Chapter 11: Hot Cocoa and Suspicions

And while Marinette heard both recipes from her grandmother, Nathaniel was once again debating with Mulan what he wanted to do, regarding Marc. When Miss Bustier talked about the Japanese tradition of girls offering chocolates to boys on Valentine's Day, and then Alya threw the idea of the whole class doing it, Nathaniel had the idea of offering Marc chocolates. It was true, that he was not part of the class, but no one said that one could not offer chocolates to another person in school. And for Nathaniel, there was only one person he wanted to offer a box of chocolates, and that was Marc. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to do it. But at the same time, there was one thing that was preventing him from doing it… fear. Fear of rejection. Fear of being seen as different. Fear of making the wrong impression. In sum, fear of showing to Marc how he truly was. Nathaniel knew that all those negative thoughts were not healthy, and if it was not for the fact that whoever wore a miraculous, could not be akumatized, he would be the perfect candidate for akumatization, all because of the fear that was tormenting both his mind and his heart.

He tried not to think about it too hard, but the more he did that, the harder it became to do it. Once he got home, he did the only thing he could to stop thinking about gibberish. He sat in front of his desk and began to work a little bit on his Miraculous Team webcomic, hoping that by doing it, he would keep his mind too busy to think of other things. The trouble was, not even drawing was helping him that afternoon. He tried to draw the Miraculous heroes, only to stop, because he did not like what he was drawing, or because he ended up drawing Marc's face on more than one of them.

"Dang it! Not again!" -Nathaniel sighed, as he ripped the drawing sheet and ripped it into two.

Seeing this, Mulan, who had been quiet, ever since they got home from school, felt that he had to say something, anything, to help Nathaniel deal with what was going on in his head.

"You're not feeling it today, aren't you?" -Mulan asked, as he hovered above Nathaniel's head.

"No… and it's all because of these thoughts in my head." -Nathaniel groaned, as he felt those very same thoughts playing in his mind, and blocking any bit of inspiration he might have on him that day.

And Mulan knew just what thoughts Nathaniel was talking about. He did not even need to hear him say what they were. All he had to do was look at him and see what those thoughts were doing to him that day. It pained him Mulan to see Nathaniel that way.

"Your head's a mess, right now, Nathaniel." -Mulan said. –"The only good advice I can give to you right now, is that you need to clear your thoughts, so you don't do something that you might regret doing later, or not." -he said.

"I know, I know… I haven't had a headache this big in a really long time, Mulan." -Nathaniel sighed. –"This problem is literally turning me bonkers." -he said. –"I mean, it's not really a problem, it's more like… well, you know when you have a really great idea, but you are afraid of putting it into motion, because you are afraid the outcome might not be the one you were expecting? That's me right now."

Mulan remained silent and kept hearing Nathaniel. He figured that the best thing he could do, right then, was to let him talk and sort his thoughts on his own. The red panda kwami understood what was going on in Nathaniel's head, and felt that whatever he could tell him, would not help him getting a clearer picture of the whole problem. He knew that sometimes, people must try and figure things out on their own, and the best way to do so, was to have a serious talk to themselves. And that was just what was going on, as Mulan allowed Nathaniel to have that same talk.

"I know it's stupid, but I'm afraid to mess this up. I don't want to push Marc away. I mean, I want to do it, I want to offer him a box of chocolates. But what if he thinks that I'm weird?! Or, what if he interprets things in the wrong and thinks that I'm trying something that he's not going to like?!" -Nathaniel sighed, as his voice revealed that he was doing his best to not have a panic attack. –"This is a really stupid idea, Mulan… I don't even know if he's into guys. For all we know, he's straight, and would even punch me in the face if I offered him some chocolates." -he said with a low-down voice.

Sensing that that was not going anywhere, Mulan decided to try and steer Nathaniel in the right direction, by helping him to realize that his fears were mostly unsubstantiated, and that he should not let them cloud his judgement.

