It was a short night and he successfully snuck back in his room without incident. He must have been gone only an hour when he hauled himself over his railing and back into his bathroom. The clock showed a few moments past midnight and he sighed after a minute. He hadn't expected to be there very long, but the journey there and back probably took longer!

He hung everything back up and flung himself on his bed, a mix of guilt and hidden anger. He stared through the darkness of his room, thought to her words and the meeting with his father.

So many things didn't make sense; how did his father find out?! He knew when he came back at nearly dawn that one time and his computer was on to monitor his return that he had given away where he was, but in no way did he incriminate Marinette in that! Her name never left his lips at all! No way would he ever let anyone know her secret, especially inside his father's school.

He could never imagine her letting it slip out in anyone's presence. She had guarded it from her own parents since making it; why would she be so foolish now?

Someone, somehow, had to have found out. All of the blogs he read never mentioned anything other than a basic description of her, which really could be of anyone in a city the size of Paris. She wasn't the only black-haired, blue-eyed, Asian girl here...

He intended on starting at school. It started there and thus it was the first cookie crumb. Despite having already asked questions to others, all he could do was try again knowing that something horrible happened to her. The girls would be the best place to start because they seemed to like gossip and they could go places he couldn't.

The more his mind ran away from him, the more he was convinced that someone was pulling strings behind this and it wasn't his father. His father was someone who acted on the information given to him by the person responsible for all of this.

His suspicions grew and engulfed him, mingled with the hurt and anger at her situation. Yet, he drew strength from these emotions that he lost himself in. If she was thrown away from a place he was unable to leave, he would act in her place and figure out what happened for her!

01010

"I already told you that we don't know anything Adrien... Why are you bringing it up again?"

He was pushing this. He had asked almost everyone the same questions and it was past the level of innocent curiosity and concern. He was going to give himself away at this rate and then he'd have way more explaining than he wanted to do.

He took a step back and looked to the floor. "I...I just feel bad for her." He mumbled, scratching his cheek. "It's been four days and she hasn't shown up. I can't exactly walk up to father and just ask him what happened to her like he knows what her business is about. He's busy and we have lots of people he's in charge of. That's why I figured a fellow classmate might have seen something."

"Are you talking about that newb ballet dancer?"

The small group looked over at one of the professional dancers he occasionally performed with. She stopped, looking slightly interested in his words.

He whipped to the elder person, eyes wide, fists clenched. "You saw something?!"

"I was on my way to talk to your father." A water bottle tapped on her shoulder. "I only remember seeing Chloe and her little friend hurry to your father's office from the locker room and knock. Then she seemed to immediately freak out about something and burst into his office. After that, I decided I didn't want to know and left until later." A brow rose, head tilting to the side. "Is that something like what you're talking about?"

He stared, feeling an icy presence encircle him. A faint shiver stole up his spine.

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

He should've known. The pieces had been there since before she joined the school...every day since she started...all the way up to her exit from the classroom. Every hour in the classroom since.

"How she got in with that crappy audition is beyond me."

Chloe had been absolutely livid and annoying with Marinette at his side, and utterly happy ever since she left. Chloe hadn't been concerned in the slightest; in fact, she was the exact opposite.

"I'll be happy to assist you in your lead practice. I'm well-versed in the piece after all."

It wouldn't shock him in the slightest if such a thing were the case. It only saddened him that yet again, he had somehow become the one to cause all these problems. Marinette was in Chloe's way to him ever since he requested a partner swap. Had he just sucked it up and been happy to be in the same class as Marinette, perhaps Chloe would have just sent her a few looks and left her alone.

Such things only confirmed that again this was his fault, whether intentional or not.

"This...this is your fault!"

He looked to the ground and swallowed.

"You have no idea what you've made me suffer."

She was right. He didn't want to believe her words, but she was right. He did this to her.

