Chapter 19: Somebody Out There

"So," Marinette concluded with a sigh. "What do you think?"

She'd left the bakery as soon as she was done cleaning up from that morning's work and headed straight for Master Fu's home. He'd listened silently as she'd explained about the stronger akumas and how worried it was making her and Chat Noir. She'd made sure that her accounts of the akuma attacks were as detailed as possible, just in case Master Fu caught something she'd overlooked.

Master Fu was sipping serenely at his tea, eyes closed, while his kwamai, Wayzz, mirrored him with a mini cup of his own. After several long moments of silence, Fu finally opened his eyes and looked at the little baker.

"This news is disturbing, to say the least. I think it is possible that Hawkmoth has somehow learned how to increase the powers of his kwami, which worries me for more than one reason."

"'Increased the powers of his kwami'?" Marinette repeated, frowning. "Is that possible?"

Master Fu nodded slowly.

"Yes. Every miraculous has different levels of power, which cannot be immediately accessed. This is so every wielder can grow at the safest pace for themselves."

Marinette leaned forward, suddenly excited at the implications.

"Can Chat and I access a new level of our powers then?" She asked. "That would be super helpful in fighting Hawkmoth. How do we do that?"

Master Fu looked at her sadly and shook his head.

"Unfortunately, I do not know how to help you and Chat Noir reach the next level with yours, because a long time ago, the book that held those secrets was lost. What worries me is that somehow Hawkmoth has discovered the secrets of his miraculous. This means he either posses the book itself or, perhaps, he knows the person that does and has convinced them to share it with him. However, the book is in code. The fact that someone besides myself has managed to decipher it troubles me greatly."

Marinette sat back on her heels, her stomach sinking. How were she and Chat supposed to compete with someone who had access to knowledge about his miraculous that they could only wish for? That was fighting a losing battle.

The silence stretched between them for several moments before Master Fu sighed.

"Marinette."

The girl sat up straighter at the sound of her name.

"I did not want to have to do this, but it seems I no longer have a choice. If you should come up against an akuma you do not believe that you and Chat alone can defeat, come back here to me and I will provide you with more help."

"'More help'? What kind of help?"

"You will know. If it is needed."

Marinette left Master Fu's with more questions, as was usual after having spoken to the cryptic man, but felt encouraged all the same, knowing there would be more help when they needed it.

Wayzz floated up from his tiny table, looking at the door as it closed.

"You don't plan to join the fight yourself, do you Master?"

Fu chuckled.

"No, Wayzz. I have resigned myself to no longer taking a direct part in the fight. If I must, I will see that more miraculous holders are chosen. Speaking of which, I should also keep an eye out for someone to begin training myself."

The little green kwami nodded solemnly and Master Fu sipped his tea.

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There were many things that Nino loved about his girlfriend. She was brilliant and passionate and driven, not to mention totally hot, but occasionally, as much as he loved her, even he had to admit that she went too far.

This was proving to be one of those occasions.

"Alya…"

"No, Nino. I won't stand for this."

"But—"

"I need answers!"

"But—"

"Answers!"

Nino sighed heavily and shook his head. It had been four days since anyone had heard from Adrien and, as much as it worried him, the camping out in front of the mansion that Alya had forced him into had at least proved that Adrien was alive. They hadn't been able to talk to the blonde though, thanks to the bodyguard who basically manhandled Adrien into the waiting limo every time they got close.

Alya was staring at the mansion again, arms crossed and glaring.

"Nino," she snapped suddenly.

Her boyfriend stood to attention.

"Yes?"

"I need more coffee."

Nino frowned. This had gone on long enough. It was time he intervened, for her good and his sanity. So he braced himself and replied.

"No."

She turned on him.

"What?"

"I said no. You don't need more coffee. What you need is to go home and sleep."

"No," she replied slowly, as though speaking to a child. "I already told you. What I need is answers! And more coffee."

But Nino was shaking his head. He looped an arm around Alya's waist and began tugging her away from her stake out point.

