Holy camembert and cookies, it's finally ready! Remember when I said that chapter 12 was the hardest I've written? Well, I take it back! This was my hardest so far. I hope you'll like it. I don't own anything.

Chapter 14

Under the sea, Hawkmoth, who had seen it all through the akumas, was fuming.

"HOW?! How on earth did they come so close?! HOW?!" He yelled angrily and slammed a series of potions to the floor. "This little tramp shouldn't have the tiniest chance with the girl without his voice! Looks like he's better than I thought. At this rate, by sunset tomorrow they'll be kissing!" he yelled, making the akumas stutter in fear. "Well, it's time I take the situation into my own hands! Gabriel's son will be mine! The miraculous will be mine! And so will the ocean and the entire world!" He then clutched his brooch and a purple light enveloped him as he started laughing maniacally.

Back with Adrien and Marinette, they were on their way back to the castle. Adrien noticed that Marinette was shivering and gave her his jacket. (Even though it was soaked wet too.)

"Thanks." She said smiling.

When they arrived at the castle, they were greeted by Alya at the entrance.

"Hey! You're back." She said cheerfully "And…you're wet. What happened to you?"

"It's…it's a long story." Marinette answered.

"Well…you'll tell me later. For now, you're both coming with me. We need to get you dry." Alya said.

After they got dried off, both went straight to their rooms, thinking all that had happened today. Especially, what happened at the lake.

"My. What. A. Day." Plagg said lying on Adrien's pillow. "Don't you guys agree?"

"What a day?! What a day?! I'll tell you what a day! This close" Nathalie said holding her claw an inch apart. "They were this clo-" Before she continued Plagg floated up to her and covered her mouth.

"You really want to say this in front of Adrien?" he whispered to her disturbed, looking at his holder.

He was looking outside his window, at the full moon hanging in the sky. Its light playing on the waves. He was thinking that not long ago he and Marinette nearly kissed under it. And it wasn't the first time, but the second. Two days had passed. In each day, he had a chance at kissing her, yet it didn't happen. Why couldn't it happen? Why were they so close…and still so far?

"Look Adrien, don't you worry about this." Nathalie said.

Adrien turned to look at her with a fake smile on his face and gave her a thumbs up.

"Wait…you mean…you're not upset or something?" Plagg asked slightly suspicious.

His holder nodded, stretched his arms and made a fake yawn.

"So, you're just tired?"

The boy nodded.

"Well, I'm not buying it." He said crossing his arms. "You're worried, aren't you?"

Adrien sighed and nodded. He really was worried. Today he and Marinette came as close as they're likely to come, but they still didn't kiss. And like this wasn't enough, the time was running fast. He had only one day left, and if the kiss didn't happen that day...he'd have to go forever and he'd never see his friends and Marinette again.

"Look, like I said, don't worry about this." Nathalie said "Even though you were this close and there's only one day left, and-" Before she could continue freaking out, Plagg slapped her. "Thanks, I needed this." She said and then they both looked at Adrien, who sat by the window again, unsure of what to do to comfort him.

Meanwhile, Marinette was sitting on her bureau, tying her hair into her pigtails. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and sighed, feeling more confused than she ever felt in her entire life. She knew that she felt something about that 'Dream-Boy' who saved her life, and she knew that it was real, even though everyone was trying to convince her bout the opposite. But all that she felt when she was with Adrien…it was something entirely new. Something wonderful. But was it something real? Was that 'Dream-Boy' just a fragment of her imagination, like everybody said? What was real, and what not? She just couldn't figure it out, and it was frustrating.

"Marinette, what's wrong?" Tikki asked her, floating in front of her.

"Nothing, I'm just…confused." Marinette said moodily.

"But why? You seemed just fine all day. In fact, it has been a long time since I've seen you this happy."

"I-"

Before Marinette could answer a knock at the door was heard.

"Yes?" She said, and Alya entered the room.

