"Mornin', dear." Sabrine yawned deeply from behind her 'Best Mom In The World' mug which who else but Marinette had bought for her last birthday. "How many customers are we looking at today?"

"Well, let's see…" Tom Dupain-Cheng pondered in earnest, as he closed the giant oven which'd just been restocked with all manner of doughy delights. "Considering this is the first week back after Bastille, I'm expecting things to be reasonably quiet. Why do you ask, dear?"

"Because, O forgetful husband of mind…" Sabine afforded her partner a chiding yet coy grin, whilst flipping his white toque straight. "I just wanted to make sure we'd have enough to cover the shortfall in our monthly bills. You left the lights on again last night before going upstairs, didn't you?!"

"I-I, I have no excuses." If Tom didn't already have a naturally crimson face, the blush emitting from his features right now would've lit up the room more than the wasted electricity. "I must be getting old. Fortunately, I have a beautiful wife and daughter to look after me in my senior years. Just pick out a wheelchair without a squeaky wheel, that's all I ask. Where is our future fashionista extraordinaire, anyway?"

"Not up yet, that's for sure." Sabine rolled her eyes at the impossible task of rousing her child from the depths of Snoozesville. "I'll probably have to go in there soon and pour a bucket of cold water over her head, just to make sure she's fully awake. It would be understandable if she'd spent all night doing her homework, but she always leaves it 'til the last second. What could be making her so tired at the end of every single day?!"

"Who knows. If there's one thing I've learned which is more important than 'Turn The Bread Over Every Ten Minutes', it's 'Don't Get Involved With Your Teenage Daughter's Private Affairs'. Tom quoted from battle-hardened experience, as he shook his head with a sigh. "She's a sensible girl, Sab. If she has any serious problems, I'm sure she'll come straight to us. In the meantime, could you flip the sign to 'Open' and unlock the front door, please?"

"Okay, then." Sabine agreed, even though her motherly instinct told her that Marinette's issues went beyond the usual school and boyfriend difficulties. She stepped gingerly over to the door, turned the key and…

"...W-What the?!"

…

Turns out a pail full of freezing moisture wasn't necessary after all to raise Marinette from the dead, all it took was an outside commotion for the blunette to lift her head from the pillow and blink in the brightness of a new day.

"Okay, I'm up! I'm up! So, where's the akuma…?!" She said those telling words without thinking, so used to being 'on the job' as she was. "I mean… 'Good Morning World'!"

Straight away though, Marinette could tell something was different. For starters, Tikki wasn't there to greet her as soon as she opened her eyes, because the magical bug creature was perched on the windowsill, staring down intently at something.

"What you up to there, Tikki? What could possibly be so interesting…" The words died on Marinette's lips as she put her dressing gown on and approached the glass curiously.

For standing there, looking very lost and anxious, were her beloved Mama and Papa, together with a scattering of people who consisted of slightly more than the usual early morning baguette crowd. They were all glued to something held up very carefully by Tom, as if it were a kind of sacred religious artefact.

"What on Earth is that which is causing so much attention?" Marinette wondered out loud to a strangely silent Tikki, and the blunette wiped the mist off her window to see more clearly. "Wait, is that a wicker basket? And if I'm not mistaken, I think I can see a sheet and a pillow inside. Also a… no, it couldn't be…"

Despite being underdressed for the occasion, and without any further comment, Marinette then dashed downstairs unhesitatingly. Tikki didn't even acknowledge her leaving, she simply murmured three words which would prove undeniably prophetic in the days and weeks to come.

"So, it begins."

…..

In even the brief amount of time it took Marinette to burst through the front door to join everyone else, the throng of people outside had already grown by a dozen or so.

Because of this, it was almost impossible for the blunette to get anywhere near her parents, being the center of attention as they were with their new arrival.

" 'Scuse me… coming through… watch yourself… oh, why is the ground so cold?" Marinette regretted in her haste to rush outdoors she'd neglected to put any footwear on.

Eventually though, she was somehow able to half-force-half-stumble her way to the middle of the impromptu gathering, where her Mama and Papa stood looking utterly shellshocked, still clutching the basket now together as if unable to let go.

"P-Papa, let me see…" Marinette didn't need to say much else, as it was quite clear what was inside. The muted Tom's only reaction to his daughter's request was a slight grunt, before lowering the basket so the blunette could finally get a proper view of its contents.

It was just as Marinette had seen from her first floor window. There, carefully wrapped up in golden sheets, was an angelic-looking blonde-haired baby with its eyes closed and its thumb in its mouth. Even the hubbub around it hadn't caused the infant to stir one iota, and it just lie there snoozing peacefully while everyone else lost their minds.

"W-We found it like this… o-outside the bakery just this morning… j-just like this." Sabine was still reeling from the shock of discovering young life on her doorstep, at a time when she should be sweeping flour off the floor for today's business.

"I-I see." Marinette frowned, as she attempted to piece everything together in her head. Unlike her parents, she was used to dealing with fraught situations on a daily basis, and so maintained a clear head even in the most difficult of situations.

It would be true to say though, she'd never encountered anything quite like this before.

"Wait, a note." Even in the midst of her thoughts, Marinette was always the observant one, and couldn't fail to spot the bit of paper from protruding from just under the baby's pillow.

Alas, in retrieving said note, she could've taken it with a little more delicacy. The mere act of reaching under the pillow caused the baby's head to rock gently, and it was enough to nudge the young child from its extended nap…

With a pair of the bluest eyes around, it observed the gawking procession of individuals around it with a look of pure confusion and fear…

Before subsequently bursting into (very loud) tears.

…

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I am lovin' writing this story, so have another update. You didn't even have to plead or beg. Hurray! :)