A.N.-I decided to post a day early on the account I finished Chapter 20 earlier today. I'm not going to lie, these next two chapters are rough. BUT I will make it worth it, so just stick with me. I've just come to the realization that I can't hurt Adrien without hurting Marinette. Just a side effect. Whoops. BUT I got you covered, read the author's note at the end.

As for fanfic recommendations: Go read HariWrites because they are awesome. Slowly working through their stuff because I can only read so much and write the chapters for you all. Also Spots Off by CadenzaRose.

Amelie fought the urge to check her phone again, a couple of minutes had passed, and she still hadn't heard anything. She didn't understand where she went wrong, his behavior towards the beginning of the summer was so different and now…it might as well have been complete radio silence. The distance could have been a factor, but when she told him that she would be gone for a bit, he said he wasn't worried.

Her summer consisted of visiting the plants where the fabrics were made, her father allowed her to make some decision about the fall line. The majority of it was boring, but she knew that it was important to learn the fundamentals, so she could run the business one day. The one bright side was she had made peace with her parents. As much as she fought with them, they had agreed to turn over a new leaf for the sake of the company. They would continue to give her more responsibility as long as she took it seriously. After a long talk with her mother, she had agreed not to discuss any more conspiracy theories about Marinette or any other one of her friends, which was agreed upon. They even had a touching moment where they talked about her relationship with Adrien. It was nice to see this different side of her; maybe she did have a shred of human decency. Either way, she was treasuring their new relationship until things shifted once more.

A buzz from her cell phone jolted her back to reality, it was the alarm that she had set to remind her to start getting ready. She pocketed her cell phone in her purse before appraising what dresses she had to wear. Everything needed to be perfect, this one afternoon would change everything.

Adrien was surprised that Amelie had insisted that he meet her at the restaurant; it boded well with his assumption that she wanted to end things. After all, they had been away for months, wouldn't she want to spend the most time with him as possible? Either way, he had the entirety of the silent car ride to contemplated all of his questions.

The trip to the restaurant was over before he knew it, and yet he didn't want to leave the comfort of the car. Amelie was already waiting on him, it would be considered rude to ask to take one more turn around the block. Adrien thanked him told him that he would call when he needed a ride. He had never been to this restaurant, but the reviews for it, all said it was one of the newest hot spots in Paris.

The second he entered, he was greeted by the wait staff. As he was showed to his table, it was hard to notice the lack of people at the tables.

"Adrien!" Amelie ran up and gave him a quick peck on the cheek and grabbed his hand leading him the rest of the way.

"Where are all the people?" He asked his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"I rented out the restaurant for the afternoon, I know how you like your privacy." For that, he couldn't fault her; his father had done the same for even more trivial reasons. He was hoping for witnesses for the break-up, but he would have to take what he could get.

"Amelie-"

"Adrien-"

Both stopped and allowed their laughter to fill the awkward silence.

"You go first," he offered.

"Adrien I," She let out a ragged nervous breath. "This is a lot more nerve-racking than I thought it would be," she confessed. "Ummm... I actually have something to give you. It's been in my family for a long time." A smaller box was pushed across the table and when opened revealed a watch. "It's been in my family for 7 generations and was said to bring success, happiness, and love." Their eyes connected at her words. "And now it's yours."

"Amelie, I can't accept this," his fingers reached out and brushed the face of the watch. It was beautiful craftsmanship; the creator knew what they were doing. "It's too much."

"Well, it's not just a gift. Adrien, we have had our ups and downs like anyone else, but I believe that we have what it takes to make a powerful team. I can imagine a life and a future with you. We could bring a presence to the fashion industry that has yet to grace Paris or go anywhere you want. I don't care what happens, all I know is I want to live my whole life by your side. Waking up next to you every morning or watching the crinkles around your smile grow every time that you laugh at your own puns. I love you, all of you. This summer has given me a lot of time to think and I know what I want." She paused for a brief moment and Adrien felt his stomach churn in anticipation. He was dreading what came next. "I guess I'm trying to say is..." She removed herself from the chair and knelt while holding out the watch. "Will you marry me?"

She wanted to marry him? Even if he wanted to scream in frustration at the top of his lungs, nothing escaped but shallow breaths. The watch was beautiful, and the fact that she used a family heirloom was touching, but he still couldn't. He couldn't understand her logic, she had been gone for the last few months and the first thing that made sense to her was to…propose?

He heard that absence made the heart grow fonder, but this was borderline insane. Maybe if things were different, if Marinette hadn't stumbled into his life again he would have at least entertained the idea.

"Adrien?" His eyes snapped to hers and his mouth ran dry. He definitely should have gone first.

