Penguin: Hell everyone! Sorry that this is late again. Next week should be back to normal, but next week, I'll be posting Mine to Take on Monday and Thursday because on Friday, I will be going to Universal Studios and won't be coming back until Saturday. And Springtime Memories will be updated tomorrow.

~Responses to MMTT~

Timisa: No. I know that x'D I can't be arrested if there's no proof that I did it xD It will! Most of my stories have one! No, you're not. You have to be alive to finish the story! And thank you, I can't wait for you to see what's in store! c;

Obsidiandragon182005: She's not. Sorry. And thank you!

SJJSpice1: I know. It's always been shitcreek. It's here!

Mayuralover: Everything is serious in my stories.

Missdragongirl: She is! And thank you! c:

Pinksakura271: It did, thank you! She's not crazy, I promise. Exactly! And he should snap it. Nope, you never say that. I say he should have.

Casacde00: They're my specialty. I don't think anyone has the story down just yet xD Everyone should!

Guest: She's not. Thank you, I love you! I did that on purpose.

Angelsong1031: She's not.

"I only saw Marinette…" Nino shifted restlessly in the hospital bed, a bandage taped around the left side of his head. "I felt like someone whacked me with a baseball bat, but I didn't see anyone but her." Damn it. Adrien had been hoping for more.

"You didn't hear anyone?"

"If I had, the asshole wouldn't have gotten the drop on me." Nino exhaled slowly. "Marinette went in the studio first. I think she forgot her bag. I can remember her going in…" His fingers clenched around the white sheets. "Then not a damn thing until I woke up in this place."

Adrien put his hand on Nino's shoulder. "It's okay. You just rest."

"You got me out, didn't you? I heard the doctors talking…" Adrien nodded. "I wasn't going to leave you to the fire." Nino gave him a tired smile. "Does that make three times…or four…that you've saved my life?"

"Doesn't matter. I stopped counting a long time ago." He squeezed Nino's shoulder and slipped away from the bed. "Get some rest, man."

"Wait…" Adrien glanced back at him. "I do think…I remember one more thing." His eyes because slits as he seemed to struggle with the memory. "Your girl, telling me she was sorry…again and again. I swear, I can hear her saying that."

He squeezed his eyes shut. "But that doesn't make any damn sense. Probably just the drugs they gave me."

"Probably," Adrien murmured. "I'll check back on you soon." Adrien shut the door behind him. Marinette caught sight of him, and she hurried toward him. "Was Nino awake? Did you talk to him?" He went in alone because he wanted to gauge Nino's responses for himself. He also thought Nino might speak a little more freely if they were alone.

I remember one more thing. Your girl, telling me she was sorry…again and again. "Did he remember anyone else being there?" Adrien shook his head. Her face fell. He had to ask her. "Baby, during the fire, did you telling Nino that you were sorry?"

Her fingers twisted her purse strap. "Yes." Fuck. "Why?" Her gaze flashed up to meet his. Anger lit her blue eyes. "Because I wasn't strong enough to get him out of the fire! Because I was using every bit of my strength, and I couldn't get him out of there!" Her voice rose, catching the attention of two nearby nurses.

"Because no matter what I did, I couldn't get him out of the door, and I was sure that we were both going to die in those flames." He stepped toward her. She jerked back. "But that's not what you thought, is it?" All of the heat left her voice. "I'm not crazy and you-" Sadness tightened her face. "You don't trust me."

"Yes, I fucking do." But she already rushed toward the elevator. Swearing, he ran after her. He threw out his hand, grabbing the doors before they could close. "I do, baby," he said again. "This time, I'm the one who doesn't believe you." Her gaze held his. "How does that feel?"

Like shit.

"I'm going to the studio. I have to- I have to talk with the arson investigator."

"I'll come with you." He started to step in the elevator. "No." Her clipped response stopped him. "Marinette…" Someone else brushed by him. Maneuvered into the elevator. "I need a break," Marinette said, her voice hoarse, as if she were trying to fight tears. "Send one of your agents with me, but I need a break."

From you.

He forced himself to step back. He held her gaze until the elevator closed. Then Adrien pulled out his phone. In less than five seconds, he had an agent ready to go. "Be her damn shadow," he ordered. "She doesn't take a step without your eyes on her."

