Hello sorry for taking this long to repost this chapter. After reading it again, I realized it needed some touches so that's what I have been busy doing.

I ́m sorry this isn't exactly a new chapter especially after me failing to post regularly in the last 2-3 months but my life got super busier.

Luckily things are sort of calming down so I ́ll be able to go back to posting 2 chapters a month (if not more ). For February, it's only going to be two completely new chapters of SK but there will be new chapters of SKP to make up for it. ( Some of them that I have promised a long time ago but was only now able to finish )

Thank you for continuing reading my story and I ́ll see you all on February,14th with a chapter very appropriate for that day.

As the last beams of the day whispered goodbye, Parisians returned to their homes with a few being lucky enough to see their famous heroes soaring through the sky. Ladybug led the way with Chat not too far behind. People cheered mesmerized at the grace and speed of their two heroes.

It had been a week since the last akuma, who also happened to be one of the most famous of them all: Truthteller. She became popular not only because of the revelations she forced out of Ladybug but also because, shortly after the akumatization, her deakumatized self was exposed as a liar and as a Hawkmoth sympathizer. Not that she ever got to comment on those rumors since she disappeared well before anyone could question her. During this seemingly peaceful week, the heroes and even the reporters had been trying to solve the mystery of what happened to Lila and what was her real connection to Hawkmoth.

This was supposed to be just another one of those patrol nights with her and Chat searching for any sign of akumas or Lila, who could be just as dangerous. But the spotted heroine's heart wasn't into it. The air flowing through her hair and being so high above the ground, gave her the feeling of being in the clouds, add to that the fact that people asked her about the baby It all made her keep running. Adrien, as her loyal partner, went along her.

At some point, he gave up on telling her to slow down and instead smiled seeing how she happily and freely she jumped across the city.

Eventually, he and his lady landed on the Eiffel Tower. The sun was now completely gone, leaving the tower itself and the city below as their only light. From this point of view, Marinette could understand why Paris was called the city of love. Because how could someone not love the city?

"I love this view," the bluenette explained. She knew she was supposed to be on duty and not sightseeing, but with all the stress and worries in her life, it felt good to just stop, take in the moment, and enjoy it. That was a lesson she learned from her kitty.

Speaking of Adrien, unable to control himself under this romantic view, he slowly walked up behind his lady, gently wrapped his arms around her waist, and whispered, "Of all the places I have seen, would you like to know which one is my favorite?"

"Yes," she answered immediately. She knew he traveled constantly to some of the most amazing places on earth thanks to his father's business. Not to mention he was also Chat Noir, which allowed him to go places most people could only dream of going. She could only imagine what amazing place he would choose. Maybe they could even go there together one day.

Slowly he pulled her slightly closer and whispered to her ear, "Anywhere that I'm with you."

She should roll her eyes at how sappy that sounded but couldn't. Not when he looked at her with those piercing, gorgeous green eyes. Sure, he was a romantic goofball, but he was her romantic goofball.

Teasingly, and turning to face him, she dared to ring his bell. Copying her mischievous grin, he didn't wait to make her pay for touching his bell with a strong and passionate kiss. Unfortunately, that's when Rena showed up and interrupted their sweet moment.

"Don't forget about us," she semi-protested.

The fox and turtle duo had been in charge of covering the other side of the city for any signs of Lila or Hawkmoth, or clues as to her whereabouts, or even potential akumas.

They, unlike some, had stuck to their mission, but sadly also had found nothing. To be honest, none of the heroes knew what to expect out of these patrols, but they were worried. The villain had never been this long without creating an akuma or doing one of his evil plans. Him having another ally, besides Mayura, only made it more scary.

So, for Ladybug and Chat the option of staying put and doing nothing didn't seem like a solution. Their main goal was trying to find their best lead, Lila. If they found her, there was the slight chance she could lead them straight to the villain, and they could finally take the fight to Hawkmoth himself.

