The alarm hadn't even gone off yet when he jumped out of bed and greeted the day. With fall in full swing, the sun was starting to come up a little later and thus he got to see the sunrise in all its glory. Again, he spent marvelous seconds waking up, feeling his heart almost burst out of its confinements as he watched the colors change from a deep blue that he knew so well to the full spectrum. He stared, admiring it and letting a smile easily come to his face.

Two weeks.

It'd been two weeks since that grand, final audition and every day since then had been heaven. Ballet class had become his most favorite place to be. The new semester shuffled out the graduates and brought in the new recruits to his class...like Marinette. The Beast didn't separate anyone in the class and demanded just as much from the new people as she did the experienced ones. In her opinion, the new could learn from those who had been there a while and thus paired everyone up as such.

He pulled The Beast aside right in the beginning after class broke for lunch and requested that he get to work with Marinette and mentioned the audition she was aware of. He felt that their dancing chemistry was amazing from just that audition and that he had found someone who naturally flowed with him. The Beast tested them after lunch was over and begrudged him that allowance.

Knocking Chloe's top spot and finally getting her away from him.

Oh that first day...

Chloe had been absolutely furious, but The Beast backed up his claims of being more in synch when she watched them dance together. Chloe was going to finish in the spring anyway, so they needed a replacement soon. Who better than the one who impressed his father with a dance she made up and he danced with so naturally?

He tried to keep from making a mess of breakfast as the smile graced his face at the memory. He tried to hurry eating, even though he wasn't that hungry. Finishing quicker just meant he could get to school faster and hopefully Marinette would be early too. Sometimes she was and they stretched in more peace without too many snoopers and gossipers giggling at them.

Not that he was helping that chattering much.

He hurried from his plate to the door, almost hitting Natalie with it before she could enter to tell him it was time to leave. He grinned his apologies and all but pulled her to it.

His foot tapped the entire car ride, wondering, praying if she would be earlier than the usual ten or fifteen minutes to the eight o'clock start time. He needed to find a way to communicate to her to get there so they could practice in some quiet. Not that he ever saw anyone the second they started practicing, but the giggling sometimes derailed him from her nearness.

Almost.

He all but burst from the car and left Natalie there, almost forgetting his duffel in the process. Only a yell from her before he shut the door kept him from sprinting off without it. He lurched back, whipped around, and yanked the strap she held out to him before shutting the door behind him. He threw it over his torso and skipped stairs in his rush.

He waved to those who bid him good morning and easily returned them as with much feeling as he could. Yes, it was a good morning...and he just knew they were going to continue. He didn't graduate from class like the others because his father wanted his skills sharp and his body to not get lazy in between performances. Thus, he could spend Marinette's years together with her until she graduated and then joined him on that stage full-time.

He knew why he was so happy about this. Aside from his obvious feelings for her, he was able to spend their days together dancing. No more sneaking out overnight and losing the sleep he so desperately needed now to be able to get to class with her; he spent all his mornings and afternoons with her...so many more hours than when they were in the Underground.

It was about four or five days into her being in class when he realized that he didn't even miss the Underground. He didn't even know how it came up, but when he thought of it after so much time away, he realized he was fine with how things had become. That place started out with the freedom to dance and quickly altered itself to her.

Only her.

He loved ballet now because she was there. She was fluidity and grace and beauty and shyness and professionalism and concentration and form and knowledge and laughter and happiness. Those were only the adjectives he could think of off the top of his head! She was so much more, and after a shy introduction, plus one practice with him, most of the upper level classmates acknowledged her skills and her easygoing, nice personality. She easily talked to any of them whenever they approached her and she had made herself at home in class with the others.

He couldn't be happier.

He threw the duffel in his locker and tossed his slippers over a shoulder, wanting to get to class and untie the knots so he could get into them as soon as possible.

"Hey Agreste."

"Morning Agreste."

"Morning."

"Why so rushed Adrien?"

"Do you really need to answer that?"

