Chapter 2

Thank you to everyone who favourited and followed and especially to those who reviewed. I try to respond to each review personally though PM but if I'm not able to then please know your reviews mean the world to me.

I would like to say, for the record, I think Nathanael gets a lot of stick. I don't think he's a bad guy. However, for the purposes of this fic, he's not the best ex-husband. Sorry for any Nate lovers out there. There is a possibility of a redemption in a future chapter.

Here's chapter 2, I hope you like it.

As it always was, the next morning was a rush of activity. Celeste had inherited her mother's ability to dramatically oversleep and Marinette hadn't improved much over the years. As a result, they had twenty minutes to get to Nathanael's house and they still weren't ready.

Marinette hopped past Celeste's door while she tried to get on her sock, her toothbrush hanging out her mouth. She managed to slip the sock on and pulled the toothbrush out of her mouth in order to shout at her daughter.

"Celeste!" she cried, none too patiently, "we don't have time to faff. You haven't even finished getting dressed yet, hurry up!" This was a little hypocritical considering Marinette was only wearing one sock and her hair was in disarray.

By some miracle, the two were in the car and belted up in just over five minutes.

"Have you got your overnight bag?" Marinette checked again.

"Yes, Maman," Celeste replied exasperated. It was the same routine every week. Despite the fact that Celeste kept a wardrobe of clothes at her father's house she still needed a bag for essentials like her homework for school, her games console and whatever book she was reading.

"Have you brushed your teeth?"

"Yes, Maman," Celeste replied again, her annoyance on par with the most hormonal of teenagers, despite being only twelve years old. Marinette hid an amused smile at her daughters obvious irritation and started the engine.

"Let's go then," she said, smiling warmly at her daughter.

It didn't take long to get to Nathanael's house, but the drive over was filled with a tense silence. It had been the same way, whenever Marinette dropped Celeste round to her father's house, ever since they broke up nearly ten years ago now.

It had been raining that night, when Marinette had come home from working a double shift at the restaurant. Ever since Nathanael had lost the art gallery, Marinette had let go of her dreams of becoming a fashion designer and got a full time job, leaving Nate at home to look after Celeste.

This had been going on for six months, with Marinette working over sixty hours a week. She was constantly exhausted and she missed seeing her baby, who wasn't much of a baby anymore, coming up to her third birthday soon, but with her wages and her tips, they managed to scrape by.

Nathanael wasn't handling things well at all though. It was hard for him to have his dreams slip through his fingers, and losing the art gallery had formed a creative block in him. He hadn't drawn or painted anything since that day. That, coupled with the feeling of emasculation that came from not supporting his own family and being a stay-at-home parent had lead to the situation as he now saw it.

Sure, he could have got a job, something menial and beneath him, but he was an artist. It was who he was, who he was meant to be. And like many failed artists before him, he turned to the bottle.

That was how Marinette found him when she got home at midnight. The kitchen was a mess of dirty dishes and food all over the counter and the floor. There were toys all over the living room and clothes spilling out from the laundry basket. Nathanael was sprawled out on the sofa, an open bottle of wine lying empty next to him.

Furious, Marinette headed up the stairs, hopeful that peeping in to see her angel sleeping would help calm her.

It didn't.

Celeste's face was covered in food, her hair a knotty disarray and her window was wide open, letting the chilly night air into the room. While the day had been warm, the nights were definitely getting colder. Finding her daughter like this just added fuel to the fire.

Despite her exhaustion, Marinette was too worked up to sleep. She gently closed the widow, pressing a kiss to her daughters forehead and leaving the door open a crack as she headed down the stairs. Making a noise of disgust, she looked over at her sleeping husband. Where once she felt a warmth in her heart when she looked at him, now she only felt pity and anger.

Marinette set about cleaning the kitchen, spending over an hour scrubbing the sides and the floor. She washed the dishes and took out the full bin, ready to be collected the next day. She moved onto the living room, not bothering to be quiet as she moved around, picking up toys and empty bottles. Nathanael didn't stir.

By three o'clock she was done, so she went to her room, but Marinette still wasn't ready to sleep. She pulled a suitcase out from under the bed and started filling it haphazardly with Nathanael's clothes. They wouldn't all fit into one suitcase, but it would be enough for him to be getting on with. That done, she was finally ready to sleep, knowing that tomorrow was going to be a long and difficult day.

