Clarisa: I swear, one of these days I will get you in as a beta reader before the chapter is published. You have got to remove me from your spam list. I sent you this chapter from two separate e-mail accounts. Even though you did not get to Beta, I did use a lot of your suggestions from your last review. (I hate waiting on reviews, though, because they always take three to four days to actually show up).

Everyone else: I have heard your concerns. I actually completely rewrote chapter sixteen after reading all of my reviews to help it fall in line better with the characters. I would love to fill in all the time hops, but the reality is, I actually have to finish this story someday. I promise I will go back to resolve anything that has been left open, but we have got to get those letters moving again! It has been seven chapters since there has been a single letter. I love your feedback and keep it coming. I can only improve my writing and my story by hearing from reader/writers like you!

I would like to thank my beta readers who have helped me on the past few chapters. They have been my motivation and my guide. I couldn't have brought this chapter without their help.

Chapter 16: The Apprentice

My thoughts were spiraling out of control as Marinette nuzzled deeper into my chest. Despite my words to Marinette, I was still concerned, although for a different reason. I had tried to keep my mind on Marinette, but every detail she gave sent daggers into my heart- what could I be doing to Ladybug? Ladybug could possibly be feeling this same hurt… this same same confusion as Marinette was right now. My heart was breaking at the thought that I could be causing My Lady so much pain. I had been so focused on my own need to keep all of my attention pointed towards Marinette, that I had neglected to take Ladybug's feelings into account.

I had been desperate to find out when Marinette had last made contact with her friend hoping that her answer would ease my mind. If it had been months, then there would have been hope that I hadn't hurt My Lady yet, but it had only been a mere week just as it had been with Ladybug. I felt so foolish and selfish for not responding. Ladybug should not have to suffer because of my own insecurities. Our friendship was deeper than that. It deserved more than that.

However, a week really was not that long of a time. Ladybug and I had gone years without speaking to one another, and from the sounds of it, the same could be said about Marinette and her friend. We hadn't even set up a schedule for responding to each other. There was no way for me to know how long her first letter had been waiting, and there was no way for her to know exactly when I had replied. In fact, I didn't even know if she had even responded to my letter. Thinking of it in those regards, there was no reason for Ladybug, or myself, to be worried. Her faith in her partner would surely be stronger than that. Although I hated to bring Marinette back to it when she seemed to have finally relaxed, I had to try to confirm something, if not for her then for myself

I leaned away from Marinette so that I could look into her cerulean eyes which had been brightened by her dwindling tears. "Mari, did your last response from your friend indicate at all that he no longer wanted to speak with you?"

Marinette's shoulders slumped as she exhaled audibly and averted her gaze to my chest. "Well…...no," she sheepishly replied. This was a good start. Maybe I could convince her that her fears were unmerited.

"Did you set up some sort of schedule or timeline in which either of you were to respond?" Marinette simply shook her head no. "Do you know how busy he is? Do you think he has had a sufficient chance to get back to you?"

Marinette's entire body seemed to stiffen, "I knew that he had been nearby, and when I saw that he hadn't responded, I just assumed that he chosen not to. It should have been easy for him to have replied."

At this point, I almost felt as if I were attacking Marinette with my questions. I was supposed to be soothing her, and reassuring her that everything would be alright, but instead, I was being nearly abrasive. Even though I knew that I was potentially going over the line, I couldn't stop myself. My jaw clenched and my body shook at the thought that Marinette could even fathom that such a dear friend would simply, outrageously, abandon her.

I removed my hands from their respite on her waist placing them, perhaps more firmly than I should have, upon her shoulders. "How do you think he would feel if he knew how quickly you were giving up on him?"

"I-I never thought about it that way," she murmured while her eyes burned a hole through my chest. I should have stopped there, but I couldn't.

"Don't you think that if you two were really that close then he deserves more than a week to get his thoughts together?" My fingers caressed the bottom of her chin as I brought her eyes back up to look at mine. I softened my voice, speaking in a tender nearly pleading voice, "Shouldn't your friendship be stronger than that?"

