Chapter 14: Night Conversations

As a limo stopped in front of the Le Grand Paris' entrance, the bellhop who was on duty, quickened his pace to open the passenger's door. Opening it, from inside it came André Bourgeois, mayor of Paris, who had a very busy and strenuous day. He had had plans to have dinner with both his wife and daughter, but once again, one of his meetings went on for longer than he wanted. By the time he had finished his work day, the sun had already set in the horizon, and dinner time had passed. Walking into the lobby of his own hotel, Mayor André passed by the reception desk, and made his way towards the elevator. After the day he had, he just wanted a little peace and quiet. With the elevator's song whispering into his ears, he thought about how he had broken the promise he had made to his wife, and his daughter, and how lousy that made him feel. It made him feel like he was both a bad husband, and a bad parent.

"I really, really hate to break my promises. But what can I do? I couldn't just walk off that meeting. Not without upsetting numerous people." -André thought to himself. –"I just hope Audrey and Chloe aren't too upset about this." -he sighed.

When elevator's doors slid open, he exited it and walked towards his suite. As tired as he was, he just wanted three things. To change clothes, call room service and order a late supper, and then, he would go and see his daughter, and wish her goodnight, before going to sleep. Opening the door, he immediately smelled the scent of bath salts in the air, as well as the unmistakable scent of the shampoo that Audrey used, which meant that she was, or had been taking a bath. After the day he had, he believed he ought to take a bath, but he was not in the mood. Walking through the suite, he called his wife's name.

"Audrey?" -André asked, as he unbuttoned his jacket. –"Are you in here?" -he asked, as he entered the bedroom.

"Finally, you decide to show up!" -Audrey told him, as she came out of the bathroom, wrapped in her bathrobe and sat in front of her dressing table, looking herself in the mirror, clearly upset. –"I was beginning to think that you were going to stay in that horrible City Hall, until next Monday." -she said, as she grabbed one of her night creams, and applied it to her face and neck.

"I'm sorry, Audrey. I truly am." -André apologized to his wife. –"This last meeting, I wasn't expecting it to last until half an hour ago." -he said. –"I promise I'll make it up to you."

"Well, you better! You know I don't come to Paris as much as I like, so when I do, I expect to spend at least a little bit of time with you." -Audrey said. –"Not only I like to spend time with you, but whenever the paparazzi catch us on film, it always makes me look in a good light, which is a good thing for both you and me, and our respective jobs." -she added, as she rubbed a little more cream on her temples.

André knew just how important it was for his wife, to be seen in a good light by the press. Her job as editor of a fashion magazine, sometimes made her look like a villainess, because of most of her decisions. And of course, her strong personality and her views on how the world worked, did not helped either. Still, he knew that all of that was because of the constant stress she was under.

"Like I said, I promise you that we will get the chance to spend some time together, Audrey." -André said, as he placed his hands over her shoulders, caressing them. –"But tell me, how was your day, honey?" -he asked her, concerned.

"It could have been better." -Audrey told him. –"Do you know that you have a serious number of absolute and utterly imbecilic morons working for you in this hotel?" -she asked him, as she began to brush her hair.

"Imbecilic morons, you say?" -André asked her, not fully understanding why she was saying that. –"Did the hotel's staff give you any trouble?"-he asked her.

"Of course, they did, André! Do you really think I would be wasting my time, telling you that, if they hadn't?! –Audrey yelled at him, only to regret it. –"I'm sorry, André. I did not mean to raise my voice towards you." -she apologized to her husband. –"But it was a long day, and truth be told, your staff didn't help. I tell them to do one thing, and they do the complete opposite, and that makes me nervous, annoyed and furious. And you know that I can't stand incompetence. I can stand a lot of things, but incompetence isn't one of them."

"I understand, Audrey." -André said, as he continued to massage her shoulders. –"To tell you the truth, my day wasn't idyllic either, I'm afraid." -he told her. –"So many problems to solve. Sometimes I wonder why I insist on continuing to be a politician. If I wasn't one, I would certainly not have the kind of problems I have."

"Well, no matter how horrible your day was, mine was worst." -Audrey told him. –"At least, the people you have working for you at City Hall, know what they're doing. I, on the other hand had to deal with the incompetence of the hotel's staff, while also dealing with the incompetence of those working for me, in New York." -she admitted. –"I can't believe that there are people so incompetent, that they fail to do the simplest things, a person asks them… Incompetents, that's what they are. It's so hard to get good help these days. I'm telling you, just the thought of it is enough to make my blood pressure go up the roof."

The way his wife was talking, André wondered just how bad things went with the hotel staff. He knew Audrey was not the easiest person to work with or for, and that she could sometimes be quite nasty. But deep down, he knew that that was her way to deal with certain stressful issues. More than once, he had talked with her and tried to make her see that that was no way to deal with her stress. Still, she continued to do it, and though he understood it, he wished she dealt with her stress, some other way, or even went to a doctor to get help. But being the way she was, Audrey believed that she did not have any problems.