That was why now, more so than before, that he needed to make this up to her. He needed to set things right, get the truth in full, and figure out how to work it back to where things had been a week ago. This meant doing something he didn't really want to do...what displeased him greatly. It almost made his skin crawl at the mere thought of it, but it was a requirement if he wanted to achieve what he sought to do.

He was going to have to butter up to Chloe.

It wouldn't be hard. A few smiles and pretty words, maybe a quick hand hold, and she'd be putty. She had practically been throwing herself at him since they joined ballet school years ago. It would be easy.

The thought of being close to her, of flirting with her to get her to open up to him made him want to run away from her. Whenever he pictured what he'd have to do, he couldn't see Chloe's face in his mind. He could only see midnight pigtails and an unimpressed, raised brow at his attempts. He could only see blue eyes surrounded by red paint giving him a dry look for trying to be coy.

He wanted Marinette in Chloe's place worse than ever before.

This was for her sake though! He would never get the answers he needed if he huddled up in a corner out of self-pity. She had it so much worse than he did right now and he needed to do what he could!

He finally nodded to the professional and thanked her for her words. He turned to his classmates, giving them an apologetic look. "Sorry for harassing everyone..." He muttered, hands in front of him. "We should probably head back to class before The Beast comes looking for us. I can't imagine anything good happening from that."

"Makes me shudder just to think of it!"

The girls scurried past him and he followed. He had a long day of practice to go and he was suddenly dreading this more than he ever thought he would, but he mentally ordered himself to suck it up.

After all, he was nowhere near feeling the pain of getting slapped by the owner of the school that he had so longed to enter and being blamed for putting someone he cared for in the hospital.

01010

Oddly enough, it had been easier to stomach than he thought. The many openings that she had given him made it thoughtless. He almost numbed himself to the few times that he had laid his hand on her shoulder and smiled at her.

He felt outside himself as he did so, feeling like scum because he was betraying his lady for doing so...even if he meant absolutely none of it. He got by through picturing his lady in Chloe's spot. He mentally imagined whenever he got close to Chloe, he would see sweet blue with that shy smile. He pretended this was all for her and somehow, it made things bearable. It made the words and the smiles more genuine.

Eventually, he lost himself in the game and his lady, even for a short time, was back at his side.

Class ended at long last. He hung back to let everyone else get out first and grabbed Chloe's arm before she could get too far. He sidled up near her, pretending to fix a lock her hair that had slipped over her ear and pulled her close. "I need to talk to you." He murmured near her ear.

No one else seemed to pay him much mind; just how he wanted it.

His hand squeezed a little as if to demonstrate his sincerity. "Desperately. I don't want to wait on this. But...not here... We need someplace private...just the two of us. There's a back hallway I know of near the stage entrance. Meet me there after you change."

With that, he abruptly let go and tried to get her perfume out of his nose as he took a step back. He took in her pleased, surprised expression, getting an enthusiastic nod before she scurried out of the room with Sabrina on her heels.

He calmly walked to the locker room, ignoring some of the chatter with a small smile and waving off his classmates. He changed back to his regular clothes and grabbed his duffel...and the recorder he had stashed in a side pocket. He wasn't stupid and he had come prepared. No one was playing fair on this and he didn't intend to either. This was the only way to get evidence and he intended on using the device to achieve his goals.

If it incriminated Chloe, so be it.

He headed immediately to the spot he talked of, not wanting to be late. He didn't want to be the one to get there last. He slipped around, knowing he had precious minutes to do this before moving on to his second phase.

He quickly turned the recorder on and fumbled with the settings before leaving it as exposed as possible to catch everything.

"There you are Adri-kins. I hope I didn't make you wait too long."

He mentally snapped to, trying to keep his heart rate down. He took a few steps to Chloe as she stopped in front of him and reached out to grasp her hand. He avoided her eyes by kissing the back of her hand in a move he often tried to do to Marinette.

Marinette, who had always batted him away almost comically with coy remarks to his being too flirty for his own good.

