In the weeks following, Marinette returned frequently to help Adrien and her parents in the bakery. By the second day, she was startled to find that she and Adrien worked as seamlessly in the kitchen as they did on the battlefield. She loved the feeling of being able to work smoothly around him in tandem, each knowing what the other was about to do or needed in order to accomplish the end goal. By the following weekend, she was coming to work with them nearly every day after her classes, settling into a happy, more positive routine.

The two of them had been practicing with his powers and sparring almost nightly as well, despite their worries that someone might catch sight of the two superheroes out and about. After just a couple of weeks, Chat Noir was back up to speed. Marinette admired his power and control as he fought against her. He wasn't holding back, but had tactically made sure he wasn't about to seriously injure her either. She had noticed how his eyes flashed in delight the first time he'd been able to pin her, before carefully helping her to her feet. She couldn't help the pride that swept over her, and the excitement at fully having her partner back.

Adrien also began to go to train with Master D'Argentcour a couple times a week. He would come and fight a few bouts with the instructor, then assist with his afternoon class for the high school students. Tom and Sabine, while missing his help, encouraged his newfound interest in the sport, happy to see him blossoming into such a confident young man. Marinette accompanied him each time, watching his progress with interest. A few times, the master agreed to let Marinette suit up and work with a foil. Adrien happily gave her pointers, and was pleasantly surprised when his Lady landed a hit on him during their first real bout. While not having any experience, she was small, fast, and strategic, giving her a bit of an edge.

Adrien had also sent a letter to his father. He'd carefully crafted the note, making sure to give nothing away as to his whereabouts. Then he'd delivered it to the mailbox as Chat Noir in the dead of night, being conscious to stay out of sight of the security cameras as he did so. Marinette could tell he was glad to have it taken care of. It seemed a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders.

The only thing that dampened her spirits slightly was the feeling of unease that had crept over the city with the absence of regular akuma victims. She couldn't help feeling that something was happening. It didn't help that that prickling feeling of being watched had returned several more times in the past few weeks as she walked around the city. It had the effect of making her perpetually nervous and jumpy. Adrien noticed her discomfort one day.

"Mari, what is it?" he'd asked softly one day as they worked side by side in the bakery frosting cupcakes. Usually this particular task would easily hold her attention, but today, she was distracted.

"Just wondering what happened to Hawkmoth. Nothing's been happening for days, and I…I guess I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I'm worried it means he's up to something. Something big," she admitted. He nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, that's true. It is a little disconcerting," he frowned thoughtfully as he began boxing the cupcakes as Marinette finished decorating. "Maybe he's out of town? Or maybe he's given up?"

Marinette shrugged uneasily. "Maybe…" She trailed off, mulling things over. Now that she thought on it, there hadn't been any akumas since Ladybug had been dismissed. Just as she was about to voice this to her partner while they began to tidy up their workspace, Tom and Sabine poked their heads in the door.

"Wow, nice job you two," Tom complimented, gathering the cupcakes, which were part of a delivery order. "You were done in record time! That was a pretty good-sized batch, and they all look beautiful." Marinette examined their work; the five dozen cupcakes had indeed been finished quicker than they'd thought, even with her distraction taken into account.

"We're going to deliver this order. Marinette, would you watch the front until closing? And Jean Luc, you can keep on with the cleaning, alright? We'll be back in a flash," Sabine added, waving cheerily at them as she and Tom made their exit. Marinette followed them to take her place behind the register. It was late in the day, so the bakery was deserted except for the two of them. She turned around, leaning against the countertop with her back to the door and letting her mind wander.

She was still amazed at how quickly she felt comfortable again around her partner, even knowing he didn't really remember her from before. They were still friends, good enough friends that they could have fun chatting and working together for a whole afternoon without wishing to get away. She felt her face grow warm as she remembered his proximity to her as he taught her how to knead the bread dough that first day, his strong hands on top of hers.

She was startled out of her happy thoughts when the bell on the door jingled, signaling that she was no longer alone.

"Hi, welcome," she said, preparing to turn around when a familiar sneering voice made her freeze in her tracks.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Well, this is a surprise." Marinette gathered herself and turned to face the intruder.