"Sometimes I wonder if people don't realize just how hard it is for me to do these things." -Audrey sighed. –"Perfection is the word, by which I guide myself, and everything I do in my life. And perfection is exactly which I'm striving for, when planning a gala, André." -she declared.

"I'm sure they don't mean it, Audrey. Everyone knows that whenever you throw one of your parties or galas, everything is absolutely perfect." -André told her. –"And I'm sure that this one will be a success, as well." -he said, as he kissed her hair.

"Of course, it will, André!" -Audrey exclaimed. –"I mean, I'm the one planning it! If it is up to me, everything will be perfect. The problem is the idiots that I have, to take care of the things I can't!" -she said, as she finished combing her hair. –"Look at this! Look at all these hairs on my hairbrush! The stress is so much that I'm losing my hair! All because a couple of idiots can't seem to understand a few simple orders!"

"Didn't Chloe help you?" -André asked, curious.

"Chloe?" -Audrey asked him.

"Yes, our daughter, honey. I told her to go and help you with the preparations for the gala, in the ballroom, since I wasn't present to help you with it." -André told her.

"Oh, yes, she came to help me… but she left after a while. I don't know why she left, but I was too busy dealing with something that happened, and I didn't get the chance to ask her during dinner, because she had it in her bedroom." -Audrey declared.

"She didn't come to dinner?" -André asked Audrey, his voice showing he was a little concerned about their daughter.

"Jacques told me that she was feeling a little indisposed, and that she was having dinner in her bedroom, and that she was going to bed earlier, if I'm not mistaken." -Audrey said, calling Jean by another name.

"I see…" -André sighed. –"I wonder if she's alright? I haven't been very present these last few weeks." -he admitted to himself, as he removed his mayoral sash. –"Sometimes I think the fact that I wear this blue, white and red sash takes too much of my time. I was actually going to go to her bedroom, to apologize for not coming to dinner. But, if she went to bed early, I think it can wait until tomorrow. Still, I hope she's alright."

"And why shouldn't she be alright?" -Audrey asked him.

"Well, you know she's a teenager and teenagers go through things, Audrey." -André said.

"She'll be fine, André. She's my daughter after all." -Audrey declared, on one of the few times that she mentioned she had a daughter. –"She has inherited my beauty, my good looks, and everything that makes me a strong woman. And let's not forget, that we have both raised her the way someone in her social standard should always behave." -she added.

They continued to talk, with the main conversational topic being Chloe, as André called room service and ordered a light supper. The Bourgeois had always had different views, regarding on how to raise their daughter. Audrey had always believed that her daughter should be raised one way, while André believed she should be raised another way. While André believed that a child ought to be cared and nurtured by its parents, with them being there for the child, every single step of the way, Audrey believed it otherwise. She believed that a child ought to be educated according to her social status, with the parents keeping interaction with it to a minimum, in order to build up character and to strengthen their spirit. All of those things she believed, were a reminder of her own childhood. Still, the truth was that neither one, nor the other had had much to say about the way Chloe had been raised. Because of their careers, neither of them was very present, as Chloe grew up, with their butler, Jean, being the closest thing to a full-time parent she had. Of course, like every child, Chloe was influenced by both their parents, even if they were not always there for her, whether they wanted or not.

"Audrey, honey, don't you think that sometimes… we may not be doing enough for Chloe?" -André asked her.

"Why would you think such a ridiculous thing, André?" -Audrey asked him, not understanding his question.

"Well, you see… how may I put this, without making it sound like it's a terrible thing?" -André asked out loud, while trying to think of the right words. –"You and I know that our careers have taken a lot of our time. You spend most of your time in New York, and only visit when you find the time to do it. And I, well, I try to be present for the two of us, so Chloe doesn't feel that doesn't have parents, but my work is also a lot of time consuming. I feel that that we're failing with her."

"André, you're being ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. Clara has everything a girl her age could ask for." -Audrey told him.

"It's Chloe, honey." -André corrected his wife.

"Oh, yes, Chloe… but like I was saying, she has everything a girl her age could ask for. One cannot say that we have failed to provide for her. She has all the comforts and all the nice things one could ask for." -Audrey said.

"Maybe so, but… don't you feel that sometimes, we ought to be closer to her? I mean, she's our only daughter and I believe that parents need to be there for their children, especially at this age, when they begin to discover who they truly are." -André said. –"And truth be told, neither one of us are the best of parents. I hardly have the time to be with her, and you… well, you and her, your relationship seems almost inexistent at times, not that I'm blaming you or her for it. It's just one of those things that happens, when people like us have careers." -he thought to himself. –"We should try and be there more for her, especially you. She looks up to you, and you… well, maybe you should try and spend a little more time with her. You're a woman. You know more about what girls her age, are going through, than I ever will. I haven't told you this before, but Jean has confided in me a few times, that over these last months, ever since she came back from summer camp, Chloe's been acting differently. And I'll be honest, I've seen that she has changed, I just don't know why."