She might want her space from him, but he wasn't about to risk her life.

It was gone. Her second chance had turned to ash. Marinette stared at the charred remains of her studio. There was nothing she could salvage there. Everything was just…gone. Destroyed by the flames. She already called her students. Marinette had to reassure them that she would find another space.

She hadn't mentioned that she didn't have the money to rent another building. "Are you all right?" She glanced to the left. As soon as she arrived at the scene, she realized that Nathanael was there, waiting on her. He came straight toward her.

He watched her with a guarded expression that made her tense. "Please don't ask me if I'm about to have a breakdown." Because that was the way he was staring at her. As if she'd just shatter apart. "I promise, I'm much strong than I look." The female cop, Chloe- the one who'd given Marinette a ride home the previous night- stood a few feet behind Nathanael.

And Marinette's newest watchdog from Akuma Securities, a guy named Jalil, waited about ten steps to Marinette's right. She quickly discovered that Jalil was the strong and pretty much utterly silent type. "I'm sorry about your studio," Nathanael said as he inclined his head toward her. "But I didn't think you were about to breakdown. I figured if you were, well, you would've done that last night."

She squared her shoulders. "Then you make one person…"

"Pardon?"

Marinette blew out a hard breath. She was so seeing her dreams covered by black and gray ash. "You make one person who doesn't think I'm on the edge of some major meltdown." His eyes had narrowed. "Did you do like I asked? Did you think about Agreste-"

She had to laugh. "Adrien isn't doing this to me. Hell, he thinks I'm doing it to myself." Her arms felt chilled so she roughly rubbed them. "Adrien, the cop up in Paris, Max-"

"Uh, yeah," Nathanael cut in, "I don't know who the hell Max is, but you should know that I did some more talking with Detective Juleka first thing this morning."

"You did?"

"She got another mechanic to look at the car. There was still no sign of a rear-impact collision, but this guy did something else." Her image was reflected back in his dark sunglasses. "All of the brake fluid was gone."

"What?" The chill Marinette felt got worse. "With all the fluid gone, the car couldn't stop. That night, you were headed into the curve, and you must have tried to brake." He raked a hand through his hair. "You couldn't, and the car lost control."

It wasn't just her arms that felt chilled. Her cheeks felt the same way. "Someone sabotaged the car. Chloe Bourgeouis stepped closer. Nathanael darted a glance at Chloe, then he focused once more on Marinette. "It certainly looks that way."

Someone had been trying to kill her, for months. "I want this to stop." What did she have to do? What? "I can't live this way." Being afraid. Having a constant guard-no. "We'll find him." Nathanael said. "Don't worry." Easy for him to say. It wasn't his life on the line.

"With the new evidence, Juleka is re-opening the investigation in Paris," Nathanael continued. "The jackass doing this is going down." Chloe gave a hard nod. Marinette's gaze darted between the two cops- and over to Jalil. She wasn't surprised to see that he had his phone out and at his ear. The guy was probably briefing Adrien on this new development right then.

Adrien…

Her gaze snapped back to Nathanael. "You think that jackass is Adrien." He didn't respond. "It's not."

Chloe whistled and rocked forward on the balls of her feet. "Having too much faith in the wrong man could be dangerous."

"Everything I do is dangerous these days." She gave Chloe and Nathanael a curt nod. "Thanks for your help." She started hurrying away from them. Jalil immediately fell into step with her. Her big, six-foot-plus shadow. "Marinette!"

Pausing, she glanced back at the detective's call. "Tell me you aren't staying with him." Tension had hardened Nathanael's face. "I won't tell you that." Because she wasn't planning to return to Adrien then. She hadn't lied when she told Adrien that she needed a break.

Does he trust me? Because, even after everything, she trusted him. She always had. "If you aren't going back to Agreste's place, then where are you going?" Her gaze slid to the wreckage. "To find a new studio because I am not going to let my dream be taken from me." She'd find a way to get the cash she needed in order to rent another studio.

There has to be a way. Marinette wasn't going to give up. She just had to take things-

One step at a time. That was how she recovered after the accident. How she learned to ignore the pain and just walk. One step at a time.

Penguin: Thank you guys for being so patient! I'll see you guys tomorrow! Bye!