In the morning she called in sick to work, then called her parents to look after Celeste for the day, briefly explaining the situation. Once Celeste was out of the house, it was time to wake up her husband. It took all day, and an evening spent with Alya, commiserating her failed marriage, but Marinette managed to pull herself together. She had to, for the sake of her daughter. They would be okay.

Even after all this time, Marinette didn't like seeing her ex-husband if she could help it, and while she could never regret the gift that was her daughter, she lamented the fact that she would be connected to him for the rest of her life. Still, she could live through a five minute hand-over. Even if she had to see her.

Not long after the two had separated, Nathanael had begun dating a much prettier, leggier, model-esque blonde. While their relationship hadn't lasted long, only four months or so, the red-headed artist had proceeded to date a stream of vacuous, pretty sexpots. Marinette was under no illusions of their place in his life.

That being said, his latest 'muse' was nearly ten years younger than them. She had already surpassed the six month mark, quite the achievement, and she had become something of a fixture. Marinette hoped, for Celeste's sake, this one would stick. It really wasn't fair for her daughter to keep getting attached to her father's girlfriends, just for them to up and vanish without so much as a goodbye.

Speak of the Devil...

As Marinette pulled into the driveway, she was greeted by the sight of mile long legs clad in a pair of tiny denim shorts, a trim waist and flowing auburn hair. In comparison Marinette felt short and dumpy. The pair exited the car and when they turned to face the smiling woman, they had matching fixed smiles on their faces.

Marinette tensed slightly as a pair of toned arms threw themselves around her neck.

"Nettie!" she cried enthusiastically. Marinette hated the nickname and her forced smile turned even more plastic.

"Good morning, Natasha," the bluenette replied in a much more sedate fashion, gingerly patting the woman on the back in a bland imitation of a hug until Natasha finally released her. Celeste quickly became the new object of Natasha's affections and the young girl took it about as well as Marinette had. Perhaps Marinette needed to make more effort to be friendly to her ex-husbands beau. She had been around a while now and if she was to become a permanent fixture, Marinette didn't want to be the cause of a tense relationship between Celeste and Natasha.

Luckily, years of practice with Chloe as Ladybug meant she knew she could fake it. While she had been unable to hide her displeasure with the blonde in the beginning, after some time she could manage to be civil towards her classmate. And to be fair to Natasha, she had never wronged Marinette. It was just her own personal insecurities about losing her daughter to someone better that caused her cool attitude.

Then and there she decided she would make more of an effort. The young woman did seem to be genuinely friendly. However, it could wait until after the weekend.

After a reminder about doing homework and a kiss on the cheek, Marinette was back in the car and driving home to get ready for a twelve hour shift at the restaurant. Yay.


The sunlight was peeking through the curtains and a beam of light inconveniently crossed Alya's pillow, blinding her through her closed lids. She groaned and rolled away, snuggling up to Nino's back and burying her face in his neck. He shifted at the contact, turning onto his back and gathering her into his arms. With her head pillowed on his naked chest and her arm around his waist Alya let out a sigh of contentment. She tangled her legs with his and placed a gentle kiss on his pectoral. Eyes still closed, he kissed the top of her head in response and the two lay there in contented silence.

The peace was broken by the chiming alert on Alya's ever present phone. She plucked it off the bedside table, being careful to avoid the shaft of light, and started flicking through articles and checking emails. She did this for ten minutes, and neither one of them said a word in this time. When she was done she pushed her phone to one side, reached her hand up to the side of his face and pulled him down for a lingering kiss.

"Good morning," Alya smiled at her fiancé and pushed herself up into a seated position, putting her glasses on. Nino followed suit, giving a cursory glance to his watch as he fit it on his wrist.

"Good afternoon," he parried. It was gone twelve but with Nino's late night DJ gig the night before, the two of them hadn't gone to sleep until nearly four o'clock. This was a fairly common occurrence for the two of them and they both kept fairly erratic sleep schedules, finding time when and where they could.

