Thanks to every one for the awesome reviews and kind words! I am really glad that everyone is enjoying this crazy story. This week we get some backstory so huzza!

Two-tailed-fox-lady... I am planning lots and lots of things but I'm not telling!

Marinette is a detective who can't keep a partner while hunting down the notorious Hawkmoth gang. Chat is the new cat burglar on the streets who never gets caught. After Marinette gets handed his case it's it won't be long before their fates collide especially when monsters start roaming the streets


(History)

Adrien knew that from the start he was going to be a police officer or a detective like his father. It seemed to be his fate and as a young child when his father remembered how to still smile, it seemed like the best fate ever to have. His mother and father had encouraged him although his mother had worried after his father at times when he got a dangerous case. His father on the other hand had waved away such concerns. He was helping people, helping Paris, one solved crime at a time. Then everything changed with the Hawkmoth case and now sitting in Marinette's office Adrien wasn't sure where he to begin. This was especially true since Adrien wasn't certain how much Marinette knew about his past or his fathers. The few facts she probably knew was that he had been one of the best detectives ever employed in this precinct and was now her boss. Finally after a prolonged silence Adrien decided to start with a common denominator they both shared. He decided to start when he had met a very special person at the precinct.

"I am where I am today because of Tiki." Adrien began making Marinette jump and gasp.

Other than the surprised gasp Marinette didn't interrupt, didn't ask a flurry of questions like he half expected. However the intensity of her gaze practically doubled and suddenly Adrien felt a little awkward.

"Yeah… um… Right Tiki. So I actually met her when my father was just a detective himself. Tiki had just started working here and since she was the youngest by far she got stuck with me on babysitting duty. She was an intern back then I guess not a real cop, much less a detective yet, and she did errands and stuff for the others usually. Then she got saddled with me so she dragged me around with her where ever she had to go. My… mom had just recently died so I couldn't stay home alone." Adrien murmured feeling a slight stab of pain at the mention of his mother.

Even after all these years it still hurt to speak of her and Adrien could still remember the moment he was told that his mother wouldn't be returning home. He had come home from school and found the house broken into, windows smashed and an ominous puddle of blood in the kitchen as well as a bloody kitchen knife. A butterfly was drawn on the counter in the same blood although it had fully dried unlike the puddle on the ground. It was later proved that the blood wasn't his mothers but at that moment it hadn't mattered. His father had gone nuts searching for his mother and searching for this Hawkmoth person since that was his symbol on the counter. His father had never found either according to all records shown, although he managed to strip the Hawkmoth gang down to practically nothing in his time searching. The search took a large toll on Gabriel however and he had regressed into the cold practically heartless shell that he showed the world today. Adrien wasn't even sure that his father knew how to smile anymore much less feel any emotion a normal person might have.

"Why weren't you at school?" Marinette asked when he had remained silent for far too long.

Her voice snapped Adrien back to the present and he swallowed a sigh, half wishing he hadn't begun this conversation. It was draining to talk of the past when it was such a sad angry time. With his mother gone and his father trying to find Hawkmoth Adrien had been left alone, which even for a sunny child such as him, was rough to say the least. Truthfully deep inside his mind Adrien knew he was still angry over it and until Marinette he had never willingly talked about any of it before. Adrien did notice however that Marinette completely avoided the topic of his mother and he felt a surge of gratitude for that.

"Well at first it was the end of the school year. We started summer like four days later so I was brought to the precinct since there was no one to watch me at home. Gabriel, er… my father became obsessed with finding Hawkmoth and he didn't trust any babysitters to watch me because I was really good at slipping away. Then once school started back up again my father became really worried for my safety. There were a few kidnapping attempts on me once school started since I wasn't surrounded by the police force 24-7 and he decided that I should be home schooled from then on. The Hawkmoth gang wasn't really happy with my father prying into their business and since my mom had already been taken they could only come after me. To prevent them from kidnapping me he brought me to the precinct every morning and my tutors came to me once the school year began anew. Tiki watched me on breaks and she just overall made things better. She was a good friend to me, like an older sister, and she is the reason I became interested in the police world other than the old games I used to play with my father. I mean I probably would have anyways since I was constantly surrounded by it but Tiki gave me the passion for it. She always had crazy fun stories to tell me and she even showed me how to fight. That lasted for almost a year and a half when all the sudden my father packed me off to a boarding school."