"Yea man, he wants to go see that little beauty he dances with every day."

"Her name is Marinette, and you'd do well to remember it." He easily threw back with a grin, face slightly warm.

Any chance they could get, his male classmates teased him, albeit good-naturedly so. He was pretty sure they were just jealous that he first danced with Chloe, a girl who was talented and he would admit was beautiful in her own right, and now he was dancing with a fireball of talent who was even smarter and way more clever.

And absolutely gorgeous in his opinion.

He entered the classroom behind some of the other girls and bid them good morning. They smiled at him when he scanned the huge expanse of hardwood and giggled when his shoulder slumped just a little.

A hand patted his shoulder and drew his attention to its owner. "She's in the locker room Adrien."

"Yea, calm down lover-boy. She's still coming to class."

"She was just putting her bag in her locker when I left."

Just as he was lacing up his first slipper, she strode in the door, her own slung over her shoulder the same as his had been. He could feel his face light up as he quickly bid her a good morning, feeling bad that he couldn't get up and go over to her with his final slipper not tied. She smiled at him and waved to a few of the girls who greeted her before stopping in front of him and looking down.

"You're sure excited for it being seven-fifty in the morning..." She observed, a half smile on her face. She sat down on the ground and started in on the knot to her laces, hiding a yawn.

He finished up and stretched his legs out, wiggling his feet to settle his slippers where he wanted them. "I have no idea what you mean..." He threw back, smile threatening to split his face in two. "Want any help? I'm good with my hands, you know."

There was a muted chorus of giggles. "I bet he is."

"I think someone is happy someone is here..."

His ears perked up, eyes on Marinette...smile still on his face. Her shoulders hunched toward her ears as she started tying her first slipper. Those were the loudest, hushed whispers he had ever heard and they were usual whenever she got near him first thing in the morning and his mouth often times got them all started.

"Can you blame him? She's not bad for a newb."

"Plus she's nice."

"She's better than 'not bad'." He easily threw back, looking in the direction of the gossipers. They gave him a somewhat bashful smiles as he confidently met their eyes. This was almost routine now, but he took this in better stride than he did with Chloe. "She's got some serious talent and perseverance to have applied so many times for so many years and I think she finally gets what she deserves."

He looked back at her, finding her beet red, but giving the shyest smile he had ever seen. She all but refused to look at him and was putting in way too much focus on those laces she was finishing up.

"I still think she could be the court jester from Swan Lake. But that's just me..."

The comment halted any other playful activity by the everyone in the room. The subtle venom cut through the air right to them and his eyes sought its wielder immediately. Not that he needed to; he knew that voice and the smug loathing with his eyes closed. It killed the good mood in the room like a winter frost.

He merely looked to Marinette and extended his palms to her, legs moving in position to stretch. She ignored the comment as well and grasped his forearms, using her slippers to push on his lower thighs and gently stretch his inner leg muscles.

There was a noticeable thread of discomfort in the room now thanks to their classmate and he tried not to frown at it as he leaned forward. He kept his face even, almost pointedly concentrating on stretching and the cute way her mouth scrunched up in concentration. It was precious moments till eight and they would be expected to be ready for class.

"After all, her ballet still isn't pure like Monsieur Agreste wants. How she got in with that crappy audition is beyond me..."

"She knocked you off your top spot sure enough Chloe." He abruptly countered, still not looking her way. It was hard to rope in his irritation, but somehow he managed. He hadn't really wanted to take the bait, but too late now... He dispelled his annoyance by mentally telling himself that if Chloe ever got in a dance-off with Marinette, she'd probably run crying from the room.

He slowly brought his legs in and switched positions with Marinette, swapping their hand positions and starting in on her. "I'd say that counts for something."

The tension rose noticeably from the others. He ignored it with ease, pretending that his previous partner wasn't so obviously jealous of a new entrance who easily took her spot. He could almost hear the whispers that were cut off, probably from Chloe's glare. He decided that they had mere seconds left before The Beast came in and started in on them. He wasn't going to let someone like Chloe keep him from enjoying his time with his Lady.