Alya slipped out of bed and headed to the kitchen, Nino following reluctantly behind. She grabbed the bag of croissants she had picked up from Tom and Sabine's bakery the day before and Nino made two cups of coffee before they headed back to bed. This was something of a weekend tradition for them and they enjoyed the time with just the two of them. They had agreed a while ago that in this time, Alya was not allowed to look at her phone and headphones were not allowed anywhere near Nino's ears. There was a minimum one hour limit placed on this rule.

They snuggled back under the duvet and tucked into their pastries while their drinks cooled.

"So, you know I met Adrien for a drink before the gig last night?" Nino began and Alya nodded her acknowledgement as she blew across the top of her coffee. "Well, you'll never guess who came to his school yesterday. He had a Parent's Evening before we met up and a mutual friend happens to have a daughter that goes to the school he teaches at..."

Alya barely managed to swallow her sip without spraying hot coffee all over Nino.

"You don't mean... not Marinette?" the reported practically shrieked, her excitement palpable. Nino hid his grin behind his own mug.

"You know it girl," he replied teasingly, knowing that this titbit would awaken Alya's long seated need to pair the two up. Adrienette had been her OTP since they all attended College Francois DuPont together. Well, them and LadyNoir but since the superhero duo had disappeared at the same time as Hawk Moth was defeated, she had let that ship go. Knowing that their two friends were both single brought her matchmaking personality to the fore.


Her shift started at twelve, and having clocked in, tied her hair up into a no-nonsense ponytail and secured her pinny in a knot she was ready for the inevitable onslaught of customers. Within ten minutes she had five tables in her section and was already running around like a mad woman, sending drink orders to the bar, running entrées out and occasionally hosting guests to tables. It was going to be a busy day.

Marinette didn't mind though. Busy meant tips and tips meant that she and Celeste could do more than just survive. She was determined to give Celeste every opportunity that she could, and she would work hard to make sure of that. Besides, the busy days always went by faster. Busy also meant she had less time to be clumsy. You might think the opposite was true but when she had time to think about what she was doing, that's usually when Marinette made mistakes.

Three o'clock rolled around and the restaurant hit a lull with only three or four tables left in the building. That meant a table each for the three waitresses on and the opportunity for them to take breaks. This was also the point that they could clean up after the lunch rush and prepare for the evening.

With her vacant tables clean and all customers content for the time being, Marinette had collected the salt cellars and was in the process of filling them. Other than the occasional glance round at the tables to ensure no-one was left wanting, she was fully focused on her task and didn't notice the person coming up behind her. She let out a small shriek when she felt a hand come down onto her arm and spun around, coming face to face with the blonde ex-model that had been occupying her thoughts since the night before. It had been less than twenty-four hours since she had last seen him but his presence in front of her, when she had been completely unsuspecting, caused her face to flush red and for the open cellar in her hands to drop to the floor, scattering white crystals all around her.

Adrien smiled at her apologetically.

"H-hi," she stuttered breathlessly, then turned to find the dustpan and brush to clean up the mess. "Just a sec."

Adrien made to help her but she shooed him away so he took a step back, giving her the space to clear up.

Once she was done, she tipped the salt into the bin, avoiding looking at him until she could get her embarrassment under control. Knowing that her cheeks were still slightly glowing but hoping he would put it down to sweeping up, she turned to face Adrien and gave him a shy smile.

"So, um... what are you doing here?" she questioned, her eyebrows creased slightly in confusion. Then her eyes widened as she realised how her question sounded. "Not that I don't want to see you, of course I want you... here! I mean... it's nice to see you?"

Adrien chuckled at her fumbling and gently touched her elbow, halting her in her rambling speech.

"It's nice to see you again too," he assured, the smile staying on his face. "I know it's a bit weird me just showing up here. Nino told me where you work."

Marinette's face flushed with the knowledge that the blonde had been talking to his best friend about her.

"I just thought I'd pop by on the off-chance that you might be having a break soon? I was hoping this would be a quieter time for the restaurant. Maybe you might have your lunch... dinner? with me?"

She tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear and Adrien followed the movement with his eyes.

"Oh... yeah... sure, I mean, that sounds nice. I'll be going on my break in about ten minutes, when Amanda comes back from hers. If you don't mind waiting?" Marinette bit her lip nervously and looked up at him through her lashes. He was struck by how adorable she looked.

