- Ten years later -

Intense green orbs caught her gaze.

"I promise, little lady. And maybe I'll call you by your name next time when we meet..."

Chat Noir had promised he'd come for her again, but that had been ten years ago. There hasn't been a day gone by that Marinette hadn't thought about him, and wished to see him again. Chat Noir...how was he? What was he up to now?

Actually, she did know what he was up to now, thanks to him being an especially hot topic on the news. He was mysterious, dangerous, and sexy, just the type of bad boy that girls would go wild for. Not to mention that he was even more successful now, stealing the most valuable items from Paris's banks and museums and always managing to evade the police. This frustrated them to no end, and Marinette couldn't blame them. She felt slightly guilty that she had been the one who helped save his life all those years ago. Only slightly.

But what she desperately wanted to know, more than anything in the world, was if he still remembered that promise...if he still remembered her.

Marinette fiddled with the ring that she now wore on a gold chain around her neck - the only evidence that reminded her that what had happened ten years ago hadn't been a dream. She'd considered calling the number he had left her with many times - she'd even memorized it by heart - but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She was afraid that if she called him, the lucky charm would be broken, and reality would come crashing down on her. That maybe he no longer remembered her...

"Marinette! Oi, earth to Marinette!"

Marinette squeaked and almost jumped out of her seat when she felt her best friend Alya Césaire poke her in the side. She blushed in embarrassment when she saw that she had dozed off in the middle of class while sitting in the front row.

Oh no.

"Did you hear what Madame Bustier just said?" Her brown-haired best friend hissed.

"No?" Marinette said sheepishly, her eyes darting around the room to see if anyone had noticed that she had fallen asleep. As her eyes swept toward the back of the classroom, her fellow classmate, Nathaniel, smiled shyly at her. She groaned and buried her face in her hand.

"Oh, you'll like this, girl!" Alya said with a sly grin. "Adrien Agreste will be coming to speak to us as part of the Alumni series!"

Marinette's mouth dropped open in surprise. Their high school had recently started inviting alumni to return and speak to the graduating senior class in hopes of building connections with people across different industries. And they were having Adrien Agreste come to speak at the school?

Adrien, a popular model and alumni of the Collège Françoise Dupont, was extremely successful despite only being twenty-five years of age. He was the heir to the Gabriel brand that had been started by his father, a brand well-known in the world of fashion and beloved by men and women alike. And the cherry on top was the fact that he recently ranked number two on the Sexiest Men in Europe list in Star Magazine. Not that Marinette was into showbiz. No, really.

Marinette had to admit that while she thought Adrien was cute, this was nothing compared to the feelings she harbored for Chat Noir. She had never thought of him in that way as a child, but as she got older, she would constantly receive updates about Chat Noir on the news. He was even more dangerous, but even more handsome if possible - not to mention the way his catsuit accentuated the buff muscles in his body - and she found herself developing a crush on him as she grew up. Now that she thought about it, perhaps the reason why she liked Adrien was because, like Chat Noir, he also had blond hair and green eyes. Or maybe she just had a thing for blonds ever since her fated meeting with Chat Noir...

Marinette glanced down at her notebook, quickly flipping the page when she saw that she had doodled a number of green paw prints between the pages. No, they weren't just paw prints. They were his symbol, the symbol he often left at the scenes of his heists to taunt police further.

You really have it bad, Marinette.

She felt her cheeks burn.

"You okay, girl?" Alya asked, waving her hands in front of Marinette's face to get her attention. "You're blushing. Are you thinking about Adrien, or that mystery man who you refuse to tell me about?"

Marinette had met Alya in first grade. She had sat next to Alya during lunch one day when she saw that the red-haired girl was sitting alone, and they had become fast friends ever since. And now that they were seniors in high school, Marinette could never hide anything from the perceptive woman. Last year, she had finally given in to Alya's pestering and admitted that she may or may not have a crush on a guy. But there was absolutely no way that she could tell her best friend that she had a crush on Chat Noir, who she had also happened to save as a child. Alya would have a field day, while she would probably end up behind bars for being in cahoots with Paris's number one wanted criminal. Yeah, that definitely wouldn't turn out too well.

