A/N: Hope everyone had a good holiday this past month, no matter what they celebrate. Sorry I haven't been updating as regularly as I like. As most know, I've got a very busy life, not to mention writing another story in addition to this one and one for my D&D group. Please be patient, and I'll have this story finished ASAP. (Stupid outline, having to be so long with so many ideas I'm throwing in there.) Thankfully, my sweet significant other was able to edit this one before I sent it out to you all. Enjoy!

It was November of 1998, and Gabriel was looking out the window of the upscale loft apartment he and Emile shared. He was contemplating where he could possibly build a real home that would reflect his legacy. Plus, I wondered where in the city this Miraculous guardian could possibly be. It had been six years since his time in Tibet having found that decimated temple, but whoever this was, they kept their tracks well hidden.

These thoughts were interrupted when he heard Emilie and Duusu laughing together. He looked across the living room to find the N64's "Ocarina of Time" paused on the television and sure enough, his wife having a seemingly private girl's discussion with her kwami. Still, he decided to go over and speak with them. It might at least clear his head to speak with two of the people he loved most dearly.

"Sorry for the interruption," he said walking over.

"It's okay," Emilie choked on a giggle, "Duusu's just being her usual silly self."

"Well, you know meeee!" Duusu gave her usual whimsical smile with closed eyes, sounding as if she was half in a dream.

"If I'm being too invasive, tell me," Gabriel continued, "But I'm guessing it was about your role in that cheesy low budget horror film?"

"Well that," Emily rolled her eyes, "Thanks for reminding me. Ugh…And…well…I was thinking of baby names."

"Baby names?" Gabriel raised and eyebrow.

"Well, I mean, you and I were having a discussion about when we wanted a baby," Emilie followed, "And it doesn't hurt to dream, right?"

"I suppose not," her husband answered.

"Well, I was starting on the A's, but then Duusu here just got stuck on them," Emilie chucked again, "And I think the one we came to was Adrien. I mean, that can be a boys name or a girls name. You can't lose with it!"

"Sir," Natalie's voice came from behind him on the computer monitor.

He let out a long, slow breath before opening his eyes to the dreadful present day.

"Yes, Natalie?" he answered, "I'm assuming you're going to offer the daily report."

"I wanted to remind you to send the reply all email to the guest list," Natalie was reading from her tablet's notepad in bed, "Miss Rossi says she is also RSVP'ing as well with a plus one, though she doesn't want to say who."

"It matters not," Gabriel replied, "She's still a valuable asset, and while I'm keeping her at arm's length, she's still not a threat if she turns on us."

"I understand sir," Natalie continued, "The catering has responded and say they will be on time, decorations are already underway, and it appears preparations for tonight's open house are going to be without delays or incident."

"Fantastic to hear, Natalie," he looked over his shoulder to smile at her, "I doubt I would ever be able to run this company without you."

"Thank you, sir," she replied half heartedly, still short of breath, "Sir…what if Miss Dupain-Cheng is able to convince Ladybug to agree to this? What exactly will happen when the two Miraculous converge?"

"I don't know, Natalie," Gabriel admitted, "All I know is that I need to bring Emilie back, for Adrien's sake…and mine."

"But what if it doesn't work?" Natalie retorted, "What will you do?"

"I'll cross that bridge when I get there," Gabriel replied back curtly then lowered his voice, "But right now, I have to try."

"Sir, no matter what," Natalie continued, "Whatever happens…I'm here for you, always."

"I appreciate that, Natalie," Gabriel said with a sigh, "But…you know where we stand. I think you and Emilie actually discussed this, too. She…knew how you felt about both of us. But you know that I can't—"

"Yes, sir," Natalie nodded, "I still understand. Unrelated, I guess, but I had this awful nightmare about being devoured by some large anaconda, and I'm still upset by it. Ugh, I can still hear that awful ear-splitting hissing in my head. It was just a dream, though. I'll be okay, sir."

"Well," Gabriel continued, "We should continue our preparations. This will be a small venue compared to our upcoming Christmas open house. We'll see how I even feel about Miss Dupain-Cheng dating my son. I'm sure he's got a good enough head on his shoulders, though, to select a proper significant other, one who's refined, sophisticated, and dignified."