Chloe never did anything but give a happy gasp, avidly watching the movement before flinging her arms around his neck. He rebalanced himself to handle the sudden weight change and then her lips were almost over his.

"I didn't think this day would ever come..." She breathed, crinkled eyes inches from his. Her smile widened as her fingers went to the back of his head, trying to nudge him closer. "You have no idea how happy this makes me Adri-kins..."

His arms went around her back and off-set her by pushing her against his chest. He maneuvered out of the way and put his lips near her ear to save himself.

Never had he wanted to scurry away from her more than in this second. The feel of Chloe in his arms and the perfume she wore was almost too much, but he grit his teeth and took a deep inhale, exhaling for clarity. Thankfully, it appeared that he breathed as he had because Chloe was in his arms. She relaxed against him and snuggled her head against his for a second.

"So...I heard you got rid of a street rat lately..." He breathed, trying to be loud enough for the recorder to pick him up. He ignored how sly his own voice sounded saying those words; insinuating the one he loved.

The second he finished that sentence, he almost wanted to go home and brush his teeth and tongue to clean himself of how filthy he felt. "Do tell... I don't like secrets, I must confess. I don't wish to bother father when he's so busy with his work. I asked our classmates, but they were pretty clueless. I realized I hadn't talked to you about this, but I know you can help me out Chloe. You, who have always been so close to me..."

The charm worked wonders. There was a giggle, one sounding almost too pleased, before Chloe pulled away enough to look at him. He met her eyes, pretending to be amused and a little thankful. Those glossy lips pulled into a knowing smile...ugly in his opinion.

She leaned against his chest, fingers playing with the strands of hair at the nape of his neck. "It was so simple really." She began, looking all too happy. "I just needed to bide my time and wait for her to mess up."

There was a peal of laughter before Chloe reigned it in. "She was talking to one of her loser friends about that Underground place. Sabrina did all the dirty work and reported to me. She's so good at those things, you know. Anyway, the mouse confessed over the phone...she thought she was alone in a place like this...isn't that stupid? She apparently talked to this person about having invited you to that dumb club place herself. She was so clingy by saying how she had no ulterior motives to dance next to YOU... What an idiot. Who wouldn't if they got to know how talented you are Adri-kins?"

Chloe's eyes flashed after a pause, abruptly turning ugly. "I couldn't let that street rat remain in your father's perfect school, standing next to you when I belonged there. That stupid mouse was the one to cause your collapse at school. I remember it well...how you were gone from my side for so many days. It was just awful; class wasn't the same! I was going to make her pay for sucking you in to that stupid Underground place of hers!"

"How did you manage all this?" He heard himself say, blood rushing past his ears.

She giggled again and flounced her hair a little, looking more than a little proud at her own devious actions. "I just kept an eye on her...or rather I had Sabrina keep an eye on her, that is. Once I got what I needed, I made sure to bring it to the attention of your father. All I needed to do was tell him what I heard, let him look at what Sabrina had written down from the call, and remind him of what Marinette herself showed us in the spring. I told your father to call her in and verify it for himself."

Chloe's eyes flashed again, fists clenching a little. "That stupid court jester...that hip hop slime didn't belong here. She's always been underneath us; that's why she could never get in! I still think that she tricked your gracious father somehow! I'm so glad he took me up on my advice and -"

He was done. No more. The ugly truth was there that he had been the reward for them all.

Chloe's unwanted affections and his father's attempt to separate the 'trash' from him. Those two didn't know anything and yet they acted like they were the smartest out of them all!

His hands grasped her upper arms and pushed her far enough to get her off him. He pasted on a sickeningly sweet smile as her confused eyes searched his face.

He stared for brief moments, his grip tightened just a little as he let anger and disgust finally overtake him. It twisted his features as he glared at her, shaking her a little. Any semblance of calm dissolved and made his breathing choppy.