Anything would be better than this.

"I-uh...What I mean to say is..." Why couldn't he voice the sentence he desperately wanted to say? "Amelie, I don't—" his words died on his tongue when suddenly Marinette stumbled into the room.

She just happened to be in the neighborhood, she told herself. When everything goes down, Amelie was sure to call her wanting to talk or rant, and she would be able to go right to her side.

This isn't your fault, her mind reminded her. Marinette would have liked to believe that, but she couldn't. Despite how much she would tell Adrien to move on, she didn't believe deep down that he would...unless she broke his heart.

It wasn't a thought that she enjoyed by any means. He was her friend and first love after all. To hurt him would take its own toll. She already was dreading Adrien moving out of the apartment now that they were in a normal place in their friendship.

What if things went really south and they made her pick sides, her stomach flipped. Amelie had been there when no one else had. Dark times, moments of her life where she had almost quit in frustration or where she thought would never be good enough. Then there was Adrien, imagining a life without him in it was next to impossible. They had grown closer over the summer, he had regained the title of one of her best friends (Among Alya and Chat Noir). She felt like she could tell him anything...including that she was Ladybug. Not that she had, she had agreed to tell Chat Noir first and every time she had tried she had failed. But Saturday was two days away. Maybe Ladybug would carry more luck.

A series of screams pierced the air causing her blood to run cold. They hadn't had an akuma in weeks, Hawkmoth had bided his time. There were too many people on the streets for her to change in the alley, the likelihood of being seen was almost a sure chance. She charged into the building to her right hoping that she would find somewhere, anywhere, to transform, only to be met with complete silence and gawking stares.

"Mar, what are you doing here?" Heat rose to her face and she didn't know how to stop it. She knew the restaurant that the two were eating at, but she never imagined that she would stumble in the middle of...a proposal?

What else would it be with Amelie down on one knee holding a box out to Adrien?

"Mari?" A cold sensation hit her chest and started spreading through her veins. She couldn't move. Not for lack of wanting, she wished she could erase this memory from her mind. Her breaths became shallow, but she wasn't sure if it was from the pending attack or…

Amelie was proposing.

Her gaze flickered to Adrien for a brief second, but he appeared more surprised than anything. She finally found her voice and managed to squeeze out.

"There's screaming...I'm not sure, but I think Hawkmoth is back."

Maybe it was the tremble in her voice or the fear in Marinette's eyes, but Adrien's adrenaline snapped awake.

"Amelie, Marinette, make your way to the back, find somewhere to hide and stay low. Do you understand me."

"But Adrien-" Amelie said.

"That wasn't a suggestion," Adrien cut off her off roughly before recoiling. "I need both of you safe."

"What about you?" Marinette dared to break the newfound silence.

"I'll be fine, I'll join you two soon." "Now go." Marinette grabbed Amelie's hand and bolted to the back. They found a secluded closet which harbored office supplies.

"Stay here, I'm going to see if I can find anything to be used as a weapon."

"Hurry back Mar, I don't want to be alone." She pleaded. Marinette closed the door swiftly and glanced around. It was to her advantage that Amelie bought the restaurant out for a few hours.

"Tikki, spots on." Her kwami vanished into her earrings and a rush overcame her as the familiar feeling of the spandex overcame her.

Ladybug perched on the roof trying to take in the situation in front of her. All she could deduce so far was that it wasn't Hawkmoth at all. From the looks of it, there were four armed gunmen who had taken over the bank across the street.

"What's the plan?" Chats voice startled her to the point where she almost lost her balance. Ladybug managed to recompose herself before replying.

"There's four of them and some hostages, getting those people out is our number one priority." They had dealt with situations like this before, but she dreaded it every time. If someone was shot or killed no matter how much she used her powers, the damage would be irreversible.

"I'll follow your lead." Great, as if she needed the added pressure. She narrowed her focus, there was a getaway van in the alley, maybe there was a way in from the roof.

"Are you ok my lad- Ladybug?" Chat asked.

"I'm fine." She needed to clear her head and stay focused. People's lives are at stake. Thoughts about the proposal would have to wait.

"The roof."

The second they landed Marinette searched for another way in. Immediately they spotted the ventilation shaft, that was their way in. Chat popped the cover effortlessly and the two slipped in. It wasn't until they crawled further inside did she remember Chat's fear of enclosed spaces.

'Hold on Kitty.' Her mind pleaded.

They stopped at the first vent Ladybug froze when she heard a small girl crying. There were no armed men to be seen, but that didn't mean that they were far. She dropped down earning a couple of gasps.

"We're going to get you out. Where are they?"

