Thank you for your overwhelming support. Here is my second chapter in this story, I am still very nervous considering how much you all seem to enjoy it so I do hope sincerely that this chapter is not a let down to anyone. If I continue this story the rating will change to M within the next few chapters so please Follow and/or favorite while you can so you do not lose the story.

Please be aware of the Authors note at the end of this chapter as well.

Thank you once again.

Much Love;

AD

Chapter 2, Two is the loneliest;

Marinette only knew one person in her life who would make her feel better on such short notice, only one who would be there for her all night ready to pet her head and whisper softly about how it all was going to be okay in the end. The only person in her life who was always ready to step up and take her side no matter what was going on and the only one who knew about the kiss between her and the Count.

"I don't know Maribug, it sounds like it's a good opportunity to me." Marinettes jaw dropped as she stared dumbfounded at the dark skinned yellow eyed girl before her. Red brown locks shook with laughter as the girl adjusted her glasses and shook her head at the poor blackettes confusion, "come on girl, you were given a job. Sure it was in an unconventional manner but it is still a job for one of the wealthiest families in the city."

"I spilled on one of the twins and he was very angry." Marinette hid her face in her hands as she leaned on Alyas shoulder and groaned in embarrassment. They were in the loft of her home, sitting in the tight confines of her small bed while their discussion carried on long into the night.

"Do you know which one you spilled on?" Alya stroked her back as she asked the question.

"The angry one?" Marinette offered in a soft scared voice. Her nearest and dearest friend gave another soft chuckle as she shook her head gently.

"No no, sweetie what I meant was the name. If it was Adrian, well I heard he's actually really sweet and your job may be a lot easier than you think. If it was Felix…" the young bespectacled young lady trailed off rather than letting her friend know just how many terrible rumors she had heard about the eldest twin of the Agreste family.

"I don't know them by name, he was the-the grassy one." Marinette mumbled as she looked away from her shyly.

"The grassy one?" Alya felt her brow raise as she asked the question.

"His eyes were a lighter sort of grassy green, the other one had darker sort of gem green ones." Marinette shrugged as she spoke and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. She would not look up at her friends face as she spoke, the sick feeling of embarrassment running up and down her body stopped her from looking at anything but her hands.

"Girl girl girl." Alya sighed as she patted her shoulder, "one of these days that whole attention to detail thing you have going on will make you a great baker."

"But I don't want to do this my whole life Alya." Marinette whispered as she motioned to the sacks of flower and seasonings they could see beyond the loft, "I wanted to be a seamstress." She mumbled as she pulled her knees up and draped her crossed arms over them. Silence fell between the two as the confession hung in the air like a heavy drape. Alya let out a thin stream of air as she leaned back on her arms and looked up at the slanted window above them, she didn't know what to say about Marinettes confession. It would hurt her father and possibly kill her mother who had spent so many years teaching both of them the proper way to kneed dough so that the bread would not flop in the oven, and just how much salt should be added to a cake so that it would still be sweet.

"Have, um, have you told your parents?" She asked as she absently rubbed the back of her neck.

"No, not like there's any point to it now." Marinette grumbled as her forehead met her knees.

"Being a maid isn't so bad." Alya offered gently as she stroked Marinettes back once again, "there may be a few rips and tears you can fix." The two glanced at each other for a long moment before laughter erupted from the loft to drift down to the bakery below.

Sabine sighed sadly as she glanced upwards towards the laughing girls. Her brow was knitted in worry and her hands were busy wringing a rag nervously. She never imagined a day that she would have to watch her daughter leave and possibly never return; the Agreste household was just so mysterious and notably a scary place for her to send her young daughter away to. Rumors drifted through the bakery all the time, especially about what exactly goes on in the Agreste Estate. If her daughter suddenly vanished like the Duchess then she just did not know what she would do. She would go insane. Her only child was her entire world and she just couldn't, she couldn't give her up.

