A/N: Okay, so I am incredibly sick right now, and I have not been able to count up how many Aye's there were (THERE WERE A LOT!) So you guys have a majority and let's just say the elder's plus a little tag-a-long will be returning. I have written scenes, they are adorable. Ellayne takes over (whoops?) This chapter was beta'd by Toxic Girlfriend (ff & Tumblr)

Phone text is legit meant to be right sided, but ff doesn't have that capability to its centred.

Summary: Another first scene that is either a dream or future vision. Who knows. Hopefully you! (No seriously, tell me if you don't understand). Mama-Cheng is a Mama-Bear in disguise. Chloe + Cold? = Nope. No school for anyone. Adrien still hasn't got a phone number that doesn't get hacked by the media. Bored-Mari is a Suprised-Mari with a phone call that features timid Adrien that is cute. Promise Rings scene made me cry. No Joke. Someone take bets on how many times Marinette will get into arguments because of the rings! Oh, and Aubrianne wakes up. That's a thing. I promise I'm not intentionally meaning to hurt Adrien! There is a lame joke about ladybug's and hibernating because it's cold, but it's lame and it should probably be ignored. Don't kill me.

I'm sorry about your parents, they sound like bad people: your Daddy sounds like a jerk. I guess your mama didn't know the gift she got when she got you. I'm sorry about your life, you had it pretty rough: bending over backwards, never good enough. You poor thing, it must suck to be you. And I know it's not your fault, it never is, is it? It takes more than I have, pick fights with the past, I always lose. Oh, don't you know? That's no way to live. You were mistreated and cheated out of the childhood you needed, and now you'll never succeed if you're so convinced you're defeated. If you're obsessed with your yesterday, then you're destined to repeat it. And I know it's not your fault. It never is, is it.

-Icon For Hire

Part XI

Marinette moaned when her phone vibrated across the desk, then did it again a second later. She blearily reached out to find it, slapping her hand down on her desk empty handed a few times, as the phone vibrated more as she tried to locate it.
She blearily looked at the messages, as more messages came in.

Buginette.

-Received 11:53

Buginette!

- Received 11:53

Buginette~~!

- Received 11:54

Bugaboo! T_T

- Received 11:54

Princessssss!

- Received 11:55

Marinette may be tired, but she let out a giggle at her insistent boyfriend, she could chew him out about sending text messages near midnight and waking her up later. She got up and headed to her bed with a yawn as she typed out her reply. She could literally see her kitten pouting and bouncing as he waited for her to message back, since send receipts were on, he knew she was up.

What is it that is so important, Minou?

-Sent 11:56

Princess! You're alive! Guess what!

- Received 11:56

I'm not getting sleep tonight?

-Sent 11:57

What's the time? I haven't checked! But that's not it! My mother woke up!

- Received 11:58

/

/

Marinette woke up with a frown, not that she knew why. She checked her phone, and was a little suspicious that Adrien hadn't talked to her since he bounded off the previous day with that smirk. She knew that smirk.
All of Paris should fear it.
She had no idea what he was planning. But it would be big.

She groaned as she got up and prepared for the day, coming down for breakfast; ignoring the saddened feeling she had when she took a glimpse at the empty lounge room devoid, of human life.
"There you are, dear!" Her mother called from the kitchen.
Marinette turned to greet her, "Hello, Maman!" She called happily.
Sabine came around and left what Marinette would need to fix up her breakfast.
"So, I saw that you and Chat took care of that robbery business…" Sabine started.
Marinette literally dropped her spoon, dropped her head to her hands and internally groaned. This was gonna be an extremely long day.

On one hand, Marinette was happy that the holidays were coming, but on the other, it meant that she couldn't escape her mother's concerned rants. Today just happened to be the odd day where it snowed enough that school was off.
Could you imagine? Chloé getting out of her hotel room if it was cold? Nope. So, the school was closed. Yippee. (Not that it was meant to be. Closed that is).
It also meant that she couldn't see Adrien, unless either of them talked by phone and met up somewhere.
She was also pretty sure that Adrien had his phone confiscated because of how many phone calls he had been getting because of the recent fiasco.
Even though it wasn't related to any Agreste family member.
He had yet to get a new number.
But he was being sneaky about something, so he might have, and not told her for some reason.
She really wouldn't put it passed her kitten when he sported that conniving smirk of his.