"Summer camp? Oh, yes, that summer camp… I still can't believe that she actually wanted to go on to that place during summer, and that you allowed her to go, when she could have gone to any other place that was not in the middle of nowhere. Imagine, a daughter of mine in a place where you constantly need bug spray and where you can't have a decent Internet connection. But regarding the fact of you saying she's different, she'll be fine, André! My parents were never around, and I turned out quite well." -Audrey said, as if that was the most trivial thing in the world.

"I suppose you did." -André said. –"Also, Chloe has her friends, who are a good influence on her." -he declared, with a smile on his face.

"Friends?! André, you and I both know that people like us don't have friends. We have acquaintances and people that we know, and that we hang around with, because they will allow us to perceive our professional and personal goals." -Audrey told her husband. –"And Carly is in the age of getting to know that. Like you said before, she's a teenager, not a child. Besides, friends are nothing more than mere distractions. If one wishes to succeed in life, as my parents would say, it needs to see that people will only stay by your side, as long as you have something they need, because once they have it, they will abandon you. If our daughter wants to succeed in life, she needs to see that people like us don't have, and don't need friends. In fact, she should get rid of those so-called friends, who are distractions, that prevent her from being who she was brought up to be. Also, she needs to focus on finding a good husband, and she has already found one in Gabriel Agreste's son." -she pointed out.

"There she goes again with that idea of hers. I don't think Chloe is even remotely interested in Adrien anymore. In fact, I don't even know in which boy she's interested at the moment." -André thought to himself. –"I don't think they are distractions, Audrey. Having friends is something good. Just because we don't have them, it doesn't mean, Chloe shouldn't have them." -he said.

"André, I know you're the kind of person who always tries to see the best in everything and everyone, and that is something that suits you, especially given that you are a politician, and that's a rare quality in one. But you need to be practical about this matter." -Audrey told her husband. –"People who call themselves your friends, will only stay with you, until you have something they're interested in. Not to mention that having them, will prevent you from focusing on your goals. Besides, I'm quite sure that Cora's so-called friends are only her friends, because she's rich, and they're hanging around her, in hopes of getting her to buy them something really expensive things." -she pointed out, truly believing in what she was saying.

"I don't think so, Audrey." -André disagreed. –"I think that Chloe would not be deceived that way. After all, she is our daughter, and she's a very bright girl. And I know some of her friends, and they're not like what you're saying they are." -he said.

"Oh, André, sometimes it feels that you're absolutely naïve." -Audrey sighed. –"And do you happen to know all of Cleo's friends? Because I'm certain that none of them come from families as wealthy as our own, and you know that people always tend to take advantage of people like us, because we're wealthy and they're not." -she said.

No matter how much he insisted on the matter, the mayor could not convince his wife that a person should not just have people in its circle of acquaintances, who could help them rise in life, but should also have friends, who could help them in other ways in life. He himself would love to have some friends, but his political career, did not give him much time to make new friendships. That had always been one of the things that they could never come to an understanding, and it seemed that night was not going to be the time that that would come to pass.

"It's Chloe, dear. And no, I don't think you're right about it. But changing the subject, don't you think that perhaps she should focus on something else? I mean, we've talked about this before, honey, and I'm not saying Chloe shouldn't find a suitable boy and get married, when she's older. But what if she wants to do something else with her life?" -André asked her.

"Something else? Why would she want to do something else?" -Audrey asked him.

"What I mean is, what if she wants to perceive a career, after college? I mean, you married me, and yet you have a career in the fashion world." -André told Audrey. –"I never spoke this with her, but I could see her, maybe, taking an interest in the fashion world, just like you. Who knows? Maybe she could be your protégé?" -he asked her, putting that hypothesis.

"My protégé?! Well… she does have a certain good taste. It's not as good as mine, but with time, who knows, maybe she could be educate into the ways of the fashion world." -Audrey admitted. –"I guess, if she wants to have a career, I don't see anything wrong with it. But I still stand by what I said before, André. Marrying into a good family is a matter our daughter should seriously think about. And like I said before, she doesn't need friends. She needs to create bonds with people who can help her achieve her goals, like you and I did. And not with people that can take advantage of her. I'll be darned if I let someone tarnish our family'" -she said. –"Say what you want, André, but the truth is, our daughter should have her best interests, as well as our family's best interests, always in sight. And marrying into a wealthy family, would not only ensure that even if something bad happened to us, she would be provided for, it would also mean the continuation of our family's name."

Hearing her say those things, André could not help but to feel that Audrey was once again too concerned about appearances, which clouded her reasoning. He knew that managing to keep up appearances was something very important to her, especially because that had a direct impact on her career, which meant a lot to her. But at the same time, he could not help thinking that if she sometimes allowed herself not to think about appearances, and how these tend to rule the world they lived in, if she would not be happier.