The young woman was taller than she, her exotic olive green eyes glinting dangerously. Her auburn hair was done up in a fancy bun, and her expensive-looking Italian pants suit was an elegant charcoal gray with burnt orange accents. Her blouse underneath was also burnt orange, cut in a very deep v-neck that could not be appropriate for the office. Around her neck was a mustard-colored scarf, tied off to the side in a large bow. Marinette took a deep breath. Now was not the time to pick a fight. They were no longer fifteen, after all.

"Lila," she greeted, trying to keep her face and voice cheerful "What brings you here?"

Lila smirked. "Oh, just picking up some things for the mayor. I'm her assistant now, you know," she said airily.

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Nice try, Lila, you seem to forget I don't fall for your BS. You can't just make things up like that! It's going to get someone hurt one of these days."

Lila's face darkened. "You still sound just like Ladybug- still just the same high-and-mighty airhead you've always been." She let out an angry huff. "Come to think of it, it's better that Ladybug's been banished from civilized society, anyhow. One less of your kind of people to worry about." Marinette's fists clenched in anger behind the counter. Lila's smirk returned.

"For your information, Marinette-" she pronounced the super heroine's civilian name as though it were disgusting, getting right up close in her face as she fingered her official-looking security clearance badge, which hung on a lanyard around her neck, "- the mayor trusts me. She's made me her personal right hand. I have more power in my little finger than you have in your whole being. And as such, I also have friends in high places. For real, this time."

She picked up a daisy sitting in a small vase on the counter, looking at it unconcernedly. "All it takes is a couple well-placed words to the right people-" she plucked off a number of petals, "and your dreams of being a fashion designer-" another handful of petals floated to the floor, "-and your parents' pathetic bakery-" some more petals parted company with the stem, "and everything you love-" she paused, staring at Marinette with an evil grin as she crushed the remainder of the flower in her fist, "will be destroyed. So I wouldn't bug me if I were you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Adrien dutifully started on the dishes as Tom and Sabine left on delivery. Soon everything would be finished for the day and they could take some time to relax. He hoped Marinette was enjoying her time helping here, being with him and her parents. She'd seemed to become infinitely more upbeat the longer he spent around her. He'd even noticed her sparkle returning more and more often. Maybe it had something to do with baking, he thought. He knew that baking was a calming mechanism for him, and for Sabine; maybe it was for her, too.

He heard the bell on the door sound, but continued with his work. He knew it would be slow right now- it almost always was right before closing. Marinette was capable- she could handle it.

He returned to his work, carefully sanitizing the tools and baking paddles. Suddenly, his senses heightened. Something was wrong.

He shut off the water, wiping his hands on his apron before first peeking in to check on Marinette. What he saw made his heart skip a beat.

Marinette stood with her back to him so he couldn't read her expression, talking to another young woman with auburn hair, who was wearing a fancy business pants suit. The other girl was standing toe to toe with his raven-haired partner, looking at Marinette as though she were her mortal enemy. She was holding Sabine's daisy she always kept on the counter in her hands. He watched as the petals fell to the floor, plucked off by the girl's thin fingers.

"All it takes is a couple well-placed words to the right people," she was saying as she shredded the little flower, "and your dreams of being a fashion designer, and your parents' pathetic bakery, and everything you love will be destroyed. So I wouldn't bug me if I were you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Seventeen year old Chat Noir was angry. No, he was way past angry. 'Livid,' 'seething in rage,' or 'boiling mad' might have been closer. He and Ladybug had been fighting a fencing akuma called Oni-Chan, who had been trying to destroy Lila. During one of the photoshoots Adrien had been at with her, Lila had sneaked up and taken a photo with her smartphone just as she kissed his cheek. He didn't know what exactly she'd done in the meantime, but somehow the photo ended up in the hands of Oni-Chan's civilian self, a girl from his fencing class he knew now had a crush on him- not that his father allowed him to see her outside of fencing lessons. The girl was furious, attempting to hunt down Lila in revenge.

During the course of their battle, Lila had attempted to separate the Miraculous Duo, screaming that she'd hurt her leg running from the akuma while Oni-Chan had advanced on Ladybug. Chat Noir had been duped by Lila, leaving his Lady so he could run Lila to a hospital when Ladybug had needed him the most, only to find out that Lila's leg was just fine. It had almost resulted in Ladybug's Miraculous being snatched by the villain and said villain running her through with her sword. Luckily, Chat had managed to think of a solution just in time.