Usually, ignoring her made her go away after a while anyway...

01010

"She's...so...IRRITATING!" She grit out, teeth tightly clenched. It was hard to keep her grip light on the phone and not break the expensive device. Her parents wouldn't buy her another one. "Why does she still have to haunt me even when I thought I was done with her?!"

"Sounds like she's still the same person from junior high..." There was a chuckle on the end. "Just think, you're that good as a newb and she's just jealous. That's all it is; that's all it'll ever be..."

"I know!" She groused, staring at her open locker and wanting to hurl her duffel bag across the room. She grabbed the knotted ballet slippers and tried not to throw them inside the metal confinements too harshly. "She just...oooooh! Still calling me the court jester...she has no idea! Why does she have to keep throwing that audition in my face? Just because the Underground slipped through that one time! She has no clue what dancing really is! Anyone can dance anything at any time! That doesn't make one form wrong and the other right! Who cares what the style is?!"

"You should just be gloating about the fact that she's so mad because you took her spot next to Adrien. Just enjoy it and dance with the boy in front of her. Try not to take it so much to heart. You know how she is."

"How can I not?" A hand yanked on her hair, her skin crawling with distaste at the words that still refused to leave her ears, at the personality which had rubbed her the wrong way for years. "She's dissing hip hop when she doesn't even know what it really is and I won't stand for it!"

"Well, there's nothing you can do right? It's not like you can confront her on it."

"But it's helped me so much! How can I just let Chloe make those remarks and act like they're nothing?"

"Speaking of...I haven't seen you in the Underground since classes started. Are you coming back?"

She paused before heaving a sigh, the anger fizzling at the nostalgia for different music and face paint. She plopped on the bench and stared at the floor.

"I...I don't know Alya... I need the sleep now. Class starts at eight sharp and the teacher here is pretty...uh...strict... It's not a good idea to go out overnight anymore."

Her eyes regrettably closed, feeling the beat that she missed a little. It had been apart of who she was, who she had become and what it helped her become, over the past few years. She had given it up for what that she had always longed for. She had to be honest with herself though; transitioning to the daytime and ballet with Adrien was a great distractor and she didn't think much to it these days...

"I miss the Underground, but...it's..." Teeth started nibbling on a nail as her face got warm.

"You get to dance ballet with Adrien now. I understand." The thread of obvious amusement only made her face flame. "But...it's just ballet business. That's all. Nothing hidden for years and years. Nope...not from you."

Her free hand covered her face. "Alya! That's not what this is about! This is...has always been about ballet! I did not invite Adrien to the Underground just to dance with him and be with him again! That never even occurred to me when we talked in the spring! Entering his father's school has always been about me wanting to dance ballet; it has nothing to do with him."

"Nope. Absolutely none...now..."

She heaved a sigh and ignored the bait she was nibbling on. "Okay, back to the Underground." She mumbled. The thread of sorrow crept back in. "I can't honestly say that I'm coming back anytime soon. I haven't really thought of it since I started here. It was just therapy for me; you know that. It was a place we made because I couldn't get in here. Now that I'm here, where I've dreamed of being for years, it seems silly to keep going."

"Are we done then?"

Her lips pursed. The suggestion made her venomously want to deny closing it down just because of her. It seemed highly unfair. This wasn't just about her anymore.

"I...don't know. I don't want to close it down at this point. It's helped so many; it's still helping so many. That's what it's there for; what it'll always be there for...hopefully."

Her lips tilted. "Maybe you three can take it if you want to. We did make it together after all. It's not just mine. I may have suggested it, but we all contributed something big. It's got a strong support now; it wouldn't be hard if you three wanted to be the sole owners at this point."

"That was all you girl, not me. I don't care if it stays or goes. It's just fun when I plan on staying up late."

"You'll have to talk to the others then. I only know that if it closed down now, a lot of people would be sad."