Clearly still flustered over being caught red-handed, Ladybug asked the heroes if, by any luck, they found anything new when it came to Lila's disappearance.

Carapace shook his head, as Rena began, "It is possible that Lila ran away after her lies were exposed publicly by the brilliant reporter Alya. We don't have proof he has her, and even if he does, neither deserve the time we are spending searching for them. We should take this time out as a victory."

Alya didn't believe that finding the red-haired girl was the solution. Sure, she could lead them to Hawkmoth, but he was also dangerous. To her, it was better if the liar was far from her friends, and the same applied for the butterfly villain. Rena's love for adventure and being a heroine was now outweighed by the love for her friends and for them being safe. Especially her pregnant best friend Marinette. Lila had personally threatened her bestie and there was no way she wanted her friend in such danger. "Lila is evil and maleficent, and searching for her is just looking for trouble. She might be even worse than Hawkmoth, as far as we know," the fox hero tried once more to convince them.

Ladybug agreed that Lila was indeed a hazard, but she still couldn't see her as big of a threat as Hawkmoth. "For now, Hawkmoth wins the danger factor but that's just because he has a miraculous."

Alya was about to refute, but Nino placed his hands on her shoulder in hopes of calming her down and added, "Doesn't matter who's worse because either one of them can attack at any point, and we need to be ready. Paris need us to be prepared."

Her boyfriend was right, and she hated him for it. Whether she liked it or not, her best friends were superheroes, which meant being in the line of fire when it comes to supervillains. She really hated they had to face such danger.

Chat continued after Carapace, "You're right, we must be prepared."

"We can always do another round," the green hero offered, and Rena nodded. She wasn't completely on board with this, but she wasn't about to let her boyfriend do this alone.

To Alya's satisfaction, Ladybug explained why it wasn't possible, "Me and Chat have somewhere to be, so we need to call it a night."

"My lady's right. We have somewhere to go. And now if you excuse me, I have to go get ready. This kitty can't be looking like a stray tonight."

His attempt to straighten his bell made Ladybug roll her eyes at him. Carapace gave him an expression best described as, "that's one cool dude." And Alya smiled. Knowing it was her friend Adrien doing those silly things, only made it funnier. She never expected him to be the clown in the group.

Adding one extravagant exit, Chat Noir disappeared into the darkness of the night.

"I have to go too, so please hand over your miraculous," Ladybug asked. They nodded and followed their leader into an ally where they both could detransform without being in danger of being seen, or the need to come down from the Eiffel tower. With sadness, Rena and Carapace returned the necklace and the bracelet back to Ladybug.

"Thank you for your help," the red heroine told them before zipping her yoyo and disappearing through the night.

"You think we'll know their identities someday?" Nino asked.

Doing her best innocent expression, Alya answered, "Don't know about that, but I do know that André is close and it's my turn to pay for the ice cream."

That was enough to lift his spirits and ease some of Alya's guilt for lying.

While some ate their ice creams, others stood in front of Marinette's house. Holding Adrien's hand tightly, she assured him, "We just go in and tell them. It's easy."

"Okay," he said frozen there and not moving, even after she walked inside. He seemed scared, and to be honest, he was. Tom was a very big, and therefore intimidating, man.

Pulling him inside her home, she assured him, "Don't be afraid. My parents aren't going to kill you."

Semi-jokingly, he answered back, "Are you sure? On rainy days I swear I still feel a broken rib from the time when your dad got akumatized and I had to fight him. All of that was only because I rejected you. I can't imagine what he will do to me now."

"The big superhero Chat Noir is scared of a simple baker?" She teased him.

"No. Adrien is." He admitted while playing a little with his tie. Maybe he shouldn't even have brought that one, green wasn't nearly as professional as the classic grey. Should he have come without a tie? Was he dressed too formally? He wanted to make the best impression possible. He didn't know how much of it was possible considering he was the guy that got their daughter pregnant. They were going to hate him once he admitted to being the father.

