Sorry this one's so short...it was either that or super long one, so I opted for the short and then the longer one.

Enjoy!

Adrien and Marinette burst into the bakery, panting.

"How much...time do we have?" Marinette asked, completely out of breath.

"Negative thirty seconds," Adrien groaned, bending over to rest his hands on his knees.

"Welcome back!" Mrs. Dupain-Cheng called from behind the counter. "How'd the clue-hiding go?"

"Great, mom," Marinette smiled weakly, walking over to the counter. "Can you grab us some water?"

"Sure, hon." Marinette's mother took two cups from beneath the counter and pulled the glass pitcher of ice water closer to her daughter. Marinette grabbed the cups and quickly filled them with water.

"Are Nino and Alya back yet?" Adrien asked, taking a cup from Marinette.

"Not yet." Mrs. Dupain-Cheng answered, rearranging a tray of croissants behind the counter.

"Sweet!" Adrien and Marinette shared a high five. "We make quite the team, huh, little lady?"

Marinette felt a thrill at his words, as if she'd heard them many times before. "W-What? What'd you say?"

Adrien flushed, realizing he might've seemed too flirtatious. "Uh, just that we make a good team when it comes to solving mysteries!"

Marinette stared at him blankly, trying to understand why she had reacted the way she had. "Right..."

The door to the bakery swung open and Nino and Alya ran in.

"Hah!" Adrien smirked. "I told you we were going to win, Marinette!"

"No way, dudes." Nino straightened his headphones and put his hands on his hips, grinning. "We just hid clues that are so hard, you won't even know where to start!"

"Yeah right," Marinette scoffed, leaning up against the counter. "You two are going to be the ones begging for help!"

"We'll see!" Alya said slyly, holding up a white envelope. "Here's your first clue!" She walked over to the counter were Adrien and Marinette were standing and held it out to them.

Marinette and Adrien both reached for the envelope, then froze as they realized the other's hand was already extended.

"You take it!" Adrien offered, pulling his hands back and stuffing them in his pockets.

"No no," Marinette protested, gesturing that he take the envelope. "I-I carried the clues first! Now it's your turn!"

Adrien hesitated, glancing at the envelope. "But-"
"Go on!" Marinette put her hands behind her back. "You have bigger pockets than me anyway."

"Pockets?" Alya repeated, laughing. "Girl, that's your final argument?"

Marinette blushed. "It's true, though!"

"Can't argue with that." Adrien winked, taking the envelope from Ayla. "Then you'd better give Ayla our first clue!"

"O-okay, I can do that." Marinette's cheeks were still burning from Ayla's teasing. She pulled another white envelope from the pocket of her gray blazer and handed it to Alya.

"How're things going with your lover boy?" Alya whispered, leaning closer to her best friend as she took the envelope.

Marinette giggled. "Just great. Really great."

"Good." Alya cleared her throat and straightened. "Well, how do you guys feel about some lunch before we set off again?"

"You know, I was wondering if you were going to remember." Marinette's eyes twinkled, and she nodded to Adrien.

"We decided to grab something while we were out," Adrien said smugly, folding his arms. "So, we're all set!"

Alya's eyes widened, and Nino's jaw dropped. Laughing, Adrien offered his arm to Marinette. She felt a thrill in her chest and slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow.

"Shall we?" Adrien nodded his head toward the crowded streets of Paris.

"I don't see why not!" Marinette said, smirking at Alya and Nino.

Adrien and Marinette strolled across the boulangerie, grinning, and Adrien pushed open the door for Marinette.

"So where to, Marinette?" He asked as his date left the bakery.

"You have the clue, Adrien," Marinette reminded him, nudging his arm.

"Oh! Right!" Adrien pulled the envelope from his deep pocket. He lifted the flap and pulled out the small slip of paper inside.

"What does it say?" Marinette stood on her tiptoes, peering over Adrien's shoulder.

Adrien frowned thoughtfully. "'Look for where the bones of Parisians lie, far below number 14, just beneath the second Stone. PS: Watch your Head'".

Marinette chuckled. "And Alya said these would be hard? That's easy!"

"Well, we know it's in the Catacombs," Adrien admitted, "but where? Those are enormous and stretch all under Paris!"

Marinette pursed her lips, thinking. "Not all the Catacombs have bones, so that eliminates some, right?"

"Number 14!" Adrien smiled triumphantly, pointing at the word on the clue. "That's got to mean the fourteenth arrondissement!"

"We'd better get going then!" Marinette grinned, starting toward the subway. Adrien followed, still trying to figure out the rest of the clue.

"Head and stone are both capitalized," he mused as Marinette procured tickets. "Do you think that's significant?"

"Maybe it means a headstone," Marinette suggested. "There's not nearly as many down there."

"You're right, that's got to be it!" Adrien grinned, nudging Marinette gently. "You're pretty clever, Marinette!"

Marinette laughed shyly. "Oh, no I'm-I'm not! I just...put things together quickly!"

"That's what clever means." Adrien winked. "I'm sure glad you're here with me today. I'd be completely lost without you."

Marinette blushed, pushing her bangs out of her face. "I'm glad to be with you too."

Just to clarify something, Paris is divided into districts or neighborhoods (sort of) called arrondissements. So Adrien is talking about an area of Paris when he says that. Comprenez? ;)

We're getting closer! Leave a review if you're still reading! :)