"He what?!" Marinette gasped breaking Adrien's train of thought. Then realizing what she had said hurriedly managed "Sorry, sorry I didn't mean to interrupt."

To prevent herself from interrupting a third time Marinette swiftly grabbed another pastry and took a bite while turning a bit red. She couldn't believe Gabriel had sent Adrien away when they had both been recovering from his mothers death. Marinette was also stunned that he had known Tiki so well. Tiki had never really mentioned Adrien before but then again there had never really been any reason to either. She hadn't known Tiki until she had gotten out of school and by then Adrien had been in America.

Adrien chuckled feeling the tension ease from his shoulders. "Its ok Marinette. I won't go into the boring details and as you have seen, my father isn't the warm cuddly type. I came home from Boarding school and since I was 18 I decided to go to college for criminology. My father couldn't really stop me since I was over the legal age and Tiki helped me get in to the local college since my father didn't want to help me since he didn't want me going. I had to have the basic classes fulfilled either way and I kept in fairly close contact with Tiki while I was local. After a while though my Father decided he'd had enough of my rebellion and gave me an ultimatum. He gave me the option of studying at a college overseas or he would no longer pay for my school. He also wanted me to drop my studies into criminology. Eventually we reached a deal and I double majored while going to college in America."

"You double majored?" Marinette asked amazed knowing how hard it was to fulfill one degree much less two.

Adrien nodded not minding her interruptions since she asked intelligent questions. "Criminology and Physics."

Marinette groaned "My worst subject was physics. I had to take that stupid class twice! I still don't understand why it was necessary."

Adrien chuckled deciding not to point out that she used physics all the time with how she fought with her chains. "In any case I started volunteering at a precinct near me in America while in school and Tiki put me in touch with a guy she knew there. I worked with him for several years and was his unofficial partner while I finished school. Even when I finished school I stayed in America working with him, because for once I was no longer under my father's control and I could do as I pleased. It was nice actually and a learned a lot from the man."

Adrien went silent and Marinette watched as his face fell. Clearly something bad had happened and Marinette whispered hesitantly. "You don't have to say anymore Adrien."

Truthfully she wanted to know. She wanted to know all about Adrien, his adventures, and yes even his faults since it was obvious he knew more about her than she did of him. However this was something she could tell he wasn't ready to discuss just as there were things she didn't yet feel comfortable telling him. So she reached out patting his arm to get his attention once more.

Adrien jolted slightly rapidly looking up into her eyes. There was no pity there, if there had been Adrien might have had to leave. Instead there was understanding and that made him want to hug her. "Tell me when you are ready Adrien. I'll always be around to listen."

"Thanks Marinette." Adrien murmured managing to keep his hands to himself as she released his arm even though he still wanted to pull her into his arms and bury his face into her hair. "I'm sure I will tell you at some point but for now…"

"It still hurts." Marinette finished making Adrien nod.

It was at times like these that reminded Adrien that Marinette had lost Tiki too. To him Tiki had been like an older sister that never minded helping him get out of trouble, or in some cases into it. In Adrien's mind Tiki had been the person that helped him become the man he was today and the fact that Marinette had clearly loved her too made his heart ache all over again at her death.

When he had gotten news of it in America he had left immediately to come home to attend her funeral. His father had never truly appreciated Tiki on a personal level since he knew she was the reason for Adrien's love of the police force. In Gabriel's mind she was also Adrien's reason that he had gotten caught up with Plagg when he had been human in the first place. She was of course, she had put Adrien into contact with Plagg the moment Gabriel had told him he was going to school in America. Plagg was the reason he chose the college he went to although his excuse was the excellent physics program. Needless to say Gabriel had not been pleased with his activities on the streets of America and after the funeral they had not parted well.