"He doesn't' look like the kind of guy who would do that. I mean, he's clearly not a jock." -Mulan said. Though the only jock he personally knew was Kim, and Kim did not act the way most jocks act, the red panda kwami had seen enough television series, and had also observed some of the students at Collège Françoise Dupont who inserted themselves into the jock stereotype, to know just what he was talking about. –"I don't believe he would do such a thing." -he said.

Though he wanted to believe in the words Mulan had just said, deep in his mind, Nathaniel was truly.

"He looked nice… but so did Chloe, when I first met her, only to find out how she truly was." -Nathaniel told Mulan. He did not like to use Chloe as an example, but there was no way to avoid the fact that before the previous summer, she was the meanest kind of person one could ever had the unfortunate bad luck to meet. And he feared that beneath a friendly face, Marc could be just like she was.

"Yeah, I understand what you're saying. But you'll never know, if you don't try and see what happens. I mean, you might actually have a nice surprise." -Mulan told him. –"He might even fancy you. And if he doesn't, well, at least you'll have another friend, you can talk to." -he declared.

"I thought you said that you were going to ask the other kwamis for a little bit of help, finding out a little more about Marc." -Nathaniel said.

"I still haven't had the chance to ask them for a little help. But don't worry, it will happen, I promise you that." -Mulan promised him. –"But in the meantime, why don't you go out and try to draw something on your sketchbook?"

"I thought I told you that today is not a good day for art." -Nathaniel reminded his kwami. –"I can't draw anything today, even if I want to." -he sighed, knowing that the mess that was his mind that day, would not allow him to even sketch a single drawing, without looking like crap.

"Maybe. But you always get your best ideas, when you go out. And right now, you need to go out and do something to get those thoughts from your head. It's not healthy. So, go on, grab your stuff, put on a jacket and let's go. You can buy me a snack on the way." -Mulan told him.

Sighing, Nathaniel decided to do as Mulan told him. He was not in the mood to go anywhere or do anything that afternoon. But he knew that staying at home and do nothing, with that kind of thoughts in his mind was not healthy. Putting on a jacket and a beanie, he then grabbed his sketchbook and a few pencils and pens, placing them in his pockets and got ready to leave.

"Alright, let's go out for a little while. But we've got to be back before my parents come home." -Nathaniel said, as Mulan slipped inside one of the pockets in his jacket.

"You're doing the right, Nathaniel. You'll see. You'll be feeling way better in just a couple of minutes, once you start breathing some fresh air." -Mulan told him.

Already on the street, Nathaniel felt the afternoon wind against his skin. For a moment, he felt like turning around and go back inside, where it was warm. But he knew that if he did that, Mulan would not shut up about it for the rest of the day; and right then, he did not need a lecture from him. Walking down the street, he allowed himself to go where his feet decided to take him, with no fixed destination.

Nathaniel usually liked to go to a garden, or anywhere near the Seine to find the inspiration to draw. But because of the wind on that afternoon, he decided that he needed to go somewhere, where there was less wind. Taking the bus, it was only a matter of minutes, before he found himself near Gare du Nord. Being the most important train station in Paris, there was never a dull moment there. Sometimes, Nathaniel liked to go there, just to see the constant fuss that was part of that place. It inspired him to draw action sequences. And on that day, with the wind constantly blowing, the best place to be around there, was inside the station, or better, inside one of the many cafés, where he could just sit inside one of them, drinking something hot, while drawing.

Crossing the street, he decided that he was going to do just that. Find a café inside the station, where he could have a good view of the place, buy something hot and delicious to drink and try to draw something. Sighing, he admitted to himself that Mulan had had the right idea. Now that he was there, on the street, his mind felt more at ease, and he was not thinking so hard on his problems.

"This little guy really knows what's best for me." -Nathaniel thought to himself, as his eyes looked at the pocket in his jacket, where Mulan was hiding in.