"Hey! What's up?" She said and sat on Marinette's bed.

"What do you mean what's up, we were together like…ten minutes ago?" Marinette said.

"Oh, come on, like you don't know what I mean." Alya said with a sly look on her face.

"Ummm…"

"Come on, girl! Spill the beans! How was your day with that Prince Charming of yours? And don't rush it at all! I need details!" she said excitedly.

"Well…not much happened. We just strolled around the town, we ate some pastries and we went for a boat ride at a lake. And while we were there something happened and we fell off the boat. That's why we were wet when we arrived." Marinette said, but Alya, knowing the princess for years, could tell that she wasn't telling her everything.

"So that's all? Come on. Didn't you hear me? I want details!" She insisted.

"I can give you some!" Tikki entered the conversation. "Marinette and Adrien nearly-"

Before the kwami continued Marinette gave her a warning glare, that was screaming from miles away 'Say no more!"

"You nearly what?" Alya asked, realizing that something was up.

"We…uhhhh…nearly fell in a canyon!" Marinette said. "But at the last minute Adrien made the horses jump and we got to the other side safe and sound."

"And then you rode into the sunset in each other's arms and you shared a romantic kiss!" Alya said hopefully.

"Well…kinda. But without the kissing."

"Uh huh. Well?" Alya insisted more.

"Well what?"

"What else?"

"You want more? There's… nothing…so important left to say. Besides, I'm exhausted. I'd like to go to bed." Marinette said, kinda awkwardly.

"Okay, I'll let you sleep. But don't you think I will forget that we left the conversation in the middle."

"Good night Alya."

"Good night." Alya said and left.

"Why didn't you want me to tell Alya about your almost kiss with Adrien, Marinette?" Tikki asked her holder.

"I don't know…I just…I can't decide what I want. I can't even understand what I feel!" Marinette confessed.

"Okay, I know that neither I nor anyone else can tell what you feel better than you. But from what I've seen the last two days, and especially today, I can tell that you have feelings for Adrien." Tikki said consolingly.

"Well…I do have feelings for Adrien, but could he have feelings for me?

"Marinette, you nearly kissed! I'm sure he does. You should go talk to him!"

"Should I? I mean I should!" Marinette said and went to Adrien's bedroom, with Tikki behind her.

However, when she arrived at his door she suddenly stopped. Was it really the best time to see him? He could be asleep. Should she peer in the keyhole? No, that would be rude. When did she start thinking of peering into keyholes, anyway? In the end, she sighed and turned her back on the door, hiding her face in her hands.

"What's wrong?" Tikki asked worriedly.

"I can't do this, Tikki. Not now. I'm so muddled." She confessed.

"All right, calm down. I you really can't do it, it's fine. I think you should go to bed now. You'll be able to think better if you get some rest."

"Yeah Tikki. I think you're right." The princess said and she and her kwami walked back to her room.

While Marinette was lying she couldn't fall asleep. She was tossing and turning in her bed, with a million thoughts in her mind. All that had happened this month, the boy who saved her,…Adrien. Unable to get any rest, she decided to go outside and clear her head. She turned to her kwami, but she had already fallen asleep, and she didn't want to wake her. She scratched her friend's little head affectionately, making her smile in her sleep, and she quietly left the room. Normally she would go to the roof since it was something like her secret place, but since she couldn't transform without Tikki, she decided to go for a walk by the sea.

In the meantime, as Adrien was looking at the beach out of his window he noticed a small figure walking there. He looked closely and noticed that it was Marinette. She must have gotten out to look for that 'Dream-Boy' again. Little did she know that for the last two days he was with her. That he was the one who made her laugh, the one who whipped her tear, the one she danced with. The one she nearly kissed. Why couldn't she see it? Perhaps because he didn't have his voice. At this point he wished for nothing more than to have his voice back. Not forever, but for just one brief moment, so he could tell Marinette that he was the one who saved her and how much he loved her. If only he could think of something to make her see it, if only he had more time. Then Plagg floated up to him.

