I sat inside on my sofa staring into the fireplace for who knows how long. Tikki napped on my lap with my hands cuddled around her, petting her repeatedly. Yes, I knew that Plagg said he was busy, but I couldn't help it. My heart was still holding out hope that Cat Noir would show up tonight. But as the hours drew on, those hopes steadily fell. It's not his fault, of course; I knew without a doubt that he'd be here if he could…. Something must be keeping him; something serious.

At the chime of eleven o'clock, I let out the world's longest sigh. Carefully scooping up the slumbering kwami, I placed her down onto a nearby pillow. She snuggled into it right away, grinning her sleep. With a sad smile down at her, I headed out onto the balcony, mindful to shut the door as quietly as possible. I approached the railing to rest my elbows onto it. This mournful sigh left my lips while I hugged myself disappointed. Cat Noir, my dearest…. God, you'll never know how much I miss you. How much I long to see you right now.

"What's with the sad face?"

"Cat Noir!" Reader, you can't comprehend how overjoyed I was to suddenly, unexpectedly, rapturously hear the sound of his enchanting voice. I flew around like a shot to see my one and only perched up on the other end of the railing. He had one hand of the side of the house and was already smiling at me. Hopping down to his feet, he put one hand on his hip and cocked it to the side. "You weren't out here waiting for me, were you milady?" I merely looked at him…. Looked at him with such intensity and effortlessness. "Cat Noir….." My lips crumbled. He's here; he's really here right in front of me again. He chuckled, lowering his eyes onto mine in a playful way. "Get real. You really think I'd leave you hanging like that?" "Never!" I answered without hesitation, which I saw that he liked in his face. My boyfriend stepped over my way, not breaking our stare the entire way.

Cat Noir cornered me up against the balcony's railing. His arms grabbed it right by my sides, playfully locking me in. He brought his body very close to mine, nearly pressing up against my chest. His eyes flashed with a strong, teasing desire.

"Do you feel trapped?" He grinned cockily. Man, is he hot or what? I too, grinned in turn. "By you? Always. You've got all my heart strings tied onto those lovely fingers of yours, baby, and you know just how to tug 'em." "Mmmmmm, you know what they say about cats and string," his tongue ran along his lips with more than a little lust. Cat Noir… My hand reached up to press against his cheek. "I'm just so glad you're here. I don't feel safe unless I know you're nearby." "Well that works out, cause I don't feel sane unless I know you're nearby." "Whole, darling; you mean you don't feel "whole"," I kindly corrected but he shook his head. "No, honey; I mean "sane". No one drives me as crazy as you do….

And no one makes me see more clearly."

God, this man… This bewitching man. Nobody does to me what he can do. It's like the first time every single time with us; I still tingle uncontrollably all these years later. No one else has ever done that to me…. and I'm certain no one else ever will. Not wasting a moment, Cat Noir didn't hesitate to wrap me in his arms, swinging me around and downward so I was staring up at him. It was akin to that dance dip you see in ballroom scenes in movies. My lips smiled with the purest adoration and his did the same. Our eyes locked, our expressions matching. Keeping me in that position, my armed coiled around his waist. "What if Adrien catches us?" "How can I worry about that now?" He immediately replied, bringing his head down closer into mine.

"Cat Noir…" "Marinette." "I'm so happy right now," I cooed, drowning in ecstasy. "Me too, darling; me too," he also breathed intensely. "This night turned out to be pretty good. Even the most horrible of evenings can be made perfect…. if they end like this," my lips sighed. He nodded in agreement. "I know exactly what you mean. Seeing you- our time together- is always the highlight of my day, regardless how brief it may be." "So it's worth it, then? All this is worth it to you?" I inquired, already knowing the answer. He looked at me a moment, then smiled very keenly- keenly and dotingly. "Now that's a silly question. Course it's worth it. Since the first day I approached you, it's been worth it." "Because I love you?" Again, he merely, quietly, effortlessly stared into my eyes for a long minute. I felt his arms tighten their grip around me. "Well that's certainly part of it, but I love you too, Marinette." "Heh, I know you do, sweetheart. But tell me again anyway," I love using his own quips like this. He chuckled softly, then lowered his face even nearer to mine. "Milady, I love you more than I did yesterday….

And less than I will tomorrow."