"My father is harmless. My mom is the one that knows martial arts," she teased him a little more.

Great, so now both of Marinette's parents were going to kill him. Seeing the nervous expression on his face and feeling sorry for him, she gave him a reassuring smile. She still remembered how nervous she was when she told her parents about the baby and she could tell he was nervous.

Seeing her reassuring smile and those loving bluebell eyes, he followed her.

Holding each other's hand, both entered the living room and looked at Sabine and Tom. They seemed calm and so entertained by playing Ultra Mega IV, that they didn't even noticed the teens.

"I'm the father," he blurted out quickly and trying to do this as fast as possible. It was like ripping a band-aid off. Faster was better, right?

Wrong, it felt slow and painful. Anticipation rose as Tom dropped his controller, got off the couch and went straight to the blond. Sabine stood there watching her husband without any idea about what he was going to do.

"There is only one thing that I need to know?" He spoke with a threatening voice and moving too close for the blond's liking.

Adrien gulped, scared because of the large man in front of him. Deeply afraid he somehow still managed to ask, "What is that?"

Without blinking and with a very serious tone, Tom asked, "Do you promise to take care of my Marinette and that child? Do you also promise that you will always be by her side no matter what?"

Adrien allowed himself a deep breath. These were easy questions, "I do!"

"Good." Tom seemed pleased and his face softened as he asked the most important question, "And do you love my daughter?"

"More than words could ever allow me to say." The blond admitted with his eyes slowly drifting to Marinette. It was at this moment that he noticed that she was still holding his hand, and if not for the tension of this situation, he would have kissed her.

Suddenly Tom ended his menacing act and his serious expression turned into a huge excited smile. Warmly and tightly, he pulled the blond teen into a hug." Then welcome to this family, son."

"Thank you. It means a lot to me." Adrien said with tears in his eyes. Being accepted by the Dupain family was all he ever wanted. Although, those tears could just as likely have been due to the extremely tight hug. He would definitely have to be checked for broken bones and ribs after this.

Even Sabine seemed to approve of him by giving a smile to the blond.

After finally being released by papa bear's claws, Adrien had some time to breathe. It didn't last long before Tom, who somehow seemed to get even more enthusiastic by the minute, asked, "One more thing, son. How do you feel about baking?"

Insecure and unsure of what to say, the blond chose to go with the truth, "I like sweets and pastries, but I'm not really good at baking."

Tom was shocked, but quickly went back to his usual smile. "Doesn't matter. I'll teach you."

With that, he basically dragged Adrien downstairs. Marinette let out a laugh seeing those two go, and the "help me" expression on her boyfriend.

"So, it's Adrien," Sabine said and getting her daughter's attention.

" Yes, Mama. Sorry I didn't say it earlier but..."

Marinette's words were stopped by her mom reassuring her, "It's okay, Sweetie. I understand and I'm relieved it's him. He's a great guy."

"He really is, and I love him."

Sabine pulled her daughter into a hug. Happy that her little girl had found someone that she loved. Unlike with Tom's parents, she promised herself she would be supportive no matter the circumstances. Marinette's happiness was all she wanted, and she could tell by the huge silly goofy smile on her daughter's face that Adrien was the one for Marinette.

Meanwhile, downstairs in the bakery, Tom explained, "See? Baking a cake is a lot like taking care of a family. You need a solid foundation. It also needs love and lots of hard work. Don't forget that time is important too."

Adrien would be taking notes if he wasn't so impressed with the baker's abilities. The way the man quickly and perfectly cut and shaped a cake was amazing. Unexpectedly, the baker handed over a knife and cream to the blond. With his big smile, he asked him to spread the cream across evenly so that the fondant could be laid smoothly. The blond began nervously, but after a few minutes, he worked up some more confidence.

"Great job, you're a natural, son." Tom commented, and it made Adrien a little proud. This was actually kind of fun, and he was starting to get the hang of it.

