ANSWERS FOR REVIEWS:

Roxanne: Haha thank you! There'll definitely be more moments like these between them! Oh, art cover? Uh, I don't actually ^_^ I'm not sure if it's good enough to warrant fanart and I don't really have the funds to commission an artist for it (I'd love to, but studens are broke .)

Forbidden Sorrel: Omg, thank you so much! Your lovely review made my day, thank you! :) I hope you'll like this chapter too!

Chapter 11

"Marinette?"

A sensation like ice solidified her veins like the crystalline shards in winter, the sudden realization of where she was and exactly what she was doing finally dawned on her.

As did the stunned, unblinking emerald eyes staring at her.

Marinette recoiled back, like a frightened animal from a striking snake and saw the expression on the person's face behind Chat Noir's still form.

"M-Marianne?!"

The old woman stood still, face set into a surprised expression as her gaze was locked on the two adults, particularly the man whose back was still turned to her. Her green gaze narrowed, as if trying to place the figure to a distant image in her mind, a familiar image. "You're…"

Chat Noir slowly turned around, body moving like a robot, stiff and lethargic. Eyes wide and pupils dilated.

It was when he was fully turned towards the older woman that he finally managed to speak, his voice barely above a whisper. "…Madame Noir?"

Marinette blinked, embarrassment gone and as the name Chat Noir had uttered sunk into her mind, confusion washed over her. "M-Madame Noir?"

Marianne's expression softened, gone was the surprise and in its place was a look of affection and nostalgia. "I'm glad you seem to be in good hands, chaton."

Again, the lieutenant switched her gaze from the stunned looking criminal to the kindly smiling woman, whose features were warm with realization. "Chaton?" what…was going on?

The gray-haired lady walked closer and Marinette's instincts screamed at her to step in front to warn her of Chat Noir, but instead, the man in question suddenly fell to one knee, head bowed low to the ground.

"M-Madame you…" he swallowed thickly, the words seeming to get stuck in his throat.

The elderly woman smiled, placing a gentle, almost motherly hand atop the blond messy hair of the kneeling man. "You… must be quite surprised to see me."

His form trembled and Marinette briefly thought it was of pain, but when he spoke again, she thought otherwise. "I…It's been…years. We…we thought you…" he cut himself off, seemingly in shock.

Marianne wiped at her eye, settling a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Stand up, chaton. You don't have to kneel for me." She smiled up at the stunned criminal, green eyes softening with affection. "How you've grown…you used to still be a little green behind your ears the last time we saw each-other."

It seemed like Marinette was forgotten as Chat Noir stepped forward, his gaze only focused at the elderly woman. "They came for us at the home, you were there, you pushed us through the exit and you stayed behind." His fists shook, lip captured between teeth as his head turned away. "We thought…-"

Marianne moved closer and embraced the trembling man, one wrinkled hand settled on the back of his head while the other rested on his back. "Shh…everything is alright now."

Bluebell eyes watched the scene silently, the second shock of the day raining down upon her.

How in the world was her elderly, friendly neighbor involved with Chat Noir?

Keys jiggled noisily as the last of the office doors were locked, lights turning off in the main area before Luka Couffaine strolled into his office, preparing to finally head home for the day.

It was late, well past shift's end, but Luka was known to work long, his sister knew it all too well.

Just then, a familiar tune on his phone alerted him of a message.

He smiled when he opened it.

"Hey, make sure to come home soon, that casserole is getting cold, Lu." 8:50pm

He shook his head, typing a quick reply back to his sister.

She didn't cook often, normally he'd be the one who provided edible food for the both of them, but once every while, his sister looked up some recipes and tried them out. He couldn't wait to try out that casserole, he was sure it'd taste good. She was trying, that was what counted.

He set his phone down on his desk, pushing together papers into neat piles and saving them for tomorrow, until his gaze caught Chat Noir's files peeking from one pile.

Lips forming into a thin line, Luka lifted the photo of Chat Noir post imprisonment into his hand, green eyes set into a menacing glare, lips pulled down into a scowl. The only thing missing was fur standing on end and Luka would've mistaken him for a feral cat.

Emotions and images rushed through him at the scowling figure. Emotions he long since buried, images he thought were banned to the back of his mind.

'Hi there, what's a fish like you doing out of water?'

The colonel moved towards the small closet behind his chair, unlocking it and pulling out his guitar, a bottle of whisky was promptly seized from its resting place next to the musical instrument.

Grabbing an empty glass and sitting at his desk, Luka poured himself whisky while balancing his guitar on his lap, taking a sip of the amber liquid before his back hit the cushioned chair and his fingers gently strummed along the strings from his guitar.

And his mind recalled memories of Chat Noir.

He remembered the bar he'd visited after training, the other marines frequented it often and Luka got dragged into them often enough, his fellow marines claiming he needed to 'loosen up'.

That's where he spotted the blond man, partly hidden by the shadows of the dimly lit bar, partly observing the other patrons with a keen eye. It was only when he caught Luka's curious gaze that the young man with the wild blond hair and the mischievous green eyes sat at his table.

