he was still keeping it together was a surprise in itself.

Marinette gaped at her aunt unbelievably. "He took my virginity from me without my consent, which is considered rape! How can you even act as if he has done nothing wrong? I would never, ever want to spend another intimate moment with that man! He is disgusting and despicable and he has no respect for women whatsoever!"

Aunt however, seemed too determined to see the truth. It was hard for Adrien to understand how the woman couldn't comprehend how violated Marinette felt after what Nathaniel had done to her. "Marinette please—"

It was then when her uncle decided to intervene and placed a hand to his wife's arm, coaxing her to sit back down into her seat. The woman did as her husband wished and sat back down, and Marinette sat in her own seat once again as well when her uncle sent her a knowing smile. Somehow, the man of the home seemed so calm and collected, as if he had heard conversations like these so many times, that he had become immune to them. Nonetheless, he turned to his wife and eyed her expectantly. "Lillian dear, clearly Marinette has voiced legitimate reasons as to why she wishes not to marry Sir Nathaniel. So, it's settled then. Quit running your mouth and cancel the damn wedding."

For a moment, everyone at the table gaped at the man in disbelief. It was almost as if none of his nieces had ever heard him speak in such a manner, or maybe because he hardly ever spoke at all. Lillian on the other hand, looked more embarrassed than shocked by her husband's choice of words. Chat Noir felt Marinette's hand tighten around his, as if she was nervous for what would be said next, and he turned to look at her with a reassuring smile.

Whatever was said or whatever happened, he would never leave her side. If he didn't receive her aunt's approval, then he would take matters into his own hand. He would elope with the woman of his dreams and move far away from here, where he and Marinette could live out their lives however they wished. No restrictions; no rules; no one to tell them how they should spend their life. He would find himself a job in the human village, so that he could provide a home for him and his wife. The home would probably not be as big as this one—since Marinette's uncle had much wealth—but he would do his best to ensure that they could live happily and at peace. If Marinette wished to keep the child, he would raise it as if it was his own... and hopefully, sometime in the future, she would be willing to have children of their own.

But... that was a conversation for another time. He felt as if it would be inappropriate of him to ask of her such an intense request, despite how much he desired to share that with her. He frowned slightly as his thoughts continued to expand.

Would Marinette even want to have more children after what Nathaniel had done to her?

Sure, he knew he was nothing like Nathaniel. He loved Marinette and he only wanted the best for her. He loved her so much that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and hopefully start a family of their own. But Marinette had been scarred—her innocence robbed from her by a man who didn't care about anything but himself. The first time was meant to be spent with someone you truly love; someone who will cherish that moment and handle it with delicacy and care. But Nathaniel had been uncaring and rough, only interested in his own sexual desires and benefits. Adrien feared that something so intense would scar Marinette for the rest of her life. And if that was so, he felt selfish to ask her if she would want to try it again.

He swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat and looked up from his lap, watching as Marinette's aunt struggled for an answer. When the woman finally looked to the couple again, she was wearing the most embarrassed expression he had ever seen in his life. "I-I... I suppose I will have to send a letter to Sir Nathaniel informing him of the sudden cancelation."

Her husband titled his head expectantly at his wife. "And?"

Lillian sighed in defeat and pursed her lips. "And... you two have our permission to be wed. Congratulations Adrien."

Everyone burst into a fit of cheers around the table, and Adrien immediately perked up and lunged to embrace Marinette into a bone crushing hug. He could feel the tears flowing from her lids freely as she held onto him tight-- a promise that she would never let go. And he made that same promise. He buried his head into the crook of her neck and shed his own tears of delight.

Finally, finally, finally... was the chant in his mind. Finally, we can be together.

He felt other arms come around him and hug them both, and he could only assume it were Marinette's sisters. He found himself too wrapped up in the woman he loved so dearly to care. Adrien was too overwhelmed to move his head from the crook of her neck. He felt Marinette's hand move to his head to caress his scalp, and he purred, despite the time he had told himself not to now that he was human. However, Marinette's watery laugh told him that she didn't care. She loved him for him, and he loved her for her.

After the wonderful moment of celebration ended, dinner was finished, and the table was cleared. Marinette coaxed him to head back upstairs with her, despite the wink and the wiggling eyebrow he received from both Krissy and Elizabeth. They scurried back into the kitchen to help their aunt clean the dishes before he could scold them for it—because God help him, he was not about to suggest they do anything unrighteous in her bedroom. Even if he wanted to.

He respected Marinette too much.

However, Chat Noir couldn't deny how nervous he felt when Marinette shut the bedroom door closed. She smiled at him, and he knew it was nothing but innocent, but he found himself suddenly nervous to be alone in her presence. She took ahold of his hand and guided him to her bed, and it took a bit of convincing before he finally obliged and laid down beside her.

But all she had wanted to do was embrace him, and he should have known. Immediately, she rested her cheek against his shoulder, and he leaned his head against her own. His arm came around her shoulders and her right arm laid lazily over his torso. Despite his uncomfortable clothing, he sighed and found himself content and comfortable in her arms. He couldn't wait to spend every night and every morning with her like this.

Suddenly, Marinette jolted in surprise and turned to look up at him with wide eyes. At first, he was so startled by the sudden movement that he was about to sit up and inspect her with worry. But before he could ask her what was wrong, Marinette grabbed his left hand and placed his palm against her rounded stomach. Instantly, he frowned slightly and wished to pull away, suddenly feeling uncomfortable—as if it wasn't his place to be so near to a child that was not his own. But then he felt a tiny movement against his hand, and he paused, his eyes widening once he realized why she had been so surprised.

The child was moving. Hardly. But if you concentrated just enough, the faint kick was evident.

He turned to meet Marinette's eyes with a loving smile. Adrien felt honored to be able to experience this moment with her, even if the child was not his own. Regardless, he would be the father the child needed and that was all that mattered.

Blood related or not, the child would be a part of their family.

And a family is made from nothing but love.

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