They had fought badly nearly coming to blows between them and it was the most emotion Adrien had ever seen come from his father. The anger between them had nearly been a living thing and it was that anger that made Adrien's mind up. Since he no longer had anyone left in the states he cared about Adrien had planned to return to the US, finish up some little details, and get his stuff shipped to France to start his career. Instead Adrien had pretended to go back to America while disappearing into the streets of Paris. Everything he truly wanted he already had on him and any other small items he could have a friend ship to him. Any other items he sold so he would have extra cash to disappear off the grid with. Hawkmoth had now taken three people he had cared about in his life and Adrien was determined for there to be no more. As Chat Noir, he had already crushed the tiny branch of Hawkmoths gang in America and he knew that it would take years for Hawkmoth to gain another foothold in the country again considering the iron fist the other gangs had there. Crushing small gangs in the US with Plagg had been the little leagues though. Now he was ready for the big leagues and he was determined to crush Hawkmoths influence in Europe. As Chat Noir he had prowled the underbelly of Europe tracing the cancer that was Hawkmoth. It was during his time of destroying cells of power all through Europe Adrien had begun running into akuma. Clearly Chat Noir had garnered some major attention in the higher ups and when it became obvious that human members couldn't stop him they began to send the monsters after him. As long as he stayed Adrien and didn't activate his powers the akuma couldn't seem to track him. As Chat though most of the akuma seemed to be able to track him as he moved and destroyed Hawkmoths businesses. After fighting numerous pitched battles, getting shot at, and stealing from Hawkmoths numerous businesses to survive, he eventually found that all roads to Hawkmoth returned to home.

They all returned to Paris.

As Chat Noir he had gone as far as he was able in the criminal world. The Hawkmoth gang knew him and he would never be allowed to get any closer than the fringes or risk getting shot or worse. As Adrien though he knew he would be able to access more information via police channels. Not seeing any other choice Adrien had finally reached out to his father asking for a place on the police force in Paris. Really he could have gone to any precinct and if he had Adrien knew he would have been hired immediately due to his fairly impeccable record. However, Adrien was after Hawkmoth personally and he knew Gabriel had the largest database on Hawkmoth in existence. Plus he was tired of the animosity between him and his father. It was time for Gabriel to start seeing his son as an adult rather than a rebelling teen and the best way to do that Adrien decided, was to work under him.

Unfortunately, his father didn't see it that way and Gabriel was making Adrien jump through every hoop he could. Adrien didn't know if it was because his father was simply being a hard headed idiot or if it was the way he treated every new person that walked through the precincts doors. At this point Adrien had technically been accepted as a detective to the precinct but until his father said otherwise he was stuck shadowing people and learning the ropes of the precinct. It was boring and if Marinette hadn't been there Adrien had a feeling he might have snapped by now. Marinette whether she knew it or not was helping him keep his more animalistic side tame. So far out of everything and everyone he had seen, Marinette was his prime choice for a partner. As a bonus he had also discovered that she was the current holder of the Hawkmoth case which made him even more certain of his decision. Adrien knew his father wouldn't accept his logic and he would probably assign him to some other idiot at first, but Adrien in this aspect was determined to get his way. It might take a bit of time but he would eventually get what he wanted.

"You're lucky that pastry doesn't have any milk in it." Marinette said suddenly making Adrien snap from his reverie.

Adrien looked down not even remembering grabbing the pastry in his hand. "Oh? Why?"

"With the way you have been staring at it, the poor thing would have curdled by now." Marinette answered taking another bite of her own pastry.

Adrien chuckled and leaned back in his seat. "Sorry it wasn't a happy story."

"They rarely are. But you are here now and I am here now and we both knew Tiki and respected her and we are…" she trailed off for a moment her teeth pressing into her lip as Marinette suddenly found herself unsure of how to finish that statement.

"Partners?" Adrien finished making Marinette freeze.

Then suddenly she relaxed her face heating up slightly. "In paperwork at least, Parkour too if you can keep up with me."

That made Adrien laugh. "Oh ho that sounds an awful lot like a challenge princess!"

Marinette's face lit up, the heavy atmosphere vanishing as a wicked grin crossed her lips before she could stop it. "You think you're hot stuff but we shall see when our feet hit the pavement." She answered making Adrien laugh harder.

"Hot Stuff? Is that the best you've got?" Adrien asked through chuckles.

Marinette's face went red. "It's no worse than princess and Handsome would just make your head swell worse. I suppose I could call you Mule. You're as stubborn as one at least."

Adrien rolled with laughter at that secretly preening over both the Hot stuff and Handsome comment. Marinette joined him a moment later and they were laughing so hard they both almost missed the knock at Marinette's door.

