Standard disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, and am not affiliated with them in any way. If I were, Puppeteer's episode would've included something along the lines of "NOW KISS!"

'Cause you know we were all hoping for it.

I forgot to warn people, I'm trying to keep the tone of the original series in here, and I'm also trying to use some of the hints they've given us as far as future seasons go. So, yes, we'll see a hinted LGBT pair, more Miraculous users, the Big Reveal (oh wait, I did that one already), and some other stuff that I have interpreted from what they have released as teasers. Also, I gotta say: Chloe is fun to write. I hate her in the series as much as the next person, but I guess I'm just evil.

On that note, I'm upping the rating. Not too much, but it's about to hit the fan, if you know what I mean. (Seriously, I don't know how ZAGtoons is gonna keep a TV-Y7 rating when it all goes down.) If that makes you uncomfortable, get out while you can. (Grins evilly) If you can.

Issues

"Oh-oh-oh! Oh no, you'll never know! Oh-oh-oh! My love can only grow!" -Miraculous Theme

Chapter 6: In Which There Is Too Much Information

When they finally made it to class, Marinette immediately noticed that both Adrien and Chloe were missing. Maybe they were just late or something? But Nino was looking at his phone, worried.

"Weird. He hasn't called or texted me back all morning," he muttered. Marinette's heart jumped. Adrien? Ignoring Nino? That couldn't be right! Maybe he—as in, Cat Noir was in danger! Maybe she should—no, she was jumping to conclusions. She took a deep breath and decided to send him a quick text herself.

Marinette: Hey! Is everything ok?

She sat her seat, still watching her phone and trying to be oblivious to the fact that most of her classmates were whispering to each other and shooting her glances.

"Marinette," Ms. Bustier called. Marinette quickly hid the phone behind her back, before realizing the bell hadn't rung yet. She shouldn't be in trouble yet, right?

"Yes, ma'am?"

"You need to go talk to Principal Damocles about yesterday's absences," her teacher said. Behind her, she heard snickers and her face flamed. Just what kind of rumors must be going around about her? First Adrien, then Cat Noir. And of course, she and Adrien had been gone all afternoon… and his phone had been turned off… and… eek! Quickly, and keeping her head down, she all but fled out of the room.

As she neared the principal's office, she heard raised voices shouting at each other inside. Just before she reached it, the door was flung open and an irate man in an expensive suit stormed out.

"This is an outrage!" he bellowed. To her surprise, not only the principal, but the mayor followed him out, also looking angry.

"We cannot allow you or your family to threaten Paris by calling upon our greatest enemy and supervillain whenever you want to!" the mayor shouted after him.

"Surely, you cannot believe the foolish words of a little girl!" the man spat.

"Your daughter has already been akumatized twice in the past week!" the mayor retorted. "Perhaps three times if certain witnesses are to be believed! And just this morning, she was making threats—"

The man interrupted him with a slew of Italian curses and swear words that made Marinette's eyes go wide.

"Gentlemen!" the principal exclaimed, shocked. "We are in a school! Mr. Rossi, if you would please—"

"I shall be making a formal complaint!" Mr. Rossi said, turning on his heel. Mr. Damocles and Mayor Bourgeois gave each other a look and started after him, then stopped when they saw Marinette.

"Ah, Miss Dupain-Cheng," Mr. Damocles said, worriedly glancing at the diplomat's retreating form. "Please wait for me in my office. I'll be just a moment." He chased after the man.

"You wait here as well, my princess," the mayor said, looking into the office they had just come out of. Marinette saw Chloe still inside, watching with her arms crossed.

"But, Daddy, I want to be there when you kick his no-good daughter out of town!" she complained, stomping her foot. "Don't you need me as a witness or something?"

"Not right now, angel. I don't want you anywhere near that dangerous girl," the mayor said, shuddering.

"I'm not afraid of that—"

"No, Chloe," the mayor said firmly. "I cannot let you risk your safety. Not even for the good of Paris. Just wait here."