"I love her so much, but sometimes, I feel like she's obsessed with appearances, and perfection, and with how much she believes that the world is such an unfair place, that she fails to realize that perhaps things aren't as bad as she paints them in her mind. And worst, her stress levels are once again making it call Chloe by other names that aren't hers. I know that she doesn't do it on purpose, but she could at the very least see a doctor who could help her with that." -André thought to himself.

"I love him very much, but sometimes I feel like he's the most naïve man I've ever met, who can't admit that this is a dog-eat-dog world, and that the only way to come out a winner, is to make sure one doesn't make mistakes and be one step ahead of everyone." -Audrey thought to himself.

After a delicious dinner, in which Marinette was bombarded by cheerful and quizzing questions from her parents, regarding her visit to the Agreste Manor, and how things went with Adrien's dad, the blue-haired girl told them she was going to bed early, because it had been a rather exhausting day. Marinette would be lying, if she said that she did not like when her parents asked her that kind of questions. She was not the kind of girl, who would hide things from them, unless she had a very good reason to do it, like not telling them she was secretly Ladybug. But there were times when they exaggerated a little bit, and that had been one of them, even if she knew they were just curious about what had happened. She knew that they were both happy for her and for Adrien. They had been rooting for the two of them to be a couple, ever since Marinette told them she liked him, and Adrien had visited the bakery for the first time.

Still, after all that happened, she needed to be alone for a bit and relax. It had been a crazy day for her, and she needed to process everything, while laying down in her bed. But her plan for a quiet and relaxing evening took an interesting turn. Marinette had just finished changing into her pyjamas, when she heard her cell phone ringing. Tikki quickly flew over to the desk, where Marinette had left it and saw that it was a Skype call from Adrien. Grabbing the cell phone with both her little hands, Tikki lifted up and took it to Marinette, who answered it.

"Hello there, silly kitty." -Marinette waved at Adrien.

"Hello there, bugaboo." -Adrien waved at her. –"You're already in your pyjamas?" -he asked her.

"Yes. I was going to sleep a little earlier." -Marinette told him. –"Do you like it?" -she asked Adrien, while pointing at her pyjamas.

"You look beautiful wearing just about anything, milady." -Adrien praised her. –"I just called to talk to you for a little bit. But if you're going to sleep, we'll talk more tomorrow…"

"No, wait! We can talk for a little bit. I don't need to go and sleep right away." -Marinette said. –"I mean, I'm a little exhausted after all the emotions, I'll give you that. But I still have enough strength to talk for a little bit." -she smiled at him. –"Let me just get into my bed."

Climbing up the ladder that granted her access to her bed, Marinette pulled the sheets and slid into it. Snuggling in between her sheets, she rested her head on the pillow, without ever taking her eyes from her cell's screen. She did not want to Adrien to lose sight of her, for even a second, and she did not want to lose sight of him either.

"Comfy?" -Adrien asked her, as he saw her with her bedsheets up against her neck.

"Very much, thank you. The only way I would be comfier, was if you were here, lying next to me, while wearing that superhero outfit of yours, purring like a kitten, as I pet you in the head." -Marinette smiled mischievously at Adrien. –"Ever since we started to date, I love to do that, at the end of our patrols." -she admitted.

"You're a natural teaser, you know that?" -Adrien smirked at her, after which Marinette blew him a kiss. –"Well, I can purr for you, if you want to." -he suggested, as the naughty smirk on his face became broader and broader.

"Thanks, but it's not the same, if I can't pet your head, or stroke your hair." -Marinette sighed. –"Anyways, I still can't believe your dad has agreed to let us date." -she said. –"It's like a dream come true."

"Well, I can. And let me tell you this. You did a great impression on my dad. He spent most of the dinner talking about you." -Adrien smiled at her. –"He only does that, when someone manages to make a really big impression on him. Usually, a good one." -he told her.

"I'm happy to hear that." -Marinette sighed happily. –"Still, it's hard to believe that he has given us permission to date." -she said. –"I was really expecting him to say no, and to tell me that I wasn't good enough for you."

"And like I told you before. If he hadn't agreed to it, I would continue to date you behind his back. There's nothing in the world that will make me want to stop dating you, and loving you, Marinette." -Adrien told her.

"The feeling is mutual, Adrien." -Marinette sighed. –"If everything that has happened today was only a dream, then, I don't want to wake up from it." -she declared.

"Same thing with me. Though, I think that the odds of everything that happened today being just a dream, are pretty low. I don't usually have dreams, where I see Plagg eating Camembert… at least not regular size Camembert." -Adrien said, as he looked at his kwami, who was devouring a huge chunk of the stinky cheese.