"No, of course. I'll just wait over here," he indicated to a two-seater booth, "if that's okay with you?"

Marinette nodded and as he took a seat, she followed him.

"Would you like something to drink while you wait? On the house," she asked with her best waitress smile.

"Oh, no. I don't want you to go to any trouble for me."

"No trouble," she assured. "And you'd be saving me from death by salt," she winked, allowing a little of her old ladybug confidence to mingle with her waitressing personality.

He grinned up at her. "In that case, I'd love a coffee please. White, two sugars. Thank you."

She nodded again and walked away to fulfil his drink order.

Ten minutes later they were sat in the empty upstairs seating area, Adrien with a fresh coffee and Marinette with her pre-packed sandwiches and fruit salad.

They sat quietly as Marinette ate, occasionally giving each other bashful glances. Sandwich finished she brandished two forks, offering him one to share her fruit salad. Inside, her teenage self was screaming at her brashness but she somehow managed to maintain a calm exterior.

"So, what can I do for you on this beautiful day?" she began, picking out a slice of orange and popping it in her mouth in a show of nonchalance. It really was a beautiful day with the sun shining and a few puffy white clouds in the sky. If the weather report was to be believed however, it wouldn't last. Rain was scheduled later.

Adrien's eyes met her and he swallowed the blueberry in his mouth.

"Honestly, I didn't have any plans and after seeing you yesterday, I thought I'd swing by on the off chance. I didn't really give it any more thought than that," he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"I'm glad you're here," she looked down at her food and selected a strawberry.

They sat in silence for another couple of minutes, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was like they had done this before, just sat in each other's presence. They hadn't, but it felt natural to her.

"So..." Adrien started again, putting down his fork. "I was wondering if maybe you might like to go and get a drink sometime?" a slight pink tipped his ears. "Catch up on old times. I'd really like to be friends again." Adrien smiled hopefully up at her.

Marinette's smile was wide as she nodded her agreement, her eyes sparkling. Adrien raised an eyebrow, his lips twisted in a smirk as he nodded to where she had pulled her phone out under the table.

"You know, I am a teacher. I know when someone is texting under the table," he rested his chin on his hand, elbow propped on the table. Marinette had the decency to blush. "Say hi to Alya for me," Adrien said, his grin turning teasing.

"Sorry, sorry, I just... uh... I have no excuse," she hung her head in mock shame. "Do your students get away with anything?" she glowered playfully at him. "Celeste never mentioned what a tyrant you are."

Adrien's loud laughter was his only reply and Marinette smiled happily, knowing she had caused the joyful sound.

In what seemed like no time, Marinette had to go back to work and Adrien had to go and meet Chloe for coffee. At her slight look of distaste at Chloe's name, Adrien felt the need to explain himself. He remembered how Chloe used to treat Marinette when they were teenagers.

"I know, I know," he acknowledged, "what can I say? She's my oldest friend. And she's changed a lot since school."

Marinette walked with Adrien to the front door of the restaurant. Having nothing to say on the matter, she smiled indulgently.

As long as I don't have to have anything to do with her. She thought to herself, as she waved Adrien off.


It was mid-afternoon when Alya's phone dinged, indicating she had received a text message. She and Nino had eventually emerged from the bed and were taking a stroll in the park, hand in hand with an ear bud each, listening to Nino's latest playlist. She grinned as she read the message from Marinette and shoved the phone under her fiancé's nose.

Nino chuckled when he saw what Marinette had written and slung an arm around Alya's shoulder, kissing her on the temple, careful not to dislodge the ear buds.

Mari: [OMG Alya, Adrien's here, at my work! He wants to go for a drink with me!]

Alya held up her fist for Nino to bump and another alert came from her phone.

Mari: [/ he says hi btw]

Alya burst out laughing, amused that her friend had obviously been caught texting her.

Alya: [You go girl! Say hi back]

She put her phone back away and linked her fingers back with Nino's, grinning broadly. Her good day just kept getting better.


It was raining when she finished work that night and Marinette had parked at the far side of the car park. Despite the fact that there was no way of avoiding getting soaked, and despite the fact that her feet ached from standing on them for nearly twelve hours straight, she couldn't keep the smile from her face. Simply put she was in an excellent mood.