"You hate Ladybug that much?" He asked now, furious as he stared down at Lila, who looked unrepentant. "You should be ashamed of yourself! After everything Ladybug does to keep you and everyone else safe? You go and pull…something like that?!"

Lila's face turned dark, seething. "Ladybug is the one who should be ashamed," she growled, but refused to say anymore.

Adrien came back to himself, now understanding what he was seeing. This woman was lying, cunning, and dangerous, and she was threatening Marinette and her family! She was hurting the people he loved!

His heart thrummed in fear at her word choice. As the self-proclaimed King of Puns, he'd definitely picked up on a possible secondary meaning. Was she taunting his Lady with the idea that she knew Mari was Ladybug? Or was it merely a coincidence?

Before he had time to think on it further, he heard Plagg growl from his shirt pocket. "It's showtime, kid," he said, his cat eyes narrowed, casually picking at his claws like some dangerous villain from a movie.

Adrien squared his shoulders, taking care that his disguise as Jean Luc was firmly in place, before stepping out into the storefront. He fought to keep his expression neutral, though he wasn't sure he was quite managing it.

"Mari, can I help with anything?" He asked carefully as he stepped up behind her, setting a hand at the small of her back, though never taking his eyes off Lila. If he were a real cat, he figured he'd probably have his hackles raised. His instincts were screaming, snake! Before Marinette could answer, Lila interrupted.

"I was just asking her if you had any more of those apple tartlets," she lied smoothly, settling a dainty hand on her chest over her revealing blouse, not-so-subtly drawing attention. He mentally rolled his eyes. This woman had no class. "I bought some last week and they were divine! I wanted to get some for my boss, you see," she said, batting her eyelashes. Adrien narrowed his eyes at her, and opened his mouth to say something, but Marinette shot him a sideways glance, subtly shaking her head in warning. He swiftly changed tactics.

"How many do you need?" He asked politely. Marinette stood back to let him get by, looking overwhelmed.

"Oh, about a dozen," Lila answered. "Do you make them? They're so wonderful, you must get me the recipe," she gushed, reaching towards him just as he quickly moved away to gather her pastries, ducking gratefully behind the counter.

"We only have eight of the apple tartlets, miss," he answered. "And no, I don't make them. My employer, Monsieur Dupain, is the master baker around here. If you need a recipe, I suggest you talk to him." He moved back from the counter, making sure to stay well out of her reach. "Might we interest you in something else to complete your dozen? We have some pear tartlets, or several strawberry ones, or perhaps some pain au chocolate?"

Lila let out a fake pouting sigh as she shook her head. The question at her reaction must have shown on his face because she answered, "My boss will be furious. She said she'd fire me if I come back without exactly what she asked for." He thought he might have seen Marinette roll her eyes at this, but he couldn't be sure. Lila brightened momentarily. "Maybe you can make me another batch? I'm sure you'd be a gentleman and help me out…" she gave him another glowing look, batting her eyelashes.

Adrien shook his head firmly. "I'm sorry, miss. We are closing down for the day. If what you said about your boss is truly the case, might I suggest trying the bakery down at arrondissement 23? Their apple tartlets are quite good as well."

Adrien could swear he saw lighting shoot from the young woman's eyes, though it was gone so quickly he may have imagined it as she shot him a glowing smile.

"I think I will do that. Thank you, sir." She winked at him cheekily, turning to leave, hips swaying sensuously as she did so.

As soon as he was sure Lila had gone, Adrien turned to examine Marinette. She was white as a sheet, swaying dangerously. One hand was gripping the countertop hard, her knuckles white.

"Milady? You don't look so good," he said tenderly, brushing her dark hair back from her face. "Maybe you'd better sit down." He supported her carefully with an arm wrapped securely around her waist, helping her to a chair positioned out of sight of the door. He pushed a glass of water into her hand. Once he'd made sure his Lady was safely in her seat and not going to pass out, Adrien hurried to lock up the store before returning to his partner's side. He sat crosslegged on the floor in front of her, looking up into her face expectantly.

He wasn't expecting her to shakily reach out a hand to him. He took it in both of his own, and she grasped at them tightly, looking terrified. He was starting to get worried.

"What happened?" He asked quietly, running a thumb over her hand soothingly.

"She- she's going to destroy me," she whispered. His eyes narrowed. He wouldn't let that happen.