"Well, my dreams are pretty much me eating all the cheese I want to." -Plagg said, before burping. –"Sorry. That last bite went down, a little too fast." -he joked.

"Do you ever have this kind of problems with Tikki?" -Adrien asked her.

"No, I don't. Tikki is extremely polite." -Marinette answered him, as she looked at the scarlet kwami, who was seated on her abdomen, silently nibbling a chocolate chip cookie. –"But I can imagine that maybe Kim and Ivan, have their hands full with Imp and Muria, respectively." -she chuckled, as she imagined both Ivan and Kim, having to put up with their kwamis shenanigans.

Before they confessed their feelings to one another, and becoming a couple, Marinette and Adrien were lucky if they were able to have a conversation for more than 20 minutes, before one of them started to say the wrong thing, or one of them said something that he, or she would repent saying, and blush like a ripe tomato. But ever since they started to date, their conversations would easily go on for hours. And that one, was one of those conversations that felt like they would be talking until dawn. Eventually, the conversation span towards another subject. One that neither one, nor the other was particularly fond of, but could still not ignore; Ambroise Delay's latest video and how it accused them of verbally assaulting him, while also continuing to say that they were just as bad as Hawk Moth.

"I know. I was talking about it with Alya, just before dinner, when your bodyguard brought me home. I even had to pretend we were talking about something else, so he would not suspect a thing." -Marinette told him. –"She was not happy about it." -she declared.

"And why would she be happy about it? The guy is practically slandering our good name, every time he gets the chance." -Adrien sighed. –"I mean, I honestly don't get it. What did we do to harm him? Because the last time I checked, we didn't do anything to him, or anyone he might know." -he stated.

"And you're right, we didn't do anything to him." -Marinette said. –"But we all talked about this, and we even asked Master Fu for advice on it. There are people who just don't like us. And this Ambroise Delay is one of them." -she said.

"Well, I still don't like it. It's like he's begging us to show up with a lawyer, and then sue him for moral damages." -Adrien said, fuming about it. –"I mean, you don't see me insulting people, just because I don't like them. Sure, I insult Hawk Moth and his minions, but that's a different story. It's my way to deal with just how stressed I am, during a battle… and it's not like they don't deserve it." -he pointed out.

"But you're a sweet and gentle person, Adrien. You're almost incapable of having a bad thought about most people or things. That's one of the things about you, that made me fall in love with you." -Marinette said. –"And for that, you're better than him, and all of those haters out there, my silly kitty." -she smiled.

"Thanks, bugaboo. You know, after those sweet words of yours, I really wish I didn't have that photoshoot tomorrow afternoon, that I told you about, so we could hang out, or go to the movies." -Adrien sighed. –"It's times like this that I hate being a model for my dad's fashion brand." -he lamented.

"You aren't the only one. But if you weren't, I wouldn't have my collection of posters, where you show up with that dashing smile of yours." -Marinette chuckled.

"You have a collection of posters of mine?" –Adrien asked her, pretending to be shocked by such a revelation.

"You bet I do, silly kitty." -Marinette playfully told him. –"How do you think I memorized every last detail about your handsome face?" -she asked him, with a teasing voice.

"Sometimes, I don't know if you're telling the truth, or if you're just teasing me." -Adrien winked at her. –"Still, it's like I said, I really wish I could spend the afternoon with you, tomorrow." -he said.

"And I wish I could spend the afternoon with you." -Marinette told him. –"Are you sure I can't go with you, and keep you company?" -she asked Adrien, while making sad puppy eyes.

"Wish I could, milady, but the photoshoot is going to be done in a place that is currently so inaccessible, my dad needed to pay a fortune just to be allowed to use it for this photoshoot. Not counting me, the only ones allowed in will be the camera crew, the photographer and Nina, who will be my dad's eyes and ears on the spot." –Adrien answered her. –"It was supposed to be Nathalie, but she asked my dad to give her the day-off, so she could go and visit her mother, whose birthday it tomorrow." -he said.

"And where's that place? You know, just out of curiosity?" -Marinette asked him.

"It's the Saint Jean de Montmartre Church. My dad's newest collection was inspired by the Art Deco style, and he believes that it'll be the best place for the photoshoot." -Adrien asked. –"You know, it's not that I'm against it, because I already did photoshoots in other churches, but I don't like to do it. A church is supposed to be a sacred place, and going there to do a photoshoot, don't seem like the best course of action." -he admitted.

"I don't see anything wrong with doing that, but I understand what you're saying." -Marinette told him. –"And now that I know where the photoshoot is, a certain superheroine might show up to greet you." -she smirked at him, upon which he raised an eyebrow at her. –"What? A superheroine doesn't need any kind of authorization to enter a place, and see if everything is alright."

"Aren't you breaking the rules just a little bit, by using your powers for your own benefit?" -Adrien asked her, with an impish voice.