Marinette tripped over another box that was laying around in her room in an attempt to answer her ringing phone that was across the room.

"Oof," she huffed rising to her feet before fumbling with and finally answering the phone, "Hello?"

"Hey, sweet princess," Adrien said on the other end, making Marinette realize she didn't check the caller ID first before picking up, "How are you this morning?"

"Oh hi, sweet kitty," she answered, "I'm KO, er I mean OK. How morning are you, er I mean how you are morning, er I mean how are you this morning."

"M'lady," Adrien laughed, "You're still awkward around me?"

"I guess I'm still waking up and not all there," Marinette sighed, "What's going on today."

"I kinda snuck away from the group," Adrien responded, "I'm at the Louvre for the unveiling of a piece brought in from Egypt. It's been here for a few days, but they're just now showing it to the public. It's a large statue depicting Apophis, the evil snake god of chaos. I decided to check it out given what we saw the other night. I did some reconnaissance this morning and was listening to the police detective's radios, and they're saying whatever tunneled under the Eiffel Tower had made its way here, or possibly vice versa. Us cats are naturally curious, you know."

"Be careful, kitty," Marinette replied softly, "Curiosity is also what got the cat killed."

"Don't worry, M'lady," Adrien smiled, "I don't think a statue is going to come to life and attack me in broad daylight. I'll start to be a bit more concerned if I see a dark purple butterfly or a blue feather somewhere. Anyways, I'm sending some pictures of it to Alya to see if she can give us more information about it."

"I really wish she was here," Marinette sighed again, "She could easily give us more insight of what's happening. And I don't think Shadowmoth has anything to do with this one; otherwise it would have attacked us right out."

"I think you're right, M'lady," Adrien continued, "But I'll get ready for the party tonight after this is done."

"Thanks for reminding me," Marinette rolled her eyes, "I'm really nervous. I mean, I've met your dad before but not as your girlfriend. What if he doesn't like me?"

"You worry too much, princess," Adrien laughed again, "Of course he'll like you. There's nothing not to like, my beautiful, talented, and kind heroine of the City of Lights."

"Aww, thanks kitty," Marinette swooned, "You know how to make this super heroine blush, my handsome prince."

"Well, bye for now, beautiful," Adrien finally said.

"Bye, kitty," Marinette answered before hanging up. She breathed heavily before turning to her closet and looking for a nice enough dress for the evening, the kwamis all flying around and trying to give her advice on which one would be best.

Marinette stepped out of the tiny limo that had picked her up from the bakery earlier in the evening. She was a little disappointed Adrien wasn't in there to greet her, and the gorilla of a man driving it wasn't much on small talk. (In fact, he didn't talk at all.) But there she was, in her little black silk dress (every girl has to have one; it was simple enough but still pretty with the gold and red embroideries here and there), walking into the mansion of high class boyfriend. Canon in D was playing somewhere in the background, possibly from overhead speakers, giving the atmosphere that extra touch of fanciness. As she walked further into the foyer, she found herself surrounded by other rich people discussing fashion and the investments they had made around the globe.

Needless, to say she felt out of place.

She looked up at the leftmost staircase and for a brief moment, she saw Lila in an elegant red-orange dress that matched her long silk gloves, staring down at her with an unsettling smirk on her face as that of a vampire having found their prey. In that same instance, a group of people walked by her, and in the blink of an eye, Lila was gone. Had Marinette just imagined Lila was there, or did she have some sort of cloaking powers now? Maybe Marinette was just a little stressed and seeing things.

"Hey!" she heard a friendly voice shout to her. She looked over and saw Zoe jumping and waving at her from across the room. She was wearing a short yellow and black dress that reflected the same fun, light spirit of her demeanor. Marinette weaved through the crowd of people to join her; it was nice to at least see a friend there while waiting for her boyfriend to finally arrive.

"You look wonderful, Marinette!" Zoe chimed.

"Thanks," Marinette blushed at the compliment, "So do you."