"It's probably all talk," he protested reassuringly. "Lila isn't exactly known for her honesty."

She shook her head. "Not this time," she said, her voice trembling. "She's working for the mayor. All she has to do is tell some well-placed and well-timed lies and she can ruin my career, or my parents' business, or drive away my friends…she's already done it once…" she trailed off miserably before she seemed to understand something. "You remembered Lila?" She asked, brows furrowed.

He nodded. "I had a flashback when I saw her standing there. She- she tried to get you killed as Ladybug." A deep growl erupted from his chest at the thought of that snake hurting his Lady. Marinette just shrugged, not having seemed to have noticed.

"That was just icing on the cake. She's hated me- both Ladybug-me and civilian-me- for years," she admitted, before sighing tiredly. "It was my fault, actually. She and I had a crush on the same boy in lycée. When she moved here, she just…she was just so interesting- she said she'd been all of these neat places, and met all these celebrities- and everyone wanted to be friends with her. I just couldn't compare, and my friends wanted to hang out with her instead. I'll admit, I was pretty jealous. And then…then she told everyone that she was BFF's with Ladybug."

"Uh oh," Adrien gave her a small smile, attempting to lighten the mood, but she just looked ashamed of herself.

"Yeah. I-I kind of lost it. She was in the park talking to that guy we were both crushing on, going on and on about how close she was to Ladybug…and he was super impressed…and the next thing I know I'd swung in as Ladybug and basically called her a liar in front of him. And then she got akumatized. Because of me." She massaged her temples; she must be getting a headache again, he decided.

"I apologized as Ladybug, but Lila still didn't want to bury the hatchet. After that, she was homeschooled for while, pretending she went off on a trip on the other side of the world to save face after being akumatized. But when she came back to school, she was at it again! Telling lies left and right! And the only person who knew was me…and I couldn't even tell anyone how I knew she was lying, because the only reason I knew for sure she was lying was because I was freaking Ladybug! Everyone thought I hated her because I was jealous, that I was overreacting, so no one believed me.

"She cornered me in a bathroom after class one day, and told me to back off confronting her about her lies and give up on my crush. If I didn't, she told me she'd find ways to make sure all my friends left me. I ignored her; and she almost succeeded. She framed me for a bunch of things, like stealing from her locker and pushing her down the stairs, but I couldn't prove it wasn't me. I got expelled. Expelled! And then …everyone almost got akumatized. Including me." She finished in a near-whisper, eyes in her lap.

"The only reason why we're still here right now is because Hawkmoth released us all. I never found out why. And then, she lied again to put me back in school. Again, I still have no idea why. The whole situation never added up," she said, rubbing her forehead. "Maybe it's all related somehow…" she swayed in her chair, and Adrien reached up, putting his hands on her shoulders to steady her.

"Easy," he said soothingly, trying to calm her with his voice. "Easy." She was still staring at her lap, brows furrowed. "Milady, look at me," he asked. After a moment, she obeyed, her blue eyes meeting his brown lenses. "We will figure it out. But not now." She tried to protest, but he shook his head. "Now it's my turn to make the plan," he said firmly. "We're going to go upstairs, get you an aspirin, and drown your sorrows in some Mecha Strike VII. We're going to have dinner and hang out with your folks. And then you're going to go home and get a good night's sleep." She opened her mouth in protest again, but he interrupted. "We will address the issue of Lila later. I promise. But right now, you need a distraction and connection to people to who lo- uh…who care about you." His eyes blazed with determination even as a light blush colored his face. "Put that snake-woman out of your head. She doesn't deserve to have her threats ruin your happiness. If you choose that, she wins. Don't let her win," he finished passionately.

She finally closed her mouth and nodded, making to get up.

"Oh, no you don't," he exclaimed, hopping lightly to his feet and scooping her up.

"Chaton, I can walk," she complained vaguely. She struggled weakly against his grip to no avail before relaxing into his hold.

"Don't worry, I've got you."

He easily carried her up the stairs and into the apartment, gently setting her down on the sofa. She leaned her head back against the armrest and closed her eyes, attempting to relax as he ran to grab her the medicine she needed and another glass of water.

When he returned, he could clearly see the tension had settled in her shoulders. He handed her the things he was carrying and carefully placed his hands on the tense spots, beginning to firmly rub circles into the knots in her muscles. She stiffened under his touch, and he heard her sharp intake of breath. He stopped the movement, leaving his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you ok with this? I don't want to make you uncomfortable." He asked and she nodded.