"No, what you need is to take a breath. I love you and I don't want you making yourself sick over this."

"Nino!"

He was making progress down the street, albeit with the entire street staring at them, but progress was progress when you were dragging your determined girlfriend away from her goal.

"I'm all for getting answers too, Alya, but it obviously isn't going to happen this way."

"Nino, stop!"

He sighed and paused long enough to look down at her, digging her heels into the sidewalk in a vain attempt to halt their progress.

"Alya, think about it. What good are you doing staring at his house day and night? They obviously aren't going to let us talk to him yet, but maybe if we leave and act like we're done trying we can come back after they let their guard down a bit. Wouldn't that make more sense?"

Alya frowned and crossed her arms. He knew he'd gotten her with that, but he also knew when to wait for her agreement and when to push further. So he waited. Finally, she growled softly to herself and uncrossed her arms.

"I guess you're right."

Then she turned and pointed at his face.

"But you're getting me more coffee."

Nino grinned.

"Of course I am."

Not far off, a small asian man in a bright Hawaiian shirt was watching the exchange with an amused grin.

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Tom and Sabine were worried about their daughter. She'd been acting strange for days; clumsier than usual, especially in the kitchen where she'd never been clumsy before, seeming to be lost in her own thoughts far more often, to the detriment of both pastries and people, jumpy and nervous when she was pulled out of her thoughts, and clearly not getting enough sleep.

"What's wrong with her, mama?" Tom wondered aloud, after they watched Marinette overcompensate in her conversation during dinner, break not one, but two plates while helping clean up, and then nearly miss the first of the stairs up to her room before rushing up the rest with a nervous laugh.

Sabine sighed and shook her head.

"It's a boy."

"A boy?!"

Tom nearly fell out of his seat. Never had his daughter shown interest in the opposite sex. He'd secretly been hoping that perhaps she wouldn't until after college, since her love affair with baking had consumed her at an early age. But, his wife was still nodding, now in confirmation.

"That's the only answer," Sabine said. Then she sighed at a happy thought, clasping her hands and looking off into space. "I remember after I met you and realized I was in love. I couldn't make so much as toast without burning it. She's showing all the signs."

Tom nodded, standing to his full, considerate height.

"Right. I'll go talk to her."

"What?" His wife demanded, looking both surprised and worried. "Don't you think I should—"

"No, mama," Tom said, heading for the stairs. "I've got this."

"Oh dear," Sabine murmured to herself as she watched her husband pause and knock on the trapdoor to Marinette's room.

Well, she supposed, she could always do damage control later if need be.

Upstairs, Marinette watched her papa pace back and forth , pausing two different times as though he was going to say something, only to turn away and continue pacing. She waited, her curiosity at the odd behavior increasing by the moment.

Finally, Tom seemed to steel himself, shook his head, and turned to look at his daughter.

"Marinette," he said. "I want to talk to you. About… about boys."

The little baker's stomach dropped. Oh no. Did he know about her crush on Adrien? Had Alya said something to her parents? No, she wouldn't have done that. Had she, herself, been too obvious? Said something in passing that she hadn't meant to? Or was this going to be 'The Talk'? Oh God, she hoped not.

Tom took her panicked silence for listening and went on.

"Now, I want to talk to you about what to expect. That is, I mean, what you should expect when you're, ah, looking for a, um, significant other."

Oh crap. This was going to be 'The Talk' wasn't it?

Her papa paused and took a deep breath before continuing.

"You deserve someone who listens to you
Hears every word and knows what to do."

Marinette was staring at her papa, trying to get her brain to switch gears. So this wasn't going to be a birds and the bees talk? That was a relief.

"When you're feeling hopeless lost and confused," Tom went on.
"There's somebody out there who will
You need a man who holds you for hours
Make your friends jealous
When he brings you flowers
And laughs when he says 'they don't have love like ours'."

Marinette felt a little smile tugging on her lips now.

"Like you do with manan?" She teased.

Tom smiled.

"Exactly."