"True, true." There was a pause. "Are you gone yet? It's been about twenty minutes into your lunch you know. I'm almost at the cafe."

She cringed and quickly slammed the locker. "I'm going, I'm going!" She grabbed her purse off the seat and shouldered it, hurrying to the exit doors and down the hallway. "You distracted me! I hate eating quickly, but I don't have much of a choice. Thanks for meeting me near the school; I don't think I would've made it otherwise."

"No prob. Hurry and get here and maybe we can chat more about what to do with the Underground."

01010

Once the door finished swinging shut and silence descended upon the room, there was a giggle and a scurrying of feet in the opposite direction. Past rows of other occupied and empty lockers into the back.

Auburn hair found a patch of blond near the showers, applying makeup with help from one of the bathroom mirrors. "This is a doozy of a secret we stumbled on Chloe!"

"You mean me." Chloe evenly corrected, never looking over.

"Ah! Yes... YOU stumbled on. Sorry!"

"So? What is it?"

Short, auburn hair swished around as if looking for the owner of the previous words she had been spying on only moments ago. "I think Marinette Dupain-Cheng is the creator of the rumored Miraculous Moves Underground!"

That got a pause in the mascara brush. Blue eyes looked to her lackey's appearance in the mirror, a smile slowly forming. "Oh? How do you know this?"

"I heard her mention it multiple times!" Excited fists formed next to Sabrina's mouth as she recanted as much of the one-sided conversation on the phone as she was privy to. She missed nothing, having even taken a few notes to keep from forgetting the most necessary tidbits.

The mascara was idly put back, that smile wide and sly and evil. A smug chuckle quietly escaped the confines of the bathroom area and bounced around the locker room walls.

"Well now, well now, well now...isn't that INTERESTING...?" A manicured finger tapped on a made-up cheek. "Who would have thought that the mouse from junior high would be a hip hop dancer? Well...with the way she danced in the spring, I should've suspected something was going on." Chloe looked at her reflection in the mirror, randomly moving a few bangs out of the way of her eyes. "This is absolute gold." A giggle broke through before she composed herself and cleared her throat.

"So? What are you going to do Chloe? Blackmail her to give up her spot with Adrien Agreste?"

Chloe snorted and cast a scornful look through the mirror before going back to applying her lip gloss. "Oh please, don't think so small Sabrina. Blackmail is for small-time twits." Her eyes narrowed on her reflection. "We're reaching for much higher than simple blackmail..."

"The teacher?"

"The owner of the school." She declared, putting the latest wand back in her purse. A smile graced her face as she checked the final applications. "Some talentless hip hop dancer doesn't deserve to be in Monsieur Agreste's school, let alone near Adrien." A fist formed as Chloe stepped away from the mirror and finally faced Sabrina. "I'm going to crush Marinette and make her rue the day she ever set foot in this school as a dancer! It belongs to people like Adrien and myself!"

Chloe snatched up her purse and abruptly headed for the locker room exit, Sabrina on her heels. The pair headed straight for the main office and paused just outside. Chloe idly stared at 'Gabriel Agreste' on the door before knocking. The lunch hour was more than half over, but she knew he would be inside. He was a dedicated owner who took his work very seriously; he often worked during his lunch in his office, but was always available to those that needed him.

"Enter."

Taking a deep breath, Chloe's hand shot out and grasped the doorknob, throwing the door wide open with panic on her face. "Monsieur Agreste!" She cried out, running inside, face contorted in worry. Sabrina was hot on her heels, looking upset as well. "It's terrible!"

Gabriel sat back in his desk, brows risen at the whirlwind entrance. He eyed the girls with no small sense of confusion. "Chloe Bourgeois. What's the matter?"

Chloe hurried to his desk and slapped both hands on the desk as lightly as she dared without hurting herself. She gave him a teary-eyed look, teeth biting her lip. Her shoulders shook, hands clenching to fists. "It's -" She stopped and covered her mouth as a shuddery breath left her. She ignored the hand that Sabrina patted on a shoulder, mentally commending her lackey for the help of the mood.