"Maybe a little, but Tikki won't mind if I do it, will you, Tikki?" -Marinette asked, as she petted her kwami

"Just as long as it's just for a couple of minutes." -Tikki smiled at her.

"Did you hear that? Tomorrow, you'll be getting the brief visit of the world's sexiest Ladybug." -Marinette said, triumphally.

"There's another Ladybug, and I didn't know about it?" -Adrien joked.

"You're such an idiot!" -Marinette chuckled. –"If you were here, right now, I swear I would hit you on the shoulder for that one." -she told him.

"Such a shame you can't do that." -Adrien teased her, with a smirk on his face.

"Don't give me an excuse to power up and go to your place, silly kitty." -Marinette warned him in a playful tone.

"As if you needed an excuse to show up in that beautiful, skin-tight red and black outfit of yours." –Adrien said, winking mischievously at her.

"Stop being such a teaser!" -Marinette giggled. –"It's like you love to do that!" -she exclaimed.

"And who says I don't?" -Adrien joked, before the two of them burst into laughter. –"I better stop with this, before I bust my gut." -he said, still laughing a little.

"Ditto." -Marinette agreed, as she tried to stop laughing.

The conversation between Marinette and Adrien went on for a little longer, until Tikki and Plagg warned them that they were going to sleep, and that prompted the two lovebirds to realize that their eyes were beginning to feel a little heavy, signalling it was time for them to also go to sleep. And after the day they had, they were both in the need for a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.

"Let's hope Hawk Moth doesn't have any idea of creating another Akuma for us to deal with, tonight." -Marinette commented, truly hoping that would not come to pass.

"I don't think that will happen. I mean, Mylene, Ivan, Chloe, Nino and Max kicked the butt of his latest Akuma, this afternoon, so the odds of him throwing another one at us, in the same day, are very low." -Adrien reminded her. –"I'm quite sure that will have a wonderful, peaceful evening, where the only thing we'll have to worry is if we dream about one another."

"I like the sound of that." -Marinette confessed. –"Then, I'll see you tomorrow as Ladybug?" -she asked Adrien, smiling.

"Yes. Definitely. Absolutely." –Adrien winked at her.

"You've been watching Gravity Falls again, haven't you?" -Marinette asked him in a playful tone, after recognizing one of Mabel Pines' most infamous lines.

"Blame my inner geek, who loves that series." -Adrien joked. –"But seriously, I'll be counting the minutes, from the moment I wake up, to see you." -he told her.

"So will I." -Marinette yawned. –"Goodnight, my silly kitty." -she said, while waving goodbye at Adrien.

"Sweet dreams, milady." -Adrien waved back, just before ending the call.

Underneath the sheets of Juleka's bed, she and Rose were wrapped around each other, watching a movie that Juleka had chosen for their date night, knowing that Rose was going to love it. If she had not been grounded, the two of them would have gone to the movies. But because she had been, they had to improvise something to make it up for her inability to go out, and that meant snuggling the blonde through her bedroom window, after dinner. Still, the Goth could not relax and enjoy the movie. She knew that the chances of someone coming to knock on her door were practically nil, but still, the fear of getting caught by her parents, or either by her brother was real. And it was not fear of being caught in bed with her girlfriend, but the fear of not being able to come up with a plausible excuse, to explain why one of the members of the Miraculous Team, was wrapped around her. The fear of getting caught, had forced Juleka to ask Rose to remain transformed, as Flamingo. Every time she heard a little noise, which she could identify what it was, Juleka felt like her heart could at any moment, jump out of her chest. But she tried her best to not show it. She did not want her date night with Rose to be over, sooner than expected. She wanted for them to stay there, in her bed, in each other's arms, while watching a movie.

"You're liking the movie?" -Juleka asked her girlfriend.

"For the twentieth time, I am, Juleka. You don't have to ask it over and over. You know this is one of my favourite movies." -Flamingo giggled. –"What's the matter, Jules?" -she asked her, having already figured she was a little nervous.

"I guess I'm just a little nervous, that's all." -Juleka admitted. –"I'm nervous that Luka might hear the sound of the television, and come and check and sees you in your superhero outfit, or that my mom or my dad show up, and see you in your superhero outfit." -she said.

"Do you want me to revert to normal?" -Flamingo asked her girlfriend.

"No, don't do it. In case you need to do a quick getaway, it's best if you stay transformed." -Juleka declared.

The flamingo heroine could hear the nervousness in her voice, and decided to help her calm down a little bit. Wrapping her arms around Juleka's waist, she pulled her to herself and snuggled in, feeling her warm body against hers. Looking the Goth in the eyes, she saw that that little trick had calmed her down a little bit.

"I love it when you get this nervous." -Flamingo said, just before planting another kiss on Juleka's lips. –"I don't know why, but I love it. Maybe because it gives me the urge to kiss you, to calm you down." -she smiled, before running her fingers over Juleka's long and silky hair.

