I got this fanfic idea from 'The General's Daughter', an episode from Inspector Gadget and the Gadgetinis.


Marinette silently cried to herself as she ran up the elevator of the Hotel de Paris.

Tonight, she was supposed to be attending the Autumn Ball with Adrien.

But because of Lila, she can't.

Earlier today, Lila attacked her with crocodile tears, wailing that she needed her help with a difficult situation. She was being forced to babysit when she wanted to have a night of freedom from exploring and travelling and helping others.

Marinette didn't believe her. But Lila got the support of the whole class to gang up on Marinette into helping her, Adrien powerless to stop Lila and help Marinette.

Marinette has no choice but to accept.

Now she was dateless and friendless.

Everyone in her class was at the ball. Even Chloé had already left.

The elevator doors opened to the sixth floor. Marinette stepped out and walked over to room 616. She knocked. After a minute, the door opened.

And Marinette's jaw dropped.

Leaning on the door frame with one on her hip was a stunning girl of her age and height, big pretty violet eyes, grinning plum-coloured lips and dark skin smooth like silk. Her long hair, a mix of black, brown and caramel in curly twisted box-braids, was gathered in a ponytail, with fake blue butterflies scattered for decoration. Her body was slender, donning a light-purple top that was completely off the shoulders with long puffy sleeves cuffed at the wrists. white pants clinging to her long kegs, a silver belt of rings around her waist, and silver dancing heeled shoes. She paired her stylish outfit with a thick silver necklace with a palm-sized sapphire in the middle, big silver hoop earrings ballooning to her shoulder blades and silver bracelet embedded with amethysts on her left wrist.

"Bout time you got here. Nice to finally meet you. I'm Vanessa, Mayor Camberwell's daughter."

"Whoa, that's a big baby!" Marinette accidentally blunted out.

Realising what she just said, she blushed but Vanessa giggled and smiled at her.

"You're funny, Lila. And late."

"Oh, NO, I'm not Lila, not in a hundred years, I'm, uh, Mar-Ma-Marinette! She's, uh, she's, she's busy s-s-s-sooooo she a-a-a-a-asked m-m-m-me to-to-to-to m-e-e-e to-t-t-o ba-ba-babysit a-a-a-a ba-baba-by girl in-n-n-in her, uh, her place!"

Vanessa raised a brow, smirking.

"As you can see, I don't necessarily need a sitter. But I would like an escort to the Autumn Ball."

Vanessa winked, her smirk turning into a grin.

Marinette blushed again. Although she was straight and loved only Adrien, Vanessa managed to shoot an arrow straight to her wildly thumping heart.

"Can we swing by my house to get change?"

"Sure. I don't mind."


The Autumn Ball was in full swing at the Grand Palais. The class was dressed to their best for this event. However, Lila and Adrien were spending the evening arguing together rather than dancing together.

"Adrien honey, dance with me!"

Lila used all of her strength to pull Adrien by the arm but even she couldn't even bulge from his spot.

"You're my date! You're supposed to dance with me!"

Adrien glared at her. "Marinette is my date, not you. I'm only here with you because you forced her to do your dirty work with the help of everyone else. My friends made my decision for me but I'm not following through. I'm here with you but that's it. I will not dance with you."

"You're with me, not her."

"Dude, dance with her." Nino urged.

Adrien turned his glare to his 'friends.' "Why should I? You forced me to take her. You forced Marinette to babysit for her. Marinette is overworked as it is. Why should she sacrifice her one chance of a fun night out just for you to galavant over her?"

"Lila just spent all last week helping the penguins in the North Pole!"

"She deserves a break!"

"Lila worked twice as hard more than Marinette!"

"Marinette shouldn't be so selfish!"

Adrien was disgusted at how everyone jumped to Lila's defence. "I can't believe you guys. Unless this mess is fixed in the next five minutes, we are no longer friends."

"Dude!"

"Adrien!"

"Hey, guys, look!"

Everyone turned their heads.

