"I'm back! H-How's everything been?" Ladybug (otherwise known as 'Marinette' to a very select few) came bursting through her own bedroom window, having swung through the city faster than Tarzan on steroids.
"What a little darling! I haven't heard a peep out of her." Pollen gave the still-napping baby a little tickle, which made her emit a cute giggle in the middle of her slumber. "Nothing to report, apart from a policeman with red hair and a big round belly turned up earlier. He's hasn't left yet, but don't worry… he's not been upstairs. I made sure of that."
"Phew, what a relief! Thank you for everything, Pollen." Ladybug nodded her thanks, as she collapsed on the side of the bed with exhaustion. "Sorry I took so long, but this whole Chloe affair is more complicated than I first… oops."
"Chloe?! Do you have any news of my Queen?" Upon hearing Ladybug's little verbal slip, Pollen started bouncing up and down in the air excitedly, with even her antenni taking on a life of their own. "Please, if you can tell me anything about how she's getting on, I would be most grateful. I know she did something terrible, but I really think, if she had another chance…"
"E-Er, my apologies Pollen, I think I hear footsteps coming up the stairs." Ladybug gulped deeply, partly because she didn't want to have to break the bad news just yet to the concerned kwami and somewhat because she genuinely could detect that someone was heading this way. "I swear, as soon as the coast is clear, I'll tell you everything that's going on. But for now…"
"Yes, yes, get back inside the box and keep quiet, As per usual." Pollen was not normally the petulant type, but she felt like something big was kept from her regarding her favorite person. "See you in another thousand years, I suppose."
"Oh, don't be like that!" Ladybug pleaded with the irritated kwami who now sulked with her nubs crossed. "As soon as I find a user worthy of your talents who won't backstab us at the earliest opportunity, you'll barely see the inside of that thing again. Honest."
"But I don't want just any old master or mistress! I want…" Pollen began protesting, but suddenly realized she was in an impossible situation when the official Miraculous Keeper had made up her mind. "Oh very well. Please though, if Chloe is in any trouble or danger…"
"Yes, I'll tell you. But not right now. Be patient for a bit longer, that's all I ask. Spots Off!" Ladybug (now Marinette) didn't really have to say anything to detransform, she just liked to add the extra flourish. "Now, if you and Tikki could find somewhere to hide, before…"
"Hello? Knock knock." This was all the warning Marinette and the two kwamis got. The door burst open and who should emerge but her mother, father and a very perturbed Officer Raincomprix.
Sabine spoke first, a big frown apparent on her face. "Who were you talking to in here, darling? Don't tell me you had guests in your room while you were supposed to be watching the baby…!"
"E-Erm, no of course not!" Marinette began sweating, but at least her magical creatures had made themselves scarce. She was still gonna have to think of a doozie of an excuse, though. "I-I was just trying to amuse… the baby! Yes, the baby! Why do you think she's been so quiet up here? How can you question my brilliant babysitting techniques, when they're obviously so successful?"
"Hmm, that makes total sense…" Tom looked like he was about to accept his daughter's rushed explanation without further probing, before his wife gave him the infamous 'glare'. "I-I mean, we definitely heard more than one voice. What do you have to say about that, then?"
"W-Well…" Marinette pondered briefly, before smiling at her own improvised genius. "I was talking in funny voices for the baby's enjoyment, of course! You know how it is with small kids… when you pretend to be different characters, they eat it up! Same thing with babies. Besides, who else would be with me, when they're all at school?"
"I don't know about you people, but everything about her story checks out." Now it was Officer Raincomprix's turn to speak, and he bustled forward to carefully look downwards at the aforementioned child. "Is this the infant? The one you filed the official report about?"
"U-Um, yeah of course." Sabine raised an eyebrow at what she regarded as a pointless question. "How many other blonde babies do you see in a wicker basket, with a note attached? It's not exactly a daily occurrence here."