He was so focused into his thoughts, that he did not realize that he was about to bump into someone, who was coming in the opposite direction. Bumping into it, Nathaniel fell on his back, dropping his sketchbook. It was not a serious fall; he had been hit with a lot more force from the many Akumas he had faced as Panda Rouge. As he tried to get up, the person who had bumped into him offered to help him out, by giving him a hand.

"Whoa… sorry, I… no way…" -the person that bumped into Nathaniel said.

Looking up, Nathaniel's heart skipped a beat, as he saw who he had bumped into, yet again. Staring at him, was Marc Anciel. Trying to come up with what to say, Nathaniel's brain froze, as his heart began to pound a lot faster.

"You know, this is starting to get old." -Marc chuckled. –"We've got to stop bumping into one another like that." -he said.

"Y-Yeah, we really should try." -Nathaniel chuckled as well, though his chuckle was a nervous one. –"It's starting to be… a habit, you know?" -he said, trying to force his brain to work properly. The last thing he wanted was to say the wrong words, right then.

"So… the last time you were coming from arts and crafts shop. So, where you coming from today?" -Marc asked Nathaniel. –"Dumb question! What did you ask him that? He's probably going to think that you're just mocking him." -he thought to himself.

"I… I just came for a walk. Hard day in school." -Nathaniel said, when he remembered that his sketchbook was still on the ground.

"Don't worry, I'll get it for you." -Marc said as he grabbed the sketchbook and prepared to hand it to Nathaniel, when his eyes got a tiny glimpse of one of the many drawings in it. –"Uh… do you mind if I?"

"Uh, no, go right ahead." -Nathaniel smiled. This felt unusual for him, because he was not someone who would let most people see his sketchbook, even if they asked him. To allow Marc to check the drawings in it was a big deal.

And Mulan, who was listening to the whole thing, realized that what Nathaniel had done was incredibly big. There were only a handful of people that he allowed such an honour. Smiling, he believed that perhaps he would not have to ask the other kwamis to help him out, finding more things about Marc, because if Nathaniel played his cards right, he could find them out by himself, right then.

"It's all in your hands now, Nathaniel. Just keep calm and be yourself." -Mulan thought to himself.

As the little kwami mused to himself, Marc was still looking at the sketchbook in silence, admiring the multiple drawings and just how each one looked like it was about to come to life. He had seen some pretty incredible artists their age before, but to him, Nathaniel took the cake when it came to technique, which looked flawless in many points.

"Whoa, you did these?" -Marc asked Nathaniel, without taking his from the drawings.

"Y-Yeah, I did." -Nathaniel said, trying not to blush. –"They're nothing special, really." -he smiled awkwardly.

"Are you kidding? These look great! I mean, I wish I had half the talent you have to draw like this." -Marc said, as he looked at a drawing of Ladybug. –"Incredible, you make Ladybug look so realistic… plus, great attention to detail. You didn't make her too busty or oversexualized, like so many other artists do." -he said.

"I-I try to keep her and the rest of the heroes on a realistic visual. I don't mind seeing other artists drawing them as if they American superheroes, but that's just not my style. I prefer to keep things simple." -Nathaniel said. Plus, he knew that if he attempted to draw the girls like so many other artists did, he was sure to get bumped on the head by more than just one of his friends from the opposite sex, who did not feel very comfortable being depicted as if they were characters in a mature comic book or worst.

"Well, you're doing a pretty good job. I wouldn't mind reading something with this level of detail in it." -Marc said, as he closed the sketchbook

As his hand reached for the sketchbook, Nathaniel felt that perhaps that was a good time to ask Marc if he wanted to hang out a little bit. It sounded like a good idea, and there was nothing that made it wrong for him to ask another boy that. After all, they attended the same school, and it was clear that they had at least a couple of things in common, like their love for art, even if Marc's case was in the form of writing, and in Nathaniel's case was in form of illustrations. His heart was trembling, as he tried to make up his mind about asking him if he would like to hang out, or not. Finally, in what looked like an eternity, he made up his mind about it, and went for it.

