It had taken an age, an epoch and a millenia, but Marinette had finally managed to coax the little bra… darling into the wonders of Slumberland. And all it had taken was every single patented trick from babysitting very small children for years (though none quite as young as this) to do it.

Well, that was about as difficult as could be expected. Now, where's my medal of valor? The relieved blunette thought to herself, as she pinched the adorably chubby cheeks of her newest charge one final time. For such a cute baby, she certainly causes a great deal of trouble… and poop, if I'm being honest. I'm not saying I agree with her mother's decision to dump her one bit, but I'm starting to see why she might've had problems…

"Hi! I'm back… and wow! I can hardly believe it!" Sabine appeared in the doorway once more, and the first welcoming sight she saw was the previously unruly infant blowing spit-bubbles as she gently slept. "Marinette, you are a true miracle worker! I never thought we'd get this little one to take a nap, but you did it all by yourself! Sorry I was gone for a while, but uh… the rinse cycle was playing up on the washing machine again, and I couldn't just leave until it was fixed now, could I...?!"

"Yeah right Mom, thanks for leaving me to calm down Little Miss Loudmouth all by myself here!" Marinette complained, as she gladly deposited said baby back in her basket before tucking her in. "You could at least confess, instead of coming up with like, the lamest excuse ever!"

"Alright! I admit it! Her wailing and whining were giving me a migraine! And for someone who has to stand up to work all day, this is not acceptable!" Sabine at last accepted her guilt, before swiftly adding: "Don't forget though, as long as she's here, this has to be a family effort. I'll change her diapers, you keep her quiet. Sounds fair, do you agree? It'll only be for a little while, before the police get here and we can decide what to do next. And just think… one day, when you and Adrien have kids of your own, this'll be ideal practice for you...!"

"M-Mom!" Marinette blushed almost as red as her superhero suit, and quickly moved to downplay whatever salacious notions her mother had gotten inside her head. "Just because we had him round for dinner once, it doesn't mean we're romantically involved! We're just friends, that's all! Also, after what I've just been through with you-know-who, I may just decide to stay childless forever, if they're all gonna be that difficult! Another thing…"

"Y-Yes?" Sabine seemed rather put out at the idea she might never be a grandma, and looked down at the floor crestfallen.

"If this whole saga is turning out to be a 'family affair' as you say, what exact role does Dad have in this new arrangement? Apart from making a few phone calls, that is?"

"E-Erm, he can feed the baby later. I think I spotted a bottle in the basket… anyway, let me just go see how he's getting on. If you don't mind me getting him to ring your school to ask if you can take the day off, that'd be a great help. Things'll soon be back to normal, you'll see. Well okay then… bye for now!"

Great, I've upset her again. But she really should stop poking her nose into my lovelife and future choices. I know she loves me, but sometimes she sounds more like a 'smother' than a 'mother'… Marinette regretted upsetting her female parent, but occasionally the overzealous woman had to be told when she'd overstepped the line.

The blunette's attention returned to a much bigger problem, or a much smaller one, if you wanted to be humorous. "As much as a pain in the… neck as you've been this morning, I do feel sorry for you. No-one deserves the amount of upheaval your life is about to have: Even if they do find your mother, I can imagine they'll need to monitor your safety a lot more from now on. In a way, it's a shame we can't keep you. I'm sure with the right kind of nurturing, you could grow up to be a really great person. It's just a shame I'll never get the chance to help out after you leave here…"

Marinette stopped her thoughtful speech somewhere in the middle, suddenly realizing there was a kwami-shaped presence missing by her side.

"Tikki? Where are you? It's okay… Mom's gone, and I don't think our special guest is going to be telling everyone about your existence, even if she wasn't away with the fairies right now. You must've heard what's going on, and I'd like your opinion on it. Come on out, silly bug! There's no need to hide."

Slowly, and with visible reluctance, Tikki materialized from behind a drawer… where Marinette had hidden the last of her not-so-secret stash of cranberry cookies. It didn't take a genius to figure out there probably wasn't very many left.

"S-Sorry Marinette, I was stress-eating." The spotted creature looked visibly ashamed as she wiped the last remaining crumbs off her mouth. "I was so startled by everything going on outside, I went and hid… then I saw your sweets… a-and…"

"Tikki, I'm surprised at you!" Marinette exclaimed, for this was most out-of-character for the usually trustworthy kwami. "Why, anyone would think your real name was 'Plagg The Second'! Now I've got nothing to eat while I'm stuck up here taking care of the baby! You did hear everything, right?"

"Of course. And if it's any consolation, I wouldn't have been much help anyway." Tikki zipped through the air to get her first glance at the settled infant whilst perched on Marinette's shoulder. "Only one of my previous holders was a mother, and she insisted I stay out of the child's way. Something to do with 'allergies', I was told… which doesn't even make any sense. All kwamis are naturally hypoallergenic! When are people going to understand that…?!"

"...Anyway…" Marinette interrupted, thinking they were veering too much off-topic here. "I wonder where she came from? I do hope her parents are okay, and they're soon reunited with each other. You're not gonna believe this, but a few minutes ago I had this crazy idea she might be all on her own, and we could adopt her. I don't know why, because Mama and Papa would never let that happen and she's been such a nuisance, but you know me: I like a challenge. And I can think of nothing harder and more rewarding than helping to raise this troubled baby! Impossible I don't doubt, but that's how I felt."

"Well, you never know Marinette, stranger things have happened…" Tikki sounded like she momentarily knew more than she let on, but it soon passed. "In any case, if you're not going to be attending classes today, shouldn't you let your friends know about your plans? I say this because I know Alya usually meets you at the entrance, and Adrien always looks forward to seeing you…"

"O-Okay, okay! I get it! You and Mom think this 'fling' I have with Luka is just temporary, and I'll go back to crushing on Adrien! But for once you're wrong Tikki, this new love is the real thing and I know it!" Marinette almost dropped her phone in irritation as she tried setting her kwami straight, not altogether convincingly. "The rest of what you said is a good idea, though. In fact, I'll call up my friend Adrien right now, and prove to you both that I'm over him by not stammering or stuttering once. Here we go…"

Ignoring Tikki's skeptical looks and barely-disguised smirk, the blunette pressed the much-used contact button which would instantly connect her with the model, steeling her resolve that this would be a nice, cordial conversation between purely platonic buddies.

After a bit longer than normal, he finally picked up.

"H-Hello M-Marinette, i-is t-that y-you?"

"Who else would it be, Adrien? You can tell it's me by the name on your screen. Not to mention my voice." Damn, I was worried about me being nervous. He sounds like he's about to have a total breakdown.

"O-Oh of course Marinette, I apologize. I-It's just that… I can't really talk right now."

Something is wrong. Something is terribly, terribly wrong. And I won't rest until my Sunshine Boy is happy again. Or, words to that effect. "What's the matter, Adrien? Is it anything I can help you with?"

"Not unless you know where Chloe is."

"C-Chloe? What's she got to do with anything?" Right, that's it. I'm hanging up this second. How can he still care for her after what she almost did with Hawkmot…

"She's missing, Marinette."

…..

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I love this story, and I love my readers. So please… if you are enjoying it, don't forget to favorite or follow it, and I'll pump out the updates, even faster. If that's even possible… ;)