My voice cracked on those last words. This was hitting too close to home. For some reason, Marinette's doubts had begun to feel like a personal kick in the gut. I had been in love with Ladybug. Surely she knew that. Surely she knew I would never do anything to hurt her, let alone abandon her. But why did I keep placing Marinette's thoughts as if they were Ladybugs? I shouldn't feel upset, because their thoughts wouldn't be the same. They weren't the same person. They couldn't be the same person. Because right now, if Marinette were to be Ladybug, and these were Ladybug's true thoughts….then that would just hurt, too much.

Marinette reached her hand up to ruffle my hair sending an instant tingling sensation down my spine. "You're right," she smiled as freshly formed tears glistened in her eyes. "I'm being stupid and jumping to conclusions. I'm letting my emotions cloud my judgement without giving a single reasonable thought as to why he hasn't replied yet. A lot has happened this past week and I guess I'm just not handling it well. Thank you, Adrien, for giving me some perspective. I needed that."

Her nimble fingers now danced through my hair as she euphorically massaged my entire head. If I had been transformed, I may have unwillingly let out a contented purr. No one had rubbed my head since my mother, and I had only been a child then. I would often find myself curling up, nestled within her lap just so I could feel her fingers explore the tangled jungle that thrived upon my head. Without even thinking or realizing what I was doing, I shifted my bottom away from Marinette and then lay down placing my head right on her lap. She giggled and then tenderly resumed stroking my scalp with both of her hands. My head was a sandy shoreline. Marinette's hands were the waves that crashed up it, constantly in motion, striving to smooth the once rugged grains of sand of the ever changing shores.

"You don't have to rush into things, Marinette," I grinned from her lap. "Just relax and let things happen naturally. You taught me that, remember? It's always better to take your time and evaluate things for what they really are."

"For example," I continued on while reaching up to rest my hand on the side of her face, "I know that there is something else that is really bothering you, but you don't have to tell me right now. In fact, I don't want you to tell me right now, because I know that if it is important enough, then you will tell me when the time is right. Don't ever feel bad for waiting for the right moment to tell me something." I had my own secrets that I was not ready to tell and she shouldn't feel like she had to tell me hers.

"A-Adrien," Marinette said, voice thick with emotion as she cupped one of her hands on my cheek, just as I had done to her, leaving the other frozen and tangled within my hair. "You don't know how much that means to me."

"No problems, princess," I smirked while taking her hand and placing it back onto my head. "Speaking of rushing into things…..do you know who is taking his sweet dear old time?" She shook her head as if she didn't know, so I continued, "Nino! That's who! How do you suppose he will propose to Alya anyway?"

Marinette gave my hair one last big tussle and then bopped me on the nose. "Well, I already know," she boasted with a toothy grin, "but I would love to hear your theories as you walk me home." She shifted over so that my head fell flat against the couch. "Come on. Get up you lazy feline. I feel like I have been sitting here petting a cat."

If only she knew... "Hmmm….you seemed purrrfectly happy petting said cat in the moment," I said with the cheesiest grin I could muster. "If I didn't know any better, I would think that you were starting to become quite fond of me. Wouldn't mew agree?"

All of the sudden, my face was met with stifling darkness as it was completely covered by an annoyed pillow. "Oh. My. Gosh!" Marinette groaned. "That was bad even for Chat Noir's standards." I was glad that my face had been covered in that moment due to the fact that it surely would have betrayed me showcasing the fact that I had been shocked, yet somehow elated, to hear the name of my alter ego. Mere moments later, thankfully after I had regained my composure, she moved the pillow and hurriedly pulled me to my feet nearly making me fall to the ground. "Come on, it's already dark. Let's get going."