"Hey… huh, I… I was actually going inside, grab something to drink and just sketch a couple of things. Would you like to keep me company?" -Nathaniel asked Marc, showing he was a little nervous about making him that invitation. –"Worst case scenario, he'll just say no. No biggie… just keep your cool." -he told himself. –"I-I mean, if you don't have anything else to do and…"

"Sure. I mean, it's already the third time we bump into one another. I don't know if you believe in fate, but I do. And I think fate is telling us that perhaps we should try and get to know each other a little better. After all, we attend the same school." -Marc said. –"Besides, I've got nothing better to do this afternoon."

Hearing those words, Nathaniel's heart began to pound a little faster. Marc had agreed to come with him. Still, he tried not to get ahead of himself. He knew that he had to keep his cool. He had already managed to do the hardest, which was to talk to him and find a way to get to know him a little better. From that point on, it was all uncharted territory.

"Cool. Shall we go in?" -Nathaniel asked.

Entering the Gare du Nord, the two of them immediately felt the agitation that place passed on to anyone who entered in it. All the people looked like they were in a hurry to get somewhere, which made sense, since that place was a train station. The numerous sounds of people walking, trolleys being pulled, shouts, trains arriving or departing, along with other noises that could be heard, when combined, sounded like an unholy racket. Though for some people, that had both the patience to do it, would almost sound like the numerous instruments in an orchestra, that once combined, produced a rather fascinating melody; an infernal melody, but still a melody. Ignoring the noise, they looked around for a place they could just sit back and talk. Entering the Starbucks that was conveniently located just before the stairs that granted access to the Eurostar trains, they both ordered something hot and sweet, before taking a seat in one of the very few available tables. The scent of freshly brewed coffee was in the air, making Starbucks the perfect place for a friendly talk.

As with every first conversation, they both talked about themselves, about their families and about their hobbies. By the time their beverages arrived, they already knew a little about each other. And that knowledge kept growing. It was only a matter of time before anyone who was watching them, thought that they were the best of friends. Little by little, Nathaniel felt more at ease with Marc, though he still kept his guard up, trying to get to know him better, before asking about certain subjects. So, it was no surprise to him, when their conversation focused on their hobbies and on Marc's opinion regarding the Miraculous Team, which seemed to be a subject they had a shared interest into.

"I'll be honest, I really like Ladybug, as well as the rest of the heroes. She looks something, doesn't she?" -Marc asked him. –"But to be absolutely fair, and don't laugh because of this, my favourite one is Panda Rouge."

"W-W-Why? I-I mean, why is he your favourite?" -Nathaniel asked him, as deep down, he felt incredibly humble, when hearing Marc say that he was his favourite hero.

"I don't know. There's something about him… maybe it's his powers. With that kind of powers, he can literally create anything he wants to." -Marc said. –"I sometimes even wonder if we need all those heroes, if we got someone like him. With that kind of powers, you would think he could defeat the Akumas and even Hawk Moth, all by himself." -he chuckled.

Hearing him say that, Nathaniel understood why some people wondered about the need of having the rest of the Miraculous Team, if Panda had the power to create literally anything he wanted. But what Marc did not know, and Nathaniel could not tell him about for obvious reasons, was that Panda Rouge's powers came with a catch. He could create anything he wanted and bring it to life, but he could only bring one thing or a group of things to life, at a time. Plus, the more complex the creation, the more energy it was needed for him to bring it to life, so it was not a good idea to come up with overcomplicated creations, right from the start.

"Well, he is quite powerful, but I think that even he must have his limits." -Nathaniel said, as he took a sip from his hot cocoa.

"I guess, you're right. Still, how cool wouldn't it be for one of us to have those powers?" -Marc asked him. –"I would be sure to put them to good use." -he said.