Still fuming, Chloe went back into the principal's office. To Marinette's dismay, the mayor also ushered her in and closed the door behind them.

"What was that about?" Marinette asked, before she could stop herself. Chloe turned slightly in her chair to sneer at her.

"Well, well, well. The Cat's playtoy," she said mockingly. Marinette scowled at her, but refused to rise to her bait.

"I'm serious, Chloe. What happened?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Chloe said, examining her nails.

Marinette sighed and sat down in the only other chair available, right beside Chloe. "That is why I asked," she said, rubbing her head. She didn't want to deal with this girl again. So stuck up, and self-centered, and—an idea popped into Marinette's head. Hmm. Chloe's personality could be used against her, under the right circumstances…. If she just asked the right questions.

"So, you got Lila kicked out?" she guessed.

"Maybe," Chloe said with a smirk. Ok, that was a yes.

"Any specific reason why?"

"She was after my Adrikins," Chloe said, giving her a glare. "Speaking of which…."

Marinette sighed again. "Nothing happened between me and Adrien, Chloe."

"Hmph. You'd better keep it that way."

"He was just helping me get through a difficult time," Marinette said. That you caused, she wanted to add. "He's… nice that way. You know that."

"Well, of course," Chloe said with a smirk. "I am his oldest, best friend."

"I know you are," Marinette said, rolling her eyes. The principal still wasn't back. She dug in her bag for her phone and checked it. Adrien still hadn't gotten back to her. She bit her lip. "You wouldn't happen to know what happened to him this morning, would you?" she asked carefully. "Nino hasn't been able to get ahold of him all morning and he's not responding to my texts either."

"You seriously don't know?" Chloe asked, turning to her scornfully. "His father put him back under house arrest after your little stunt yesterday. No friends, no phone, no school!" Marinette's eyes went wide. No! No, it couldn't be! She'd never see Adrien again?

"He's locked up alone in that miserable house, thanks to you! And the only reason why I'm not getting you kicked out of school just like that cheap little Italian knock-off is because he still sounded happy when he talked about you!" Chloe was on her feet, yelling at her, but Marinette's mind was already whirling.

Adrien was all alone. He could be next in line to be akumatized and she literally couldn't get there to be with him! Oh noooo! This was not good! She stood and started pacing almost unconsciously. Not good at all! He could be akumatized already for all she knew! If only she could talk to him—

"Wait, you talked to him?" she asked, seizing on that small bit of information.

Chloe scoffed. "Of course I did," she said. "What's the use of having Daddy's money if I don't use it to buy my best friend a phone not even his father knows about? How else do you think he's stayed sane these past few years? It sure wasn't because of that stupid rock wall!" She produced a phone from her bag. "It was because of me!"

Despite herself, Marinette couldn't help smiling. Chloe really did care about Adrien, in her own way.

"So, he's okay?" she asked hopefully. Chloe looked at her and curled her lip. Gritting her teeth, Marinette did what she'd always sworn she'd never do in front of Chloe. She begged.

"Please, Chloe. Please, I swear, I just need to know if he's safe or not," she pleaded. "He's the only one in our class who hasn't been akumatized yet and now he's all alone, because of me! Ugh, he's alone and probably angry and that's how Hawkmoth gets you, you know that! Please, just call him to check on him and make sure he's ok, I-don't-think-I-could-bear-it-if—"

"Stop! Stop! My God, you're pathetic," Chloe said, rubbing the bridge of her nose as Marinette started speaking faster and faster. "What do I get out of this?"

"Are you serious?" Marinette exclaimed. "Do you want him to be akumatized?"

"Of course not!" Chloe snapped.

"Then just call to check on him!"

"I did earlier and he's fine," Chloe said, sticking her nose in the air. "A little angry with his stupid father, but fine."

"Being a little angry is not all right, Chloe," Marinette said, shaking. "People have been akumatized for less."

