When Marinette blinked open her eyes she was surprised to find it was already morning and she was still in the attic. Sitting up, the pocket watch slipped out of her hand, landing on the floor with a thud. Marinette bent down to pick it up, turning it over in her hands. She could hear sizzling coming from the kitchen downstairs, the smell of crepes waffling through the house and Luka singing along to the radio.

Marinette pushed the watch under the pillow on the bed and rushed down to her bedroom. Throwing on her clothes, she sat at her dresser to brush her raven hair. Looking in the mirror, she felt she had bags under her eyes from her restless sleep. Had she dreamt all that? Her head was still spinning and there was a slight ache in her forehead.

Once she looked half presentable, Marinette made her way down to the kitchen. She couldn't help the giggle that came to her throat to see Luka wearing her apron while cooking over the stove. Hearing her laughter Luka looked over his shoulder with a warm smile. "There's my Angel." He said, taking out the pancake he had been cooking and putting it on a plate. Marinette sat on the stool at the counter and poured herself a coffee from the pot he had already made. "I found you asleep earlier in the attic, so I thought I'd leave you while I made breakfast." He said, placing the plate in front of her.

"It smells wonderful." She complimented him, picking up her knife and fork. "I went up to the attic to secure an open window and I guess I must have fallen asleep up there. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, really." Luke reassured her. "As long as you got some rest."

Marinette chewed over her pancake, replaying over in her mind what she thought she had heard last night. "I had the weirdest dream." She began as Luka sat down with his own pancake opposite her. "I dreamed I was in the attic, but it looked different, like I had stepped back in time or something and down stairs there were these male voices and one of them was crying and calling out a name, Kagami."

Luka looked at her thoughtfully. "Kagami? That's an unusual name. I don't think I know anyone called Kagami."

"Me neither." Marinette agreed. "But it was like I could feel the wood and smell the paint. There was a picture of the most beautiful landscape of the lake. It felt

so real."

"I don't doubt it." Luka said calmly. "Sometimes dreams can feel so vivid it's hard to believe they weren't real, even when we know they can't be." He reached over and took her hand in his. "I have to go back to Paris tomorrow. I'm on a bit of a deadline with the record company and I need to finish at least another three songs. Would you mind if I worked on them today? I know we were thinking of taking a picnic to the lake, but I really need to get this done."

Marinette couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. Sunday picnics were something she used to do with her parents and she had wanted to start it up as a new tradition with Luka in their new house. "I understand Luka." She reassured him with a smile. "I might fix the attic up today and set up my sewing machine. I found a dress up in the attic that I want to repair. You should see it, it must be as old as the house."

Luka smiled at her enthusiasm. "It would suit you then I'm sure. If you need me to help you with your sewing machine…"

"I can handle it, don't worry." Marinette said, standing up to collect the empty plates. She leaned over and gave him a kiss. "You go work on your music, I'll bring you some lunch later."

Luka picked up his guitar from the main room and went to sit out on the back porch. After cleaning up and putting the plates away, Marinette went back up to the attic. Unting the string she had used last night to secure the window, Marinette opened it wide to let the sunshine in. Below she could hear Luka humming and strumming his guitar. Taking in a deep breath of the fresh air, Marinette set to work.

After setting up her Singer sewing machine, which used to belong to her mother, Marinette took the cream and lace dress off the bust and inspected the torn sleeve and decided the repair really needed to be a hand job. Taking needle and thread, Marinette sat on the edge of the bed she and fixed the torn sleeve. Despite its age, the fabric wasn't as fragile as she feared and the job was soon done.

Excitedly, Marinette threw off her shirt and shorts and put on the dress. Admiring herself in the mirror, she held up the skirt in one hand and held out her other hand pretending to dance at a grand ball, although the music she could hear Luka strumming hardly fitted the mood. She couldn't help but wonder what life was like back at the turn of the century when the house must have been alive with art and music.

In the distance, Marinette heard what sounded like a peacock. She looked out the window and over the adjoining field. The sound seemed to have been coming from beyond the tall trees in the distance.

Marinette was about to leave the attic when she remembered the silver pocket watch she had hidden under the pillow. Not really knowing why she quickly grabbed it and shoved it into her pocket before running down the stairs to the kitchen.

After making a sandwich for Luka, Marinette left the dress on to go and show him. She found him still sitting on the back patio, composing a new song for his album.

