So until you get to Grandma's place

I think you ought to walk with me and be safe

~Chat shows up in time to help Marinette babysit Manon~

Chat had started his patrol a little early. It was good for the citizens of Paris to see their champions when there wasn't an akuma around. Truth be told, he enjoyed these moments, too. He liked having an opportunity to help people, especially at the end of their day when they were tired, hungry, and heading home, so he spent his free afternoons looking for opportunities to spread some happiness. It might be through carrying groceries for an elderly lady or giving a bit of confection to an unhappy gentleman that he tried to spread some cheer, but he felt that adding joy to Paris was another way to fight Hawkmoth.

"Manon, please!" the pleading voice came from the park, "We have to leave now."

He slowed as he neared the last building before the park. The sight that greeted him made him chuckle. Marinette was obviously searching for someone and Chat was guessing it was the small girl with a Ladybug mask and yo-yo that was sneaking along behind her. The sight of the girl sneaking into the center of a planter where she would most certainly be well hidden gave him an idea.

He waited until Marinette's back was turned and then used his staff to lower himself behind the bushes. The surprised look on the little girl's face was replaced by a slow grin when she saw that Chat Noir had a finger across his smiling lips, trying to indicate that they had to be quiet, as he joined her in the hideout. They both peeked out to see a grumbling Marinette looking in trees and around other shrubbery.

Marinette might not have found them so quickly if Chat's tail hadn't been waving around above their heads, unbeknownst to the two hiding figures.

"Manon!" Marinette cried as she parted the bushes to find her charge and the superhero were laughing together. "I was so worried that something bad had happened to you!"

"I was safe! Chat's with me," the little girl pointed out.

"And how do we even know that is the real Chat Noir?" Marinette asked tersely as she helped the little girl down from the planter. "For all you know it's someone dressed up as Chat that's trying to kidnap you!"

"Princess, I'd never!" came the startled exclamation as Manon simultaneously cried, "I'm Ladybug! I'd know the real Chat Noir any place."

They both looked at each other grinning and gave a high five.

"See?" Manon said, as if that settled things.

Marinette frowned at the child before turning to Chat, who cringed back a bit. "Thank you for keeping Manon safe while she hid from me. It does make me feel better knowing that you were with her."

"Any time, Princess," he said with a smile. "Keeping all the citizens of Paris safe and happy is what I live for."

"Ok, Manon," Marinette's attention was back on her charge, "Tell Chat thanks and let's get you home."

"But I don't want to go home yet!" Manon began in a whining voice. "Chat just got here and he needs his Ladybug!" She held onto the superhero's hand looking up at him with her best puppy-dog eyes. "Right?"

Suddenly Chat gasped and pointed at Manon's ears. "My Lady, you're running out of time! Quick, hide behind this tree!" He shifted Marinette's arms out to make branches and moved Manon behind her sitter. "Don't let anyone see you transform back!"

Caught up in Chat's story the girl quickly took off her mask and yo-yo emerging from behind her Mari-tree with a "ta-da!"

"Well hello there Manon," said Chat as if just spotting her there. "You haven't by any chance seen Ladybug around here have you?"

"Yes, she went that way" Manon pointed in two different directions.

"Would you be able to help me find her?" he asked with a wink at Marinette who seemed to catch onto his plan immediately.

"Yes, of course!" the little girl eagerly grabbed his hand and started heading back into the park.

"Um, I think I saw her heading that way actually," Marinette said as she pointed in the direction of the park entrance.

"Thanks Princess," Chat said as he started toward the exit, but Manon dug in her heels.

"She's definitely not that way Chat!"

Chat knelt next to the slightly struggling girl. "Say princess, have you ever had a piggyback ride before?"

"I'm not Princess, that's Marinette's name," she said flatly throwing Chat slightly off his train of thought.

"How would you like Duchess?"

Manon shook her head. "I wanna be Little Princess!"

"Ok, Little Princess, have you ever had a piggyback ride before?"