"I will take her place." Tom looked up as his wife spoke in a scared yet calm tone. His mustache twitched down as his face pulled into a deep frown. He knew how his wife felt, he felt the same way but he had heard what happened just hours before and it was clear that the boy would not take anyone but their daughter. It was a debt that she stumbled into and as a proud Parisian he knew she would not allow either of them to take her place.

"Marinette will be fine, and they never said she couldn't come home after her work day dear." He began as he pushed down hard on the lump of dough before him.

"Have you ever seen any of their servants leave that estate?" She snapped quickly as she slammed her rag down on the table between them.

"Honey please calm down," he sighed as he dusted his hands across his apron. He stepped around the table to place his hands on her shoulders and pulled her into a tight embrace, "our little Mari is a strong confident young woman and she will work hard and pay him back for the suit so fast that we won't have time to miss her before she's home again okay." He spoke into her hair as he held her small frame tightly against his body. He could feel her shaking as she attempted to hold back the tears but felt powerless to stop her suffering.

"You honestly think so?" She asked into his chest.

"Yes dear." He stated as she looked up to his face. His gentle smile calmed her for a moment before the sound of shoe covered feet above them had her heart racing once again. They both turned to the stairs to see first their daughters dark haired best friend and then their daughter, fully clothed and with a bag in her right hand. A rush of emotions swarmed through Sabine; from happiness to see her little girl so grown up, to worry that she may never see her again, to a deep seeded fear that her daughter was headed straight into the devils own home.

"Oh Mari." She gasped as she covered her mouth with her hands to stop herself from crying at the sight. The small woman pulled her daughter in to a tight hug which was returned automatically. Tears stung at her eyes as the warmth of her little girls body seeped into her.

"I will be fine mamon," Marinette patted her back gently before pulling away and giving her a bright smile. The Chinese woman seemed about ready to break so she knew she had to act quickly. "I, I will be back soon and I may even have some new tricks up my sleeve. Learning from maids of a grand house such as theirs surely will give me lots of tips for the future."

"Oh Mari, you're so grown up already. Sometimes I think you don't even need your poor mamon anymore." Sabine began to cry and Marinette felt herself tear up as well. She squeezed her shorter parent to her once again to hide the salty trails rolling down her cheeks. She looked up to her father that was wiping his own eyes and looking down at the two hugging women.

"I have to go soon mamon, if I want to make the deadline he set." She said once she had her emotions under control. She pulled away from her and grabbed the bag she had dropped in the floor.

"Mind your manners and behave." Her mother said through her sobs.

"I will." Marinette turned to her father then and accepted the large bear hug he wrapped her in. She buried herself in his chest and let the security she felt in his arms deep down into her bones.

"Write us when you can and come home as soon as possible alright." He stated softly into her pigtailed hair.

"I will." She gave him a gentle smile as he pushed her out to arms length in order to view her face. He gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder and turned to face Alya.

"I assume you are walking her to the estate." He stated as he looked down at the young lady who was adjusting her faded orange dress around her waist.

"Ah, yes sir I am going to be her escort tonight." He smiled as the two girls nudged each other playfully, glad that they were in high spirits after all. He did not want his little girl to be any different than she normally was as she stepped into this unsure future. The two girls said their goodbyes and snatched a few treats for the road before finally making their way out of the small bakery and into the shadow covered streets of Paris at night.

Felix was tapping his foot inaccessibly as he stared out of the large window in his office to the skyline beyond the rooftops of the city. His face was set in a deep frown and his body was tended like a beast waiting to strike its prey. He sighed and leaned back in his large lounge chair his green hues locking onto the pristine white ceiling above him as he did so.

"You know that the suit was easy to repair." He glanced at his younger brother lounging across a long couch beside him. Sometimes he did not understand how he could look so optimistically at the world to the point it seemed he was oblivious to everything around him, other times he was envious of his twin to the point it nearly physically hurt him. He just wanted a small ray of sun in his dark life and that mysterious young lady could become it. If he could experience happiness that his brother seemed to have so freely, then maybe he would be ready to take his fathers place as head of the household when the time came.