She took a deep breath, fanning her face with a hand for a second before looking to the school's owner again. "It's...it's just...terrible! I just heard the most upsetting news!"

"So you just said. What seems to be troubling you for you to come to me?"

She pretended to collect herself and took time to properly word her next sentences. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng...she...she's involved in something horrible. She's involved in that Miraculous Moves Underground place! No," Her head shook, "I think it's even worse...I think she's the one behind it all!" Hands went over the desk again as she leaned over them for emphasis. "I think it's her fault that poor Adrien was hospitalized months ago! That he ran away from home!"

All things that were hard to hide from the public with their extended absences and definitely not from her. To have the cause of Adrien's issues right next to him, with him oddly happy about her presence, made Chloe want to breathe fire.

There was a beat of silence before the leather office chair creaked. "How do you know this? What proof do you have?"

Chloe looked to Sabrina who quickly produced the notepad she had scribbled on. Gabriel took it with a subdued face, eyes scanning the words with skepticism. "I'm still not seeing the connection Chloe..."

Determination and distraught crossed Chloe's face. "She was just on the phone with someone about it! They were going on and on about if they should scrap the project because she gets to dance here with Adrien. She even mentioned that she invited Adrien back in the spring. Bring her here and ask her! Her spring audition...we both saw it. That dancing style speaks for her. All the evidence is there Monsieur!"

Gabriel lightly dropped the notepad onto the wood desk and stood. Hands clasped behind his back as usual whenever he thought. He met Chloe's eyes, watching her nod as if to prove her point. The details she gave him, along with past instances that he had seen with his own eyes, ran through his head.

"Your footwork near the end was choppy and your arm swings much to fast to resemble a bird flapping its wings in flight. Those kind of moves will never accurately portray Odette! You apparently know other dance styles Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng and that's fine for you..."

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng approached me in the hallway moments ago concerning her audition. She needs an assistant for the piece she is doing; a male dancer. I hesitantly agreed to do so after all her hard work in applying. From what I got of it, I think she may finally catch your interest on this father."

"I must admit that Adrien Agreste was a great partner due to his many years of experience as a dancer. He knew what to do with only a little coaching from me and some explanation of what I intended on doing. I believe that his abilities helped me immensely."

After two years of actual ballet performances, she went and created a dance...a duet. Marinette was fully aware of the application process and that duets were almost unheard of. However, she still went through with such a display and Adrien offered to help her, despite barely knowing her. He was supposed to be on the jury and help, not give up his spot and his duties for just one applicant who was supposed to show her own merit and what she was made of without anyone else. It had been highly unfair to the others, but that part alone didn't affect his decision to let her enter his school.

Adrien's ability to participate in the dance was good and Gabriel attributed Marinette's words to his son's abilities. The pair had spoken in the hallway, as he had asked other students later, and discussed her performance. He even saw them speaking on stage and she was giving him directions. Most of the dance was about her movement with only basic participation from Adrien. There was nothing complex that he did during the audition.

Although...there was one move that was extremely difficult...

The fish dive. In itself, it was fairly complex and a tough move because the 'fish' had to hold the stance while her 'catcher' maneuvered her into the proper position. Not only had Marinette leapt across the stage and gone right into a perfect fish position, Adrien spun her around immediately after. The move was so complex and it had his brows going up at how well it was performed.

There was no way the pair could have 'just' done such a complicated move without hours and hours of practice. Such a setup had to be so ingrained that the other would know what to do based off the first person's movements alone.

If Adrien knew of such a thing because he had practiced it, that meant he had thrown himself into ballet and spent hours upon hours doing such a thing. As far as Gabriel knew, he was good in class, but never had he heard of his son doing such a thing that didn't revolve around an upcoming performance.

"I don't even care about ballet! I'd gladly trade the Underground for ballet any day of the week for the freedom it's granted me of my own free will. I chose to go and spend my nights there which is an option you've never given me!"