Chloe sneered at her. "Well, what about you? You fought him off. I bet Adrien can—"

"I was able to fight because I had Adrien there, helping me," Marinette said, trying to keep her voice from breaking. "You said it yourself. He's alone right now. Please, just call him and say something to cheer him up. Anything! You're the only one who can help him right now! Please!"

"Hmph," Chloe said, still looking down her nose at her rival. "You would let me call and talk to him even though you want him for yourself?"

"What I want is for Adrien to get through this," Marinette countered. "Preferably without having to go through… that." She shuddered, remembering the chill and cold heat and nastiness that came with the akuma's touch.

Chloe regarded her for a moment, probably remembering her own experience with the evil butterfly. Then she took a deep breath and looked at the pleading girl. "Hmm. So, you really care about him?"

"More than anything," Marinette said immediately, before she could understand what she was saying. Then she flushed, stammering for a moment as she tried to figure out how to salvage that statement. Chloe chose not to let her.

"Good. Then I'll call him," Chloe said. Pausing for a moment, she turned and poked Marinette in the chest. "Then you can tell him that this whole mess with Cat Noir is just a misunderstanding and you're not two-timing him. Because so help me, if you are, I'll ruin you."

"Um, ok?" Marinette said. She wasn't quite sure what she should say to that.

"And don't think I'm giving up on him," Chloe warned her. "He'll come back to me in the end, just watch! But for now, you seem to make him happy, so I'll let it slide. And better you than Lila." She spat out the name in disgust.

"Thank you, Chloe," Marinette said warmly. It was hard to believe sometimes, but Chloe really did care.

"You can thank me by making sure Adrien doesn't become an akuma," Chloe said sharply, dialing a number on her phone. After a few seconds of ringing, Marinette heard someone pick up the other end.

"Hi, Adrikins," Chloe gushed. "How are you doing?"

His reply was too low for Marinette to pick up.

"Ugh, I can't believe after everything you went through yesterday, your father's doing this to you now," the blonde said, examining her nails again. "But don't worry, I already took out the trash. You won't have to worry about Lila anymore."

His voice now sounded slightly alarmed.

"Oh please, Adrien, you're too nice," Chloe said, rolling her eyes. "You should've heard her this morning, bragging about how Hawkmoth would give her powers to get anything she wanted, any time she wanted it." She laughed. "She didn't expect me to record her and send it straight to my father. I mean, how stupid can you get? And don't worry, they've got her on 24/7 surveillance now, and she and her family are being shipped out, courtesy of yours truly. She's not getting anywhere near you. I'll get my daddy to tell yours as soon as she's out of the country so we can get you out of solitary."

Adrien's reply sounded relieved.

"Until then," Chloe continued, looking at Marinette, "I've got another present for you, to lift your spirits. Marinette here has something she wants to say to you to make you feel better." Chloe handed her the phone. Still in a bit of shock, Marinette hesitantly took it.

"Adrien?" she said softly.

"Marinette?" Adrien's voice was incredulous. "You're there with Chloe? Seriously?"

"Yeah, I know," she laughed softly. "And—OH MY GOD! I'M SO SORRY ABOUT GETTING YOU GROUNDED! Don't worry, I'll come over as soon as it's lunchtime and explain to your father about almost being akumatized! Maybe he'll—"

Adrien cut her off with a laugh. "Please don't," he said. She could almost hear him wince. "The last time a friend of mine tried to influence my father's decisions, he ended up getting akumatized because of it." Marinette grimaced. Ah. She'd always wondered how Nino had been turned so fiercely against adults.

"How are you?" she asked.

"Just fine," but his voice was bitter. "And I should be asking you that! I heard you got swarmed by reporters this morning."

"Yeah, I think that's why Chloe wanted me to talk to you," Marinette said, looking at the girl in question. Chloe nodded and gave her a "hurry it up" gesture with her hand, looking impatient. "She wanted you to hear it from me directly so you wouldn't get akumatized." She took a deep breath, trying to look like she was steadying herself. "I'm not dating Cat Noir, Adrien."