"That isn't the point. Honestly." He sighed once again without elaborating on what he was thinking.

"Why are you acting so much like Chloe then?" The question surprised Felix, considering how close Adrian seemed to be to Chloe for such a long time now.

"Something on your mind brother?" He found himself asking as he turned his full attention to the younger blonde. His brother raised an eyebrow at Felix but said nothing more so he pressed on, "I thought you enjoyed the young Duchesses company yet you act as if acting as she would is a bad thing."

"It is a bad thing." Adrian sat up and ran his hands through his hair as he often did when he was becoming annoyed, "Chloe is, aggravating, to say the least, I only hang out with her because I don't want to be rude and she just clings to me and won't let go. It's very unsightly." Felix couldn't help the small snicker that caused Adrian to glare at him angrily.

"Sorry, it's just you're too nice for your own good sometimes Adrian." He waved away his brothers questioning look and continued to speak, "you know you could simply tell her you have no interest in her in such a way and she would move on to a more promising future."

"Have you met her brother? Pardon the rude words but she has her mind set on becoming the future duchess Agreste. She's said so since we were four." Felix coughed into his fist as his brother spoke to clear his throat and gave a soft sigh.

"Do you feel the same towards her is the question brother." He stated as he shifted some papers on the desk before him to avoid looking at his brother as he spoke.

"Of course not, she's like a sister to me." Adrian stated before grumbling under his breath, "an annoying little sister."

"Please tell you aren't planning on me bringing her into the family." Felix stated sternly. He glared at his younger brother as laughter filled the room. Adrian did not mind his brothers angry look as the laughter erupted from him. In all honestly he never thought of bringing the woman into their family at all. He never thought on his future in that way at all, his mind was always on other things. Things that even his brother would not understand.

Speaking of which…

"Brother it's getting quite late, or early depending on how you choose to look at it. I think I should be off to bed. Fencing practice in the morning will kill me if I do not get some sleep." Adrian sighed the words as he stood and adjusted his night wear around his shoulders, "do you truly wish to wait up and see if she arrives when you told her to?"

"Of course, if I am not awake when she arrives then I cannot truly know that she arrived when she was told to." He stated flatly as his brother made his way to the door of his office. He turned his attention back to the window as his door closed lightly behind him. The sky was beginning to lighten along the horizon foretelling the coming dawn and the appointed time for the lady to arrive at their estate. He stood and slipped the thick black robe over his own dressing gown and stepped into a pair of house slippers. His hair was gone through quickly with his fingers and his face was set into a stern stare. He had to give off the impression of someone in charge, that way the girl would never think of questioning his orders long into the future.

He made his way through the large home, ignoring the hushed whispers that the night staff shared as he strode through with his head held high and his fists clenched at his sides. The sounds of his steps echoed off the hardwood floors as soft potter patters that made him think of a cat stalking a mouse. He smirked at the thought and shook his head before returning the stern expression back to his face. This was not the time or place to think of such absurd things as the young lady being his prey, or him being a cat for that matter.

The front doors were opened for him by two butlers that he did not bother remembering the names of and he was soon out on the wide front porch, staring out at the gates where she would approach from. A frown caused his face to drop as the sight of the empty street beyond invaded his vision. The sky was tinged in pink now, dawn was on its way. However, it seemed a clumsy little lady was not on hers.

Far above him, Adrian watched out of the window with his cheek resting on his fisted hand and his elbow resting on the window frame. This was an interesting development; he had never seen his older brother react to anything at all in such a way. He had often imagined Felix to be cold and resigned like his father and yet here he was, waiting for some unknown woman of lower class in the cold wearing clothes that he would wear to bed. This was certainly something that Adrian did not see every day and his cat like curiosity would not allow him to simply go to sleep and miss this.