The first words that had come out of his mouth weren't what Luka had expected then.

'Hi there, what's a fish like you doing out of water?'

The whisky slid down Luka's throat in a small stream, before the colonel set it down and began playing a slow, sad tune to the pace of his thoughts.

'You forget, we're not from the Navy. I'm more of a devil dog than a fish.' The young marine-in-training had smiled amicably at the young blond. 'I could ask you the same. What's a pup like you doing out here wandering the streets? I've seen you sneaking about before.'

There had been a look about the man he would come to know as Chat Noir, a look that spoke of harsh months of bitter survival in the criminal streets of Marseille. "Just passing by, devil dog. And you forget, I'm more of a feline than a canine."

He had dangled something from his hands and Luka's eyes had flown open when he patted his pockets and failed to feel his keys in them, "Wha-how did you do that?" he took the offered keys from the grinning man again and secured them into the deepest pocket he had, zipping them shut.

The blond had chuckled, amused at the young marine's astonishment. "Told you."

Luka, still naïve, still so unsuspecting of the mischievous green eyes and the roguish grin, intentions concealed behind a façade of innocent, childish playfulness.

They'd clicked glasses together and had talked and laughed well into the night. Luka's colleagues had either been outdrank under the tables or have settled in for the night, in preparation for the next day's harsh training.

He should've too, but he was too entertained by the mysterious younger man, who only offered 'Adrien' as a name, who shared humorous jokes, old tales and a select few experiences Luka could resonate with.

He wasn't even sure if 'Adrien' had been his true name, but that was what he had gotten as an introduction.

His melody was an upbeat one at the beginning, a kind of tune people could dance to and have a fun time.

But to Luka's keen ears, his melody was accompanied by another one almost too quiet to notice.

It was a slower tune, melancholic in nature and lonely in existence.

That little melody, Luka had kept in the back of his mind and it had accompanied the blonde stranger for the duration of their meet-ups afterwards.

It had been especially sad on their last meeting, followed by the blaring noise of police sirens and boisterous shouts from authorities, as Luka watched the blonde dressed in black fleeing from them.

Since that day, Luka thought their encounters had been mere tricks to get his claws on potential treasure, but the tragic tune that vanished with Chat Noir's disappearance made him think otherwise.

It wasn't one of deceit nor trickery.

It was one of loneliness.

And of sad green eyes covered by a black mask.

Whisky spilled onto the side of his pants leg, the spot darkening with the moisture.

Luka set the glass down and wiped at it with his handkerchief, the light pink material coloring a pale orange-yellow from the alcohol.

The name sewed in cursive into the handkerchief stared at him, the beautiful embroidery humbly framing its creators name.

Marinette

He smiled, neatly folding and placing it back into his breast pocket, over his heart before glancing over at his still running computer.

Fingers tapped against the hardwood material of his desk thoughtfully, eyes scanning his desktop, running over the icons.

He opened the Interpol database, clicking his way onto the wanted persons tag.

The search bar flashed up, beside it the latest number of 'red notices' reading over seven thousand people.

He typed in the name, country and approximate age. He knew it was futile, there wasn't enough data, the last search had come up empty.

He clicked on 'Search'.

A sigh left his lips, eyes lazily trailing over people fitting the very vague description, none of them even remotely catching his eye.

No match.

The screen went black, chair pushed in and jacket slung over his shoulder, keys jiggling with the lock setting in place. The clock read 9:30pm.

Luka Couffaine was finally going home.

Half an hour later..

Wiping her hands clean on a spare cloth, the young woman rushed towards the door, already recognizing the telltale knocking rhythm of her brother.

A small smile lit up her features at the sight of the man. "Welcome home, Lu."

The tall policeman smiled at his sibling warmly, wiping his shoes on the doormat. "Thanks Jul." she took the grocery bags from him, filled with fruits and two small boxes.

Luka hung up his uniform on the coatrack before joining his sister in the kitchen, rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt and running a hand through his hair. Juleka smiled in sympathy at the tired yawn leaving his lips. "Hard day?"

He craned his neck, feeling something pop when he stretched his back. "Kinda. Yours?"

She shrugged, packing away the fruits and setting the two boxes on the table, next to two steaming plates of casserole. "It was alright, Rose came in and got me lunch, the day got better after that."

Luka chuckled, grabbing a glass of water for himself and sitting at what he presumed was his plate, eyes discreetly taking note of the mess of noodles, a sauce and pieces of chicken. "Chicken casserole?" he caught the wince from his sister, the pathologist taking a seat opposite of him.

"Yeah, tried out something new. We still have pizza in the fridge if it's bad."

Luka shook his head, taking his fork immediately and digging in. "I'm sure it's good, Jul." he tried a bite, savoring it in his mouth. It was just a touch too spicy, but good.

Expectant copper eyes gazed at him intently and he offered a big grin with a wink. "Eggcellent."

Juleka snorted, brushing her long hair back and swallowing her food. "I can't believe you're a policeman."