The day was boring.
Everything was boring…!
Minding the shop was boring. No one was coming in.
Then the phone rang, so she picked it up.
"Dupain-Cheng Boulangerie, Marinette speaking." Marinette drawled, bored.
She instantly perked up when she heard a familiar laugh.
"Bored that much, Mar?" Adrien's voice came through, cheerfully.
"Adrien!" She near on screamed.
"And now I'm deaf. Good job Mar!" He said good naturedly, yet cringing slightly.
"I'm sorry!" Marinette immediately apologised. "I've been worried because I haven't heard from you, and you left with that Chat look, that made me fear for all our lives." The bluenette told him.
It took him a second, but then he burst out laughing. "'Chat look'. Really?" He laughed before he pouted. "Yeah, I'm sorry that I can't talk much due to my lack of a phone, 'cause reasons. But, can we still patrol tonight? Crime doesn't sleep, y'know." Adrien asked.

Marinette blinked in confusion. "Why do we need to patrol? There's nothing to patrol for?" She asked, confusion clearly present in her voice.
"Just… you know... I need air… And um…Wanna see you… And…" He tried.
Marinette blinked. He was actually flustered! But she simmered down when she rolled over the fact he said he needed air. He was probably at the Agreste mansion (since he wasn't at her house), or at the hospital, having stayed away since he made her fear for all life.
"Will you be coming back with me afterwards?" She asked.
"Uh, sure! As long as you don't mind helping me carry my clothes?" He asked.
Marinette laughed. "Of course, I don't mind!" She told him.

Her parents had been the ones to ask Adrien about his clothing so they could wash them, and they had watched him squirm uncomfortably when he said he didn't have much at their place, and stood astounded when they were rightly demanded he have more clothes, or Marinette to make him some. (Which she would have). Something which muted Adrien when Marinette told him she could. And he protested heavily, saying he had his own clothes. He was defeated by Tom and Sabine when they asked where it was. Since, you know, they had none to wash.

"So…we can patrol, right?" Adrien asked, timidly.
Marinette giggled. "Yes, Minou, we can, same time and place, then we'll haul your stuff over here." Marinette finalised.
Adrien whooped in joy.

/-/

Ladybug watched as Chat fidgeted beside her for the fiftieth time since they landed on this particular roof.
"Argh!" Ladybug finally had enough.
Chat uncharacteristically cowered. Which she noticed.
"Sorry, Minou, what's wrong? Why're you jumpy?" She asked.
Chat gave her a long look she couldn't quite describe. It looked like wanting, yet scared, yet determined.
"I, um, I wanted to give you something." Chat then looked fearful. "You don't need to keep it, if you don't like it or want it!" He amended, before she could process what he had said.
But the girl just stared at him, clueless. She had no idea what he was trying to accomplish.
He looked abashed, and nervous, his mannerisms showed that much, as he rubbed his neck in his nervous tick. "It's a promise, you know." He started.

She notched her head in confusion, yet determined to see out this conversation, and receive something from the boy. "A promise?" She prompted.
He nodded. "Since we reenacted Titanic, in all of its wondrous glory." He told her, making her laugh good naturedly.
"Something to symbolise that we won't let go of each other." Chat told her.
Ladybug stared at him, but softened. "I don't need anything to keep that promise, Minou." She told him, stroking his hair.
He purred. "But it's so much more than that." He told her, and she nodded for him to continue. "For both of us to know it's a promise for much more than Titanic, more than now, and more than just simply tomorrow." He told her.
She was stunned silent.

She thought she was stunned silent by his words, but when he pulled out a tiny box from seemingly nowhere, she was utterly speechless.
"My Lady, my Princess, know that it's my promise to you, should you accept it, for this promise to become much more than just tomorrow, but for all the days afterward." Chat pledged, holding out the small box.
Her hands trembled as she reached for it and opened its lid.
She could have sworn she was crying.
Inside the box were two promise rings, one feminine, the other masculine. One that had red stones around a middle white stone, that was surrounded by little black stones that separated red from white. The other was a chaos green and black, augmented with a pure green stone in the middle.

"My Lady…? You're crying." He said slowly.
She grasped the box close to her as she wiped her eyes. "Minou…" She cried.
"Did I do it wrong?" He worried.
She cried as she shook her head, and rushed to hug him, her arms wrapping around his neck.
"I'm glad…!" She cried. "I'm glad it's you!" She muttered as she felt him wrap his arms around her waist to bring her closer, and away from the cold.
"As I'm ever glad you turned out to be you." He murmured into her hair as he breathed in her scent.

He pulled her back.
"So…You do like it, right?" He asked.
She just laughed happily.