"Neither of them! We're still in class, Alya! Now's not the time to be talking about boys," Marinette insisted, quickly changing the subject. Alya smirked, wordlessly telling her that their conversation wasn't over and that she would get to the bottom of this, before the two girls finally turned their attention back to their teacher.

"As I was saying, Mr. Agreste will be coming to speak to us tomorrow about his career as a model. He may also have an exciting opportunity for us. I'm not allowed to say what that is yet, but you'll find out more about it tomorrow. I hope you'll look forward to it and give him the warmest welcome!" Madame Bustier continued excitedly. Half of the class - mostly the girls - squealed, while the boys groaned and rolled their eyes.

The bell rang, signaling that school was finally over for the day. Marinette and Alya got up from their seats and gathered their books, stowing them safely into their backpacks (Marinette's was a pink one that she had designed and created herself).

As the two friends got ready to leave, Chloe Bourgeois and Sabrina Raincomprix walked by, their heads lowered as they conversed in low voices. Marinette couldn't help but overhear parts of their conversation. "Oh, I'm gonna make Adrien fall in love with me tomorrow," Chloe boasted, flipping her long blond hair to one side as she brushed pass Marinette.

Marinette glared after them, her hands tightening into a fist. Chloe had bullied her since they were young and would make fun of her for making her own clothes. As the Mayor's daughter, she was also spoiled and manipulative, not afraid to do whatever it took to have things go her way. And now she had her eyes set on Adrien. It was sickening. Marinette opened her mouth to comment, but Alya dragged her away. "Come on, Mari. Chloe's not worth it," she assuaged her.

Marinette took a deep breath to calm herself down. Alya was right. She shook her head and let Alya lead her out of the classroom.

"Is there anything you'd like to do?" Alya asked once they had left the school, no doubt trying to help Marinette take her mind off Chloe. The bluenette blinked gratefully at her friend. "Or I can come stop by the bakery with you. It's been a while since I've had those amazing macarons."

"My parents would love to see you again too," Marinette said with a smile.

Alya grinned and hooked her arms through Marinette's. "Great, it's decided! Let's go!"

They joked and laughed the entire way back to the bakery. By the time they turned the corner and arrived at the bakery's front door, Marinette had completely forgotten about Chloe's earlier comment. Marinette tried to open the door, but saw that it was locked. She quickly unlocked it and pushed it open - she had convinced her parents to install a new lock after her encounter with Chat Noir - and was instantly greeted with the warm, delicious smell of the bakery. Her parents weren't there, however. They were probably baking in the kitchen when they didn't have many customers.

"I'm in heaven," Alya declared appreciatively as she sauntered up to the counter. As she contemplated on what to order, the door chimed again, signaling the arrival of another customer. Marinette turned around, her eyes bulging when she saw that this wasn't just any customer, either.

It was Adrien Agreste.

For a moment, she could only stare at him with her mouth dropped open. He was wearing a black suit with a matching red tie that seemed almost out of place in her family's homey bakery. He smiled pleasantly as he approached her. "Hi there. Do you work here?"

"A-Adrien Agreste?" she stuttered, her brain suddenly ceasing to function. Adrien Agreste, the popular model girls went crazy for, had just walked into her bakery. This couldn't be a dream, could it? "Y-Yes, I do! Get you I help how? I-I mean, how can I you help? N-No, I mean, how can I help you?" she wanted to bury herself in a hole and die of embarrassment. Of all the times for her to get starstruck, why did it have to be now? He probably thought she was one of his crazed fangirls...

Alya nudged her to bring her back to her senses.

"I was just passing by the area, but I really wanted to stop in as I've heard great things about your bakery. Is there anything you'd recommend?" he asked sweetly, gesturing to the variety of baked goods that were on display. If he was bothered by her stuttering, he didn't show it. She was acutely aware of Alya watching their exchange with an amused expression dancing across her face.

She took a deep breath to calm her speeding heart. "I, yes! Good macarons! No, ah, the macarons are good!"