"Well, shoot, that's disappointing."

She chose not to hear that and continued. "He was just there to check up on me. Ladybug came to see me too, but the photographer didn't see her."

"Ha! Pics or it didn't happen."

"Adrien!"

"Whoops! I'm not on speaker, am I?"

"No, but…"

"Got it, got it. Discretion 'r us. …Poor Cat Noir must be devastated. Oh, oh, I think I feel an akuma coming on! Oh no! I hope my lady will come save me soon with a big, wet kiss…!"

"You're not funny."

"I'm hilarious. And I wish I could see your face right now, princess."

It was currently flaming red, Marinette was sure. Oh, she'd save him alright. Then she was going to kill him.

"Ugh, are you two almost done?" Chloe snapped, Marinette looked at her and saw her holding her hand out expectantly for her phone.

"Just a minute," she said to her. "Adrien?"

"Let me guess, you gotta go," he sounded sad again.

"Yeah," she said regretfully. She had to say something to try to cheer him up! She could not, would not fight an akumatized Adrien! What should she say to him? Should she crack a joke? A pun? Then she remembered what he'd said the day before: "…You get to be my Lucky Charm…." Her face flamed. Her. He needed her. Just like he'd helped her, just by being with her. But how? She couldn't physically be near him right now; would just the thought of her be enough to stop an akuma? "Only love can conquer hate!" Rose's voice broke through her thoughts.

Somehow, her face got redder. Oh no. No no no. She couldn't say those words. That much she was sure of. She'd stutter and stammer and it'd sound totally unbelievable. And she couldn't reassure him as Ladybug; Chloe was right there. She needed something personal, but vague. Something he could picture in his—PICTURE! She gulped.

"Well, I guess I'll say goodbye—"

"Adrien! I…um, I-I… I," she took a deep breath and spoke quietly. "I changed my desktop picture back to the pink sparkles as soon as you left."

There was a moment of silence, then a startled snicker burst out of his mouth, quickly turning into a full-bodied laugh. She felt her insides warm at the sound. He was happy again. Truly happy.

"Marinette," he said, "you're the best."

"Stay safe," she said softly.

"You too."

She handed the phone back to Chloe.

"Ugh," the blonde said as soon as she was back on, "you two are sickeningly sweet, you know that? Wha-Why are you laughing? … What do you mean you've heard that before?"

The paparazzi photographer's akuma didn't even give Marinette until lunch before he struck the school. She had been hoping for something simple, like Pixelator (take a picture, person disappears), but Inside Scoop's powers were even worse. His camera was in his hands, (and obviously where the akuma was) but whenever he took a shot at someone, instead of disappearing, they began to shout all their secrets to the world at the top of their lungs. (The class learned waaay more than they'd ever needed to about Ms. Bustier's love life when she shielded Marinette from his initial attack.)

Marinette, for her part, didn't have to fake the horror on her face as she desperately dodged his attacks. Screaming out to everyone that she was Ladybug was a definite no-no. She absolutely could not get hit!

But he was also relentless, not giving her any time to find an out-of-the-way place to hide and transform. It wasn't until Cat Noir showed up, attacking and dodging like his namesake, that she was able to duck into the girls' bathroom and catch her breath.

"Tikki," she gasped, "can I request specific Lucky Charms? Like a shield? Or a gag?"

"Sorry, Marinette," Tikki giggled, "luck doesn't work that way. You can try to focus it, but well, your best chance is to just not get hit! And if you do get hit, focus your thoughts on Cat Noir."

"How will that help me?" Marinette exclaimed.

"Cat already knows you're Ladybug," Tikki explained. "It's not a secret to him. The akuma makes people tell their secrets."

"So, then what will I tell him?" Marinette asked. Tikki just gave her a pointed look. Marinette paled. "Oh noooooo…. no no no no no…."

"Like I said, don't get hit."