A beautiful girl entered the hall, wearing the most spectacular gown anyone had ever seen. It was a bold red colour, constructed of a long skirt trailing behind her, with a slit up the left leg and a big ruffle along the shoulders, with fake emerald rhinestones sewn on each fold. A light-pink sash was tied around her waist in a big bow at the back. Her navy hair was let down, some pulled in a small ponytail at the back with a light-pink bow, loose bangs framing her pretty face. Green kitten heels on her feet, gold beaded bracelets on each wrist and a simple gold necklace of a thin chain a red heart-shaped pendant.

Rose squinted her eyes. "Is that..."

"Marinette!"

Adrien ran over to her, happily leaving Lila's side, and took Marinette in his arms for a hug.

"You're here! You look amazing!"

Marinette smiled. "Thanks."

Unfortunately, their classmates surrounded them, headed by Lila.

"What are you doing here?"

"You're supposed to be babysitting!"

"You just abandoned a poor helpless baby?"

"That poor baby!"

"No, I didn't, Lila." Marinet answered bravely.

"So, she's busy having fun at the ball?" Vanessa said as she came up behind Marinette. The class stared at her as if she was an alien.

Once Juleka saw Vanessa, her jaw dropped. Like Marinette, she was awestruck by the beautiful Vanessa but for different reasons.

"Who are you?" Lila demanded.

"I'm Vanessa. It's nice to finally meet you, Lila Rossi. Your mother has told me so much about you."

"You know my mother?"

"Yes. She organised our meeting. Shame you never turn up."

"What?"

"Actually, it wasn't a shame. I met the most amazing girl in Paris and not you, thank goodness."

"Excuse me? You don't know who you're dealing with!"

"Oh, it's you who don't know who you're dealing with."

"Girls!"

A woman approached the kids.

Lila wasn't pleased to see her. "Mama?!"

Her mother didn't catch her horror. Instead, she was smiling wide. "Girls, how are you doing? Is everything ok?"

The kids didn't know who she was talking to beside her daughter, but Vanessa sure did.

"Everything is dandy, Mrs Rossi, but I'm afraid the circumstances are not good."

"What do you mean? Hasn't Lila been a good friend?"

"Hardly. I only met her five minutes ago and I already got a full lowdown of her true colours."

"Didn't she meet you at your hotel room tonight?"

"No. Marinette did. She has been a great friend to me. My best friend. Lila, on the other hand, forced her to meet me so she can steal Mari's date and go to the ball without me."

"LILA!"

"She's lying, mama! I never met her!"

"The evidence is clear as day, young lady! I never said you are to skip the dance, I said you are to spend the night with Mayor Lulworth Camberwell's youngest daughter! His baby girl!"

Lila pointed to Vanessa, flabbergasted. "Her?"

Vanessa waved. "Me!"

"SHE'S the mayor's baby girl?!" Lila cried.

"THAT'S the mayor's baby girl?!" Nino shouted, more about Vanessa's good looks.

"But she's not a baby!" Lila shouted.

"She's Lulworth's baby girl!" Her mother shouted back. "It a term of endearment! How could you not understand that? You have no common sense! Even if Vanessa was a baby, you still have to meet her! It's a responsibility!"

"My daddy calls me his princess." Chloé commented.

"I thought Mayor Camberwell's daughter is an actress." Ivan questioned.

"That's his other daughter, Crystal." Mylene corrected.

"Oh."

"It's your fault, mama!"

"My fault? How is this my fault?"

"You confused me! If you haven't called the mayor of London's daughter a baby, I would've met her sooner! I am not giving up my chance to steal Adrien away from Mari-loser!"

"So, you're admitting to your evil deeds at last." Adrien commented.

"Lila, I spent a fortune getting you an iPhone, but you never bother to look up 'Vanessa Camberwell'! If Miss Camberwell was a baby, I would've told you to bring a toy! But no! She's your age! You two are supposed to be together! You're supposed to meet her, not your classmate!"

"So, Lila ditched the mayor of London's baby girl to go to the ball to avoid going to the ball with the mayor of London's baby girl?" Alix questioned. "Is that right?"

"Yeah." Max answered.

Lila's mother continued to rage on. "Honestly, Lila, you are such an idiot! My own daughter, a moron? Oh, our ancestors are killing themselves over and over now! I told you what to do plain and simple. You go the hotel, meet Vanessa Camberwell, and you both go to the ball together as friends."