"I just gotta ask," Zoe continued, "You feel as out of place as I do?"

"Ugh, yes," Marinette let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you; I thought I would be the only one who thought so."

"I've been to fancy celebrations before," Zoe nodded, "But they've all left me kinda alienated. But I guess I gotta get used to it if I'm ever going to Hollywood to be the great actress I want to be."

"That still may be," Marinette replied, "By the way, your French has been improving. I mean, it was always great, but I think you're really picking it up after having been here for a little bit."

"Well thanks," Zoe beamed, "I will say my sister's been helping with that. And while we're handing out compliments, Chloe has made leaps and bounds with her mood and attitude." She looked over her left shoulder, "You heard me, right, sis?"

Just behind her was Chloe chatting with another guest; she was likewise wearing a black and yellow dress a bit longer and more exquisite than Zoe's, likewise reflecting her personality for sparing no expense for the finer things. Marinette noticed she was clinching her fists while talking to this person who appeared to be the director Thomas Astruc; it was evident she was holding in a lot of anger, and Marinette couldn't help but feel proud of her for not exploding.

She turned around in response to her sister and made eye contact with Marinette.

"Dupain-Cheng," Chloe grumbled, narrowing her eyes.

"Chloe Bourgeois," Marinette likewise gave a narrow gaze.

Then the two burst into laughter and hugged each other, as though they had been sisters all along.

"I'm glad you came," Chloe breaking the embrace to look at her, "You deserve to see some of the more refined aspects of Paris life. I know a baker's daughter might not have access to such a suave soiree. And that's an impressive ensemble you're wearing; you certainly clean up nicely and blend in here."

"Uhh, thanks, I guess," Marinette replied, "And I like yours, too. Pretty as always."

"Thank you, and of course it is," Chloe chuckled, "Would you have expected any less from me?" She then leaned in close to Marinette's ear and said under her breath, "Have you and Chat found out any more about that weird snake thingy you saw in the park?"

"No," Marinette replied softly, "But Chat did some digging and thinks it might be related to the new exhibit at the museum. It has something to do with an Egyptian snake god, I think."

"Okay, what's going on?" Zoe cocked her head to the side, "Does this have to do with the boy Chloe talked to the other night?"

"Ha, no," Chloe waved her hand dismissively, "Just some superhero business. Marinette here was a witness to some new sentimonster, and Ladybug and I are working with her to track it down!"

"Sounds exciting," Zoe sighed, "Wish I could see something like that sometime, provided it doesn't try to eat me."

Just then, Chloe's phone rang. She opened her handbag to look for it, finding Pollen hiding inside munching on a small cookie before immediately pretending to be a stuffed toy in case anyone saw. Chloe retrieved her phone, and the image that appeared onscreen was that of a king cobra with its mouth wide open revealing its fangs. The image of the dilapidated house from her dreams flashed in her mind, and the sounds of both hissing snakes and buzzing hornets raced through her ears. She shook her head and found it was Luka calling her.

"Excuse me, ladies," she regained her composure, "I need to take this." With that, she attempted to head down another hallway out of the way of any prying ears. Last thing she needed was more gossip. Going through her mind was that she had heard Luka had dated Kagami some time back, however briefly. Did they still like each other? What happened? No; she couldn't let herself worry about that. She was superior to all other girls in all of France and had nothing about which to worry, at least that's what she kept telling herself.

"I take it things went well with Luka?" Marinette asked.

"Sounds like it," Zoe let out another sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's just…" Zoe began, "I really wish I could do and be involved with all these heroic things my sister is involved in. I mean, don't get me wrong, staying out of danger might be preferable, but I can't help but feel like I want to make a difference in the lives of others."

"I have a feeling being a hero isn't all it's cracked up to be," Marinette laughed nervously, "But you know, you're already making a difference in the lives of others. You have me, a friend to talk to in an awkward situation like this, and you're making a difference in your sister's life by being a good example and being all around understanding."

"I guess you're right," Zoe smiled, "But do you think Ladybug would ever let me join her on a quest sometime? I just feel like I'm called to be a hero."