"Right, and maybe we'll get lucky. Tikki, spots on!"

Ladybug showed up just in time to get her yo-yo around Cat Noir's waist and hoist him to safety after Inside Scoop had him cornered in the courtyard.

"So good to see you, my lady," he said with a wink as she released him on the school's rooftop.

"Don't get hit," she warned him.

"Yeah, I think I got that after watching Juleka declare her love for Rose at the top of her lungs a minute ago."

Ladybug blinked. "Wait, really?"

"Yup. Then Rose kissed her. It was kinda hot."

"TMI, kitty!" she exclaimed, and looked over his shoulder just as Inside Scoop found them. Together, they dodged his next attack and ran for it, leaping buildings at top speed. "We have to get him away from the school!"

"But we don't wanna go too far. You have to get back to class soon," Cat Noir reminded her. That made her pause for a moment to look at him sadly.

A moment was all the akuma needed. She saw Cat Noir leap towards her with a look of horror. Then, something tingly struck her in the back, and suddenly she wasn't in control of her own mouth.

"MY NAME IS—"

The next instant, she was slammed against a wall, with Cat Noir's hand covering her mouth, his eyes wide. Grateful, she covered his hand with hers even as the rest of that statement was garbled into it. Cursing, Cat Noir looked around.

"I'm so sorry! I couldn't get to you! Do you know if it has a time limit?" he asked. She shook her head, still clutching his hand. Dammit! This was the second time in two days she'd gotten under the influence of an akuma! She must be distracted by—nope, wasn't going to finish that thought. Oh, the thoughts that were pushing against her hands! She wanted to scream them. She needed to tell everyone! No, Ladybug! Focus! That was right! Focus on Cat Noir!

Cat Noir pulled her close to him and ran with her, leaping rooftops and dodging the akuma's attacks until finally, they were out of sight of the enemy for a moment. He quickly darted into a door on a random roof. It led to a stairwell. Rooftop access, Ladybug realized. They should be safe here for a moment.

Then he tried to remove his hand from underneath hers.

"I LOVE YOU!" she burst out, before she could get her own hands back up. His eyes shot up to meet hers and she felt her face burn. She backed up against the wall, hands firmly on her mouth.

Oh God, oh no… not like this!

He stared at her in shock for a moment before a slow grin spread over his face. He made a motion with his hands for her to go on. She shook her head fiercely and pressed her hands more firmly on her mouth. No, no, no, no, no, no! Oh God, no! I can't—I can't—!

"Sooo, you do realize you're gonna have to move your hands to activate your Lucky Charm, right?" he said, leaning against the wall. She whimpered. "I'd cover my ears, but," he pointed at the cat ears on the top of his head and they swiveled.

She wrinkled her nose at him. She'd have to figure out how that worked someday. Some day when she was not worried about everything going through her mind, like how cute he looked with those ears, in that sexy pose—UGH! No, don't think about that, Ladybug!

"Should I leave?" he asked, once again serious. "I can try to buy you some time." Even now, he was willing to respect her feelings! Even if he was loving every moment of this, he was being a gentleman. Gah, why did he have to be so perfect?

She shook her head again. If he went out now, he'd likely be hit by the akuma too. Then they'd have even more problems! She took a deep breath and shifted so her yo-yo was easy to access. Maybe she could activate it before she spilled too many secrets. She just wished she had control over which ones she'd say!

Ladybug wrenched her hands off her mouth, reaching for her yo-yo.

"I'VE LOVED YOU SINCE THE DAY WE MET—GAH, LUCKY—AND I KEEP GETTING SO TONGUE-TIED BECAUSE I HAVE A VERY ACTIVE IMAGINATION, —CHARM!—AND EVER SINCE I'VE LEARNED WHO YOU ARE, ALL I CAN THINK ABOUT IS PUSHING YOU UP AGAINST A WALL AND—OH, THANK GOD!" The Lucky Charm had produced a rolled-up sock, just big enough for her to quickly shove in her mouth, effectively stopping the words pouring out beyond her control. She hoped it was clean.

