Papillion was getting more and more frustrated. The skyline of Paris was polluted with the dark smoke of fire. Still, he found no trace of Marinette. He stood in his grand palace, looking over his work, unsatisfied.

"How could she have escaped," he questioned as he ran his hand over his head, "I had guards at every single door. Soldiers were constantly patrolling the perimeter. There is no way she could have…" his thoughts were interrupted by the distant sound of the bells of Notre Dame. Chat Noir had become very defensive of that gypsy girl. She must have been talking to her. "He wouldn't have," he whispered to himself.

Duusu, Trixx, and Plagg leaned over the balcony, looking at the remains of Paris below.

"This is not good," Plagg moaned as he looked to his two friends.

"What are we going to do?" Trixx asked Duusu.

Duusu balled her hands into fists as they leaned on the ledge of the balcony. Her mind was reeling with thoughts. "We stay here with Chat."

"Duusu," Plagg placed a paw on her back, "I get where you are coming from. I want to stay here too," he extended his paw over the skyline, "But there are people in trouble out there. People who are dying at the hands of Judge Papillion."

Duusu let out an exasperated sigh as she dropped her head into her hand, "I just can't leave him here. He's still so young, so naive to this world. He depends on us."

"But we are protectors of this city," Trixx reasoned, "to ignore that for the sake of only one person is… is…"

"Negligent," Plagg finished.

Duusu raised her head and looked to her friends. They smiled weakly at her, "You're right."

"Have they found Mari yet?" Chat's voice interrupted as he leaned over the balcony beside them.

"I don't think so," Plagg sighed as another pillar of smoke began to rise from the horizon.

"That's good," Chat's shoulders slumped, "I'm afraid of what might happen to her if she is ever found."

Duusu took a deep breath, "Well," she let out a laugh, "if we have learned anything about that girl, it's that she's resourceful. She won't let that man get anywhere near her if she doesn't want him there."

"Yeah," Chat laughed in agreement, "there really is no one like her," he smiled dreamily into the distance, thinking about Marinette and the way she could do just about anything with the right materials. She had managed to tie a rope from one end of the tower to the other and taught Chat how to slide down it as a game. She was so amazing.

"And she thinks the world of you, Chat," Trixx cheered as she wrapped her arms around him.

"What?" Chat choked.

"Oh if you could see the way she looks at you!" she continued, "believe me, I've seen love before. What she has for you goes so far beyond that!" she took Chat by the hand and dragged him next to his model of the city and sat him down. She sat across from him and took his hand and pointed at the lines there, "she saw you as a human, a total and complete human, from the very first time she met you. Not even Judge Papillion will look at you like that," she dragged him over to where Nathalie sat in her corner, "She enjoyed being with you every single day. You would talk for hours on end about some of the most mundane things. You argued over things that were important. You argued over even the most trivial of things! But you two always grew ever closer!" she brought him back to the main landing where their two beds would lay side by side, "You two were practically a married couple by the time the month was over. And she wanted you to come with her so badly!"

"Wh-what are you saying, Trixx?" Chat laughed as his face grew a deep red.

"She's saying you have got a major shot with this gal," Plagg chuckled as he lounged nearby.

"Once this is all over, you two are ready to start your life all over and have a happily ever after!" Trixx laughed as she danced around Chat.

Chat laughed as he watched Trixx dance about, his blush not going away anytime soon. "Okay, okay!"

Duusu watched the small group in silence, a small smile on her face.

"Chat Noir?" the voice made Trixx and Plagg jump before they ran to hide.

"Mari," Chat whispered before running down toward a side door where the voice came from, "Marinette!"

Marinette ran forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder. Chat placed one arm gently around her waist and the other he placed lovingly on the back of her head. "Oh, how I've missed you," she whispered in his ear.

"And I, you, M'lady," he whispered back before releasing her from his hug.

Marinette stepped out of his reach and back toward the door, revealing a man and woman. The man was unconscious, leaning fully on the woman for support.

"This is Nino," Marinette introduced, taking his arm and lifting it over her head to support him, "he is wounded and a fugitive like me. He needs help and a safe place to stay. Can you help us?"

Chat stepped between Alya and the man, taking the full weight upon himself as he ascended the stairs, "Follow me."

The two women followed closely as he led them to his bed. He placed Nino carefully on the bed and stepped back as Alya tended to him.