"At least one of us loves it." -Juleka said, when she heard another sound. –"What was that?" -she whispered at her girlfriend.

"I didn't hear anything." -Flamingo told her.

"I thought I heard something. I'm sorry, Rose. I'm just being paranoid." -Juleka quickly apologized herself.

"It's alright, I get it." -Flamingo told her, as she pulled her closer, only for her to back away a little bit. –"What's the matter? Usually, you're the one who's the grabby one." -she asked her.

"Sorry, it's just… your outfit, it feels a little strange to the touch. I'm only used to touch it, when I'm also transformed." -Juleka admitted. –"It feels a little bit like you're wearing a wetsuit." -she told her.

"Are you sure you don't want me to revert back to normal?" -Flamingo asked her, insisting on her offer. –"I don't mind, you know that." -she added.

"No, there's no need for it. Besides, I'm slowly starting to get used to it." -Juleka told her, as she ran her fingertips over her girlfriend's left arm, caressing it ever so gently. –"Also, it makes me feel like a superhero's girlfriend, after being saved by it, from a nasty supervillain." -she joked about, as Flamingo rested her head on the Goth's shoulder.

"And here I thought that I was the one in this relationship, who was the nerd." -Flamingo giggled.

"Maybe I'm a little bit of a nerd too." -Juleka smiled at her. –"You can hug me with a bit more strength, if you want to. You know I like that." -she said, as she allowed the blonde to wrap her left arm around her waist, squeezing her gently.

"Anything you say, my beautiful raven girl." -Flamingo smiled, as she gently pulled Juleka into another kiss, this time taking her sweet time to inhale her perfume, which she recognized. –"Mmm… your perfume smells so good. I'm so glad I gave it to you." -she said, before kissing her once more.

"You know what's the best part… of having you here with me, as Flamingo?" -Juleka asked the blonde, between kisses.

"What's the best part, hmm?" -Flamingo asked her, before kissing her again.

"It's that you're not so shy, and you're more inclined to share your affections like this." -Juleka answered her, before kissing her on the neck. –"Don't worry… I won't leave any marks on your neck." -she assured the blonde, knowing that she was not a fan of hickey marks on her neck.

"Thanks. And feel free to use your other hand." -Flamingo told her.

"Don't you want to finish watching the movie first?" -Juleka asked, before continuing to kiss her on the neck.

"No. I'm more interested in the beautiful Goth, who's currently kissing my neck." -Flamingo told her in a low and sexy voice.

"God, I love when you talk like that. Why can't you talk like that, when you don't have the mask on, my beautiful flamingo?" -Juleka asked, as she placed one final kiss on her girlfriend's neck.

"And where would be the fun, if I was always like this? If I'm not like this all the time, you'll love even more when I'm like this." -Flamingo said, before pulling Juleka into a torrid kiss.

After finishing cleaning up the dinner table, Sabrina told her parents that she was going to her bedroom and watch whatever it was on television. She had not seen any television that day, because she spent her afternoon helping her mom to revise the speech, she was going to use for the final allegations of a case she had been working on for the past two months. For more than four hours, she sat in the living room, with her cell phone on silent mode, listening to her mom talking. She was not a big fan of her mom's work, because she found it boring, when compared to her dad's. But she liked to help her mom rehearsing the final allegations, to make sure she was ready to defend her clients in court. The only trouble was that during that time, the world could be ending, that she would not be allowed to even care about it.

And it was only after dinner, that she found out about the Akuma attack and how this one had been taken by five members of the Miraculous Team, among them her best-friend, in a matter of minutes. Knowing about it, she wished she had been a part of the action. Still, when she found out about Ambroise Delay's latest attack against the whole team, she wished she had not found out about it, because it gave her all the more reason to find him and turn him into a block of ice, even if was not the right thing to do.

"What a douchebag! How can he say those lies about us?!" -Sabrina asked Mika.

"I don't know. But I can tell you this. If I ever see him, I swear that I'll bite his butt, so he has a recollection of what it means to mess with any miraculous holder." -Mika declared. –"You want a cashew?" -he asked her, as he opened a bag of salty cashews that Sabrina had on her desk.

Trying to forget what Ambroise said, Sabrina decided to check a couple of videos from that day's fight, to help her forget the nasty words she had heard coming out of the man's mouth. Selecting the best, she watched them all and once more she wished she had been with them. She did not say it often, but she had grown to enjoy taking down Akumas. Rewatching the videos, she observed how all of the team members attacked the Akuma. She liked to do that with videos where she showed up as Louve Grise, because it allowed her to see where she needed to get better. Pausing the video on where she could see Queen Bee about to land a perfect rotating kick to the Akuma's back, Sabrina could not help but to admire the sheer grace in her moves. For a few weeks now, she instinctively checked on her best-friend. At first, she did not think much about it. But as this started to become a thing, Sabrina began to wonder why she was doing it. She tried not to think about it, but the more she tried, the harder it was for her not to. There was only one reason why she was doing it; she had the hots for the blonde. She knew it was stupid to think that, especially since she had never thought about girls that way. But there was no other way to explain what was happening to her. Sighing, she decided to share what she felt was happening to her with the one person, or creature, that was with her, in her bedroom.