Of course from his perspective he could clearly see the figures of two females making their way slowly towards his home. They were still pretty far away and the dawn was quickly approaching. If they did not speed up then they would never make it to the gate in time.

"Come on come on. Hurry." He found himself urging them on under his breath.

"Come on lady, you can make it." Down below, Felix was having much the same quiet conversation with himself. The sky was now a pinkish purple hue and still no sign of her on the hill that crested just a few hundred yards from their front gate. His eye twitched uncomfortably as he looked around and tightened the robe around himself to guard his body from the chill that the breeze brought with it.

"Fine." He stated with a long sigh, "five more minutes, then I go inside and have her taken to the Préfecture de police immediately." He stood shock still for a few minutes before his stern face slid slightly into a more solemn one, "okay I won't have her taken away if she shows up in the next ten minutes." He added as he looked up to the sky.

"There you go." Adrian was leaning forward now, silently cheering on the strangers as they began to run once they were near the top of the hill, "faster, faster!" He was smiling now, his eyes glinting in excitement as he saw the taller girl pulling the shorter one forward. His own heart was pounding against his ribs as his hands pressed against the chilled glass of the window. This was not something that he experienced often and he found himself wishing he was in his brothers shoes. He wanted to know what it was like to do something so odd as to welcome a stranger into the household. He found himself fantasizing about what she would be doing while she was living in their home and about how he could see her while she was doing them. He was shocked by his own mind but did not care at the same time. It was a new sensation that he was becoming addicted to as he watched his brother take a step forward towards the gate.

"Well, she made it brother, what are you going to do now I wonder." He smirked as his eyes glazed over with the darker place that he allowed his mind to wonder to.

"You are late." Felix stated as he motioned to the sky behind the two females. The girl he had hired in a very unconventional way squeaked in terror as she took a step behind the taller brunette female who had accompanied her.

"Apologies, um.." the brunette began to speak in the place of her friend.

"Felix Agreste. You may address me as my Lord or Duke Agreste. She," he motioned to the one hiding behind her, "from this point forward will address me as Young Master." The taller woman stepped forward, looking as if she were about to smack him, and gave him a stern glare.

"Well you listen up here Mr. Felix Agreste, this is my best friend and if you do anything to hurt her I will find out about it and there will be hell to pay." Her crudeness shocked him enough to take a step back. He should have been prepared, he told himself as he gritted his teeth, they were commoners after all. Not every commoner would have manners like the girl behind her. He steadied himself before squaring his shoulders and meeting the woman's threatening glare.

"You shall address me as Lord or Duke Agreste." He stated firmly before pointedly looking at the young woman still cowering behind her, "you will come with me now, your duties will begin immediately." He ordered in the same firm tone that he used on her friend. She nodded quickly without speaking and stepped away from the one she had been cowering behind.

"Can I- can I tell my friend goodbye?" She asked in a small voice.

"We really don't have time for you to-" he began as he shivered against a particularly strong wind.

"Are you Agrestes really so heartless that you won't allow her to tell me goodbye?" The angry woman asked loudly. He frowned at her question, his brows knitting together tightly between his eyes showing his disdain for her aggravating interruptions.

"Fine." He sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose between two fingers, "fine. Say goodbye to your friend quickly. There is much work to do and it needs to be started as soon as possible." His new employee nodded vigorously before turning to the other girl and pulling her into a tight hug.

"Don't worry about me Alya. I will be fine okay." The girls voice cracked with held back tears.

"Oh Mari, please just promise to stay safe and come back to us as soon as you can okay?" The one she had called Alya squeezed her small frame against herself as she spoke, "it won't be the same without your smile around."

"I will." He raised a brow as 'Mari' turned her head slightly and whispered something he could not hear to her friend. He noticed the taller girls eyes light up for a second before they pulled away from one another slowly and both wiped a stray tear off the others face. He didn't get it, it wasn't like she was being sent off to her death. Lots of commoners would love to work in a household as wealthy as his so why were these two crying as if he was sending her to the gallows?