"Oh? That sounds great!" he said. "In that case, can I get a box of twenty-four to go? Two of each flavor, except four for passion fruit." He winked at her as he pulled out a wad of bills.

"Right away, sir!" Marinette squeaked a response without thinking and ducked around the counter. As she picked up the macarons and carefully placed them into a box, she wanted to bang her head against the wall. Right away, sir? What the hell had she been thinking? Now Adrien probably thought she was an idiot. Way to go, Marinette, giving him such an embarrassing first impression, she scolded herself with a groan.

As she continued working, she reached for the passion fruit macarons and froze when she suddenly had a strange sense of déjà vu. When she had offered Chat Noir macarons as a child, hadn't he went for a passion fruit macaron? This had to be a coincidence, right? What were the chances of two boys, both with blond hair and green eyes, liking the same kind of macarons? She shrugged and dismissed the idea. There was no way that sweet and charming Adrien could be the sly and ruthless Chat Noir.

She taped the box shut and handed it to Adrien, his hand brushing over hers as he took it. Her cheeks flushed at the contact.

"Thank you, Marinette!" he said gratefully as he handed the money to her. "Keep the change," he added, still smiling hugely as he turned and left the bakery, leaving Marinette staring after him and wondering what the hell had just happened.

"I didn't dream that up, did I?" she asked weakly, pinching her cheek to make sure that she hadn't been dreaming about Adrien.

"Of course it wasn't a dream. He was totally flirting with you, girl!" Alya gushed excitedly as soon as he had walked out of the bakery.

"You think?" Marinette asked dryly, flopping down at a table now that Adrien was gone. She was suddenly very grateful that it was currently down time at the bakery, so there weren't any other customers who would've witnessed her embarrassing actions.

"I don't just think it, I know it! By the way, have you met before?" Alya asked curiously. "He said, 'Thank you, Marinette!' He knew your name!"

She frowned. Alya had a point. She definitely hadn't told him her name when he had come in, not to mention he had also asked her if she worked there instead of Alya. It was almost as though he had been there before, but that couldn't be possible because she definitely would've remembered it.

"No, we haven't," she answered thoughtfully. "But who knows? Maybe one of his friends is a regular and told him about me?"

"Maybe," Alya hummed. "Anyway, I'm starved! Can you get me some macarons too, girl?"

Marinette quickly went to get the macarons for Alya - and insisting that they were on the house - but she couldn't stop thinking about the two mysterious boys and her feelings for him.


Since she was young, she had dreamed of the day when she finally met Chat Noir again. And ever since her encounter with Adrien that afternoon, she couldn't stop thinking about him. And so, that night, she had that dream again.

Chat Noir was balancing on her balcony, his movements as graceful as ever. "I'm finally here, little lady," he purred, taking her hand and kissing it. Marinette could've melted as she felt his warm lips brush against her fingers.

"Chat Noir? What took you so long?" she asked, unable to tear her eyes away. Even though his catsuit, mask, and ears were still the same as they had been ten years ago, she could tell that he had grown more mature, with a defined jawline that made him appear even sexier. Her cheeks flamed as she studied him.

"I've been caught up with work. It's not easy being a criminal, you know," he lamented. He leaned forward and placed a clawed hand on the top of her head. "It's been a while, hasn't it? You're all grown up, Marinette."

"Of course I've grown up," she said with a grin, her heart fluttering when he finally said her name after all those years.

"Marinette," he growled her name again.

She had waited so long to see him. She closed her eyes, secretly hoping that he would close the distance between them and kiss her.

Suddenly, she heard him choke in pain. Her eyes flew open, and she could only watch in horror as bright crimson blood seeped through his catsuit. He doubled back, clutching his stomach in pain. And then he disappeared in front of her.

"Chat Noir!" she cried in desperation and reached out for him. Tears threatened to escape from her eyes. He couldn't leave, not when they had finally found each other again!

But everything she did was futile.

He was gone.


A/N: Thank you, thank you for all the incredible support for the story so far! I'm so glad that you're liking it, and I hope you'll like this chapter as well! :) A macaron for your thoughts? ;)

Also, has anyone seen Oblivio? /Screaming in French/