Her older brother shrugged, chuckling. "Can't believe my little sister's touching dead people." the surprised gasp made his shoulder's quake with suppressed laughter, effortlessly catching the napkin thrown to his face. "What? It's true."

"Under authorization, mind you."

Luka grinned playfully. "Really? Whose?"

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Yours, colonel."

The grin remained on his face, even after a second napkin hit his face, this time successfully. "Hey, we need those."

Juleka rose an eyebrow. "For what?"

He motioned towards the two small boxes. "I brought dessert. Your favorite."

A warm smile was his answer and Luka smiled back, both siblings finishing their meal in comfortable silence.

"I told Marinette the reports you've gathered." Juleka looked up from her tasty chocolate treat, eyes blinking in recognition. "About Chat Noir. Are you sure you checked everything?"

Juleka took the fork out of her mouth, readjusting herself on the couch before focusing her attention on her brother. "Yeah I did, Alix double checked for me just to be safe, Alya gathered all the files and news reports she could get her hands on and checked the sources. It's highly unlikely Chat Noir hadn't been set up. All we don't know is, by whom and why."

Luka ran a hand through his messy hair, his blue tipped hair falling into his tired eyes. "I admit, it doesn't really fit into his M.O. still…it's Chat Noir, we can't really take any chances. I'll look into it with some of my older colleagues."

The dark haired woman nodded, taking another forkful of her chocolate cake, before a small smile curved her lips. "How's Marinette? Did you tell her about the gig?"

A smile immediately lit up her brother's features, eyes alive and free of the previous tiredness. "She's tired after everything, but she's holding up. I asked her ou- I asked her and she said she'll think about it."

"What? Why? She always goes to our concerts." Juleka pretended she hadn't heard her brother's slip-up about 'asked her out'.

A scoff left his lips, sad aqua eyes staring down at his own cake. "She can't leave Chat Noir out of sight, but I'll work something out with Kim. She needs some rest."

"Yeah, she does. Can't imagine living with a criminal, not to mention someone like Chat Noir." She shivered, folding her legs together to the side on the couch.

"What, scared?" the part time guitarist rose an eyebrow playfully.

"Just because I have a police brother doesn't mean I'm not scared of criminals. You're the one with the gun, not me." She pouted and it reminded Luka of their younger days whenever she did that. "Besides, I touch dead people, not alive ones who can kill me when they want to." She pointed her fork at him and he shook his head, silently agreeing.

"You said that toxicology report's due, right?"

She lifted her side bang and brushed it back behind her ear, humming in agreement. "Yeah, should be in in about…a week?"

Her brother nodded, munching on his cake. "Call me when it's done, I need the full report as soon as possible."

"Will do, Lu."

The Couffaine siblings enjoyed their free time after work, exchanging stories about their respective jobs.

Luka had an uneasy feeling going to bed that night, a nosy voice in the back of his mind that wouldn't go away no matter how long he mediated before going to bed.

It kept him on guard, even when his eyes finally slid shut.

He had a feeling it had to do with Chat Noir.

Marinette was sitting next to Chat Noir on the couch, Marianne sitting opposite of them on the kitchen chair Marinette had carried over for her, a cup of warm tea in her hands as her kind eyes met the blond man again.

"So, you've been caught after all this time…" she giggled, as if the thought amused her.

Chat Noir shrugged, the chains rattling around his shackled wrists. "Ah, well, you know, I was set up, otherwise I never would've gotten caught!" he grinned, like the confident fool he was.

Marinette shot him a dark look which he pointedly ignored in favor of turning his attention to the older woman. "So…you've been in hiding all these years? Why did you never contact us? The others would've been-"

"-The others would've been disappointed, betrayed by their caretaker abandoning them in their time of need." She hung her head low, but Chat Noir bristled.

"That's not true madame! None of us ever blamed you nor master for anything! We knew you did that to protect us!" the man settled back down slowly, eyes downcast in memories. "The years…had been harsh, in the beginning up until now. But the kittens are safe, I made sure of that."

There was a knowing, motherly smile on the older woman's face, something that told Marinette that there was affection between them akin to a real family. "Of course you did." Then, she turned her attention to Marinette with a sheepish smile. "Oh Marinette, you must have so many questions."

"I do, actually." Blue eyes narrowed suspiciously and she glanced quickly at Chat Noir. "Just how do you know one of the worst criminals in the Interpol database, Marianne? You're my neighbor!"

The woman chuckled, rubbing her wrinkly cheek. "You must know, he didn't have such a reputation years ago, but he always was a bit of a rascal." Chat Noir actually sunk in on himself at the look Marianne was giving him, like a mother wordlessly scolding her son.

"Would you mind telling me?" Marinette's trusting eyes were genuine, but Chat Noir's firm voice cut through the air like a blade.

"No." both women glanced at him in surprise, sharp green eyes fixed on the policewoman. "You won't tell her anything, madame."

I'm sorry this is so short, writer's block is at it again! I hope you guys enjoyed it! More to come!