She pulled out some wine to help clean the wound.

"I could definitely use a drink right now," Nino laughed as he grunted in pain. He hissed when the liquid was poured over his shoulder, "Ah, yes. Feels great."

Alya smirked as she threaded a needle and began to sew his skin back together, "You know, you are one lucky soldier."

"Ex-soldier," Nino corrected, wincing in pain as the needle thread through his skin again, "I was shot and drowned, remember?"

Alya frowned, "You know you could have died?"

Nino turned to look away, "That family is alive. I think it was worth it."

"Crazy fool, that's what you are," Alya whispered as she tied off the stitch and cut the threat, "What on earth would possess you to be such a fool."

Nino looked back at her, taking her hand and placing it on his chest, "Men who are in love really do tend to act the fool, especially when they know the one they love is in danger."

"Who is she? I would like to meet her someday," Alya said, choking back a few tears, thinking she was not the one he spoke of.

"Oh," Nino hummed as he looked above him, "She's a beautiful woman with dark skin, bright brown hair, and dark brown eyes. She really likes my lame jokes and tends to make a fuss when I get shot."

"Oh," was all she could say in response. She leaned down and pressed her lips to his in answer.

Marinette and Chat had slipped away to give the pair some privacy.

"I actually met Nino before," Chat said with a nervous laugh, "He gave me this box." Chat pulled the box from beside him and presented it to Marinette.

"What is it?" she asked as she eyed the box carefully.

"It's a gift from… um… I'm guessing the woman over there?"

Marinette's face split into a wide smile as she opened the box. She pulled out two bright red earrings and put them into her ears excitedly.

"You have no idea how happy I am to have these back!" she laughed.

"What's so special about them?" Chat asked as he admired the shine of red.

"They help me talk to Tikki," she smiled, looking down at where Tikki curled up next to her. She laughed at Chat's face of confusion, "Magic, Chat. It's magic."

"Oh," Chat nodded, glancing over at where Plagg, Trixx, and Duusu were frozen as statues, "That makes perfect sense, actually."

A calm silence fell between them. Marinette felt her heart beating fast as she revelled in being beside Chat again.

"Papillion will stop at nothing," she sighed as she sat on the ledge of the balcony.

Chat sat beside her, looking toward the city as it continued to burn, "I don't know how this is all going to end."

Marinette sighed again, desperately wanting to change the subject. "So I have been on the hunt for some information," she began.

"Really?" Chat asked, leaning forward in interest, "about what?"

"About what happened twenty years ago on the steps of Notre Dame," she glanced down to the streets below.

Chat paused, she couldn't possibly be trying to find out what happened to him, could she?

"I have gathered information from Archdeacon Fu, some various people from the Court of Miracles, and a knowledgeable witch in the village where Nino was shot. I think I'm getting close to the truth," Marinette grinned at Chat.

"The truth about what?" Chat asked.

"Who your mother was and what really happened to her," Marinette answered. "I asked around the Court of Miracles about a woman who had a cursed baby and who I could talk to about that type of magic. Turns out, there was a woman who was raped by a man of power, though no one knows who it was. It was really him who had the baby cursed to look like a cat. The witch I talked to was not the one who cast the spell, but she is fairly certain that she knew who did. I was actually on my way to go find that woman when we ran into Nino."

"Wait," Chat said as he waved his hands in front of him, "are you telling me that Judge Papillion lied about my mother?"

Marinette looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "Are you seriously asking that?"

Chat blushed at her, "So she actually did not curse me herself?"

Marinette hesitated, she wanted to tell him about how his mother was killed by Papillion, but she did not know how to say it.

Their silence was interrupted by the sound of a carriage below.

"Oh no," Chat moaned, "he's here. You have to get out of here!"

The pair rushed over to Alya and Nino, "He can't come with us, can you keep him safe here?" Alya begged as she and Marinette were ushered to a side door.

"Of course," Chat promised, "Take the South stairs, they're the safest."

The sound of the door leading to the tower echoed as Marinette turned to Chat one more time, "Be careful," she pleaded before wrapping her arms around his torso and placing a kiss on his cheek. Chat could only nod stupidly as the pair fled to safety.

Chat snapped out of his daze and rushed back to the main landing, Plagg, Trixx, and Duusu all had grabbed Nino and hid with him in a dark corner of the tower, out of sight.