"Are you finished now?" He asked a bit rudely and quickly looked down to avoid the taller girls glare. Why did she concern him so much? Sure they were nearly the same height but somehow he felt this Alya would snap him in half as soon as she gained the opportunity. He made a quick note to never allow himself to be alone with the brunette at any time and glanced back up at the girls.

"Yes.. sir." The poor girl seemed unsure of her words as she stepped away from her still visibly upset friend. He nodded and turned on his heel to lead her into the house, breathing a small sight of relief when he saw the other woman turn away from them and head towards the gate. She was quiet for the most part, holding her head slightly down and twiddling with a bag in her hands as she shuffled along behind him through the main front doors of the manor. He took her on a small tour of the place, explaining her duties in each room as he went along and sticking only to the side of the house that he and his twin brother inhabited. When he arrived at his room and office doors he explained she would be in charge of cleaning them, he made it clear that he liked things to be tidy and would not stand for a single thing to be out of place. She winced at his words but nodded obediently. This raised his spirits slightly but he knew he still had much more to show her.

"W-what a-are those r-r-rooms my L-lord?" She questioned as they passed his brothers matching set of doors. He stopped and turned to fully face her before looking to the doors she had mentioned.

"That is, none of your concern. My brothers quarters and a place you should never go under any circumstances." He stated in a softer tone than he had used before. His eyes found hers once again and he raised his hand to brush a stray hair away from her eyes to see them better, only to catch himself and run his fingers through his own hair before he could look suspicious, "we may be identical in nearly every way, but I for one do not share well. If he wants a maid he will simply have to find his own." He shrugged as he spoke, hoping he looked very withdrawn from the situation and turned to lead her to the last door on the tour. It was a few doors down and on the opposite side of the hall, but he had worked hard on this last room in an attempt to make it nice enough that she wouldn't wish to leave anytime soon.

"This will be your room." He stated as he paused outside the door, "feel free to change it as you wish but I expect you to treat it as you would any other in this house." He held back an excited smile as he turned the door knob slowly and pushed open the door. She audibly gasped and covered her mouth when his hard work was revealed. A bedroom set fit for a lady of duchess rank or higher lay before her, complete with a vanity and wardrobe. A door to the side that sat slightly open showed a lovely bathroom with a golden clawed tub and shelves for all her needs. The color scheme was soft pinks and deep reds accented by tiny splashes of black that ranged from the four poster beds covering to the patterns along the walls. He had looked into what a lady would dream of in a room and delivered it to her in the colors he thought best suited her. Her blue eyes and dark hair would be brought out by the reds and pinks, and the darker tones of black would be easy enough to keep nice and clean.

"I know it's not much," he stated as he watched her slowly make her way into the room, "but I believe it will be comfortable for you during your stay here. She was silent as she turned to get a better view of the room around her.

"Why?" She finally asked after what he felt like was an excruciatingly long pause.

"I am not a monster." He answered in a flat tone whilst in his mind he was screaming out of joy for her reaction, "the cooks will have breakfast ready soon. Come down to the kitchen when you are ready." With that he left her, closing the door slowly behind himself and ignoring his smirking brother who was leaned against the wall in between their rooms.

"We have servants quarters you know." Adrian stated as he passed by him. Felix stopped at the sound of his voice and clenched his fists tightly.

"I, want to keep this one close." He stated as he turned his head slightly towards his brother.

He had her. He finally had her under his thumb.

His blood ran cold.

But, now what?

Okay so, the second chapter is done. I hope that a good many of you notice what I did while describing the twins in this chapter. It is a Beauty and the Beast AU so she will end up with the one who will be playing the part of Chat Noir in this story. However for the time being I want to keep that information to myself and allow my beautiful readers to make their own guesses as to who that may be.

Right now there is a strong chance that this story will continue so once again I will warn you that it will have an M rating within the next few chapters.

I hope to hear from you all soon.

Much Love;

AD