The rattle of the handle caught Adrien's attention and he was on his feet before Marinette could take a breath to ask who it was. Swiftly Adrien moved to the door unlocking the latch as the person on the other side tried to push the door open. A shrieking of hinges filled the room making Adrien leap back to avoid the doors opening arc. Natalie stood there looking as prim and proper as ever.

"Was this door locked?" She asked her voice all business like.

"No but the door tends to stick due to the hinges." Marinette answered not missing a beat.

Natalie's eyebrows pinched together but in truth there was no policy on locking doors when in your own office. After all this wasn't high school and the two before her were not children. Her nose flared with mild irritation and glancing to the side she spied the pastries.

"Pastries Adrien? You know your father wouldn't approve." Natalie said her voice sounding like clipped ice once more.

Adrien shrugged far more at ease around Natalie than most other people. Mostly this was because he had known her since his mother had disappeared. "Gabriel rarely approves of anything I do."

Natalie blinked a slight frown forming at her lips but that was all the emotion she showed "Yes, speaking of Gabriel he wishes to see you, now preferably."

Adrien nodded "Give me just a minute to finish eating and I will be right up."

"Very well don't keep him waiting for too long." Natalie said then with a brief nod in Marinette's direction she left them alone once again.

Adrien sighed scratching at the back of his neck. "I wonder what I did this time?"

Behind him Marinette stood slowly packing away the rest of the treats on her desk. "Hopefully nothing. Maybe he has your partner assignments."

Adrien turned back towards her "Well whatever it is I will still see you tonight right?"

Marinette smiled at him trying to ignore to fluttery warm feeling running through her then scribbled her number down on one of the numerous scraps of paper that littered her desk. "Yes you will, although text me and I can tell you when to meet me. Depending on what time I finish this paperwork I might run home and take a nap before heading out."

Adrien took the scrap of paper from her and immediately typed it into his cell phone. A moment later Marinette's phone dinged and he grinned. "There now you have my number too."

Marinette glanced at the text then sighed as she lost the battle to keep a straight face. The text had a little crown and a ladybug instead of words. "Scat dork. I have the rest of my paperwork to finish."

Adrien chuckled snagging one last pastry and tart that she hadn't packed up yet, then backed towards her door dropping into a half bow as he did. "As you wish… Princess."

A paper ball caught him between the eyes as he straightened and Adrien laughed darting out the door before she threw something heavier at him.

Even though he was going to see his father Adrien felt lighter than he had in weeks. It was amazing how Marinette constantly did that to his mood. In fact she made everything brighter and Adrien wondered how he could convince his father to let him be her partner. It would take some work but Adrien knew it would be well worth the effort as he let his bouncing gate settle into a more sedated walk. People were watching and Adrien didn't feel like having his every emotion analyzed by them or his father. Although it would be interesting to see his fathers reaction to a bubbly happy son, Adrien knew he had to calm down if only to save his own sanity. Ignoring the people in the halls around him Adrien schooled his features into what Marinette referred to as his stone face although thinking of her was enough to almost crack it. Taking another deep breath Adrien settled himself once more. He still felt light and joyful on the inside but if you were to look at his face to anyone but maybe Marinette it now appeared as if Adrien were a cold unfeeling human. Much like how his father looked on a day to day basis.

Arriving at the door to Gabriel's office Adrien was surprised when he didn't see Natalie anywhere. With a mental shrug at her absence and a hope that she wasn't irritating Marinette Adrien raised a hand to knock twice on the heavy door. Then he waited remaining still and calm though he wished he could just sling the door wide open. That would definitely get his father's attention and not in a good way although Adrien was truly tempted to try it. Natalie had told him to come up here after all and if his father became irritable over it Adrien could point out he was told to come promptly. It took less than ten heartbeats for his father to finally say "Enter" and Adrien raised an eyebrow. Usually his father made anyone who knocked on his door wait far longer. Sometimes this wait would make them knock twice which was always a mistake on the knockers part. Opening the door without knocking was simply out of the question. Reaching out Adrien opened the door taking note how he missed the shrieking of hinges.

"Sir." Adrien stated closing the silent door behind him and moving towards the desk.

Gabriel was bent over some papers and he didn't even glance up to see who it was. Adrien knew his father recognized his voice especially when he said "Sit Adrien." with a wave of his hand at one of the chairs before his desk.