The teaching continued along with several pieces of advice on marriage and family. Marinette was so lucky to have such a sweet and caring dad. They hadn't been there that long, but with Tom's overall warm attitude, Adrien had no doubt that this was the kind of parent he hoped to be someday.

Nervously facing his insecurities, and after considering whether or not to ask, the blond opened up. "Do you think I have what it takes to be a good father? Sometimes I worry that I'll mess it up, or that something will happen."

Adrien didn't dare to look up, now focused on mixing the dough for the croissants. Maybe he had crossed a line? To his relief, he heard Tom laughing.

"Trust me. I asked myself the same thing when it came to Marinette. For the first few days of her life, I didn't completely leave her side because I couldn't imagine her needing me and me not being there straight away."

"That's sweet," Adrien commented, picturing baby Marinette.

Remembering his baby girl and how much she grew up, Tom couldn't believe how much had changed and how much stayed the same. "I may not always be by her side anymore, but it doesn't change the fact that I'll always still be there when she needs me. That's my special superpower."

Adrien looked at baker doing a superhero pose and chuckled. "That's the best power to have," he commented before going back to work on the croissants.

Time seemed to fly, and soon the whole family was enjoying a special dinner. The main dish was extremely light to make up for all the pastries Tom and Adrien had brought for dessert.

Some of the croissants Adrien made were burned, others undercooked and some surprisingly both. With some surprising amount of luck, a few survived making the last ones pretty decent. The blond almost even dared to say he was getting good at this. Not as good as Tom, obviously But, it was still enough to impress everyone at the table, most importantly his lady.

Adrien knew Marinette had a wonderful family but seeing it and being part of it really made him feel privileged.

They even talked at the table, which surprised him. It was just so different from the dinners he had at home. The talk was so casual and open as they discussed whatever topic was relevant for the day. Today, it was the news of Luka and Clara's wedding. It was supposed to be the biggest event ever seen. France seemed to support the two and Marinette couldn't help but smile at that. There were even rumors they were going to do a tour together.

Everyone was excited and happy, but mostly Marinette, not just because of the tour, but because of Adrien's enjoyment of this simple family dinner.

Her good humor was gone when the tv in the other room began covering Ladybug's pregnancy. Was it getting louder or was it just her imagination? She tried not to get upset with the news and gossip. She tried to smile and act like nothing was wrong, but when the reporters questioned Ladybug's ability to lead thanks to her "condition," it became too much and she excused herself from the table. Her legs drove her to the living room and instead of turning the tv off she kept watching.

Anger and tears rose inside her as the interview went on. The words of support that came were blocked out of her brain by the critics.

The hormones and stress along with her personal fears and insecurities all seemed to pile up and make Marinette questioned if they were right. Had she failed Paris? Would she be able to keep everyone safe, including Kitten? Should Paris get another Ladybug? Would she even be able to deal with being a superhero and a mother?

Noticing his lady distress and fearing Hawkmoth could sense it, Adrien pulled her into his loving arms.

Meanwhile at the Agreste dining room and while enjoying his quiet peaceful meal, Gabriel's miraculous began beeping with what was definitely the strongest emotions he ever felt, and that included Lila. This surprised him, but he tried to continue as if nothing was happening.

However, in that cold room, the beeping echoed endlessly, easily capturing the attention of the red-headed girl in front of him. She stared viciously and with curiosity at his brooch, but he tried to ignore it.

Looking directly at him, she pleaded, " Explain to me how this whole miraculous thing works."

Far from there, and back in the safety of Adrien's arms, Marinette relaxed as he switched the channel. All of her emotions dissipated into one or two hot burning tears into his chest. What would she do without him?

Sabine and Tom watched the teens from the doorway. They didn't understand what got their daughter so upset, but they did comprehend and were thankful that Adrien was there for her. They didn't interrupt because the blond seemed to be doing a great job calming their daughter.