"There's one guarding the door, the others are somewhere." That was good, they were professionals. They wanted the money and knew not to harm people unless it was necessary.

"Chat, I'll take them out of the building as fast as I can, you stay here."

"But"-

"I need someone to protect them if one of them comes back here." If his phobia acted up, then he would be slower. They needed to act in their strengths and work quickly if they wanted any hope of succeeding. Her partner said nothing more, just merely gave a small dip of his head in understanding. The little girl that was crying earlier ran and clung to Ladybug spreading warmth through her entire body.

"You can come with me, but you have to be really brave. Can you do that?" She asked only to receive an enthusiastic smile.

It only took 10 minutes to evacuate everyone to safety, but it felt like hours. Marinette was sure that someone would come back to check on the now missing hostage any moment and they still didn't have a plan.

The only warning they had was a quick jiggle of the door handle before a man with a ski mask bolted inside.

"What?" He mumbled under his breath clearly surprised to see the empty room except for the two heroes.

"Don't mind us, we only mint to make a deposit." Chat smiled cheekily to which the man whipped out his gun clearly not amused. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, you see my partner, she really doesn't like guns. I can't be held responsible for what she'll do."

"It's nothing personal," The sound of the gun cocking filled the air. "We've just been planning this for way too long to let two kids screw this up." In happen in a blink of an eye, the trigger was pulled, and the bullet was headed straight towards Ladybug. Chat jump directly at her knocking the both of them to the ground causing the bullet to miss. Ladybug cried at the way her leg landed against the ground.

"You shouldn't have done that." Chat released a low growl and charged the man. In one swoop he had destroyed the gun. The man's eyes widened in slight terror and he began to retreat. The only thing that stopped him from chasing the guy down was the sound of Ladybug hissing in pain. Everything else was forgotten in his mission for a second as he rushed to her side.

"Are you ok?" He asked only to have his arm be pushed back.

"You stupid cat, you could have died," she hissed.

"So could you," he shot back softly, "and I can't have the second most important woman in my life gett killed in action, now can I?"

"It's just my ankle, I'll be fine. Go get them kitty, I'll do my best to keep up." Chat silently nodded and raced ahead but stopped when the van was still there. What kind of getaway drivers wouldn't take their opportunity...his ears twitched and then he heard it, the start of explosions, screams. He picked up the sounds of a low ticking noise and only had seconds to scramble away before the car detonated and everything went black.

"Kid, you can't do this to me." Adrien let out a groan. His head was pounding simultaneously with the ringing in his ears and the burning sensation on his body.

"What happened?" he grunted.

"Just because cats have nine lives doesn't mean that you can be reckless. I think you owe me Gorilla's weight in Camembert for the stunts you've pulled today."

"Relax Plagg, I'm a little scratched up but I didn't die." Sometimes he decided that his kwami exaggerated too much.

"Only because the suit protected you. You're lucky that no one saw you detransform."

"Right now, that's the least of my worries. Any casualties from the explosions?" Adrien asked.

"Two, and 3 people are on their way to the hospital right now." He paused, and Adrien felt his breath hitch. "It's not them. Amelie is being seen by the paramedics and Marinette has yet to be seen." Suddenly his missing girlfriend was the only thing on his mind.

"We need to get out there. I need to find her."

"Hold on lover boy, in case you didn't notice that blast did a number on us. I won't be able to hold the transformation as long." His kwami warned.

"You can scold me later, but I can't leave her out there. Plagg, claws out."

When he emerged from the building out to the main road his jaw tightened. The block would be out of commission for days making it safe for the blank again. His eyes were drawn to the red from Ladybug's suit, and relief flooded his system. She was safe. But what really captured his interest was how animated her exchange was with Amelie. It almost looked like they were arguing.

He ventured closer, but unfortunately, his curiosity got the better of him and paid for it when Amelie caught sight of him.

"You!" There was venom in her voice. "Where is she, where's Marinette?" His heart sunk, they still hadn't found her. Adrien's mind started running through all the possible scenarios, none of which ended in his favor.

"I'll look for her," Ladybug offered, and Chat quickly nodded. By the sounds of it Amelie wouldn't let him leave any time soon. He had told her to stay in the restaurant, why couldn't she listen? At least he had the knowledge that Marinette would be found if his partner had any say in the matter. But for now, he had to deal with his almost ex-girlfriend.

"I had the situation perfectly handled, I don't need you two to step in and make matters worse. You guys have done quite enough. " Adrien's blood began to boil, did she not know how close she was to seriously injuring herself?

"That's a funny way to say thank you." He snapped crossing his arms defensively across his chest.