"You know NOTHING!" He venomously hissed, emeralds turning to stone chips. "I'll never dance with anyone aside that 'stupid mouse' as you put it, ever again. I'll never let anyone like you near me ever again. I love Marinette and if you ever try such a thing to her again, even get near her after she gets back, I'll make you pay. I feel NOTHING for you! You know nothing about how amazing she is...how much she's helped me!"

"A – Adri-kins?!"

He shoved her back as she started to struggle and watched in perverse satisfaction as she stumbled, but remained righted. He looked down at her with his taller stature, taking in her disbelief and upset to his words.

He took a threatening step to her, eyes hardening. "If you breathe a word of this conversation between us, you'll regret it." His hand delved into the pocket of his duffel and grabbed the recorder. He brandished it like a weapon, holding it for her to see. "I'll take this to the school board and find a way for you to be expelled. It'd be such a shame, wouldn't it? You're almost done with school here, almost ready to be a professional ballerina... It would be so horrible for you to suddenly get kicked out of school, never to return."

Ice blue flashed. "Y – you wouldn't dare!"

He gripped his evidence and took a few steps out of the area. He headed down part of the hallway as if to make good on his threat when she made a noise of desperation in his direction. He paused and turned to her, brow rose. "Did you have anything else you wanted to say?"

"I...I...promise...I won't say anything..."

He gave a snort, curtly nodding at her words. His lips tilted in satisfaction as he twirled the small device in his fingers. "Good girl. Now, if you'll excuse me...I have an eerily similar conversation to have with father before I need to head home."

It was a short walk with as long as his stride had become. He walked as fast as he could around everyone without making himself seem too upset over this. He figured his father would still be in his office, like usual, though HE personally should have left a while ago.

Without knocking and waiting for permission, he turned the knob and threw the door open. The first thing he was privy to seeing was his father on the phone with someone...looking at him with more surprise than he had seen in a long time.

It was understandable that his father would be shocked to see someone he never expected to still see in school at such an hour. Usually, the moment class was done, Adrien would head home for some down time before having dinner. His father occasionally strolled through the door as he was halfway or all the way done eating in order to get some food for himself.

He strode into the office, gripping the recorder in his jacket pocket, and shut the door behind him. He stopped a pace away from the desk, staring down in insistent silence...meeting his father's eyes without flinching. He knew he must look as upset as he felt, but he let it show. He wanted to be upset; why else would he burst into his father's office like he had? He needed to make a showing of this in order to not be kicked out of the office. He cut out the middle-man and unnecessary words by letting his emotions fly for him.

They did the job effectively well, causing Gabriel to end the call and hang up before meeting his eyes.

The clack of the phone was the only sound until Gabriel folded his hands over the desk and looked at him with slight curiosity. "Was there something you needed Adrien? You should be home by now...is something wrong?"

"I want to know exactly why you kicked Marinette out of school father." He started. He saw a flash of annoyance that they were going over a subject his father assumed to be closed, but he didn't let his father say anything. "I just heard everything from Chloe about why she suddenly disappeared." His fist clenched, eyes narrowing. "I also heard that you assaulted Marinette during her time in your office! How could you do that?!"

Gabriel was silent, eyes thoughtfully narrowing as they darted over his face. There seemed to be a few things he wished to say first, but didn't know which one to get out before the other.

A finger lightly drummed on his desk as the other hand propped his chin up.

Eyes never breaking contact.

"It seems you have been busier than with just practice today..." Gabriel quietly started. He leaned back in the chair, never breaking contact with icy green. "I 'assaulted' her, as you unnecessarily put it, due to my lapse in judgment and in my anger at what she had done to you. I confess that I'm still quite upset about your condition. It hasn't been that long ago, you know. Do you think someone is going to get over the sight of seeing their only child laying unconscious in a hospital bed that easily?"

He glared. "That only happened because of my own incompetence! Those comings and goings were my own business and you had no right to slap her because of them!"

"How do you know for sure that I slapped her?"

He scoffed, giving a snide look. "I heard it from her personally."