"I have your lunch." She said cheerily, placing the tray down on the outdoor table and waiting for him to notice her. Luka had his total focus on the strings of his guitar and murmured a "Thanks Honey" as he continued to strum. Marinette pouted and moved to stand right in front of him.

"You didn't even notice." She said, holding out the skirt a little and swinging it back and forth. Luka finally looked up and gave her a soft smile.

"Did you make a new dress?"

"No, this was the one I found in the attic. I fixed it." She said, giving the dress a twirl. "I'm going to go for a walk. I thought I heard a peacock earlier so I might go find it." Marinette pointed down across the flower fields and the trees beyond before crouching in front of him and holding his hand. "It's such a beautiful day, Luka. Why don't you take a break and come with me? I could pack the sandwiches up and make that picnic."

"I can't today Mari. I told you I need to finish the melody at least before I go back to the studio tomorrow. Another day though, I promise. You go though, you don't have to miss out on my account." He leaned forward and kissed her cheek before looking back down at the guitar.

Hearing the peacock again, Marinette left Luka to continue his work. Grabbing her wide brimmed white hat, she made her way across the field. The sun was warm, and Marinette took her hat off and let the warmth reach her face as she ran her hand over the top of the flowers that yielded to her footsteps. It was like taking a step back in time. Placing her hand in her pocket as she walked, she remembered the watch. Looking around she realised she had walked a fair distance from the house, enough that she could no longer hear Luka's music, before looking back at the watch sitting there so unassumingly in her hand. What if it hadn't been a dream? No, that's crazy! It was a dream, right? That's all, just…

Taking a deep breath, Marinette opened the watch and closed her eyes from the blinding light, falling to the ground. She held her breath and listened to the birds in the trees and the whoosh of the breeze. Tentatively she opened her eyes to find she was in the middle of a dirt road which was now cutting through the field of flowers she had previously been walking through and leading up to what looked to be a stable. Standing back up, a little unsteady on her feet, Marinette looked back to see the house still in the distance behind her, but there were beautiful flower beds and a wooden arbour.

Putting the watch back into her pocket, she followed the road towards the now not so tall trees and discovered beyond them the other side of the lake. She hadn't realised that the house was so close to the lake. The trees had become so overgrown in her own time that you could no longer see the water from the house. Putting her hat back on and lifting the front of her dress a little to avoid tripping on the undergrowth, Marinette walked around the trees and could hear in the distance a splashing sound.

Following the plop plop plop, she stopped in her tracks when she realised she was now not alone. Hiding behind one of the trees, Marinette peaked around the trunk and saw a man further up the bank skimming stones across the water. He had sunshine blond hair and was well dressed in riding breeches with a black coat trimmed in emerald green and gold. Clearly the man was a gentleman. Marinette could feel her heart racing in her chest. He looked like he could have been a model from the pages of Esquire Magazine. Nearby, a black horse with a white blaze nudged his arm and the man took out something from his pocket to feed it. The man then stroked the horse's face affectionately, speaking to it softly. There was a sense of sadness around him and it made Marinette want to reach out to him.

Wanting to get closer and have a better look at the man's face, Marinette went to make a move to another tree that was closer. Snapping a twig underfoot in the process, the noise caught the horse's attention, its ears flickering as it jerked back. The blond man looked up to find a young woman in the distance watching him and his face almost instantly lost colour, like he had just seen a ghost.

"Kagami?" He practically whispered before calling out louder. "Kagami!"

He began to run towards her and Marinette panicked. Picking up the skirt of her dress, she stumbled over the branches, losing her hat before making her way out of the trees and back to the dirt track. She could still hear the man calling for Kagami a little way behind her. Quickly, she opened the watch before falling into the field of flowers.

Marinette sat on the ground among the flowers for a moment, still trying to catch her breath. She hadn't blacked out this time, although she felt like she had a bad headache again. Slowly she stood up and looked back towards the tall trees. The dirt track was once again swallowed up by the flowers, but looking closer, she could see now where it had been, although remnants of the stable seemed to be long gone.

"Marinette!"

Hearing her name, Marinette turned around to find Luka walking across the field towards her. It was only now she realised that the sun was almost setting.

"There you are. I was beginning to… Babe, what's wrong?" He asked, looking at her Puffing and disheveled. "Did something happen? You look pale."

"Oh Luka" She said breathlessly. "It was unbelievable! There was a lake and I saw a man standing there with a horse and then he heard me and then he chased me and was calling out to me, but it wasn't me he was calling out to Kagami, and then I opened the watch and I came back and…"

"Whoa whoa whoa, slow down Mari." Luka said, taking one of her hands in his. "What are you talking about? What man?"