"Yes, they're boring," she informed him.

"I bet you've never had a Kitty-Chat ride though," he said with a grin waggling his eyebrows. "They are much more fun than a boring, old, piggyback ride." He looked up into the child's face. "I'd like to give you one. Would that be ok?"

Immediately Manon threw herself at him. He lifted the girl onto his shoulders and held onto her legs as they dangled down the front of his chest. Then he stood up and Manon squealed in delight. Chat started running and twirling around the grass, slowly getting closer to the park's gate. Marinette had to run to gather their stuff and saw Chat turning in slow circles just outside the fence.

"If you don't want to be in the wrong you've got to always be right!" she called to him.

A huge grin broke out on his face as he quickly figured out which direction would be Marinette's right and headed that way pointing into the sky and asking LP if she saw a flash of red.

Chat had fun as he and Manon raced down the street stopping to look in shop windows and darting through crowds. They even decided on getting a crepe as hunting for superheroes is hard work. Manon began munching eagerly as Chat patiently waited to hand Marinette her part of the treat. He made sure that he and Manon didn't get too far ahead of the babysitter, but it was easy to get lost in their game.

He was genuinely sad when told that there was "no where left to go" in front of the large apartment complex. Marinette caught up with them and pushed the button to call the Chamack's so that they could be buzzed in, while thanking Chat for helping her with Manon. To everyone's surprise the outer door suddenly opened. It was being pushed by none other than Madam Chamack.

"Mama!" Manon cried practically hurling herself off of Chat's shoulders into the woman's arms. "Chat brought me home and now he's my boyfriend."

"What?" a surprised Marinette and Madam Chamack said in unison.

"Wh-what?" Chat choked out. And stared between Marinette and Madam Chamack, looking for a life line.

"You gave me a special name, bought me food, and we had fun together," Manon said matter of factly as her mother set her down. "That makes you my boyfriend."

Madam Chamack laughed, "Manon's cousin has just started dating and we talked about boyfriends and girlfriends last night." She looked down at her child and said, "I guess you forgot that you have to be much, much older before you start dating?"

"Oh yeah," she looked at Chat. "I guess you're dumped."

Both Marinette and Madam Chamack started laughing together.

"But Manon, I never asked you to be my girlfriend!" Chat said as he knelt to be at her eye level, still obviously shocked to have both gained and lost a girlfriend in so short a time.

Manon rolled her eyes and informed him, "Boys never know they are the boyfriend until the girl tells them." She patted him on the shoulder, "Besides you still have Marinette as your girlfriend so you'll be ok."

This time Madam Chamack was the only one laughing as Marinette and Chat both blushed and began protesting that this simply was not so. She was still chuckling as she handed Marinette her pay for tending Manon and took her daughter to the elevator.

There was some strained silence before Marinette said, "So…Chat..."

"Yes?"

"I, uh, think I probably ought to share this money with you since you helped me a lot with Manon."

"No, Prince- Marinette," Chat corrected quickly, "I enjoyed helping. I think I had as much fun as Manon did."

"Okay, but you've dealt with puppy-eyes, running, twirling, Manon bouncing up and down, and now a near death by embarrassment," Marinette said as she smiled. "I think I ought to be able to do something with this money to reimburse you for all that."

Chat held up a hand. "Payment isn't necessary," he leaned in a little, "and Ladybug would make herself a new kitty-skin rug if she thought I ever took money for helping."

"True," Marinette agreed. "What if I were to treat you to an ice cream cone? In exchange for the crepe you bought for Manon and me," she hastily added.

Chat thought for a moment, trying to see if there would be a downside to this proposition.

"I think even Ladybug would be okay with it," she added with a smile.

"Okay," he finally agreed.

In the end they agreed to go to a shop that neither one had been in, but had heard good things about. Fortunately they walked in as the only customer was leaving. It made Mari's paying for the superhero a bit less awkward.

Later that evening, the Ladyblog was inundated with reports of Chat Noir carrying an unknown person piggyback across Paris.