"How do I get him to like me?" Marinette murmured. The fire crackled, throwing shadows around her cabin as Marinette sat by the fire. "I mean, I think he does, but I just need to be sure. Maybe I can make a potion! A...A love potion!"
She sprang up taking down bottles from her shelves. "Now, I would be careful if I were you my dear," a small creaky voice said. Marinette jumped back as a little elf walked out from behind one of the bottles. "Who are you?" she asked. "It doesn't matter who I am, dear. Don't you know that potions if gone wrong, can have consequences?" Marinette's enthusiasm dimmed slightly. "But I need to know," she whispered. Sometimes you had to take risks, and she was willing to take it now. The little elf smiled, already knowing the answer.
"I'll help you my dear, but don't get angry at me if things don't go as planned," she warned. "Now, first we start with a drop of Wormwood and a hint of oil…." Marinette carefully followed the instructions.
"Its almost like following one of Papa's recipes," she said, as she stirred the mixture carefully. The mixture started fizzing and bubbling and Marinette's eyes started to water. "What is the smell?" she coughed. "That's the mixture working its magic," the elf said. "Now, what are you going to put it in?" Marinette stared at her in confusion. "My dear, Cat Noir will not just drink it. It needs to be hidden in a treat." "Cookies! I can make my chocolate chip cookies!" Marinette got to work. "How did you know about Cat Noir anyway?" she asked.
"I get around, and I have many messengers with the birds and animals of the forest," she said. The cookies turned out perfectly, and even the elf's mouth couldn't help watering. Packaging the cookies up once they were cool, Marinette donned her cloak and black pointy hat, and ventured into the forest.
Out here in the woods was cool and shady, but she could still see splotches of blue between the green leaves of the trees. The cool water of the stream felt good on her bare feet, for she had been working at her loom most of the morning.
Cat Noir's house was just past Red Mushroom Meadow and she could see his hut through the trees. When she approached, he was working on his garden, picking squash off the vine. She loved this time of year, when the days were still warm but the nights were chilly, and the crickets chirped a lullaby at night. "Princess! I was hoping you'd stop by today. I've always got the kettle on for tea," he said, smiling at her. "Perfect, because I brought cookies," she told him. "Your famous chocolate chip?" Marinette nodded.
"I hope you like it, Cat," Marinette said once they were both sitting at the small oak table, drinking tea and eating cookies. Well, Cat was going to have a cookie anyway. "Mm, is this a new recipe?" Cat asked. Well, there were some new ingredients in the mix, but it wasn't butter or flour.
The potion took effect before Marinette could respond, and Cat looked at her softly. "I've always liked you, Marinette," he said.
Marinette knew she should be happy, but guilt gnawed at her stomach, like when she ate to many of her father's mini apple pies. "Cat, I'm sorry," she started to cry, and at once Cat had his arm around her. "Sorry that you feed me cookies? Why would you feel sorry?" "Because I tricked you! I wanted to know if you liked me and so I made a potion. A love potion!"
For a moment, Cat just stared at her. "And you thought tricking me was the way to get your answer?" Now his voice carried an angry tone. "I'll leave now," Marinette said, not even able to look at her best friend.
She climbed up onto one of the mushrooms in Red Mushroom Meadow and cried. Why? Why had she been so desperate to find out if he liked her? "So, it didn't go as planned, did it Marinette?' the pocket elf crawled out her apron pocket and sat upon her knee. "I should have listened to you, and waited for Cat to tell me himself!"
"Impatience is never the answer, my dear, but slow and steady wins the race. Give him time, and you will be friends again." Marinette wiped her eyes with her apron. "Alright."
When Marinette got home, the sky was dark and cloudy, matching her mood. Serves me right, she thought to herself, as she heard the growl of thunder through the trees.
Days pasted, and Marinette didn't see Cat, not that she was expecting him. She busied herself on her loom, making clothes for winter and gathering nuts and berries in the forest.
She was tugging at a berry bush, when she heard a rustle in the leaves, and Cat stood there with some flowers. "Cat," she breathed. "Hi, Marinette. These are for you," he said, giving her the bouquet of flowers. They were beautiful, maybe the last of the season. "Thank you, but I can't accept them. Not after what I did to you," she said, looking at the carpet of leaves beneath her feet, unable to look into his kind green eyes.
"Princess," Cat tilted her chin, so she was looking into his face. "What you did was wrong and you shouldn't have done it. But, we all make mistakes. Even without the "love potion" you gave me, I am in love with you." "Now your just being nice, Kitty. You don't have to pretend for me." "Oh, I'm not pretending," and Cat pressed his lips to Marinette's.
From her secret spot on the forest floor, the pocket elf watched the Princess and the Cat kiss. The young maiden had learned her lesson: Don't mix love and potions, for if your are patient, you might get your answer after all.