Cat Noir blinked at her and burst out laughing. "You know, if this keeps up, I'm going to have to send Hawkmoth a fruit basket or something," he said, his eyes bright even as she glared at him.

"There you are!" Inside Scoop shouted, bursting through the door (and part of the wall). "Give me a headline!" He pointed his camera at them.

But Ladybug was officially done.

She leapt at him, ignoring the tingle as she was hit again, and ignoring the camera he immediately curled around to protect. Her right hook hit him square in the jaw, and his whole body twisted with the force of the kick she used to follow it up. A yo-yo around his ankle flung him back out the door and onto the rooftop, with her stalking behind him, fuming. A Lady's secrets were her own!

Behind her, Cat Noir whistled lowly and twirled his baton. "I was mistaken," he said. "Now, that was hot."

She ignored him. For now. She'd deal with him later. She hadn't used him as a projectile in a while. The next akuma they faced would just have to end up with a face full of Cat. As for this one….

Apparently, her anger showed on her face, because Inside Scoop tried to run for it instead of attacking her again. He made it to the next rooftop before her yo-yo caught his ankle again and sent him sprawling to the ground. His camera flew out of his hands, skidding just out of reach. When he tried to crawl towards it, Cat Noir landed on his back, tsking at him. An extended baton later pushed the camera even further away and held it still as Ladybug landed nearby. She raised an eyebrow at her partner and gestured at the camera, clearly asking why he didn't destroy it himself.

"Oh no," he said, still grinning and shaking his head as he retracted the baton, "This cat knows better than to come between a true predator and her prey, my lady. This one's all yours." She grinned at him around the sock still in her mouth and gleefully smashed the camera with her yo-yo. The akuma flittered out of it and she caught it in her next pass.

Bye, bye, little butterfly, she thought as she released its purified form.

Looking up, she saw Cat Noir get up off the former villain, still grinning at her in anticipation. She put her hands on her hips and studied him. The spell wasn't completely broken yet, and wouldn't be until she actually called for the Cure, but she had a feeling that, with the akuma gone, it was at least weakened enough that she could control which secret she gave away. And she had to focus on Cat Noir. If she thought about Inside Scoop, she'd give her identity away, that was for sure.

So which secret…? She sighed as one sprang to mind. Best to get this over with. She focused on the memory and pulled the sock out of her mouth.

"I MISSED THE UNVEILING OF OUR STATUE BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO CALL YOU AND ASK YOU OUT ON A DATE," she tossed the sock in the air, "MIRACULOUS LADYBUG! —BUT IT WENT TO VOICEMAIL AND I ENDED UP LEAVING A REALLY EMBARASSING MESSAGE," the magical ladybug swarm swirled around her, "SO I STOLE YOUR PHONE… to try… and… delete… it," she finished sheepishly. Cat Noir's jaw dropped.

"That was you?" he exclaimed. She nodded, biting her lip.

"Sorry?"

He burst out laughing. "Aww, man. Best akuma ever," he said. She glared at him again, clearly not agreeing. He sauntered towards her. "Soooooo, what did your little message say?" he asked, leaning towards her and wiggling his eyebrows.

"Oh no, kitty. You've learned enough of my secrets today," she said, turning away and folding her arms.

"Wanna hear one of mine?" he asked silkily. She looked at him and her eyes went wide when she realized just how close he had gotten. She gulped and tried to step away, but he quickly looped an arm around her waist, and caught a lock of her hair in between two of his fingers, playing with it as he leaned even closer.

"I really liked your idea in the stairwell," he murmured in her ear.

I am not blushing, Ladybug thought fiercely. My face is just going to have to be perpetually red from now on, that's all. He was so close! She should push him away with a laugh or a joke or something. But all she had to do was tilt her head and—

The sound of a shutter interrupted that thought. Cat Noir pulled away from her with an actual growl as he turned to see the paparazzi photographer trying to take another picture. When he saw the looks on their faces, he grinned at them sheepishly and took off for the emergency escape.