Marinette looked at him in complete seriousness. "I… I don't know who he was. Maybe he was the man who used to live here." She looked at him earnestly, holding both his hands in hers. "Luka, I think I traveled back in time."

At first Luka didn't react at all, he just looked at her, then his eyebrows furrowed. "You didn't fall over again and hit your head again did you? You can be so clumsy sometimes." He asked, raising his hand to stroke her head. Marinette let out a frustrated sigh, taking his hand from her head.

"No, I didn't hit my head, Luka." She took the watch out of her pocket and handed it to him. "I opened the watch and next thing I know I was standing here on a dirt path leading to a stable just up there."

Luka was still looking at her with concern, taking the watch from her hands. As he opened the watch Marinette flinched waiting for the bright light, but nothing happened. Luka wound the watch up before holding it to his ear. "Well, it's a nice watch, but it doesn't seem to be working. Maybe you should take it to that antique shop in town and see if they can fix it for you."

He handed the watch back to her and Marinette looked at it with bewilderment. "I don't understand." She said, putting the watch back into her pocket. "Luka I swear I'm not making this up. He was really there and I really felt like I was in another time."

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" Luka said with an amused smile. "This house, the dress, the pocket watch… it's all from a bygone era." Luka wrapped his arms around her and held her closer to him, stroking her hair. "You know what I think? I think maybe you've been working too hard on the house and all the paint fumes have started to get to you." Running his hand down her arm, he took her by the hand. "If you want my opinion, I think it's time you got out of this dress and into a nice warm shower. I'll cook dinner tonight."

Resting her head against his arm as they walked, Marinette felt more confused than ever. She wasn't crazy, and she didn't imagine it, but felt maybe it was better to say no more about it.

Luka patted her hand that was holding his arm. He was staying calm on the outside, but internally he was more than a little concerned. This was twice now Marinette had these delusions and it wasn't like her at all. As far as he knew she was fine when Juleka had busted her. His sister would have told him if Marinette had seemed off.

Of course, Marinette had always been accident prone. Luka figured she had probably fallen over and hit her head. At least he hoped that was all it was.

~~~~~

That night, Marinette couldn't sleep and decided to work on one of her new dresses in the attic. She tried to focus on the lace she was sewing onto the hem, but she couldn't get the image of the man she had seen out of her head and everytime she thought of him her heart would beat faster. She didn't know what was wrong with her because she had never had a feeling like this before. She was curious, yes, but it was also something more than that, she just wanted to see him again.

Lifting the needle out of the fabric, she sat back in her chair and tapped her fingers on the bureau. Luka had kept watching her all through dinner and although he didn't say anything, she felt like he thought she was crazy and was about to lose it at any moment. No that wasn't fair, Luka was worried like he always was where she was concerned. She can't blame him for that because if someone else had said they had traveled back through time and saw a man from the past she would probably think they were crazy too.

But she couldn't turn back now, and even if it was only to convince herself she hadn't imagined it, Marinette grabbed the watch, passed Luka sleeping in the bedroom, and went outside to the back of the house. The air was cooler than she thought, and she pulled her silk gown around her and tied it around her waist. In the distance she could see a crescent moon rising above the tall trees. She wasn't sure what time it was, but figured it must have been late. As usual she had lost track of time while sewing.

Taking out the watch, Marinette calmly concentrated on where she wanted to be before closing her eyes and opening it. Once the flash had passed, she opened them to find the moon now full and bright in the night sky, shining down over the stables below. Marinette then noticed that there was the sound of music, a piano to be specific, and that it was coming from inside the house.

Looking up at the house, Marinette could see that the attic light was on and the shadow of a person crossed the window. She didn't want to draw any attention to herself, but she wanted to see who was playing the hauntingly beautiful music.

Walking around the side and towards the front of the house, Marinette softly stepped up to the verandah and peaked in through the window. Inside was the same blond man she had seen earlier in the day sitting at a baby grand black piano, playing with great expertise. Sitting on the settee nearby, was the black cat from the painting, calmly licking its paws as his owner slid his fingers across the keys and to her surprise, her white sun hat sitting on top of the piano.

Marinette wasn't any kind of expert on classical music, but she was pretty sure the music was Chopin, and the melancholy and the sadness conveyed through the keys struck her straight in the heart. The man lifted his head as he played, his eyes closed, and Marinette was sure that she could see a tear run down his cheek, pain etched across that mesmerising face. It was enough to bring a tear to her own eyes watching him put every bit of himself into a concert for one.

As the music ended, the cat suddenly jumped off the chair and headed straight for the window where Marinette was, meowing loudly.

"What is it Plagg? Do you want to go out…" He stopped when he saw the figure in the semi-darkness, backing away from the window. "Kagami?" He called. "Kagami wait."

He dashed towards the door as Marinette took off down the stairs and towards the back of the house. He was still calling Kagami, but Marinette wasn't ready to talk to him yet. Above she could hear the voice of another man asking what was wrong. Hiding behind the flower garden, she took out the watch and was instantly transported back to her own time, the flower garden long gone.

Marinette went and sat down on the back stairs, her heart still racing from the encounter. She turned the watch over and over in hand. There was so much pain in the way he had played that music, and yet at the same time it was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen.

"Marinette?"

Marinette was startled to hear her name and quickly shoved the watch into her pocket before swinging around to see Luka standing in his boxers and rubbing his eyes. "Baby what are you doing out here, it's after one in the morning."

"Oh, is it?" She said nonchalantly. "I'd been sewing and came out for some fresh air."

"Then why are you crying?"

She reached up to her face and felt the moisture on her fingertips. She hadn't even realised she'd been crying. "Just dry eyes I guess. It's been a little dry lately, don't you think? Yes it's hard to keep them open when the dryness sets in." Standing up to straighten her gown she stretched out with a loud yawn. "I better go to sleep then. You know, to rest my eyes so they aren't so dry."

Marinette quickly walked past him back into the house. Luka stood for a moment looking up at the crescent moon, his lips pursed in troubled thought. Something was off. Marinette always babbled nonsense when she was nervous or hiding something. Luka knew her well enough to know that, and he worried why she was keeping it to herself and not confiding in him like she always used to.