"And that's the thing, though, Zoe," Marinette continued, "What I'm trying to say is that you're already a hero."

"Thanks," Zoe then threw her arms around Marinette's neck, who hugged her back as she tried to steady herself.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything," Adrien said as he descended the stairs. He was dressed in a black suit with a silver shirt and green tie. With how handsome he was, Marinette couldn't help but swoon.

"No, All not at," Marinette garbled out, "Er, I mean, At all not. Er, I mean, not at all."

"We're still doing this bit?" Zoe shook her head.

"Right," Adrien just laughed, "Like I said earlier, my princess, we're beyond this."

"You're right," Marinette answered sheepishly, "we are." And with that, he kissed her. Not long enough to make Zoe feel embarrassed but long enough for Chloe to feel a slight twinge in her heart as she came back from the other room; she tried to put it aside as she rejoined the group.

"And where's my nice greeting, Adrikins?" Chloe asked, slightly annoyed but also somewhat playful.

"Always glad to see you, Chloe," and with that, Adrien gave her a small friendly hug. "But I'm glad you all could make it out. I'm not entirely sure why father had to make this such an extravagant event.

"Maybe it was all to meet his son's new girlfriend?" Zoe chided. Chloe couldn't help but feel another pull at her heart from it.

'I'm going to try to meet Luka again soon,' she mentally told herself, 'I can move on if he can.'

"I really hope not," Marinette replied, "He didn't have to go all out for me."

"Why not?" Adrien shrugged, "Like I've said, you've helped us out of numerous fashion venues and been one of our biggest supporters. My father recognizes talent when he sees it, and a person as wonderful as you deserves no less."

"Sounds like a Cinderella story to me," Zoe smiled, "But I think your bakery has a bit more renown than that."

"But we're still in high school," Marinette followed, "How big a deal does he want to make this?"

"We're high school sweethearts now," Adrien answered, "who are about to graduate next year. But we won't be too far from Paris. No matter what happens, I think 2017 is going to be a good year." He gave her a wink at this.

"The two of you better not be," Chloe choked out, "For…reasons…" And there was an unspoken understanding between the three of them.

"Well, I hope you wouldn't be either," Zoe chimed in, "I just got here, and you're some of the few friends I've got right now."

"Of course we're not going to lose touch with anyone," Chloe retorted.

"Right," Adrien continued, "Communication is so much easier than it was when our parents were young. Even if we're far away, we've still got video chat and messaging. Plus, we've got our own ways of getting back to the city in a pinch…"

"Good evening, young people," they heard Gabriel's voice from behind them before turning around to face him. He was likewise wearing a black suit similar to Adrien's, though his tie was a dark royal purple. "I trust you are enjoying tonight amenities."

"Yes sir," Marinette answered nervously and held out her hand for him to shake.

"Glad to hear," Gabriel took her hand and instead of shaking it, held it up gently as though giving an old fashioned greeting to a lady of class, "I will say that I believe my son has wonderful taste in company. You're quite a lovely girl with such an eye for fashion that would have easily run laps around mine at your age."

"Thanks, I guess," Marinette blushed, not sure how to respond.

"Even still," Gabriel's tone changed slightly, "I would like a private word if I may."

"Father, please," Adrien began, "don't give her the defensive parent speech. She's already anxious enough."

"Fear not, son," Gabriel shook his head, "This is nothing as trivial as that. Now, Miss Dupain-Cheng, if we may?" And he beckoned her to his study. She gave Adrien an uneasy look as she followed his father across the crowed foyer to the opposite doorway before glancing downward.

'Oh no, what is he going to say? Is he going to tell me I'm not good enough for him but didn't want to break up the party? Isn't this the cliche you get from a lot of American movies? This can't be it, right?'

She looked up briefly again, and above her on the second story was Lila again, this time with Felix's face over her shoulder, his arms wrapped around her waist. Both were leering down at her with wide evil smiles on their faces. She only saw them for an instant before passing under the balcony and into the quiet study.

Gabriel made sure Marinette was well in the room before closing the door behind them.