"What exactly are you talking about, kiddo?" -Mika asked her, as he ate another cashew. –"I'm a little confused here." -he said.

"Sorry, Mika, it's just that I think… I think that I might have a crush on Chloe." -Sabrina admitted.

"A crush?!" -the wolf kwami exclaimed, almost spitting the cashew he was eating. –"A crush as in a…"

"Yes, a crush like that. You remember what I told you about what happened at Chloe's slumber party, right?" -Sabrina asked her kwami.

"Vaguely, yeah. You said something about her being your first kiss, and that happened during that stupid game, what was the name of it? Oh, yeah, Truth or Dare." -Mika said, before nibbling one more cashew.

"Yes, that's right." -Sabrina said. –"Well, I can't stop thinking about it… the kiss, I mean." -she told him. –"I keep remembering it, and how it was. It's not that I want to, but it happens. Mostly when I talk to Chloe or a I see her. I've been trying to ignore it, but these thoughts have started to become stronger as of late."

"No offense, but I thought you were into guys." -Mika said.

"And I am." -Sabrina declared. –"But… maybe I'm not just into guys. Maybe I'm also into girls, after all. I don't know." -she sighed. –"My mind's a bit of a mess, Mika."

"Then, I suggest that you find a way to be a mess. It's never a good thing to have your mind like that. It can be dangerous, especially when you're one of the heroes who protects this city, and who has a bounty on her head, courtesy of Hawk Moth." -Mika said. –"I suggest that you talk to Chloe about this. Maybe if you talk, you'll figure it out if you really have a crush on her, or if it's just in your head." -he told her.

She knew he was right. Talking was always the best solution, and both she and Chloe had seen that happening, a few nights earlier. But if in the end, she really came to realize that what she felt for Chloe was truly a crush, how would that leave things between them? She knew Chloe was into boys, and no matter how much she tried, she could not imagine her being into girls. The more she thought about it, the more it pained her to have those doubts about herself. And the last thing she wanted was for her friendship with Chloe, which had suffered a considerable blow, would suffer another one. Even so, she knew that if she did not talk with Chloe about it, even if just to get it off her chest, it would continue to haunt her thoughts.

"I think you're right. I need to talk to her. But I'm only going to talk to her about it, after her mom's gone. She has too much on her plate, right now. And I'm afraid that if I talk with her about this, she might…" -Sabrina said.

"She might think that you're just like Rose and Juleka, and she might freak out on you." -Mika finished her sentence.

"Not necessarily." -Sabrina said. –"It's just… look, I don't even know why I talked to you about this. But what I know, is that I need to talk to Chloe about it. Who knows? Maybe when I tell her about this, we'll both end up laughing about it and that will be the end of it. It'll be one of those crazy things that happened to both of us, and that we'll remember, as the years go by." -she said.

But she was not sure about it. Sabrina was not someone who liked to brag about herself and her qualities. But if she was, one of the things she would brag about was how her hunches, regarding any subject, were usually 100% correct. And right then, her hunch was telling her that the fact she believed she might have a serious crush on Chloe, was 100% correct. You could say that the question roaming inside her head was "Could I have fallen in love with my best-friend and didn't even realize it?"

Happy New Year, everyone! First chapter of the year! I wanted to finish it earlier, but you know how things are. Still, here it is. For this chapter I wanted to focus on the relationships of some of the couples, with the Chloe's parents being the big surprise. If you have been reading this fic, I presented my version of Audrey a few chapters earlier, and now we get to see a bit more of what makes her tick. I mean, I tried to humanize her a bit, because I don't like the idea of someone being inherently bad just for the sake of it, and to also make it a bit of a contrast between her and my OC, Ambroise Delay. In the show, we don't see much interaction between Chloe's parents, except in a couple of scenes, so I decided to give them the spotlight for a bit, and to also show how different they are, and how Audrey behaves with him. I think I managed to write them the way I wanted to, even if I have to admit that initially, the scene wasn't going to play out the way it did. Also, I dedicated a little bit of time to Marinette and Adrien, who are happily celebrating their victory as a couple, as of course, Rose and Juleka, who improvise a little date of their own. Last, but not least, I also dropped the bomb, so to speak, regarding ChloexSabrina, with Sabrina being the first one to admit that she might have a crush on Chloe. Initially, I was going to add another little scene to this chapter, but I decided to save it for the following one.

Anyways, I hope you liked to see a little bit more about Audrey, and to find out a little bit about Chloe's parents lives. I'll try to update as fast as I can. As always, feel free to comment, fav and leave suggestions to improve this fic, or future ones. :)