~~~~~

"Are you sure you don't want me to ring Juleka and see if she or Rose can come and stay with you for a few days while I'm gone?" Luka asked as he packed his suitcase into his car.

"I'm fine Luka, really." Marinette reassured him. "I might just go into town later and get a few things for the dresses I'm working on. You go to the studio and don't worry about me."

Luka closed the boot and came over to her, cupping her face with his hand. "I do worry about you Mari. I don't like having to leave you in this big house on your own. When you told me you were buying a cottage, I pictured something a lot smaller than this."

Marinette reached up and straightened the collar on Luka's jacket. "The agent called it a cottage, I'm not sure why, but I love this house." She said quietly. "I feel like I belong here."

She looked up at him and he nodded. "I guess you do, but if you can tear yourself away for a while, Bob said he doesn't have a problem with you coming on the tour with us."

"Oh, I don't know Luka." Marinette looked away from him. She knew he would be disappointed, but the idea of being on the road for weeks at a time really held no appeal for her whatsoever.

"It would mean a lot to me, Marinette. Promise me you'll at least think about it." He asked her hopefully.

Marinette smiled up at him. "I'll think about it." She replied, patting her hands on his chest. Luka dipped his head and kissed her before hopping into his car and heading back to Paris.

After cleaning up the house, Marinette grabbed her hat, the picture of Plagg and the pocket watch and started to walk towards town. Her mind playing over and over the Chopin music and the face of the musician playing it. She felt a little guilty about it, but she couldn't help wanting to go back and maybe even speaking to him. But first, she needed to know more and her first stop would be at Town Hall.

The building was old in architecture and clearly had been built last century. Tapping the bell on the desk, a kind looking woman in her mid thirties came out and warmly greeted her. "Hello, I'm Caline Bustier. You must be the young lady that moved into the Agreste cottage."

"Yes, I'm Marinette. Wang Fu from the antique shop suggested I come and see you to learn more about this artist." Marinette took out the cat painting and handed it to Ms Bustier who looked at it knowingly.

"Well, these are as rare as hens teeth. The artist is Nathaniel Kurtzburg. He used to live in your house around the turn of the century. I believe the attic was his art studio. The owner of the house, Adrien Agreste, was his friend and patron. Unfortunately after Adrien died Nathaniel lost both his patronage and his home in the cottage, fading into obscurity. Very few paintings of his survived, actually we have one in the board room upstairs if you would like to see it."