He ignored the irritated glare and the put out sigh at knowing he had snuck out, chin raising. "Of course I wasn't just going to go by your word alone as to why she hadn't come back to class. I wanted to hear it from her what happened. Imagine my surprise to find out more than I bargained for."

His free hand slapped on his father's desk, leaning over it. "Your actions were totally uncalled for and I want you to reinstate Marinette immediately! I hate dancing with Chloe; Marinette is way better than she will ever be! She has proved this more than once and you can ask the teacher on that. Our chemistry together is unheard of for almost anyone in the dancing field."

"Do you honestly think I'll let that girl into this school again after knowing all that she's done? You've gone back on your own word in saying that you would never go back to that place; why should I do as you say now?"

He smiled, feeling very unlike himself all of a sudden with these horrible intentions roaming his mind. "It would be such a shame for the school board to know that you had so roughly handled a student father. I can easily go to them and report you having said so yourself."

"Do you think they'll believe you over me?"

He brandished the recorder again, holding it out so the 'record' on the screen was showing. "I think they would if I show them this..."

"You're not going to blackmail me into this Adrien." Gabriel darkly responded. He stood and slapped his hands on the desk. "I told that girl she was never to set foot in this place ever again after what she did and I'll destroy her pathetic little hovel if she tries! Don't think that a slip of a child like yourself is going to sway my decision on this! You know absolutely nothing of how the world works and I'm not going to give into your pointless demands. She stays gone!"

His teeth grit. The recording hadn't done its job a second time and he suddenly was at a loss on what to do now.

Father and son glared at each other, not wanting to break eye contact first and back down. The first to do so would be to admit defeat and give in. Even blinking, a twitch of the body, would show a sense of weakness.

His brain scrambled to find anything to use as leverage. He wanted his lady back by his side, no matter what the cost! The last week had been horrible since she was kicked out and he didn't ever want to go back to that life before her ever again!

His eyes widened a little, lips tilting as an idea, probably a stupid one, came to him. If using his father's own voice against him wasn't enough...he would just have to use himself. He had caused this and he apparently was a prize for those around him...this would be the one thing he could use to his advantage.

He slowly straightened from the desk, never leaving his father's stare. "I think not. I want her back in this school. She has the talent and the drive and the dream to be one of the best ballerinas here. Until she's back and I get to dance with her permanently, I'm on strike. I'm not going to class, any performance, eating, or drinking until I know. I'll do whatever I can to help her after she's helped me so much. She showed me how life should be and what a real family is like. I'm not above petty tricks on this...starting now."

He whipped around and hurried from the office, leaving the door open and his father standing behind his desk. He ran from the building, ignoring the car and Natalie in it, for his home. He went all out in attempt to get there before they could catch him.

It wasn't that far of a distance and the car was mostly for show anyway. He knew his father would probably try to contact Natalie and verify his location. If she saw him run past, they may try to cut him off at the pass before he could do anything and he was not about to be deterred now!

He didn't stop even when he got to his room and locked the door. He knew someone could probably break it down and had to take steps to hinder that.

He looked around the room at all the things he owned and started grabbing what he could move fairly easily. He barred the door from opening with various pieces of furniture, nodding in satisfaction when he could barely see the door, let alone the knob.

Just as he was checking his handiwork and considered himself set up, there was an attempt to open the barrier. He jumped and tensed as the door handle was jiggled, but things held firm. He nodded, listening to the shouts on the other side to unlock the door lest someone break it down.

"Go ahead and try!" He shouted back, hands clenching and body tensing.

His heart and adrenaline raced. This was perhaps the most foolhardy stunt he had ever done since setting foot in the Underground and he knew this. He was never this rebellious, but he had never known anyone like Marinette either.

He had never known such a sense of love and he was not about to let her slip away from him a second time!

He soon heard his father join Natalie's voice on the other side, giving the same order. "I said before father that I'm on strike! This door will only open when my partner Marinette is the one knocking on the other side, asking me to open it!"