"Hey." He said. "Looks like she's looking for you again." Adrien, of course didn't answer. He didn't even turn to look at him. "Let me ask you something. You've been a human for two days right? Right?" He asked and his holder nodded, feeling kinda surprised by this question

"And on each day didn't you nearly kiss her?" Adrien nodded again

"And today, it was her who leaned first for the kiss instead of you, right?"

Another question answered with a nod.

"Well, then what do you mope and worry about?"

The boy turned to look at his kwami perplexed.

"Listen, you've been with your lady, for only two days and during these two days, you nearly kissed her two times. And you mope? And if you actually think it, today you were even closer than you were the first day, and hadn't the boat flipped you would have kissed."

"Your point is?" Nathalie asked.

"My point is that if today you guys came so close, tomorrow will definitely be the day of the kiss. Because the next step of the almost kiss is the actual kiss. And that's guaranteed by yours truly. So instead of being all gloomy about what didn't happen today, you should be happy about all the great stuff that happened today."

"And excited about what will happen tomorrow." Nathalie added.

Adrien looked at his friends smiling thankfully.

"And now that I gave this great speech give me some camembert." Plagg said and his holder, laughing silently gave him some.

He'll never change. The boy thought.

"Well, you'd better get some sleep now. It's past midnight." Nathalie said and the boy went to bed. "I never expected to hear you talk like that to Adrien." She said to Plagg after Adrien fell asleep.

"Well, neither did I. This whole thing made me really soft." The kwami said.

"You really think they're going to kiss her tomorrow?"

"I hope they will, but to be honest, I don't know. I just told him what he needed to hear. I mean, what did you expect me to say? 'Sorry kid, but we're both doomed, and so is the entire world with us.'?"

"Wait, what do you mean the entire world?" Nathalie asked worriedly.

"You really think that this Hawkmoth guy is the trustworthy? If he gets his hands on Adrien and his powers…I can't even think of what he'll do."

"I think we should go to sleep too." Nathalie said and they went to bed too.

At the same time, Marinette was still outside, looking at the sea and trying to get her thoughts together. While the sea breeze on her face and the sound of the waves helped her relax a bit, she still couldn't figure out anything.

"Can't sleep?" A familiar voice was heard, making Marinette jump out of her skin. She turned around and saw Alya.

"Alya. You scared me." She said, surprised to see her friend there.

"Oh, chillax, girl. I'm not that scary." She joked.

"That's not what I meant. I just didn't expect to see you here."

"So, you didn't expect to see me here, but you were expecting to see some guy you've only met once, you don't know anything about and probably is not even real."

"He is real, Alya." She argued, but deep inside, she was getting unsure.

"All right, let's say that he is real. But what makes you believe that he will come here again?"

"I don't know. Probably something like a gut feeling."

"And you plan to spend your entire life here just because of some gut feeling? Marinette, a real guy of flesh and blood is better than any dream-boy. Especially one who is really cute and funny, and obviously has feelings about you." Alya said and walked away.

Marinette stayed there for a while to think. And she thought that her friend was right. Either that boy was real or not she knew nothing about him, but Adrien was so sweet and he made her happier than she ever was. She made her choice. She chose Adrien. But when she was ready to return, she noticed a guy, walking towards her. He was wearing a hood that covered his face. She felt like he was somehow making her stay. When he arrived in front of her he removed his hood. He had brown hair tied up in a bun and he also had a soul patch. His eyes were green and it almost seemed like they were glowing in the dark, like they were the eyes of a cat.

"Who are you?" Marinette asked.

"Hello…My lady." The guy said in Adrien's voice and suddenly his eyes glowed purple. Marinette's eyes glowed purple too. The guy smiled wickedly. "Perfect." Hawkmoth said darkly.

There you have it. Please review.