Dear reader, I know it has been a long, long, long time between updates on this story. Alas creativity isn't something you can just turn on and off as you please. I know where I want things to go with this story but the writing just wasn't working when I sat down to do it on this one. Hence why it was on the back burner. Now the majority of your are wonderfully supportive but every so often there are reviews that less than pleasant. Please remember that writers on this site are not paid, they are sharing their work with you for free and they deserve to be respected for putting themselves out there not antagonised. Negative comments that are in no way constructive don't promote the need to post more frequently to a writer, support and encouragement does. So before you post your thoughts, think about how you would feel if you were the recipient of them. Your consideration is appreciated.

Now then, onto the story...

Chapter Seven

Marinette was deep in thought as she unlocked her door and ambled into her apartment. While Alya had often been absent of late, there was a definite stillness to the place that spoke of emptiness. Shutting the door with a kick of her heel, the girl dropped her bag on the hall table as Tikki emerged.

"That was a close call with Luka."

Scratching the side of her head, Marinette let out a deep sigh. "I left him for nearly half an hour. I was scrabbling for an excuse and was lucky enough to have one drop in my lap, but what am I going to do? This will happen again. It's not like Hawkmoth is going to pack up his bat and ball, conveniently calling it a day when I've got a boyfriend."

"You need a more plausible excuse you can use over and over again."

"But what?" Marinette exclaimed with upturned palms. "I've always struggled with this side of my responsibilities. Leaping into action I don't hesitate with, but it's the return and the excuses that I've always faltered with."

The red kwami tapped her chin as she considered this. "What if you made up a client?"

Confusion had Marinette's nose wrinkling, "A client?"

"Yeah, one that's inspired by akuma attacks and demands your presence so that you can sketch the designs of whatever they want created. It's the perfect excuse to get up and leave in a hurry without arousing suspicion."

"Hmm," Marinette uttered as she paced the floor. "I guess that could work."

But before the pair could go into any further details, the girl's phone began ringing. Digging into her handbag, Marinette pulled her phone free to see Rose's name lit up on her screen before she answered. "Hello."

There was a deep sniffle. "Marinette, I know you had plans tonight but can I come over?"

"Are you alright?"

"Not really. I had another big fight with Juleka. I can't stay here. I need to get out. I know we haven't sorted out the whole rental agreement but is it okay if I crash over there tonight?"

"Of course, do you want me to pick you up?"

"Please," Rose implored, "I'd really appreciate that."

"Okay, I'll be there shortly."

Grabbing her car keys, Marinette raced out to her tiny Fiat and started the engine. It didn't take long to reach Juleka and Rose's place. The latter stood at the curb with a large duffle bag hanging from her shoulder and a dejected look on her face. Marinette had barely stopped the car when Rose opened the passenger door and plopped into the seat beside her. The tiny blonde dabbed at her eyes with a pretty pink handkerchief.

"How are you doing?" Marinette asked although she knew it was a stupid question.

"Awful," Rose answered with a sniff. "I can't believe our relationship has degraded to this. Do you know what our latest fight was about?"

Marinette shook her head as she pulled away from the curb.

"It's all because of money. I know how tight our finances are at the moment and I try my best to stick to our budget but I made one stupid mistake. I was online ordering my favourite brand of makeup, making sure it was on special, and somehow I managed to order 12 waterproof mascaras. I think I must have bumped the 2 key when I pressed down the 1. I didn't notice until after I placed the order and got shipment confirmation. By then it was too late to stop the purchase from processing."

Letting out a huff, Rose continued. "So, I immediately looked into how I could get a refund. But the customer service line told me I'd have to return the mascaras before I could get reimbursed. To make things worse, our major monthly direct debts came out of our account that same week and because there was not enough money to take we've been slammed with a heap of dishonour fees we can't afford."

"Damn," Marinette said with a sympathetic shake of her head.

"Oh, it gets worse," Rose told as she dropped her head in defeat. "In order to try and fix my mistake I decided to withhold the money the band was paid for our last gig to the others. Just for a couple of days. See, one of the bills we needed to pay was for electricity and we were already on a payment plan. Ivan rang up chasing his cut of the money because he needed it to purchase something special for Mylene's birthday. But he couldn't get a hold of me, so he rang Juleka."

"Ah," Marinette said with a wince, also realising why Luka's own visa card had been declined. He hadn't been paid either.

"As you can imagine, Juleka hit the roof. I tried to explain things but it blew up into a full out screaming match. She even smashed one of my favourite bottles of perfume, stomping it under her boot and telling me what a waste of money all my supposed crap is. I was so upset that I told her that maybe it was time I cut loose and explored my options."

"Oh my gosh, what did she say to that?" Marinette asked as she turned a corner.

"She sneered at me and spat back that she'd been eyeing off a particularly cute customer at her work." Rose wiped away the tears flowing down her cheeks. "I was so hurt but I guess I deserved it. Yet I couldn't leave it alone. I threw back that I wanted to experience what it's like to be with a man and that I would regret it if I never explored both sides of my bisexuality. To make things worse, I told her that it could never happen while I was with her."

"Ouch."

Rose nodded. "At that point, Juleka told me to piss off and do whatever I freaking wanted to. So, I packed a bag and then I called you. I didn't know what else to do."

Marinette reached across to give Rose's hand a quick squeeze. "Sounds to me like both of you need some time to cool off and think. Maybe you could suggest going to counselling."

"Again, that costs money." The petite blonde added.

"Isn't there any volunteer organisations you could reach out to?"

"I really don't know. Juleka's the one who devotes her time to such charities. I tend to dish out favours to those around me instead. Besides I'm not sure there's anything left to save. Our relationship has been falling apart for quite some time now. I mean we're high school sweethearts, the odds are against us staying together and to be honest I wasn't lying about wanting to experience more. As much as I love Juleka, I don't think I'm in love with her anymore."

Marinette's mind flew to Adrien at that statement. Of how it was to come to the realisation that sometimes what you wanted wasn't necessarily what you needed. Or what you could actually have. Maybe fate wasn't written in the stars, it was simply a game of chance. What you got was what you put in. Yet the romantic in her couldn't quite let go of her inner hope.

As she pulled up the car at her apartment block, Marinette turned to Rose. "While it might not feel like it now, things always tend to work out for the best even if you can't see it yet."

"Thanks Marinette," she said, taking her hand in return. "You're a true friend."

In future I'm thinking of upping the rating to M due to the themes that are going to come up in later chapters. Just thought I'd give you a heads up. This is going to get complicated and messy, hence why I need to focus on the details to get this story just right.

Thanks for reading!