"I'll be honest, me too." -Nathaniel said, as he finished drawing a simple sketch of himself as Panda Rouge. –"There, finished. What do you think?" -he asked Marc, rather shyly, as he showed him the sketch, hoping he liked it.

"Whoa… okay, I'm speechless, again!" -Marc exclaimed, as he drank a sip from his coffee. –"And you still say that you aren't talented. If I had that kind of talent, I would be bragging about it, all the time… well, not all the time, but whenever I had the chance." -he chuckled.

"I'm sure you're talented, when it comes to your writing." -Nathaniel told him.

"I'm good, but I'm not extraordinary… not like you, with your drawings." -Marc admitted. –"I only write fanfics." -he said. He had tried to write something original, but every time he did, he could never finish it. It was only with fanfics that he felt comfortable enough to write anything that came to his mind.

"So? I pretty much draw fanart, most of the time. There's no shame in that." -Nathaniel said. –"You write fanfics of what?"

"Well, I wrote one or two based on DC Comics Teen Titans, as well as Justice League. I also wrote a couple of Harry Potter fanfics… oh, and I tried to write one about the Walking Dead, but didn't go past the first two chapters, because I couldn't figure out what to do. I mean, it's the Walking Dead, most characters die in a matter of episodes, so it's kind of predictable." -Marc said.

Just from hearing that last sentence, Nathaniel figured out that Marc was not a fan of predictable things. To him, that was a good thing, because if an artist likes predictable things, he might end up making his own creations predictable, and that is something that one should never allow to happen.

"And recently, I decided to start writing some fanfics about the Miraculous Team, but they're still in the early development." -Marc admitted.

"Really? And what kind of fic would it be? I mean, an action one? A romantic one?" -Nathaniel asked him, truthfully interested in what he was talking about.

"Oh, it's basically one where the heroes go to school together and everyone knows they are superheroes. Like I said, it's still in early development. But there's one thing that I already know how I'm going to do it; their personalities. I checked all the interviews they have given in the Miraculous Blog, and I'm trying to create an alternate universe, where some of them are going to sound and behave a lot differently." -Marc explained.

"The Miraculous Blog? Yeah, that blog has all that info on the heroes. I know, because the person who runs it, she's a friend of mine… she's in my class." -Nathaniel declared.

"Wait! The creator of the Miraculous Blog is someone our age and is in your class?" -Marc asked him. –"That is so cool. You're lucky to know her. I bet she tells you tons of things regarding the heroes." -he said.

"It's one of the bonuses of knowing her, and having helped her to create the blog. It was nothing much, but I designed the logo of it and…" -Nathaniel said.

"Wait, you did that logo?"" -Marc asked Nathaniel, who nodded his head. –"That was an amazing work there." -he congratulated him.

"T-Thanks…" -Nathaniel answered him, not exactly how to react to all the praises he was hearing.

"I'll be honest. When I first saw that logo, I wondered who could have done it, because it's really cool." -Marc admitted. –"I-I know that this is the first time we're talking and all, but, let me ask you one thing. Have you ever considered about working with a writer and develop a comic book?" -he asked. –"I ask that because, one of my dreams is to create a comic book series, and… well, if you were interested, then, maybe, we could both work on a project, or something. It doesn't have to be right now… but in the near future."

Nathaniel could hear in Marc's voice that he was talking serious. Nathaniel himself had never considered having a partner to work with, especially since he himself wrote his own comics. Because of that, he had never thought about it. Still, the whole idea had a nice ring to it, and he would be lying if he said that he would not like to work with Marc, not only because he seemed like a guy with great ideas, but also because it would give him the chance to get to know him better. His first thought was to say yes, but then, he told himself that if he said yes, right then, he might regret it later. He still needed to see if Marc's writing skills were as good as he was saying. And more importantly, he needed to see if they would work well together.