Adrien sat and waited keeping his back straight and his gaze steadily on his father. He hated these waiting games, hated these tests of patience his father always put him through. Bored his mind wandered remembering just back a few days ago how Marinette had sat in this exact spot. She had been nervous and yet Adrien had sensed the steel in her spirit especially when she had slapped those papers down under his father's nose. The thought almost made him smile, but then he pulled himself out of his reverie just in time to see his father's gaze flick up to his.

"You are late." Gabriel said shifting the completed form to a pile on his desk.

"I wasn't made aware that I had an appointment." Adrien answered just as tonelessly.

Gabriel nodded once accepting his statement. "There have been several items brought to my attention."

Adrien remained silent knowing his father didn't want to be asked any questions. Due to a whole lot of experience Adrien knew Gabriel was simply fishing for information, so he kept his peace watching as his father checked boxes and signed at the bottom. The paper moved to the completed pile and Gabriel looked up once more.

"You dismissed Chloe." Gabriel stated and Adrien couldn't stop the derisive snort that left him.

One of his fathers eyebrow raised slightly and mentally Adrien cringed. Not good.

"Explain." Gabriel said tonelessly but Adrien could hear the steel behind it.

At that single command Adrien felt the first flicker of annoyance flash through him and all he could think was game on. "Chloe is a distraction father. One I do not wish for. She parades herself through here demanding my presence and attention and she is constantly pulling me away from any kind of work I wish to be doing. And heaven help anyone who is with me at that moment. Just the other day I was learning how the filing system is worked here and she ran the poor man off who was assisting me. Perhaps I was a touch harsh but she doesn't exactly listen to subtlety much less hints."

"Her father…" Gabriel started only to stop in surprise when Adrien held up a hand.

"I know but we are not children and she cannot get her way her entire life. I will not be forced to spend time with someone I do not wish to be around. If I must go explain myself to the mayor then so be it." Adrien snapped managing to keep his annoyance somewhat under control.

Gabriel appraised his son carefully. He could hear the tone of finality in his voice and he realized that forcing the issue wouldn't help things. Adrien, whether he liked it or not was an adult now and he knew that Adrien had returned home to try and make amends. Gabriel had been shocked when Adrien's application had come across his desk, especially since he knew that Adrien could have gone anywhere in France much less Paris. If he had placed his application anywhere in the city he probably would already be working on a high profile case. The recommendations that had come with his paperwork were impressive and Gabriel knew that any other man would have probably hired him on the spot. Gabriel had instead begun putting him through his paces wanting to ensure Adrien knew to expect no favors. He half expected Adrien to withdraw his application within the first week and the boys temper had obviously been building. Then Marinette had interrupted their meeting or rather Adrien had shown up earlier than normal which led to this turn in behavior from his son. Now Adrien seemed calmer and one of his watchers had told him that they had seen Adrien smiling when with Marinette. That was a problem Gabriel knew he would have to deal with soon but for better or worse Adrien had chosen to come home, perhaps it was time to reward that.

"You do not have to explain anything. I was simply trying to find the truth in Ms Chloes pack of lies. There is a police ball coming up and you will be attending it in my place."

Adrien was startled by the sudden switch in conversation but before he could speak his father continued.

"It is a yearly event but I'm afraid I have been called to attend a convention that is an annual occurrence across Europe. I was chosen to represent Paris with Darkblade and it is an honor I cannot refuse. This means I will miss the ball and so you will go in my place. You will have to find someone to escort and if you do not want Chloe clamoring for the position, I would advise you to move quickly since a plus one is required due to your status. Usually Natalie attends that position for me but she will be indisposed for your uses."

Adrien grunted in surprise then shook his head as his father paused to glare at him for the interruption.

"It's… an honor father. Do I have any duties to fulfill at this ball?" Adrien asked happy to hear that Natalie wouldn't be his date. He already had an idea for his date especially since he had a decent idea of what the dress would look like.

Gabriel's gaze relaxed a fraction "Yes I will inform you of them at another time. Also since I will be gone for several weeks I have decided to assign you records for now."

"Records?!" Adrien demanded then fell silent at Gabriel's icy stare.

"Yes records, where you will familiarize yourself with the open and longstanding cases that this precinct is working on. You will also make yourself available to help any detective or cop in this precinct. By the time I return I will choose someone for you to work with on a more permanent basis depending on your behavior."