"You didn't say that!" Lila protested.

"I did! Weren't you listening?"

"Remember, sweetie, I arranged for you to meet Mayor Camberwell's daughter tonight. It will be fun!"

"What? But mom-"

"No buts. This is important. Go to room 616 at the Hotel de Paris and you will meet his baby girl. Together you two will go to the ball. Oh, chin up, honey. You'll like her. Now I have to go. Ciao!"

"No way am I wasting my night looking after some stupid baby! I'll get Marinette to do it!"

"I went my way to ensure the meeting and you screw it up! Do you know how bad this mess will make me look? Do you know how many strings I have pull to make sure you and not Chloé Bourgeois is Vanessa Camberwell's friend?"

Vanessa groaned and threw her head back. "The life of the rich and famous, my friends are decided by others."

"All you had to do is meet the youngest daughter, but you couldn't do that! This is like Milan all over again! This is supposed to bring our family name up, but you dragged us down! We would've been in the Camberwell's social circle! You would've been scouted by the Mayor's oldest daughter, Crystal!"

"Lila is already having private acting lessons from Crystal!" Alya shouted.

"My sister is in Borneo." Vanessa answered.

"I am trying to give my daughter those kinds of opportunities if only she wasn't so stupid!"

"Mama!"

"But Lila can do that herself! She has been travelling all over the world!"

"What travelling? She never left the house!"

"But it has to be true! She's been helping others!"

"Helping others? This girl couldn't even help herself to toast!"

Alya froze in horror as did an exposed Lila. Marinette, Adrien and Vanessa refused to hide their grins.

"Since Vanessa is the youngest Camberwll daughter, didn't she come out last year?" Nathaniel said.

"WHAT?!" Everyone cried.

Vanessa simply shrugged. "I'm gay, not randy."

"Randy?"

"It's slang for ho-"

"KIM!"

Finally, Mrs Rossi turned away from Lila and pleaded to Vanessa, grasping her hands in front of her.

"Miss Camberwell, my daughter is deeply sorry about her mistake! Please forgive us!"

Vanessa stayed cool and strong, never fallowing her hard stare with her piercing violet eyes. "No offence, Mrs Rossi, but I know exactly what kind of person your daughter is. A lying, manipulative bully who hurts others to get what she wants. I will not spend a single second with her, even if she's the last person on Earth. The only person I want is Marinette. She is the only one who wants to know me. She actually met me when no one else did. And she makes her own clothes! Did you know she designed her dress from scratch?"

Marinette blushed for the third time of the night at the praise.

Mrs Rossi almost cried. Then her face went red and she turned back to her daughter, beyond irate that she messed up a potential status move and made the daughter of one of the most powerful and influential families in the world reject her.

"That's it, young lady! You are grounded! Come with me!"

She grabbed Lila by the arm and dragged her away.

"But I have a date at the ball! I have to be here!

"If you bother to meet Vanessa in the first place, you would know you can still go the ball! Now you are definitely can't!"

As the Rossis disappeared through the doors, Vanessa waved goodbye teasingly.

"Ciao, Lila! I promise I'll meet you later!"

Her joke brought on laughter.

Marinette couldn't believe the sudden turns of the night but she couldn't be more grateful for Vanessa. She was the fairy who gave her the chance to attend the ball she was forbidden from by her wicked enemy.

A hand, palm up, came to her view. She looked up.

"May I have this dance?" Adrien asked.

Just then, Vanessa held her hand out, palm up to Marinette. "May I have this dance first?"

"I asked her first."

"Who am I gonna dance with?"

Vanessa then noticed Juleka right beside her and moved her hand to her direction.

"Wanna dance?"

Juleka humbly nodded. Vanessa linked their hands together and pulled Juleka onto the dancefloor. Adrien and Marinette did the same. The two couples waltzed on the dancefloor. They were the only ones dancing and were the centre of attention, all eyes on them.

"Well, the mess is fixed in five minutes and Adrien is still our friend, he and Mari are finally together, we found out Lila is a liar and Juleka has a crush on Mayor Camberwell's baby girl." Nino said.

Rather than a comment from his date, all he got was growls.

"Uh, Alya?"

"She called Marinette her best friend!"