"Huh… well, I don't know." -Nathaniel said with a shy voice. –"Don't tell him you're not interested, don't do that. Tell him, that you need to think about it, before giving him a straight answer." -he thought to himself. –"I mean, I never actually thought about it. But who knows? I'll have to think about it… and while I'm thinking, maybe you could, one of these days, show me some of your writing. I'll be honest, I would really like to read some of the things you wrote. Do you post them online?"

"Y-Yeah, I mean, yeah, I post them in a couple of websites. I go by Anciel the Wise in most fanfic websites." -Marc declared.

"Anciel the Wise? When I get home, I'll check them out." -Nathaniel said.

"Thanks. But, let me warn you. Some of them aren't as good as they could." -Marc warned Nathaniel, not wanting him to think that he had been bragging about being a good writer, and then Nathaniel finding out that he was just full of hot air.

"Okay, understood, but let me be the one to judge them, the same way you did with my drawings." -Nathaniel said, smiling.

And while all this happened, inside Nathaniel's pocket, Mulan was listening to the whole thing, trying to contain himself.

"Guess this means I won't have to go and ask the others to help me investigate this kid. Nathaniel's doing a good job on his own." -Mulan thought to himself.

The recipes her grandmother had given Marinette, required a lot of ingredients, some of which, she did not have at home. Knowing that, she was getting ready to go out and buy them, so she and Tikki could start cooking, when her mother came knocking at her bedroom door, asking her, if she could help out in the bakery for a little bit. Marinette happily told her that she would do it, knowing that it would only be for maybe half an hour, leaving her with plenty of time to go shopping for the ingredients she still needed. Unfortunately, she was proven wrong, when that half hour turned into nearly three long hours, with customers entering and exiting the bakery. When Sabine finally told her that she could go up and rest, Marinette saw that it was already too late to go shopping for the ingredients, and on top of that, she felt incredibly tired, as if she had been battling an Akuma. Dragging herself up to her bedroom, she made a mental note to go shopping for the ingredients, the next day, after school.

And that was what she did. Once classes ended, Marinette decided to go looking for the ingredients she still needed. There were only two more days until Valentine's Day, and she still had to test the cake and the bonbons, before making the ones she was going to offer Adrien. She asked Alya if she wanted to come with her, but she already had plans. Plans that involved babysitting her sisters, Ella and Etta for the rest of the afternoon. Sighing, Marinette went shopping, having only Tikki as her company on that afternoon. Looking at the list, she wasted no time. Having researched on the web where she could get most of them, she went to the shops that sold them. The hardest ones to obtain, were some spices that only a handful of Russian grocery stores in Paris sold. By the time, she managed to finish shopping, it was nearly four in the afternoon. With ingredients inside her backpack, Marinette decided she and Tikki deserved a little break, before heading home. Taking a seat in a street bench, the blue-haired girl took out of her backpack some candies she had bought in the same grocery she had bought the Russian spices, and shared them with her kwami.

"Thanks, Marinette." -Tikki thanked her, as she nibbled the sweet treat. –"Who would have thought that these Russian sweets would taste this good?" -she said.

"Not me. But if grandma Gina says that something is good, then it's got to be really good." -Marinette said, as she savoured the candy, which tasted like sour apples and honey, with a dash of cinnamon. Gina had told her that if they had that particular sweet in one of the groceries, that she should try it.

"What's it called again?" -Tikki asked her.

"It's called pastila. It's similar to Turkish Delight." -Marinette said, as she ate another piece of it. –"Once again, grandma Gina introduces us to a delicious treat." -she smiled, when something caught her attention.

Making the turn and entering the avenue came a black limousine with smoked windows. But this was not just any limousine. It was the limousine that drove Adrien to school every day. She kept staring at it, as it passed by her, wondering if she was just imagining things or not. But upon seeing the limousine's license plate, any shred of doubts that she might have, disappeared. It was Adrien's limousine.

