Chapter 36; Runaway and Repercussions
It was a few hours later Marinette and Alya were reclined on chairs, both wearing white terry cloth bathrobes, with a masque on their faces while they were receiving both a manicure and pedicure. These had been preceded by a stint in the sauna, then a soak in a hot tub then massages.
"I still say it's a bad idea, Marinette." Alya said. "I mean I understand that you want to get back at Adrien for tickling you awake, but sneaking off is not the way to do it."
"We'll only be going to my parents." Marinette argued. "and it's only a block away."
Alya sighed heavily, she knew Marinette well enough to know that once she had her mind set on something she'd do it one way or the other. "Fine." she huffed.
An hour later, Alya and Marinette went to change back into their clothes, and they found the clothes they had worn down neatly folded and boxed up. On top of each box was a new set of clothes, with a note on Marinette's.
Mari,
These are for you, and the other set is for Alya. I've talked to Sean and worked out security and the four of us are having lunch at Le Select, Montparnasse. Nino and I are going back up, and will meet you so we can all go together.
Adrien
Marinette read the note to Alya, then looked over the clothes. Hers consisted of a hot pink skirt with a lighter shade pink top. Alya's outfit was also a skirt, and top but in forest green and mint green respectively.
"And this is the guy you want to scare half out of his skin." Alya said dryly as she finished buttoning up her blouse.
Marinette waved a hand dismissively. "It won't be that bad, he knows I can take care of myself." she said, then looked at herself in a full view mirror. The skirt fell to a few inches above her knee and the blouse was made of silk and had a bamboo stalk and a vine with flowers embroidered on it on the right side. Alya's skirt was about the same length, and both her blouse and skirt had a yellow flower print.
"So, lets go." she said to Alya and they headed for the elevator. "I've got to admit I can see why Chloe enjoys days like this so much. I haven't felt this relaxed in a long time."
"Going up?" Colleen joked as she held the doors of the elevator so the two girls could join her and Fiona inside.
"Yep." Marinette said as the elevator started going up.
Alya rolled her eyes, knowing what was coming as Marinette suddenly started looking in her bag.
"What's the matter?" Colleen asked.
"I must have left my phone down there." Marinette replied. They all stepped into the hall when the doors opened. "Tell Adrien we'll be right back." she added as she grabbed Alya's arm and pulled her back into the elevator as the doors closed.
"Well at least they aren't leaving the building and Alya is with her." Fiona commented.
Colleen hummed in agreement as she stared at the doors. "Maybe, but something doesn't feel right about this.
Just then Nino, Adrien, Sean and Michael walked up. Colleen noticed the look of concern on Adrien's face immediately.
"Um, where are Marinette and Alya?" he asked.
"Marinette said she forgot her phone down at the spa and she pulled Alya back into the elevator as the door closed." Colleen replied, then stomped her foot. "Damn!"
"Colleen?" Sean asked.
"Common evasion technique, so basic it didn't click." Colleen said as the elevator opened. . .empty.
"Maybe they're still at the spa." Nino suggested.
Adrien nodded his agreement. "Let's go get them there then." he suggested then lead the way into the elevator.
"Easy, lad." Sean soothed as the car was descending.
"Yeah, right. She's fine." he muttered, realizing that he was bouncing on the balls of his feet nervously.
"Lad?" Sean asked when he saw that Adrien's face had gone pale.
"She's not at the spa." Adrien said softly.
"That's where she said she was going, Adrien." Colleen said. "To get her phone."
"She's not there." Adrien insisted. "She's somewhere north of here." he added as the elevator pinged announcing it's arrival at the ground floor.
"Michael, Fiona, check it out." Sean ordered, and the two ran off. "Okay now, Lad, out with it."
Instead of answering, Adrien started pacing, glancing at Nino every now and then.
"Hey, Bro, you need to calm down." Nino said.
"I'll calm down when we find Marinette and Alya." Adrien replied, then added softly "But I know it isn't going to be here."
"Dude, how can you be so sure?"
Adrien stared at his best friend for a moment then sighed heavily. "Plagg, come on out."
"Thought you'd never ask, kid."
"Dude!" Nino gasped. "That's. . .!"