Ms Bustier handed the picture back to Marinette. "I would love to see it." Marinette replied, following Ms Bustier to a grand staircase.

Adrien. Was that his name? Marinette could hardly contain her excitement at finally having a name to the face she had seen. "So, this Adrien, do you know anything about him?" She asked casually.

"Apparently he was a strikingly handsome man with blond hair and green eyes. I've heard a lot of stories about him from Aunt Lily. Well she isn't really my Aunt, but she's the town's oldest resident and we all affectionately call her Aunt."

"I thought Mr Fu would have been the oldest resident."

Ms Bustier chuckled. "You mean that funny little man in the antique shop? I doubt he's a day over 70. I wouldn't take much notice of anything he said, he's a bit eccentric. Anyway, he's only lived here a few years. No Aunt Lily would be at least 100 and she used to live here around the turn of the century. She has some of the most amazing stories and she was very close to Adrien and his fiancée."

"Fiancée?" Marinette queried. Somewhere she felt a little jealous of that fact.

Ms Bustier nodded and they turned to walk down a long hall. "Yes, tragically she was killed by a runaway horse from the Agreste stables the day before they were due to be married. The family were well known horse breeders, some of the best in the country. They say Adrien was completely devastated by her death, almost to insanity."

"Really?" The man Marinette had seen hardly seemed crazy.

"He kept saying he could see his dead fiancée." Ms Bustier continued. "He claimed to have been down by the lake and suddenly, there she was amongst the trees. Another time she was apparently watching him though the window of his house. His friends were quite worried about him."

Marinette managed to keep a poker face not to raise an alarm, but she could feel knots twisting in her stomach. It wasn't the ghost of his fiancée at all, it had been her! Now Marinette understood though why Adrien seemed so sad when she saw him. He had lost someone he clearly cared deeply for and she felt bad for having felt jealous at that. Reaching a closed door, Ms Bustier knocked and opened it slightly, talking to a person inside. She then closed it. "There is a meeting just finishing up in there, if you don't mind waiting."

Indicating to some seats against the wall, the two sat down. "Can you tell me why the house is called the cottage? It seems a little large for a cottage?"

"I asked Aunt Lily about that. She said it was a joke between Adrien and his friend Chloé Bourgeois. She was the daughter of the mayor at the time and was great friends with Adrien and Nathaniel. Rumor is she may have been the reason behind Adrien's death. It's quite a mystery really."

"How so?" Marinette asked, her curiosity well and truly piqued.

"Well, they say that Adrien was killed by the mayor in a duel. The man had accused him of tarnishing Chloé's virtue. Those who knew Adrien strongly deny that he would have done anything with Chloé and that he had in fact had a woman living in the house with him at the time which was quite scandalous in itself. She disappeared after the night Adrien died and many, including Aunt Lily, believe she may have been the one that killed him. Unfortunately there were no witnesses to the apparent duel, but Adrien was found with a gunshot to the head."

The door of the boardroom opened and about half a dozen people filed out of the room. Marinette and Ms Bustier stood up and waited until they cleared the doorway. "Is there a picture of Adrien at all, or um… of the house from that time?"

Ms Bustier shook her head. "The only picture we have is the one in here of Adrien's fiancée, Kagami."

Marientte gasped. "Kagami?"

As they entered the room Ms Bustier pointed up to a large portrait on the wall. "There she is. Nathaniel really was an amazing artist. It's a shame, and Kagami was so pretty…"

Marinette was no longer hearing what Ms Bustier was saying. Her eyes widened and her heart pounded as she looked up at the picture. The dress in the picture was the same one as the dress she had repaired. That wasn't so surprising since she had found it in the attic, but the girl… the girl in the picture was as though Marinette was looking at a mirror.

"You know you look a lot like her." Marinette heard Ms Bustier say thoughtfully. "Especially your blue eyes. Put on a nice sun hat like that one and you could almost be her twin…. Are you alright dear, you look pale?"

Marinette quickly gathered her wits back together. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you. It's just been a little hot today don't you think?"

"Summer is on its way, that's for sure." Ms Bustier agreed. "Can I help you with anything else?"

Marinette shook her head and thanked Ms Bustier for her assistance, accepting Ms Bustier's invitation to return at anytime if she ever wanted to know more.

Hastily making her way out of town hall, Marinette craved the fresh air outside. That painting could not be a coincidence. Taking the pocket watch out of her bag, Marinette gripped it tightly in her hand as she made her way straight to Fu's Antiques Emporium.