"That's Adrien's limousine…" -Marinette thought to herself. –"I remember him saying to Nino that he had a photoshoot in Rue Crémieux. But that's on the other side of town. What's it doing here?" -she thought, as her eyes accompanied the vehicle in motion, which stopped on a red light. Usually, the back window would be down, enabling one to see who was riding it, but not on that day. –"This is all really strange… maybe I should call him and see if everything's okay."

Doing just that, she grabbed her cell phone, dialled up Adrien's number and waited for him to answer. Unfortunately, two seconds later, the one who answered her was not Adrien, but his phone's voice mail, meaning that he had his cell phone turned off. As she ended the call, she looked at the limousine and could not help but to feel that something was wrong about that. She did not know what, or why, but it was a feeling she could not help to have.

"It could just be my imagination, but… there's something wrong about this. I need to know why the limo's around here and if Adrien is inside it." -Marinette thought to herself.

Grabbing her backpack, she slipped it over her right shoulder, just as the red light turned green and the limousine continued down the avenue, and began to follow it. Tikki, who was caught off guard, wondered what was going on, and immediately asked Marinette.

"What's going on, Marinette? Why are you running?!"

"I'm following Adrien's limousine." -Marinette said, as she kept running down the street, doing her best not to go against anyone, who showed up in front of her.

"Adrien's limousine? But why?" -Tikki asked her, trying to understand why she was doing that.

"I heard him telling Nino that he had a photoshoot this afternoon, but the place where that photoshoot was happening was on the other side of town." -Marinette said. –"There's something fishy about this. Don't ask me how I know it, because I don't know either. It's just a feeling I'm getting." -she said, as continued to run after the limousine.

"Maybe the photoshoot changed locations? Or maybe it's his dad who's in that limousine?" -Tikki hypothesized, while trying not to bump into every last thing that was inside Marinette's backpack.

"Changed locations? If that had happened, by lunch time he would have already know about it and commented with at least one of us, and he didn't. And as for being Adrien's dad in the limousine, I don't think so. He uses another limousine, a white one, and has a different driver, for when Adrien's bodyguard/driver is not available." -Marinette said. After spending more than two years observing Adrien, she discovered a couple of things that only those who had paid attention to the way things were done in the Agreste household, would have seen. –"Plus, I read yesterday that Adrien's dad is in Milan for a fashion show, so he's not in town."

"Then, maybe Adrien's driver decided to come and do some errand. Or maybe, Adrien managed to skip the photoshoot and came to do something around these parts." -Tikki continued to throw theories into the air.

"In the limousine? Hardly. He hates being driven. If he wanted to go out, he would have either take the bus or the underground, while being accompanied by his bodyguard, of course. Or, he would have transformed into Chat Noir. Adrien never goes anywhere in the limousine, unless his dad forces him." -Marinette said. –"But, Tikki could be right about Adrien's driver be doing some errands. I can't discard that hypothesis. Still, my instincts are telling me that there's something odd about all this." -she thought to herself. –"No matter, we'll find out, when the limousine stops, wherever that is."

"And what about the cake and the chocolates, Marinette?" -Tikki asked her.

"That can wait a little longer. Trust me, Tikki. I know what I'm doing." -Marinette told her.

Hey everyone! Sorry if this one too a little longer to update than usual, but it's the Holidays, and that means less time to write and a lousy Internet connection. xD But seriously, don't expect this story be updated again, before Christmas again. As much as I like to write, I just don't have the time. Still, don't worry, after the 25th, I'll be back on the job, writing this story at full speed.

Now regarding this chapter, it's mostly a chapter focused on Nathaniel and Marc. But, I hope you all liked the cliffhanger, because on the next chapter, things will get a lot crazier. As always, feel free to comment, fav and leave suggestions to improve this fic, or make suggestions for future fics. Oh, and before I forget, Merry Christmas to you all!