"Lower your voice." Adrien hissed. "I don't want this announced to the whole city."
"Yeah, right. Sorry." Nino said. "So you having this kwami means. . ."
"That I'm Chat Noir." Adrien admitted. "Nino, you can't tell a soul about that, not even Alya or Marinette."
Adrien saw the realization wash over his friends face. "That's how you know Mari isn't here, she's." he began, but stopped when Adrien put his hand over his mouth.
"Don't finish that, let's just say that she's a close friend of the Bug." he said. "She's wearing something that was a gift from Ladybug, that Plagg can sense."
Just then Plagg went back into hiding as Michael and Fiona came back and Sean could tell by their faces that the news wasn't good.
"They're not here, Sean." Michael reported. "They never came back here."
"No!" Adrien gasped. "Mari, no."
Nino saw the terror both in his friends eyes and on his face. "Adrien, we're gonna find them."
Just then Sean's cell phone rang. "Go for O'Hanlin."
"This is Olivia." the caller said. "I've got eyes on the Lass, and her friend."
"Where?" Sean asked putting the call on speaker.
"Walking along Rue Gotlib, about half way between the bakery and the hotel as if they don't have a care in the world."
"Right, there's a team heading your way now, keep them under light watch. We'll be there shortly." he said, then heard something over the call. "What was that?"
"Not sure." Olivia replied.
"That's her! Lets get her!" yelled several female voices.
"Hey, wait!" Olivia yelled, and the sound of running feet could be heard, "Excuse me! Ooofff!" Olivia's voice said, then there was the sound of the phone hitting the pavement then a crunching sound as the call went dead.
"Olivia! Olivia!" Sean called into the phone, the touched his right ear. "All call, all call. Incident in progress, Rue Gotlieb approximately half way between the hotel and the bakery." he said as they all started trotting toward the exit. "Any operatives in the area check in."
"Ian here, Sean." Came a reply. "Do you want Mary and I to leave the bakery to look into it?"
"Negative, stay with Tom and Sabine, high profile if necessary. We're moving, keep them safe, but don't pass on what's happening until we have more intel." Sean replied as six of them headed for the exit at a run.
Adrien was surprised at two things. One was that he was in the lead of the group, and the other was how empty the street was.
That is until the intersection before where the bakery was.
"We'll never get there." Adrien panted as he came up on the crowd. "Mariiiiii!" he shouted. "Marinette!"
"Michael, Colleen, Fiona, batons, now!" Sean snapped and they all produced a foot long inch and a half diameter object. Almost as one they flicked one end downward revealing a three foot lone steel rod with a ball formed on the end.
Nino got Adrien's attention. "Dude, why don't you. . . you know. . .meow."
Adrien pulled his friend aside. "Because on the security team, Sean and Colleen are the only ones who know." he said, then had an idea. "Sean, I'm gonna see if there's a way around."
"Take care, lad, stay in touch." Sean said, realizing what Adrien was going to do.
"Nino, what are you doing?" Adrien asked when he got about halfway down the alley.
"First off, that's my girlfriend that's with Mari, and secondly, you're my best friend, and I'm not going to let you do this alone." Nino replied, then held out a fist. "We cool?"
Adrien had to swallow the lump in his throat, as he bumped fists. "Yeah, and thanks." he said. "Plagg, claws out!"
"Dude, that was sooooo cool!" Nino gasped after the transformation.
"Yeah, well hang on." Chat Noir said as he put his arm around Nino's waist and activated his baton. "Stay close." he said when they touched down on the roof and he started running.
"Dude, you aren't even winded." Nino panted when they stopped at the next roof.
"Nino, you've seen the pace LB and I have to work, do you honestly think a crossing a couple of roofs is going to get me worked up?"
"Heh heh, yeah, good point. But I have seen that face before." Nino said. "Those times when Ladybug gets hit by an akuma." he went on. "It terrifies you." he whispered.
"And Marinette doesn't have the protection of a supersuit." Chat Noir said. "I swear if somebody has her, I'll. . ."
"You'll do your job, and rescue her, in or out of your suit." Nino said softly, but firmly. He reached over and put a hand on Chat's shoulder. "Bro, she's going to be alright."