"Oh trust me, I wasn't."

"What is your problem?" Adrien had never seen Amelie this hostile towards anyone, granted her proposal was ruined which would cause anyone to become angry.

"You and your partners parading around pretending that you're doing us a favor is my problem. I bet if you all disappeared Hawkmoth wouldn't have any reason to stay." Adrien blinked blankly unsure how to react to her accusation.

"What?" Paris loved them if it wasn't for their efforts the city would be destroyed.

"What's worse is that you've dragged Marinette into this. You can't tell me that you've honestly thought about her safety in any of this," she snapped.

"But"-

"I've tried to reason with her, but she doesn't seem to care. So, I'm appealing to you, if you love her, do what's best and stay away from her…let her go." It was touching, Amelie did care about Marinette. But if Marinette was concerned, she would have told him, right? The tabloids had covered their relationship and Hawkmoth still hadn't made a move to kidnap her, he'd like to think it was because the team increased patrol around her house. There was a small nagging deep down that was filled with doubt, what if Amelie was right? He was only one guy after all.

"Chat." Marinette's voice sliced through his mind and his chest started to pound. She was safe. He hadn't been able to curb his anxiety during the battle when all he could think of was how close she was to the danger.

The two united in a skin-tight hug as he buried his nose in her hair inhaling her scent. The gesture calmed him instantly, but he was still reluctant to let go.

"Don't ever scare me like that." She faintly heard him mumble into her locks

"Chat," she parroted much softer. Her fingertips found their way to clutch the hair that dusted the nape of his neck. Although Marinette was never in real danger, Chat was unaware of that fact. It was all so real to him; the least she could do was lighten his anxiety. She kissed his shoulder and stayed still until her boyfriend pulled back. "I'm fine, I promise." In the background, sirens filled the air alerting Paris that the firefighters and police were on their way.

"Wait, where's Adrien?" Amelie's panicked voice filled the air breaking their moment.

Adrien? He had been there…but Marinette came up empty when she did a quick sweep of the building. Faintly she heard Chat's ring beeping, dreading that she would have to say goodbye. Finding Adrien was more a priority though, she could always meet up with her boyfriend later.

"Marinette-" His voice was wavering as his hands slid down her arms to join with her hands.

"Go. The danger has passed, we wouldn't want your secret identity to be revealed. I can find Adrien." She gave him a quick peck. "Thanks for being my hero, kitty." They exchanged smiles before he leapt to a nearby rooftop.

"Don't worry Amelie, I'm sure we'll find him." They had to.

"I'm coming with you." She didn't have it in her to argue with Amelie.

"Adrien?" Marinette called out. She didn't want to worry, but so far, she had come up empty. There were only so many places to hide. For all they knew, he could be outside already.

"Adrien!" Amelie's voice rang out behind her and she couldn't spin around fast enough.

When she faced the direction of the noise she caught sight of Amelie throwing her arms around Adrien and pushing her lips to his. He didn't stop her or push her away as she was expecting. Marinette forced her eyes away. Despite being with Chat, it still caused a small pang of pain that lined her stomach.

"I'm so glad you're safe. Are you hurt?" Amelie asked not pulling back from her hug. Marinette knew he wasn't staring at his girlfriend, she could feel him. The sensation coaxed her gaze upward to meet his. His face said it all, it was his model smile, the one he saved for situations that he was uncomfortable with, and yet, he didn't move.

"I'm fine," His voice cracked giving Marinette a glimpse of how he was feeling. He wished that it was her in his arms instead of Amelie.

She was too far away to hear the sweet nothings that she could imagine Amelie was whispering in his ear. This day was already tolling on her physically, and she didn't need to be reminded further that she couldn't be with him.

"I'm going to head on home." She wouldn't have even bother disrupting them if she thought they wouldn't notice her absence.

"I-We can walk with you." Adrien's voice pushed past the heaviness that hung in the air earning her gaze once more.

"It's fine, you two lovebirds take your time." The words clung to her throat leaving a burn in their wake. As she walked away the only thing overpowering her pain setting in her chest was the increasing discomfort from her throbbing ankle.

A.N.- OK, I partly want to apologize for the angst and for how rusty my "fight" scene was. I had to start somewhere, my next story will have a lot of them. As for the angsty part, I am going to try and whip out a fluffy Christmas in July one-shot and post it tomorrow to ease the pain. In other news, it's my birthday next week! Yes, there will still be an update and (hopefully) another one shot to ease any pain. I'm all about giving back to the readers. I honestly wish I could draw some artwork for this fic because the scenes play out so vividly in my head, but I'll stick with what I'm good at. Let me know what you think!