Adrien sighed the annoyance of this position washing away since he could understand what his father was doing. He even saw the benefits of his assignment but he only wanted to work at one person's side. Before he could think too much about the consequences he tried "Or you could just assign me to work with Marinette."

Gabriel waved a hand in immediate dismissal "She is on desk duty."

"Then take her off. Haven't you punished her enough?" Adrien asked only realizing his mistake when Gabriel gave him a startlingly cold and rather piercing glare.

"You seem rather fond of her considering you have been here for only a handful of days. What is it about her that has captured your loyalty?"

Adrien remained outwardly calm even though his mind was in turmoil. He couldn't reveal that he had been spending time with her as Chat and as such he knew that she was his equal in everything that counted. Honestly he shouldn't know her like that yet although he was certain that his father knew about his going out with her to the bar and probably even the fact that he had hung out with her all day yesterday. His father still had his little spies on the streets and Adrien was fairly certain that at least one was assigned to follow him permanently. Honesty was his friend here, he just couldn't reveal too much.

"She was Tikis partner and I knew Tiki well. It has been made very clear that Marinette was Tikis equal and therefore she is probably the best person around for showing me the ropes." Adrien answered carefully.

"Ms Dupain much like Tiki, doesn't always follow the rules and if you are to be running around the streets of Paris you need to know the rules first. Not the shortcuts." Gabriel stated his expression softening just the slightest bit.

Adrien was surprised by the un-harsh answer but couldn't argue with that since he had seen the way Marinette was out on the streets as Chat. Like Tiki she respected the rules but she also made her own as she saw fit. Although compared to Tiki she was far tamer when toeing the line about breaking certain rules. It wasn't just that though, his father seemed to actually like Marinette but Adrien couldn't fathom why he still refused to assign them to work together.

"Do you have any other questions?" Gabriel asked as if it had been Adrien's idea for this little meeting all along.

"No sir." Adrien answered hiding a grimace. He actually had a million questions for his father but he couldn't ask a single one without consequence.

Gabriel raised a hand giving Adrien permission to rise. "Natalie has gone down to records to let them know you are coming. Do not disappoint me."

Adrien wondered how in the world he could disappoint his father being stuck in records but wisely chose not to ask. At least he knew where Natalie was now since he had been a bit worried she might have gone back to irritate Marinette. Without another word Adrien slipped cat quiet from his chair and made his way to the door deciding to head down to where the records office was. His hand was on the knob when suddenly his father called to him again. Turning Adrien remained silent wondering what his father wanted now.

Opening a drawer Gabriel lifted a leather square from inside and placed it on the desk before sliding it to the other side. Adrien felt his breath catch and he forced himself not to run to the desk because he knew what his father had just placed there.

Gabriel scrutinized Adrien as he approached before picking up the folded leather square. Flipping it open Gabriel saw the pleasure flicker in his sons eyes before Adrien looked up at him emotions hidden once more.

"Thank you father." Adrien intoned his voice stiff but Gabriel could see the hidden joy in his sons eyes.

"There is no thanks necessary. Your work has been impeccable and your recommendations are superb. I expect even better work in the future once you have truly learned this city." Gabriel replied. "Now I have other items to complete. Do not lose your badge and keep in mind that you now represent this precinct any time you show it."

He waved a hand dismissing Adrien before going back to work. Silently Adrien slipped from the office flipping his badge open once he was safely outside. Joy bubbled in his veins as he looked down at his name engraved on the badge. He wanted to show Marinette right this second but he knew that he had to report to his new posting before he did that. If he didn't Gabriel would find out very quickly and the last thing Adrien wanted was to give his father a reason to take the badge away. Carefully tucking the badge away Adrien moved away from the doors, truly it wasn't a bad situation being stuck in records. He would have access to all old files both paper and computerized which meant he could learn everything there was to know about every person in the building. He would also be able to look up the Hawkmoth case and see how much information Marinette really had. It would be boring but Gabriel never said that he had to stay in the Archives offices either. Adrien grinned already planning to borrow cases and go hang out in Marinette's office all day. He would give it a day or two so his father wouldn't raise a fuss but then he would make his move. Nearly purring at the wicked idea Adrien made his way to the office ready to get introductions out of the way.