Cat Noir sighed. "Does your Miraculous Cure have to fix everything?" he whined.

Ladybug giggled. "It's my job," she said, holding up her fist. He grinned at her and gave it a bump with his own.

"Pound it!" they chorused.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, my lady, I think that reporter and I need to have a chat," he said, chasing after the man.

"Don't actually hurt him, Cat!" she called after him.

"No promises!"

She laughed and then heard her earrings beep. Time to get back to class. Hopefully she hadn't missed lunch!

She transformed in an alleyway about a block away from the school, giving herself time to catch her breath and check her phone. Alya had called twice, probably wondering where she was, but she had an easy excuse this time. The akuma had wanted Marinette specifically, after all. She dialed her friend back.

"Marinette!" Alya cried. "Where are you, girl?"

"I ran for it after Cat Noir showed up," she said. "Did they get the akuma yet?"

"Yeah, we just got the all-clear," Alya confirmed. "The teachers are calling an early lunch. Miss Bustier had to go home for the rest of the day to 'recover.'"

Marinette winced. "Did anybody else get hit?" she asked.

"Well, Juleka and Rose are now an item," Alya said. "And you should see them! It's so cute! Kim and Max aren't talking to each other; I don't know what happened there. Nathaniel took the rest of the day off too, I gotta get that scoop…."

"What about you?" Marinette asked, hoping to derail Alya a bit.

"Me? I'm fine. About to get lunch. Wanna join me?"

"Thanks, but I think I'd better check in at home," Marinette said, as the bakery came into view. Her parents would want to make sure she was okay. "I'll see you after lunch, okay?"

"Ok, talk to you later!" Alya hung up.

"Phew. Tikki, between us, I don't think I could take Alya's questions right now," Marinette said, her shoulders sagging.

"Yeah, she might start asking you about Cat Noir again," Tikki teased.

Marinette cringed. "Ugh, her and the shipping! And now…!" she groaned, recalling the delighted look on Cat Noir's face. There was no doubt he was going to show up to "talk" to her again, grounded or not. Hopefully, she'd have enough time to figure out how she wanted to handle their relationship from now on. She didn't think he'd be satisfied with what they had before, no matter what he claimed. He'd learned far too much. "I still can't believe I told him all of that!"

"Well, you had to tell him sooner or later," Tikki was grinning. Traitor.

"Maybe, but not like that," Marinette grumbled. Tikki ducked back into her purse as they entered the bakery. "Mama? Papa? I'm home! The school called an early lunch!"

That was strange. Her mother was usually out in front with the customers about this time. But the store was empty, and the lights turned off. Maybe they had decided to close for lunch? But it was one of their best times! Was it because of the akuma? She went around to the back stairs leading up to the living area. Maybe they had a delivery? She couldn't remember anything on the schedule, but she had been distracted these past few days.

"Mama? Papa?" she called, entering the kitchen.

Suddenly, she felt a chill on the back of her neck and a whoosh behind her. Acting on pure instinct, she dodged to the side. The strike barely missed her, but caught on her purse, hitting it hard enough to snap the strap on her shoulder. Her purse flew across the room. Inside, she heard Tikki shriek.

"Tikki!" she cried, as a huge hand clamped itself over her mouth. She tried to struggle, but a sickeningly sweet scent filled her senses, and then the world went black.

End Chapter 6.

A/N: Marinette had to go explain to the principal why her teacher tried to tell people she went to the nurse's (which involves an official note to her parents), but the nurse said she never showed. I had the teacher explain it in more detail in an earlier version, but then I realized it'd be very unprofessional for her to discuss it in front of the whole class, so I took out most of that conversation. Just FYI, since the teachers never seem to care how much class she misses in the actual series, other than a little note in one episode.

Next: Chapter 7: In Which Laughter Is the Best Medicine