"There's no need to be testy ma'am, I'm only doing my job." Roger Raincomprix took another step forward, and without hesitation went to pick the basket up. "So, is everything she was found with still in there? Or is she missing something I should know about?"
"Well, last time I checked, her yellow onesie was still in the wash." Tom wanted to be as accurate as possible with his answer. After all, whatever he said might one day end up in court. "She also needed a diaper change, but we must have disposed of that already. S-Surely you didn't expect us to preserve…"
"No, no of course not. We can't have soiled garments like that lying around in evidence, it would certainly constitute a clear and present hygiene hazard." Roger carried on reciting standard procedure to the letter, whilst slowly making his way to Marinette's door. "I wish you'd have been less hasty in cleaning the rest of her clothing, though. It might've had something on that could've helped us connect the baby to its mother."
"Hmph! In case you hadn't noticed Officer Raincomprix, we're quite new at this whole 'taking in abandoned children off the street' thing. So we're sorry if we haven't played everything exactly 'by the book'!" Sabine was beginning to get a bit fed-up with Roger's robotic adherence to the rules. "What else were we supposed to do, leave her outside in a stinky onesie for the rest of the day?! Where are you taking her now, anyway?"
"Usually, I wouldn't be at liberty to divulge that kind of classified information, but seeing as you're generally law-abiding citizens who've developed an attachment to the child, I suppose I can tell you a bit more." Roger finally sounded a bit more human as he began going downstairs with the basket in hand. "First, the baby will have to be thoroughly checked over at the hospital to make sure everything is alright with her health. Then, she'll be put in custody until we can track down her real mother, or…"
"...She'll be put in a unit with other needy babies, until you can find her a foster family to stay with." Tom finished the sentence, feeling much sadder at the prospect of that possibility then he thought he would. "Can you tell us Officer Raincomprix, what the average time is for that to happen? I'd hate the thought of her being stuck in a place like that for a long time, especially with everything she's gone through already."
"I wouldn't worry about it, Mr Dupain-Chang. Babies tend to be adopted much quicker than older kids. Of course, there are always exceptions." Roger briefly turned from his exit to speak candidly to the three bakery owners. "You told me this particular one is very loud. From what I've heard, noisy babies are not really what prospective parents are looking for, and if during their trial period this is a behavioral trait which appears, then...well…"
"I-I see." Sabine and Tom both said in unison while looking at each other, as Marinette just felt sad. That poor baby… what will become of her… if only there's something I could do…
"Thank you for doing the right thing. France owes people like you a debt of gratitude, to help keep our streets safer and our prisons full. Now, carry on with your day in peace." Roger Raincomprix gave his standard appreciative statement to anyone who followed the law, before securing the baby in his back seat and climbing into the driver's side himself. "Rest assured, as soon as there are any developments, you'll be the first to know. Well, second if you count the police force, but you know what I mean. Lastly, please save the onesie as soon as it's been cleaned… we may need it for later. Goodbye for now, Dupain-Chengs."
And with that final farewell, the police car started and began driving away: but not before the family who watched it go heard the baby inside wake up and began crying once again, this time with no-one available to comfort or settle her down…
...Which made those listening by the bakery just feel worse.
"C-Come on everyone, there's nothing else we can do. We've done our part…" Tom ushered his family inside, with his head hung low.
"What an annoying, cantankerous, spoiled little brat of a child…" Sabine didn't mince her words, but quickly added: "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'll miss her. I hope everything works out."
"So do I Mom, so do I." Not believing how depressed she felt over the departure of a baby she barely knew, Marinette put her arms around both her parents shoulders as they trudged despondently back indoors once more.
If they didn't know how lucky they were to have each other, they certainly did now.
But if they thought that was the end of everything, now the matter was in the hands of the police and social services…
They couldn't have been more wrong.
…..
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yep. This ain't the end, it's just the beginning. And I can't wait to reveal what's to come. Till next time then! :)