Marinette looked thoughtfully to the ring around her finger, as Adrien packed his stuff into another bag he had found, with both Plagg and Tikki looking at the ring alongside her. "…How many arguments will I have over these?" She asked.
He frowned as he looked up. "I don't understand?" He voiced.
"Well, you're you, right?" She started.
He nodded. "I can't be someone else, Princess." He told her.
She giggled. "Well, how many followers do you have?" She asked.
He blinked. "I don't know anymore, since what happened…" He trailed off, having gone back to packing his bag.
She rolled her eyes good naturedly. "Okay, let me rephrase. How many fights will I get into with Chloé, and Lila?" She asked.
He just literally groaned painfully, making her laugh.

It wasn't as if she wasn't going to wear the ring he gave her. She was gonna wear the damn thing all the time. And fight anyone who opposed. She had already learnt how to deal with the opposition.
"There will be a lot of people who oppose." Elder-Marinette said.
Marinette slumped. "Then how…?" She questioned.
Elder-Marinette laughed. "Just shove your ring in their face, and dare them to say otherwise. I have literally had people bar me recently, and I've just shoved my ring in their face, and literally yelled that I was carrying his child. It works wonders!" Elder-Marinette said cheerfully.
Well, she wasn't carrying a child, but damn it, she had a ring he had given her, and damn it she was going to wield it to her heart's content!

/

/

What's the time? I haven't checked! But that's not it! My mother woke up!

- Received 11:58

Can you come to her room?

- Received 11:59

It just had to be midnight!
It just had to be winter!
It was freezing, damn it!
She had dropped her phone in alarm, raced to Tikki to wake her up, only to be racing across Paris roofs to the hospital Adrien had called her to.
She dropped behind several trees, out the way, so no one would see her change over, before rushing over to the front entrance.
She glared at the doctor who seemed to hate her for some reason.
He looked like he was about to scold her.
"Mar!" Adrien's voice came, as he rushed out of his mother's room, taking no notice of the pissed off doctor, having only eyes for his girlfriend, rushing up to her, grasping her arm, and pulling her in.
She took one last look at the doctor, flashed her ring. "Part of the family now?" She asked lightly.
She took huge pleasure in his shocked face.

Nathalie was another that was in the room, that was ironically bar of the actual patient.
Nathalie looked up from her work pad, to see Marinette.
"Ah. Miss Marinette." She started. Nathalie didn't need to see the ring, she had been well informed beforehand, and had told the staff to allow her admittance, though she guessed some had issues with it.
She watched as Marinette stalled as she was addressed. "Hello, Ma'am…?" She said nervously, still not quite sure how to greet Nathalie.
But Nathalie took what she could get, and nodded back to her.
"Mrs. Agreste will be back shortly, the nurses and doctors need to conduct a series of tests now that she has surfaced consciousness." Nathalie informed the children, noting Adrien's near bounding in joy, and Marinette's near awe of the situation and she loathed to finish what she had been told previously, but she heaved a sigh, and Adrien knew that sigh, and immediately stiffened.
"…What is it?" He asked.
Nathalie didn't take Adrien's sadness very well. She doubted she ever would, whether she worked for the boy or not. "There have been surfacing complications, that need to be seen to, to determine their severity." Nathalie told them.
And that was when Adrien felt ice crawl back into his soul.

The words memory loss and amnesia were tossed around, while Adrien understood the terms, at the same time, he didn't.
It was like he could see, yet he couldn't.
He was aware that Marinette was there, yet wasn't.
His mother wouldn't be able to remember him. How was he meant to process that?!

As soon as they were alone in the room, Plagg flew out of his pocket and looked to Marinette.
"Where's Pyaar?" He asked.
Marinette gave out a little helpless shrug and shake of her head.
Pyaar hadn't been seen, her brooch was still on Aubrianne's gown, but the lady in question, was put back to sleep.
Marinette, who was trying not to fall asleep next to Adrien, who was wide awake.

Nathalie came up beside Marinette, and placed her hand on her shoulder, Plagg making himself scarce in the process.
"Miss Marinette…?" She started, notching Marinette that little bit more awake.
"Yes ma'am?" She asked, rubbing sleep out of one eye.
"I know you wish to be here, but you're not doing much good falling asleep, you both have a very big day ahead of you, why don't you go home and rest?" Nathalie parried.
Marinette looked to Adrien, who looked just as tired as she. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mar, okay, promise?" He asked.
Marinette nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow, I promise. Try and get some sleep, too, yeah?" she tried.
Adrien nodded and yawned as Nathalie led Marinette out.
It was well past three in the morning.
"Keep me updated?" Marinette asked Nathalie.
Nathalie nodded. "As I am updated." She told Marinette.
Marinette yawned and left the ward, on her way home.
She hopefully would make it there without hibernating.

/

/

A/N: Again, because of ff's standard I can't post the pictures of the rings, so either go to my Tumblr and find it there, or go to this chapter on Ao3 to see them here.