Customers had been very generous with tips that day and while that was usually enough to perk her up, nothing could compare to Adrien visiting her at work and him asking her out in a date. Sure, it was a friendly catch up thing but still, a girl could dream. From what she could tell, he hadn't changed much since school. Sure he had a more easy-going attitude and laughed more easily, but that just made him more attractive to Marinette. He had always seemed a little sad when they were teenagers but that looked as if it had gone now he wasn't living under anyone's expectations. Finding his true calling in life seemed to have agreed with him.

Marinette couldn't understand why he was single though, quite frankly. He was even more gorgeous than he had been and was so friendly, loyal (judging by his still ongoing friendship with Chloe Bourgeois) and easy to be around. It was sweet that he had tried to help her clean up and he was so thoughtful, coming to see her at work. Then again, how much did Marinette really know about him? For all she knew he had a bad sense of humour, or wasn't particularly romantic. Perhaps he just wasn't interested in having a relationship with anyone, or maybe he was gay, and then obviously wouldn't be interested in her. Not that he would be interested in her anyway. She lived in hope though.

Despite all these uncertainties she couldn't help the pleasure she felt at the notion that she would get to spend an entire evening alone with him.

Taking a breath, Marinette took a mad dash out into the downpour, racing for her car. She fumbled with her keys, dropping them in a puddle, and it was only a mild irritation she felt as she watched the water splash at the impact. She fished them back out again and finally got her car door unlocked and open, quickly diving inside.

It was only a short drive home and her thoughts - that weren't occupied by Adrien - were focused on the hot shower she would have when she got in to rid her bones of the chill that her brief stint in the rain had caused. The hot water eased the aches that waitressing had put in her muscles and she felt herself relax.

Marinette towel dried her hair and twisted it in to a braid, securing the end with an elastic. She slipped in to her comfiest pyjamas, which just so happened to be Chat Noir themed, and settled in to bed. Before picking up her latest read, she decided to check her phone. There were two that she hadn't seen yet. The first was from her daughter.

Celeste: [Hi, hope work was ok. Went 2 the zoo with Dad and her. C U 2moro. Love you xx]

Marinette rolled her eyes at Celeste's text speak but her smile was fond, even if the negative attitude she had towards her father's girlfriend was apparent even through text message. Knowing that her daughter would be asleep by now, she opted not to reply until the morning.

The second text, she realised with a thud of her heart, was from Adrien. She felt like a giddy teenager which was ridiculous for a woman in her thirties, especially since it had only been twenty-four hours.

Adrien: [Let me know when you manage to get a babysitter. Can't wait to catch up. Are you going to Alya and Nino's party?]

He had sent that just under an hour ago and Marinette was uncertain whether or not to reply. She was a little torn, not wanting to wake him if he was asleep, and not wanting to look too keen in case that put him off. That being said, he text her first and she wasn't sure she'd be able to sleep if she didn't reply.

Marinette: [I actually messaged Manon earlier, I don't know if you remember her, I used to be her babysitter. It seems forever ago. She can do Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday if any of these work for you? Let me know. I'm not sure about the party yet. Sorry if this woke you up! Good night x]

Deciding against reading - she didn't think she would be able to focus, and she was pretty tired after her shift - Marinette put her phone on the bedside table, switching off her light. She was determined to go to sleep.


Adrien was in fact sat at his piano, softly playing random notes when his phone chimed. Usually the piano calmed him before he went to sleep, giving him fond memories of his mother who he had lost all those years ago, but tonight it didn't.

The way he dived for his phone gave him some indication as to why. He hadn't even realised he had been waiting for a reply from Marinette until it came.

He took no time in replying to her message.

Adrien: [ok, great. Wednesday then?]

He didn't want to look too keen, even if he had itched to request the earliest day.

Adrien: [I'll pick you up at 7?]

He didn't have to wait long for the reply.

Marinette: [Wednesday sounds great but can I meet you there? 7.30?]

Adrien was a little disappointed but he didn't want her to know that. Still, he was excited to see her for what he had mentally dubbed a date, even if that wasn't what he had said to her.

Adrien: [How about The Lounge? I'll see you there then ;) goodnight Mari x]


Marinette squealed, kicking her legs in her excitement.

Marinette: [Perfect. Goodnight Adrien x]