Chat took a deep breath then let it out. "Thanks, Nino, I needed that." he said, then looked over the edge of the roof to the street below. "Of for the love of. . .you've gotta be kidding me." he groaned.
"Kidnappers?" Nino asked.
"Worse." Chat replied, motioning for Nino to look. "Fangirls."
Nino followed Chat's gaze and could see Alya and Marinette backed up against a building with a half circle of teen-aged girls hemming them in. Even from their vantage point across the street they could hear that the girls were out for Marinette's blood as the ring slowly was closing.
Chat and Nino walked back from the edge and went down the roof a bit, then Chat extended his baton. Nino slid down first, then Chat. "Claws, in."
"Don't you need to be Chat Noir?"
Adrien smiled. "Actually no. They're angry because Marinette has taken me off the singles market, so I need to talk to them and get through to them."
Nino followed Adrien, and the alley ended about thirty feet from the girls.
"Alright, that's enough!" Adrien shouted and silence descended as if a switch had been thrown.
"It's him, it's really Adrien." a couple of the girls said.
"Hey! I said that's enough!" Adrien shouted again as the two girls closest to Marinette went to grab her. Alya tried to intervene and was knocked to the ground.
"She's done something and made you call her your girlfriend." the girl that had pushed Alya said.
"Yeah. I'll bet she's blackmailing you." the girl that had Marinette's arm added.
"That's enough, now let her go." Adrien said as he walked up to them. "Alya, you alright?" he asked as Nino ran over and helped his girlfriend to her feet.
"Yeah." came the reply.
"I said, let her go." Adrien said softly but firmly, and the girl turned Marinette's arm loose. He breathed a sigh of relief when Marinette ran over to him and he slid his arm around her waist. "I'm ashamed of all of you." he said, addressing the crowd. "Do any of you really think that I'd condone assaulting and harassing anyone like this?" He was relieved to see that they were all hanging their heads, murmuring no. "I'm glad to hear that, now, Marinette here is my girlfriend. She is not blackmailing me into that, and the only thing she has done to me, is to be an extraordinary friend, and be someone I found that I loved and loved me in return. All I ask of you is to respect that, and leave us alone."
Just as he finished talking a van showed up as Colleen, Sean, Fiona and Michael reached them.
"All secure?" Sean asked, and Adrien nodded, and they all bundled into the van and headed back to the hotel.
The ride back turned out to be a quiet one. Michael, who was the teams primary medical support, checked out first Marinette, then Alya.
"Just a scrape on my elbow." Alya replied to his asking if she had any injuries. She was surprised at how gentle his fingers were as he took her arm and looked the scrape over.
"Joost a bit o' road rash, Lassie." he said, then took a antiseptic towelette from his fanny pack. "This might sting." he told her as he wiped the spot.
Alya watched as he looked intently at the injury for a moment, then released her arm.
"Well, the bleedin has stopped, so ye don even need a bandage."
"Thanks." Alya said, then turned her attention to her friends. Marinette was sitting beside Adrien, but they weren't close. Adrien's expression she couldn't read, but Marinette's was all to clear to her. Her hands in her lap, the noirette was staring at her hands, and Alya knew she was afraid of what Adrien was feeling and going to say.
Nino, on the other hand, had a better understanding of the situation, because unlike Alya, he could read both of his friend's expressions. He knew and understood Marinette's fears, because he could still see the fear that had been in Adrien's eyes was slowly being replaced with anger, that he was fighting to keep in check. He also saw the expression on his girlfriend's face and knew she was going to try to talk to both of them. Leaning over he bumped her shoulder with his own. "I'm just glad you're both back safe, babe."
Alya smiled at him and was stunned when he leaned in and kissed her.
"Now is not the time, babe." he whispered in her ear as he hugged her after the kiss. "I know, Mari is feeling guilty, but my man has had a very bad scare, and needs to deal with that, and if they're going to have a lover's spat they will want some privacy."
Alya pulled back and locked eyes with her boyfriend and saw him give a slight nod. She sighed and nodded back, indicating her agreement. She wasn't quite so surprised when he leaned in and kissed her again.