In the three weeks since Adrien's return home, Gabriel had seen a drastic personality change. Especially after Marinette's induction into the school. Adrien was eager to get to class and almost didn't want to leave.

There was one time that Gabriel had found out such things for himself when class was in session. He was forced to subtly investigate the class atmosphere after Chloe filed a complaint concerning her loss of practice spot with Adrien and why. Supposedly, Chloe claimed bad behavior, which Gabriel wasn't going to tolerate around his only child. He found nothing wrong with Marinette's conduct and even saw how well she got along with Adrien when they practiced. The two danced together very well and it was impressive to see how well they could read each other's moves, despite it being only a few days in.

"I thought that perhaps you had decided to live in your Underground like a heathen, but it seems that you can be reasonable."

The incident with Adrien's absence from home made him curious. Adrien had left as suddenly as he had shown back up. It had been worrisome as it had been a relief.

It had also been five days before the fall auditions started back up.

"I see that you are well-fed and no worse for the wear during your time away from here..."

All the pieces were chaotic and it was hard to make a smooth connection to all that kept going through his mind. Most of them didn't seem to match up and it was a hard road to follow with as disjointed as it was.

Perhaps that was the point...

The puzzle pieces, cleverly cut out and well-disguised, were there had he ever taken the time to look. Gabriel took a deep inhale to cool the sudden fire that burned in his chest as he looked to the clock. "Lunch is now over Chloe. You've spent too much time waiting around my office. I will escort you back to class and ask a few questions of Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng."

Chloe hid her smirk and pretended to wipe any moisture from her eyes. "You won't be sorry Monsieur!"

The trio left the office, Gabriel not even bothering to walk at the same speed as the other two. His steps were calculated and crisp. Annoyance wasn't even a high enough word to use to describe what he was feeling.

Anger would have been a better descriptor.

The door to the classroom suddenly opened and everyone jumped. Gabriel ignored the shocked gazes, eyes looking for midnight black. He found that next to a shock of blond hair over in the corner. He took a second to watch the comfortable way Adrien stood next to Marinette, who looked much the same. The pair then gave him slightly bewildered looks when they turned his way, before looking to each other and shrugging in silence.

Gabriel took in the posture, the nearness, the eye contact, the way his son looked at Marinette and the final puzzle piece showed up. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I request to see you in my office immediately. Leave your things and come as you are."

She blinked, but nodded. She gave a small wave to Adrien before striding across the floor in her slippers. She smiled at the owner, but it went ignored as Gabriel turned on his heel and headed back for his office without even waiting for her. She turned to the classroom, finding Adrien looking utterly confused, and gave him a shrug about his father's curt behavior.

"You're blocking the doorway newb. Move."

She jumped and whirled to Chloe, Sabrina behind her. The pair looked at her as they always had in junior high: like she was a bug. Except, there was a curious smile on Chloe's face that had her eyes narrowing a little in confusion.

There was a sudden clap for attention. "Okay, that's enough of a break! You just had lunch and rest; it's time to dance. Mademoiselle Bourgeois will take Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng's spot while she is in the main office for the time being and practice will resume as normal."

An almost smug, yet happy smile adorned Chloe's face as she hurried into the room and sidled up next to the place she had been in for years. "I'd be happy to help Madame." Arms wrapped around Adrien's as she smiled up at him. "It feels like forever Adri-honey. I'll be happy to assist you in your lead practice. I'm well-versed in the piece after all." Without even waiting, already knowing where they left off before lunch, Chloe took the necessary pose and looked to the teacher.

He stood behind Chloe and tried not to cringe in front of the class. It was like a bad relationship he couldn't get away from and the nostalgia was highly unwelcome. He looked from the back of Chloe's head to The Beast to the door. He wanted to dance with Marinette, not Chloe!

'Ugh...please don't take too long in father's office Marinette. Hopefully, it's just something quick and then he'll be done with you.'