"It's just really sore," she explained. "Thank you, though. My headache is getting some better."

He smiled a little. "Glad I could help, Milady."

He began again, a little softer touch this time. She gave a long sigh of relief as her shoulders relaxed a little at a time. The sound sent a shiver through his body. When he was sufficiently satisfied that she'd melted into the sofa, he stooped down and softly kissed her cheek. Her eyes shot to his in surprise, but then she smiled.

"Thanks Kitty," she said quietly. "Thanks for being here for me.

"No problem, Milady," he answered casually, though his heart was wildly doing backflips. Maybe she was more receptive to him than he'd previously thought. He pushed the thought away, covering for himself with a devilish smirk. "Now, how about I kick your butt at Mecha Strike?" Her own expression, though tired, morphed into a competitive grin.

"Oh, it's on, alley cat! You'll never be able to beat me!"

Tom and Sabine made their way up the stairs to their apartment. Each of them toted several bags in their hands, loaded with dinner ingredients. They had decided to quickly make a run to the store on their way home from the delivery, giving the two young people some extra time alone.

It had not escaped their notice (or Sabine's, at least) that the two had gotten along swimmingly as they'd been paired to work together several times recently. They'd worked together almost seamlessly as they crafted their pastries, which was astounding. It took years for Tom and Sabine to be able to coordinate like that. It must have been fate, they thought, that the two younger adults had met if their teamwork was that graceful already.

Sabine had also noticed Marinette's reaction to their charming assistant's greeting upon their first meeting, as well as every time after that. He'd been rather grandiose in his salutations to her daughter almost every time he saw her, and it made her smile to think of it. It was almost certain that the girl had a crush on the handsome young man who had attempted to sweep her off her feet, her blushes and shy smiles speaking for themselves. For his part, Sabine had also never seen Jean Luc so outgoing with a near-stranger. He'd tended to be rather reserved since he came to stay with them, only once in a while letting his wilder side show through. She'd never really seen the boy act the way he had with Marinette with anyone else. So what was the harm in letting them become a little better acquainted, the parents reasoned.

As they neared the door to the apartment, they were surprised to hear voices and laughter, along with a very familiar tune in the background. Tom put his hand on the knob, but Sabine pulled him back.

"What are you-?"

"Shh!" she shushed him, putting a finger to her lips and smirking slightly. Slowly and quietly, she eased the door open, hoping to avoid detection as a sliver of the room came into view. Peeking in, Tom and Sabine smiled at the sight that greeted them.

On the sofa, facing the television (and consequently away from the door) were two young adults sitting closely next to one another, their shoulders barely brushing; the young man had a mop of messy brown hair, and the girl had long, dark hair pulled into low braided pigtails interwoven with bright green ribbons. They had their attention focused on the fighting game they were playing. The ladybug-bot seemed to be giving the cat-bot a good thrashing.

"I don't understand it," Jean Luc was saying, sounding frustrated, pounding sharply on his controller keys. "You said you haven't played in months! And I've been practicing! For all those months you haven't! Tell me how that's fair, Bugaboo?"

Marinette grinned at him. "I warned you you'd never beat me, Kitty. May I remind you it's 0 for 3 now?" Her fingers were flying over her controls in quick, precise movements reminiscent of typing or playing a piano. All of them watched as the ladybug-bot sent the cat flying yet again with a complicated combo.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Jean Luc grumbled good-naturedly, before he growled in annoyance as his cat was thrown back again. It was then that he glanced at Marinette, who was laser-focused on the screen. He quickly glanced back at the screen before turning his attention back to her, a wicked grin spreading across his face. He turned back to the game for a few moments, feigning nonchalance as he maneuvered the ladybug into position, before he swooped down on the girl, capturing her lips with his.

Several things happened at once. Marinette gasped, turning bright red and freezing in shock, her fingers pressed to her lips where he'd kissed her as she stared at her partner. Jean Luc, for his part, was focused back into the game, taking her bot down with a flourish. He raised his arms over his head in victory, and when he faced Marinette it was clear that he was extremely pleased with himself, though a light shade of pink was beginning to appear high on his cheekbones. And outside in the hallway Marinette's parents let their mouths drop open, staring dumbly in shock.