"Alright," the little baker said, popping up off her seat and hoping desperately she'd be able to get her papa to switch topics or leave before he pushed into territory she didn't want to discuss. "So I should look for someone just like you. Got it. Great talk, papa."

She tugged on his arm, trying to get him to move, but to no avail. Tom simply shook his head.

"No, sweetie. It's more than that. Just… sit back down?"

Marinette sighed and took her seat again, resigning herself to her papa staying until he'd said everything he meant to say. Tom nodded and went on.

"There somebody out there who will…," he paused, trailing off for a moment as he thought, and then continued.
"There's somebody out there who's looking for you.
Someday he'll find you, I swear that its true."

Tom paused, feeling suddenly awkward, but, wanting to get it all out, he rushed on.

"He's gonna kiss you and you'll feel the world stand still.
He'll take you dancing and pull you in close."

A flash of pleasantly-unpleasant memory swept over Marinette as she remembered dancing with Adrien. She did her best to hide her wince and forced her mind away from the thoughts. She was going to get over him.

For some reason, Chat Noir was the next thought in her mind, and the night they had danced on the Eiffel Tower. She felt a warmth in her chest as a small smile crept on to her face as she remembered how he'd cajoled her into dancing with him and then made her laugh with his antics. He'd held her with such care, too.

Her papa was still talking and she turned her attention back to him.

"…Spin you around and won't let you go
Till they turn the lights off and he'll take you home.
There's somebody out there who will—"

"Have you ever taken maman dancing?" Marinette asked.

Tom paused and grinned.

"We used to go dancing all the time. Your mama is an excellent dancer. Just like a swan."

The little baker smiled at the description and leaned forward, putting her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands as her papa did a little spin where he stood, holding his arms out like he was holding her mother.

"When was the last time you took her?"

He frowned thoughtfully.

"Hm. It's been a while. A few years at least."

"You should take her out soon."

Tom nodded decisively.

"You're right. I think I'll take her out Saturday, since you've taken over my Sunday mornings."

"You should," Marinette agreed, her smile widening. "I think you'd both have fun."

Tom looked back to his daughter, his smile turning sympathetic. His sweet girl was always looking out for the happiness of others. He had seen her wince and wondered if perhaps unrequited love had bruised her own happiness. He didn't want to ask directly, especially since it seemed she didn't want to tell either him or Sabine about it, but he did want to encourage her, if that was the case.

Leaning forward, Tom took his daughter's hands and looked at her seriously.

"There's somebody out there who's looking for you
Someday he'll find you, I swear that its true
He's gonna kiss you and you'll feel the world stand still."

Tom patted his daughters head before he went on, clearly able to see the dark circles under her eyes.

"Tossing and turning and dreaming at night
About finding him and praying and hoping you might
'Cause you deserve someone who knows how to treat you right."

Marinette gave him a small smile. He might not know what was actually bothering her, but he'd obviously made some good guesses. Her parents knew her well and she felt an overwhelming appreciation for them both, especially since neither of them had demanded answers from her, opting to support her silently instead.

She stood and reached up to kiss Tom's cheek.

"Thank you, papa."

He gave her hug.

"Any time, sweetie."

She watched as her papa disappeared back downstairs, closing the trapdoor as he went, and his words seemed to echo in her ears.

I know he's out there
He's looking for you
Someday he'll find you, I swear that it's true
And he's gonna kiss you and you'll feel the world stand still

With a sigh, she flopped down onto her settee and covered her face with her arms. She'd clearly been failing horribly at keeping her inner turmoil to herself. She'd have to work on that.

You need some who'll miss you
Hold you and kiss you

She heard a soft tap on her window and pushed herself up to look.

There's somebody out there

"Chat…?"

Who will

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A/N: So this song doesn't really move the plot along, but I knew the first time I heard it that I had to use it in a conversation between Marinette and her papa. If not in this story then it would have been in a one-shot. Hope you guys don't mind. :)

The song is "Somebody Out There" by A Rocket to the Moon. As always, I recommend a listen.

Drop me a line and let me know what you thought! Till next chapter!