Before I could even truly regain my balance, Marinette began to run, yanking me across the barren, slick hardwood floor. I stumbled like a drunken cowboy until I decided that I couldn't take it anymore. "Hold on little Lady," I huffed in a terrible country accent. "Can't you paws for just a second so a man can regain his balance and walk with dignity?"

Stopping dead in her tracks and nearly causing me to run into her, Mari turned to face me speaking in a exasperated tone, "Please don't tell me that you just tried to use another pun…."

I just shrugged with my palms facing the sky. "What can I say? Chat Noir is my idol. I can only strive to have puns as pawesome as his someday."

Marinette literally planted her palm smack dab in the middle of her face and turned to walk out my bedroom door. "Please stop," she commanded with such an adorable attempt at authority that I couldn't help but to rebel against it.

I quickly caught up with the brooding bluenette and locked elbows with her so that we could walk side by side down the dark, nearly dungeon-like hallway. "Awe come on Mari," I whined as I elbowed her softly in the side, "you told me to always be myself around you. This is just me being me. You will learn to love it someday. Now let's get on to those proposal theories shall we? How will Nino pop the question?"

Marinette let out a soft yet stifled chuckle. Clearly, I was already beginning to get through to her. "You didn't just make a reference to the Bubbler did you?"

We finally made it to the edge of the staircase at the top of the foyer where the outside flood lights dimly illuminated the vast room. This had been the very place where my father had strictly forbid Nino from throwing me a birthday party causing him to become akumatized. Of course I had to make a pun in reference to that, but Marinette didn't need her suspicions to be confirmed.

"Surely you're mistaken, my princess," I purred as I walked down one step and turned to kiss Marinette's hand as I leaned over in a low bow. "Watch your step." I then took her by the hand and carefully guided her down the stairs.

Once we made it to the bottom, Mari did a little curtsy saying, "Why thank you, Sir Knight, for guiding me down the perilous staircase. You are such the gentleman." My heart fluttered and my spirits soared at the sound of her words. Ladybug usually brushed me off anytime I tried to act chivalrous treating it as if it was merely some sort of meaningless frivolity. Having Marinette play along with my silly little games was enough to make me weak in the knees. After a few moments of staring at the spectacularly beautiful girl in front of me, I was once again taken by the hand and pulled towards the door.

"Sheesh, at this rate, I'll be lucky to make it home by sunrise," Marinette huffed. "Come on, you haven't given me a single prediction yet. And they better be pretty good to engage me in a conversation."

I tripped over the threshold while simultaneously choking on my own saliva. Marinette had just made a pun. A pun! This girl was just too perfect at times. She patted me on my back as I leaned over, with my hands on my knees, in a coughing fit right outside my front door. If anyone were to ever review the security footage, they would find themselves doubled over in near hysterical laughter at this humiliating sight.

"Did you just?" I managed to squeak out in between coughing.

"Did I what?" Marinette innocently asked as she twirled gracefully around me. "Make a joke? I can be funny Mr. Apprentice of the puns. The difference is, I just don't overuse my material."

I straightened up catching Marinette mid twirl dipping her backwards as if we were performing some sort of ballroom dance. "Apprentice huh? So I am assuming that Mr. Chat Noir is the master, then?" My face was only a few inches from hers as I held her, frozen, still caught in a dip within in my arms. The flood lights made it easy to see the blush that spread across her face as she simply shook her head in agreement to my previous question. For some reason, I desperately wanted to lean forward to close the seemingly impenetrable distance between our lips. My heart hammered against my chest and my breathing became more ragged and uneven.

"Challenge accepted," I smirked, somewhat shakily, while raising Marinette and spinning her around a few times before stopping her in a gentle embrace. "One day I will surpass the master in my quest for unfurgettable puns, but until that day arrives, you will just have to endure my second rate jokes." I then bopped her on the nose, just as she had done earlier to me, and took her by the hand leading her towards the front gate. "Now, don't stray too far from me little lady," I sung once again falling back into my endearing Texan accent, which was terrible seeing as how I was speaking French, "and let us waltz endlessly into the night."